Page 63 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“It’s not all roses and daisies over there, either. King Ladron…” She stops herself and scowls. “He’s different. I remember what he was like when I was young, and he is not that man now.”
“Wealth and power change Men,” Jasper says, and I know that was a capital “M” men by how he emphasized it. He believes we’re all capable of becoming vile bastards when enticed by enough money or power.
Alejandra shakes her head and the silver streaks in her hair glisten from the growing firelight. “It’s more than that. When my father died, the king took me and my little brother into the palace and raised us like his own. One day he was Uncle Diego, and the next he was King Ladron.
“All that is to say, I understand your plight,Amaya.” She winks at me as she leans an arm against the mantle. “I’m not here to stop you, or make gains from you, and while I do needto be compensated for the resources you’ll take in our travels, I want to help you.”
Perhaps Alejandra would take me home, to the rebellion. She seems capable enough to fight off Jasper, and she just said she’s working on her own. Our little secret together—and gods, she hardly knows me.
That’s when I notice the milky pink band glimmering around her wrist, and a matching one on Jasper’s. They made a pact of secrecy, something only high-blood magi can perform. The cost and the price vary on the agreement, but it was likely no small amount of magic to forge that bond.
I’m not personally aware of the status of things in Wolfsheim, and Alejandra could be lying through her teeth, but the glimmer of that secrecy mark on her wrist says otherwise. I think I can trust her. At least, more than most.
“I very much need your help,” I say, holding her gaze.
“Other than getting off this island?” she asks.
Jasper is intently staring at my feet, the massage still ongoing though I can tell the wounds are fully healed. His eyes flick up to my face for a fraction of a second and I see the guilt walled up inside him. He’s waiting for me to tell the whole truth, that Jasper has nothing to do with my rebellion and he’s just some selkie who’s stolen me for his own gain.
And I could.
Ishould.
But Jasper said he’d give me answers when we got to Illya. He must’ve conjured up some good story, and if I’m going to get the real answer out of him—and more importantly, an alliance with the selkies—I need to stick to it, not escape him. Moreover, if I reveal Jasper’s true intent with me, it’ll make Alejandra question the secrecy pact she made with him, and I need all the allies I can get to play nice together.
I close my eyes as the weight of my politicking drags me into exhaustion. Then I shake my head. “It’s yet to be seen what else I might need, but I’m sure having a powerful captain of the Wol royal household on my side will be essential at some point.”
“As having someone like you will be for me,” she says quietly, confirming my earlier suspicion.
I open my eyes and look at her in earnest. “Thank you very much. I’m sorry for the mess I’ve caused. It’s difficult to be compliant when you don’t know everything that’s going on,” I say pointedly to Jasper, who becomes even more interested in my feet.
Alejandra nods. “It’s understandable. I wouldn’t be either if I’d been left in the dark.”
None of us know what to say. Only the crackling of the fire and the distant roar of the sea fill the room. Jasper’s hands work into the sore spots of my arches and then slide down to my heels, the massage never-ending. I honestly don’t want it to.
Alejandra clears her throat. “Well, I’ll have someone bring up some water to boil for your bath, and some supper. Since you were unconscious for most of it, I think you’ll get the dredges at the bottom of the pot. They’re always the best,” she says fondly. “All the meat flecks and herbs settle at the bottom.”
“I’m looking forward to something other than coconut flesh and fish.”
“I’m sure your bowels are, too,” Alejandra adds.
I can’t help but laugh. “It’s true. But really, thank you. For everything.”
Alejandra nods and excuses herself.
“She heard our fight up on the mountain, knows the Men tried to take you,” Jasper rushes out quickly, like he needed to tell me the moment the captain was gone. “They were talking about how much you might be worth, talking about stowing you in the hold and selling you themselves.”
He locks eyes with me, his stare intense like he’s trying to communicate something extra.
“She also heard me give you the pistol,” he adds. “And heard me say that I would fight Nol’Ther to get you back.”
“I see,” I say as it starts to make sense.
The captain has some magus power that allows her to hear things, either by way of actual sound, the Sight, or thought-delving—though that’s incredibly rare. Only Alyse can do that as far as I know, and she has to maintain eye contact. It was one of the ways we used to tell each other jokes at the table when mother forbade us from speaking.
Alyse…
My heart aches and I pull my knees back up to my chest to shield it from the pain.
