Page 77 of The Dragon King's Assassin

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Vettan left, casting a glare my way.

“We need to search everywhere,” I said as I started opening drawers. “Yusef must have kept notes on his customers. A record. Something. And he'd hide it well. Look for hidden panels in the walls and loose floorboards. Check behind and beneath everything.”

Taroc stood there, silently watching me awhile. I felt his stare on me but didn't look at him. This wasn't the place to get into what was fucked up about our relationship. He finally started to help, going into the man's dressing room to search there. I was grateful for the space.

First, Taroc gets mad at me for wanting him to treat me with more respect, then he throws a fit over me not trusting him. What the fuck? And what was all that shit about a Dragon making a human immortal? Why say that to me? Was he just being a dick? Or was it meant to inspire me? Make me fall in line. Dangling immortality before me like a carrot. Be a good boy, and I might make you immortal.

I snorted. “Sure. As if the King of Racul would ever take a human assassin for a mate.”

It was an old trick. Offer the possibility of a reward without ever committing to anything. He could use that against me for years before I finally got fed up. Except for one thing; I'm smarter than that. I knew who I was and what I could expect from life. Kings don't marry assassins. Not gonna happen. No matter how good the sex was.

And damn that motherfucker for putting the idea in my head. I had been perfectly content to be his lover. I would have stayed as long as he wanted me and treated me well. That's all I'd wanted, just to be treated like a lover instead of a pet. I didn't ask for eternity. But now I was thinking about it.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “He couldn't just leave it alone.”

“Lock!” the King called, startling me.

I ran into the dressing room to find Taroc standing before a safe. It was an expensive model of Ricarri design and was built into the wall. A wood panel sat on the floor and Yusef's fine tunics had been pushed to either side of the rack above.

“How did you find this?” I asked.

“I inspected the wall as you suggested. There were strange junctures in the wood paneling. When I pushed against one, this piece popped out.”

“Well done, Your Majesty,” I said as I leaned in to inspect the lock.

“Can you open it?”

“Well, safes aren't my specialty.”

“Your name is Lock, for fuck's sake.”

I snorted a laugh. “I said they're not my specialty, but that doesn't mean I haven't opened a few.” I knelt before the safe, pressed my ear against the metal door, and gripped the knob. “This isn't a key lock, it's a combination. Within this door is a mechanism with discs that turn. Each one has a notch to hold a bar. The door will open if all the notches line up and the bar falls into position. I may be able to hear the bar click into place if we're very quiet.”

“Did you just tell me to shut up?”

“I believe I did.”

The King snorted. “Very well. Listen for your clicks, Assassin.”

It looked as if that summer Fahar had partnered me with Rasmur—the best safe-cracker in the Wraiths—was going to come in handy at last. I'd get to see how much of his training I'd retained. With the King standing over me. Watching my every move. No problem; I was good under pressure.

Click. I grinned and turned the knob in the other direction. Click. Two more to go. Turn, feel the tapping through the metal door as the bar coasted over the discs. Click. One more time. Turn.

“Can you do it or not?”

“Taroc!”

“Sorry.”

I centered myself and pressed my ear back against the cold metal. Turn. Click. “Yes!” I shoved the lever down and pulled the heavy door open.

“Sweet Ensarena, you actually did it,” Taroc whispered.

“Thanks for having faith in me,” I muttered as I removed a wooden box from the safe. When I opened it, I found several rows of gold coins, set on their sides in specially made channels. “Holy shit! Fucking rich people have fancy boxes just for their money.” I closed it and slipped it into my jacket.

“Lock,” the King growled.

“I'm owed this for the work I did for him.”

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