Page 83 of Ruthless Scoundrel
“He has them under some kind of spell. They’re not themselves. The Illyan monarchy has stopped trying to usurp the false king. His island is small, it produces very little, and the reward of taking it back is not worth the risk of more ships.”
He looks at me. “I couldn’t tell them why they were failing. I’ve seen what happens to selkies who are discovered. Fynren and Wolfsheim took twelve Emerald selkies not two months ago, and I fear they’re enduring the same fate as those Vansen took.”
I let my arm slide around his back and lean against him, feeling the sadness deep in his bones. Sensing the loneliness in his words and voice.
“I promised to save them,” he whispers. “And I need you to do that.”
“Why?” I ask, holding him tighter.
“Vansen wants a queen. He’s hosting an eclipse ball, inviting every eligible lady of power to attend and court him. I need you to get close to him.” He looks up at me, his eyes burning with retribution. “I need you so I can kill him.”
He looks down at his feet, sighing deeply as if a weight has been removed from his shoulders.
“But whyme?” I ask. “There are hundreds of powerful magi out there you could’ve taken. Why risk taking me?”
He shrugs. “I’ve been…drawnto Fynish shores for years. I don’t know why. But when I saw you, taking in the sun’s light on the edge of a cliff, I knew you were the perfect distraction. The perfect bait.”
Bait.
Just another kind of weapon.
The fluttery feeling in my stomach turns sour. I pull my arm back, wrapping it around my knees again.
“I know it’s vile. I’m a bastard. I could’ve told you…” He trails off. “I was afraid if I gave you a choice, you’d say no, and I wouldn’t have the will to ignore your wishes. That my years of planning would be wasted, and I’d never see them again. That I would be a liar, breaking the one promise that truly matters most.”
The music shifts outside to something slower as just the violinist carries on.
“That was a horrible promise she had you make,” I finally say.
Jasper scowls at me. “Why?”
“An eleven-year-old selkie can’t be expected to topple kings and become a hero. It was cruel for her to put that weight on you alone.”
The furrow in his brow deepens. “And what about you? The rebellion using you as a means to their end?”
The sourness in my chest goes starkly bitter. “Yes, well, I guess we’re both victims of evil monarchs.”
The quiet wraps around us as the violin stops. Soft murmurs of people heading off to their respective tents fill the silence, and the firelight beyond goes dim.
“I’ll help you,” I say.
Jasper’s head snaps toward me. “Why?”
“Because your people don’t deserve to suffer. And I hate bastards that would make others suffer so they can be powerful.”
He wraps his trembling arms around me and pushes his forehead against mine. “Thank you, Rei.”
I hold him for a while as the camp winds down. Finally, Jasper releases me. He stretches out his legs and flops on the blankets. I reach up and tap two of the magus crystals, letting the magic drain out through me until they extinguish, then lie beside him.
“Sometimes I wonder if the gods hate me,” he whispers, like saying it too loud might bring down their wrath.
“I know the feeling.”
His hand finds mine between us and he threads our fingers together. “I’m sorry for what I’ve done to you.”
My throat tightens and tears burn my eyes. I’m glad it’s dark. I swallow and suck in a sharp breath to keep my voice from wavering. “I might forgive you. One day,” I say with as much playfulness as I can muster.
“What will I have to do to earn it?”
