Page 165 of The Throne Seeker
“I can’t believe I’m jealous of a sleipnir.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard you have a somewhat controversial reputation. Why is that?”
“Because I grew up with nothing. I wasn’t given a cent like so many others here. Much of what you see in Caleede is generational wealth. What I have now, I had to fight for. It wasn’t given to me. I had to take it. Many people disagree on how I did that.”
“Is that why you deny so many women? You think they’ll only choose you for your money?”
Moretti smirked. “Partly. What’s your family like?”
“I live with my mum. My dad died, and I have no siblings.”
He wouldn’t accept such a vague answer. “Come on, you have to give me more than that.”
She gnawed on the inside of her cheek, digging deeper, weaving her way through the effects of the powder. “My mother is what some might call overprotective of me. In my eyes, she’s a fighter because she had to be. She endured my father when he didn’t deserve it… He wasn’t kind.”
A twinge of sadness graced his handsome face. “You and I have that in common.”
“How is it you make your money?”
“Investments, trading, shipments, some rare black market items,” he blurted, looking surprised as he told her the last bit. “What’s a girl like you doing not married yet?”
She wanted to lie, but the powder wouldn’t let her. She chose her words carefully. “Because my mother and I have no money. Another gift from my father. I was going to get married, but… I ended things. I’ve been looking to find a suitor ever since, but the man I was in love with is powerful. He made sure no one would want to come within ten feet of me.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because I hurt him terribly,” she stated, her heart aching to think of Tristan. She cleared her throat. “Were you involved in the war?”
“No, but I played a small part, shipping weapons and supplies to the troops.”
At last, she was getting somewhere. “Were there any other provinces you sold supplies to during the time?” she probed, digging for more.
His eyes narrowed, fighting the effects. But he had no idea what was happening, so he had to respond. “Uh, yes. A few others.”
“Who?”
His brows grew together, suspicion lacing those blue orbs. “I sold them to a band of men willing to pay a lot of money for some supplies and information.”
“What kind of information?” she pressed.
He stood up off the bed, his eyes darkening. “Information about something they were looking for. Why do you ask?”
She stood, too. “Because I’m trying to find them. Do you know where they are?”
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth, admitting it. “But what would a girl like you be doing looking for men like that?”
“They’re hurting people, and I want them to stop. Don’t you?”
“I don’t much care for what doesn’t concern me.”
“Can you tell me where they’re hiding?”
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell you. If those men eventhoughtI betrayed them, I’d be a dead man.”
She stared at him in awe. “You’re scared of them.”
“You’d be a fool not to be. They’ve killed thousands of people. I made a deal with them to protect Caleede. They promised they wouldn’t touch me or the city if I gave them what they wanted.”
“What was it they wanted?”
