Page 42 of Red Dragon
Heat seared Vorik’s cheeks before he realized the general was eyeing the scroll, not giving a significant look to Vorik’s crotch. Jhiton, after all, was never one to be crude.
“If you encounter people she’s sent for the components,” Jhiton said, “kill them. If you encounter her...”
“I’m not killing her.”
“I assumed not.” Jhiton looked in the direction that Captain Lesva had gone. He wasn’t reconsidering her assassination offer, was he?
“But I’ll deter her,” Vorik hurried to promise. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get the components back to her people.”
He hated the idea of sabotaging Syla, but it was better than the general deciding she was too dangerous and sending someone to kill her.
Jhiton's gaze grew thoughtful again. Bloody daggers, what was he scheming now? Vorik didn’t think Jhiton was looking at Lesva but out the cave into the dark of night.
“You care about her,” Jhiton stated.
“I… Yes.” Vorik doubted he should admit that, but it was probably clear to everyone concerned by now anyway.
“Does she care aboutyou?”
“What womanwouldn’tcare about me? I’m delightful and charming, not to mention sexy, with the devastating smile we discussed previously.” Vorik offered that smile as he touched his chest, but this line of questioning worried him. Jhiton was scheming up something new, something that wouldn’t be in Syla’s best interest.
Jhiton gave him a can’t-you-give-me-a-serious-answer look.
“She could have killed me the night we, uh.” Vorik waved vaguely. He hadn’t explained to his brother what exactly had happened in that cave, but hehadmentioned those candles. More because he’d been certain Lesva would talk about them than that he’d wanted to admit Syla had gotten the best of him. “Another time, she could have let me drown in the sea when I was unconscious. I believe she’s quite fond of me.”
“Or she has the heart of a healer and doesn’t wantonly kill people, even enemies.”
“I don’t know if Devron would agree with that,” Vorik said thoughhebelieved it to be true.
“No.” Jhiton's eyelids drooped.
Maybe Vorik shouldn’t have reminded him of Devron’s encounter with Syla.
“What I’m asking is if she would come back here with you.” Jhiton pointed at the cave floor.
“Like… for negotiations or something?”
“To be your mate.”
Vorik rocked back. “You think she’d give up being a princess—no, aqueen—to the entire Garden Kingdom where she lives in a luxurious castle and has servants to bring her food and clean up after her? So she could come live in a cave with me?”
“That castle isn’t luxurious anymore.”
“They’re rebuilding it.”
“As to the rest,” Jhiton said, “women do such things for men they love, don’t they?”
“I don’t think women who feel a duty to protect their people do.”
“Will they even allow her to be coronated and rule the Kingdom?” Jhiton asked. “I would have expected it to happen by now if she wished it—andtheywished it. That general thought he was in charge.”
“That general was a gargoyle’s cock. As to the rest, she didn’t mention her status as queen-to-be or queen-not-to-be when we spoke.”
“Whatdidshe mention? Did you get anything useful out of her. Like how she convinced Wreylith to show up?”
“No. I did ask. She was oddly reticent to divulge important information to me.”
“You’re not a very good spy, Vorik.”
