Page 59 of Dishonor Among Thieves
“I think it’s scary too,” I said simply, filing away the word to ask him about later. When we had more time. “When I left the foundling home, I made some wonderful new friends. They have a beautiful home with horses and a very sweet dog. And some other surprises.” I twisted my lips, excited to introduce the children to Elgit. I could not imagine how they’d respond, but I was certain it would be unforgettably cute. “Would you like to go live there? In the new house with my new friends?”
“You too?” he asked.
“Oh, of course, sweetheart. Absolutely, I will be there. My new friends and I will work together to take care of you. All of you, in fact. I’d like all the children to come.”
Ivo squinted his eyes and flicked a quick glance at Flynn, who was now riding the chair backwards like it was a horse, with Tabby on his shoulders spurring him on.
“Him?” Ivo asked, wrinkling his nose like he’d just smelled something rotten.
I clapped a hand over my mouth to hold back laughter. “Well, Flynn doesn’t live there now. He has a family, so he lives with them. But I’m sure he will be around a lot.”
I looked up and noticed Neo was no longer watching Flynn and Tabby act like fools but was staring at me. I heated under the raw desire in his eyes. The way he licked his lips and watched me as I spoke to Ivo made my limbs loose with liquid fire.
I sucked my lower lip into my mouth and turned my attention back on the child. Ivo appeared to stare into the distance, his eyes unblinking, his lips unmoving. I let him stand there, quiet amidst the chaos of the performance. I just stood beside the child and waited. He watched everything taking place but didn’t speak. Didn’t even blink.
“Ivo?” I looked into his sweet little face. “It’s all right to feel afraid. You can cry if you feel sad.”
“You’re wearing knives,” he said. “Is that because it’s scary here? Or scary where we’re going?”
I took a breath before answering, measuring how much honesty the child could manage. “There are many scary places in this Realm, Ivo. But there are many safe places too. When you have people around you who love you, even the scariest of places can be safe. But that means sometimes being prepared. Like what happened today with Valkiva. I had the knives when something dangerous happened.”
I didn’t want to contemplate what might have happened if I hadn’t been wearing them. If I’d never gone to the cutler’s and armed myself.
“I don’t want anyone else to die when we go to the new place.” A single tear dripped from Ivo’s dark lashes. He blinked twice. “Can I play with Fina now?”
I smiled. “Of course.” He walked somberly away, his little arms and legs locked tight.
“Is the child all right?” Neo stood behind me, and I easily leaned back against his chest.
Gia and Rain sat together, Gini’s books set aside, to watch the kids play with Flynn. Ivo had taken little Fina aside and was helping the baby try to balance on her chubby legs without falling over.
“He will be,” I said. “Ivo is a very sensitive soul.”
Neo laced his arms around my waist and rested his chin lightly against my head. “You’d almost think this entire room wasn’t filled with creatures the queen believes should not exist.”
“Most people like me refuse to believe you do,” I murmured. “But I am so glad I know better.”
He squeezed my hands, and together, the four adults put the five foundlings to bed. Flynn was so exhausted from playing, he passed out on the settee in the sitting room, snoring loudly with his mouth wide open.
“Leave him,” Neo said, blowing out the candles and tossing logs on the fire so the room would stay warm.
Gia brought a blanket from Gini’s room and covered Flynn with it.
“You take Gini’s room,” I said. “Neo and I can sleep in mine. We’ve slept in tinier spaces already.”
While his brother and sister-in-law went to bed, Neo peered through the windows. He went outside and checked the horses, secured Flynn’s cart, and walked the entire length of the property. Checking for what, I did not ask. Finally he returned, his torch illuminating the worried expression on his face.
“What is it?” I asked, his tension making my stomach turn knots. That and Ivo’s solemn question about safety, about death, was making me generally feel uneasy. “Is something out there?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I would feel better if we slept in shifts. I don’t like being here.”
I nodded. I didn’t either. Nothing about this place felt like home anymore. The familiar surroundings felt like ghosts, demanding wraiths determined to drag me back to another time. A time that knew it was doomed, but simply did not want to die peacefully.
“There are so many of us,” I said. “Someone will hear something if anything goes wrong. Maybe it’s just that Gini’s dead body is…” I shuddered. It was too macabre to speak of.
I could tell he agreed. We traded nervous looks, but there was nothing to do. We were exhausted, it was late, and tomorrow, at first light, we would leave this place for good. He held his hand out to me. “I am certain we’ll be all right. Let’s sleep.”
Neo followed me to my tiny bedroom, where we stripped off our clothes and climbed under the covers of my far too tiny bed. He wrapped his arms around me, and I wound my legs with his. My cheek against his chest, the sound of his breaths heavy against my hair, I had to ask the question on my mind.
