Page 20 of Lethal Empress (Crooked Paradise 4)

I’d only just turned toward the door when a couple of Noble men hustled inside. They were ushering a boy who looked to be in his mid-teens ahead of them. I paused, frowning. The kid couldn’t have been out of high school, with sandy blond hair a few shades darker than Rowan’s and a sharply regal nose that didn’t quite fit the boyishness of the rest of his face. I’d never seen him before.

It appeared that Wylder hadn’t either. He got to his feet, casting a critical glance over the boy. “What’s going on?”

“This kid turned up outside saying he wanted to talk to the leader of the Nobles,” one of the guards said. “I wasn’t sure if we should bother Ezra with it.”

Wylder hesitated, and I knew he was debating whether he could claim that leadership himself. How would Ezra react to this new arrival in his increasingly hostile state? On the other hand, how would he react to Wylder going over his head again?

Before he made his decision, I stepped forward and pointed toward the Noble heir. “Wylder speaks for the Nobles. Anything you need, you can talk to him about it.”

Wylder’s gaze snapped to me, but he didn’t argue. The guard shrugged, and the boy eased away from them. His eyes flicked nervously from side to side, but then he drew his chin up with obvious determination. “Thank you for hearing me out.”

Rowan’s voice took on the gentle note it always did when he was putting someone at ease. “Why don’t you start by telling us who you are?”

The boy took a deep breath. “My name is Beckett. You don’t know me, but I know about you. I’m the son of the man you call the Storm.”

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