Page 20 of Knightfall
“Appointment? You mean honor.”
“I mean appointment. I wasn’t given much choice.”
“Makes two of us.”
“Is that why you left?”
“I left so I could find a wizard to get rid of my … cock,” the geas almost tied my tongue and that was the best I could get out. I punched the side of the tub.
“Is that so? Because Quinn put money on that one as well.”
I threw the sponge at Declan. Unfortunately, the bastard ducked. The sponge splatted against the window and Declan grabbed it and tossed it back at my head before it could do much damage to his precious papers.
He shook his head at me, looking like a disappointed school teacher. “You’re an idiot. You expect me to believe that you actually returned to help your sister, when you can’t even take that basic question seriously?”
“You expect me to take men seriously when they’ve wagered gold on my body parts?”
“You’re impossible.” Declan turned back to his desk.
And for some reason I panicked. It felt symbolic, his turning his back. Like a door was closing, an opportunity flitting away. I felt a sudden, urgent need to win his trust and get his help. If anyone could figure out the geas, and my reasons for leaving, it would be him.
“Wait.”
He turned back and raised his eyebrows. Our eye contact became intense. A staring contest as I willed him to take me seriously. “I’m complex. I’m a riddle you need to solve.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can’t say.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to be that way—”
“No.” I stood, rivulets of water flowing down my body, dripping from my fingertips.
Declan seemed to leave his seat without thought, also standing. His gaze traveled over my body.
“I mean, Ican’tsay.”
His blue eyes narrowed in thought and focused back on my face. “Is this a word play?”
“No.” But his sentence sparked excitement. “I mean, there are words I cannot say. Important words.”
We shared a long moment, weighing one another. I wasn’t sure if he believed me. I tried to wait until he nodded or gave some acknowledgment. Some sign of trust. But a chill crept over my body and shivers set in, and still, he said nothing.
“They forgot a robe and towels,” I noted, as my teeth chattered.
“I’ll ring for them,” Declan took a few steps toward the bell pull before my knee slammed into the edge of the tub, yanked by the curse. He was too far away.
“Stop!” I climbed out of the tub and limped over to him, a stream forming on the floor beneath me and running down the cracks in the floor. I rubbed my knee and moaned.
Our eyes met and Declan’s eyes almost looked playful. Like he was holding back a laugh.
“You think this curse is funny?”
“It’s a spell.”
“It’s a curse. My mother wants us to hate one another.”
Declan’s brow arched.
