Page 145 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“Princess!” Alastair snaps from across the room and Scarlett snickers.
My cheeks feel like they’re on fire as I stammer.
Lily leers. “Oh, no, he did, didn’t he!”
“Lily,” Alastair warns again, and she only smiles bigger. Shelovesthis.
“No, I think I’m fine to sit,” I say. “In fact, my feet are aching.”
“Come on, stay for a while!” Lily pulls the straps of my pack off and sets the bag in the corner. “We’ve gone through all this effort to make this mealagain. You were supposed to be here last night, you know, which is how I know you’re probably late because Muscles Suntan over here had you screaming—”
“Liliana Hilden, you’re crossing a line,” Alastair booms, cutting her off.
She rolls her eyes as she takes Jasper’s pack. “Oh, no, will it be extra spankings tonight?”
Alastair covers his face with his hand and sighs.
“Somehow you’ve come back from finishing schoolcruder,” I say to her.
She smiles wider. “Thank you!”
“Kazimir, stop it.” Alyse’s voice reaches me from outside.
I whirl around, my breath caught in my chest and my heart waiting. The door bangs open and a lithe man with white-blond hair and an imposing scowl stares me down. He looks somewhat familiar, but I can’t place him.
“Move aside,” Alyse snaps, pushing the tall man into the tavern.
Tears blur my vision as I behold her, alive and well. “’Lyse,” I croak.
She runs toward me and I meet her in the middle. We slam together and I wail, desperately pulling at her hair and shirt as I hug her closer. My arms shake and my knees give out, but Alyse holds my weight as we slide to the floor.
“I thought, you, died,” I manage through tearful gasps.
She smooths the back of my head and rocks us side to side. “I did. They had a funeral and everything.”
“What?” I ask, pulling back a measure. The white-haired man—possibly Kazimir—is looming behind Alyse like the Grim Reaper, staring down at me like I’m a threat. I gasp at the sight of him, but then his gaze flicks up to something behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Jasper, pistol held at the ready and opal shimmering in his eyes as he glares at Kazimir.
Alyse wipes some of my tears, pulling my attention back to her. “Our men are just feral, aren’t they? We should have them go to the stables where beasts belong,” she says with a laugh.
Kazimir glances down at her and takes two measured steps backward.
“What happened to you?” I ask, tears swelling again.
“Let’s have some dinner and we’ll share everything,” she says, pulling me up to stand. “I’m sure you have quite the adventure to tell us, too.”
We turn to the dining table and another man is there standing next to Scarlett. His face is expressionless as he takes me in. It’sas if he’s looking at an object and not a person. I’m so very used to that…but it still puts me on edge.
“I’ll start,” Alyse says as she pulls us down to the family-style bench. She grabs the plate in front of me and begins loading it with crispy potatoes, creamy dill goat cheese, slices of roasted meat, and fresh bread. I’m so happy I could cry again.
Alyse sets the plate in front of me, then gestures to the tall, silent man who watches over her like she’s precious. “This is Kazimir, by the way.”
And then it clicks. “The palace archivist?”
He looks at me with a hawkish stare.
“Formerly,” Alyse says as she loads up another plate. She sets it down and then gestures at Jasper to join me.
He sits on my left and Alyse plops down on my right. Kazimir stands behind her, touching her shoulders gently.
