Page 41 of Champion
Charick didn’t seem at all perturbed as he nodded to Adtovar and Zahavi. “Willa tells me I have you two to thank for my life.”
“Willa would have kicked my ass if I let you die,” Adtovar snorted. He wasn’t wrong.
With an arm around my waist, Charick shifted me slightly so he could raise his other hand, closing it into a tight fist before thumping his chest.
“You have my thanks and vow to repay the honor should the time come.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t... at least not until I get better medical equipment,” Zahavi huffed, waving Adtovar away from the side of the bed so he could check the bandage on my mate’s arm.
My mate. I was beginning to like the sound of that.
“This is looking much better,” the medic mused, pulling back the wrapping to reveal skin that appeared to suffer a second-degree sunburn after a week of peeling.
Charick grunted as though being tended was too much of a bother. Yet he stayed still while Zahavi slathered the wound area with a mint-scented gel and re-wrapped it.
“Willa said you hid the bodies of Malakal and the Zarpazian?” Charick asked Adtovar to avoid the silence while Zahavi worked.
“Cristox, Xabat, and I put the bodies in one of the deeper caverns underneath the escarpment, then covered everything with rocks. Hopefully, no one will find them for a while.” Theonly indication that Adtovar found the chore revolting was the slight narrowing of his eyes as he spoke.
“Was it Vreses?” Charick asked, his voice hard.
“I think so,” Adtovar grunted.
The best assassin in the universe, and my mate survived him. It made me proud. It also made me curious.
“Won’t Nansar be expecting the Zarpazian to check in with him?”
“I would expect so,” Charick mumbled, frowning as Zahavi tied the ends of his bandage in a tight knot.
“And when he doesn’t?” I pressed.
“Zarpazians aren’t the most honorable of species,” Adtovar strode to the small window, looking out, his face a mask of thought. “Hopefully, when Nansar can’t find his assassin, he’ll think he absconded with the money without doing the job.”
But what if he didn’t? What if Nansar figured out something happened to Vreses and came looking? Worse yet, what if he hired another assassin to finish the job? Personally, I considered this something we couldn’t leave to luck and chance.
Zahavi gathered his medical paraphernalia and returned it to the small cabinet in the corner of the room. The cabinet, battered and old, was made of stained, cracked glass framed by even rattier-looking wood framed doors. Yet the glass held enough gloss to reflect my image. I took in the lift of my chin and the squaring of my shoulders before I spoke.
“I have an idea.”
“What is it, my heart?” Charick’s fingertips trailed along my cheek. So gentle, so loving. I felt myself go all hot and gooey inside.
“Why don’t we let Nansar think the Zarpazian succeeded?”
“And how do we do that?” Adtovar crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowing with interest.
I took a deep breath. “I go to see Nansar as the shapeshifter.”
“Absolutely not!” Charick’s voice was close enough to a yell that Zahavi jumped. Although, honestly, he took it better than I thought he would.
“Why not?” I challenged.
“It’s too dangerous.”
Charick’s hands slid over my shoulders as though the very idea might somehow cause me harm.
“More dangerous than Nansar finding out I killed his assassin?” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest and issuing my best glare. A posture made less effective by the fact I sat straddling Charick’s thighs.
“No, absolutely not.” Charick glared at me, golden eyes simmering.
