Page 29 of A Tale of Treachery

He held me tightly, refusing to let go as he planted kisses all over my neck and body while issuing soft praises.

And when he thought I was in a deep sleep later that night, he whispered, “I love you.” I pretended not to hear, and instead breathed deeply, tricking him into thinking I’d fallen asleep.

Because this thing…this situation…couldn’t go past tonight.

He had too much to lose, and so did I.

CHAPTER11

“You were right. I never should have gotten involved,” I whispered to Redmond as he sat beside me, silently judging.

I’d just returned to the sanctum and was sitting in his office, informing him of everything that had occurred. His mouth gaped wider as I described each event in great detail. He knew about the witches and the seer and how I’d been caught by the soldiers and Aiden. I even told him about what happened with Aiden afterward and the awkward morning that followed when Brandon had to escort me back to Cambriel. Brandon hadn’t spoken to me for the entire duration of the ride, and I knew he’d heard the noises that spilled from the prince’s tent.

I grimaced as I reported everything to Redmond. Since I’d used him as my excuse, he needed to know every last detail.

But that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

Redmond didn’t bother to tell meI told you so, or lecture me on how I should have listened, because he knew I’d already come to that conclusion on my own.

When I showed him the moonflower, his eyes went wide, and he took it from my hands with delicate grace, handling it as though it might crumble if he dared to look at it incorrectly. “I can’t believe you did it,” Redmond said in wonder as he made his way toward the dusty worktable, but not without tripping over a few items that littered the path. I constantly volunteered to clean the office because I couldn’t handle the clutter and dust, nor the disorganized books strewn about our workspace, but he always refused. He claimed to have a system and wouldn’t let me mess with it.Organized chaos, he said. It helped him work better. Focus more.

I tensed whenever he wandered about the space, afraid he might drop something of importance.

I breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the counter and placed the small moonflower beneath a magnifying glass. He crouched over the glass and made little hums of amazement. “You made this with your magic?”

“I did.”

“Impressive,” he said, “and all because you were pushed into a corner. We should have tried that long ago.”

I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, it was an unpleasant experience. One I would rather not repeat.” The reminder of my magic rebelling against me was too much to handle. Sure, it had cooperated for a moment, but that cooperation didn’t make up for its destruction.

Luckily, my magic had been quiet since it had generated the moonflower. Hopefully, it stayed that way.

Redmond looked up from his magnifying glass and met my eyes. “I would hope not. Who knows how much trouble I’ll be getting into for supposedly sending you out into the forest past curfew?” He sighed. “Did you really have to drag me into this?”

I chuckled at his annoyance, but when he responded with a glare, I stopped. “Redmond, I had to. Sure, last night was horrible, and yes, you might get a small lecture from the prince. But after all is said and done, it was the right thing to do. Because Eulalia is safe.”

He dipped his head in understanding, knowing that her safety was my utmost priority.

“You need to take my guidance into consideration, Dahlia. I won’t always be around to cover for you,” he admonished, putting the flower into a tiny glass tube. “This can’t happen again. You need to start thinking before you act. Don’t forget that you are a magical being living in a world where magic is persecuted by death. You need to remain inconspicuous and lie low. You can’t afford anyone of note taking a second look at you.”

“I absolutely agree,” I assented wholeheartedly. “But speaking of remaining inconspicuous and not piquing suspicion…” My voice trailed off. Now was the best time to bring up Ryken’s bargain.

He pursed his lips. “Just tell me.”

“So, there’s this thing that I need your help with.” I grimaced. “You remember me mentioning the king’s assassin, Ryken, right?” When he nodded, I continued, “Well…he caught me sneaking out last night and is now blackmailing me to keep it a secret.”

“What?” Redmond roared.

I threw my hands up in defense. “Calm down! It’s all right! He just wants one little teensy favor, and then everything will be okay.”

Redmond raised his brows skeptically, an annoyed look crossing his face. “I told you that man was going to be trouble.”

“I know,” I agreed. The man was trouble with a capital T. “But I need you to include him in the wards for the sanctum. I told him he could come into the library and flip through some books tonight. After that, we’ll be even.”

“Absolutely not!” Redmond proclaimed.

Considering how much was at stake, I couldn’t take no for an answer.

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