Page 55 of A Tale of Treachery

He waved us out of the study, and Ryken led the way through the sanctum and past the courtyard. He stormed ahead of me the entire walk back to the palace and didn’t look back to see if I managed to follow or keep pace.

Some guard he was. I could be nabbed right now if anybody wanted to steal me away. But then again, I wasn’t being guarded for my protection. I was being guarded to ensure I didn’t get into trouble.

I drew to a stop and smiled. There was nowhere to go, but since Ryken refused to look at me, I might as well sneak away and give him something to be mad about.

Ryken whipped around as if he’d heard the halting of my footsteps. “Don’t even think about it.”

With a huff, I followed him as he continued to blaze a trail through the palace and into my bedroom.

We entered the room, and I plopped down on my bed, pulling out a book. But my eyes wandered to the full-length mirror in the corner of my room, where Ryken’s movements were on display.

Ryken settled into the chair beside my tea table and pulled his hood down. Every inch of him glowed with beauty and chaos. He pulled out his weapons and put them on the table in front of him, his attention on the steel blades he was cleaning.

I tried to focus on my reading but couldn’t take the silence anymore. So I twisted around to confront him, the tension between us driving me mad, and his body pulled taut. “What’s your problem?” I snapped, so fed up with the silent treatment.

“You. You’re my problem,” he grumbled without looking.

“What did I ever do to you?”

My heart skipped a beat when he stopped cleaning his blade and locked eyes with me. He laughed, a mocking, insane laugh. “You really don’t know? Well, let’s start with the fact that you can’t even admit to yourself who you are. Then let’s follow it with this.” He waved his hand around the room to indicate the ostentatiousness of my surroundings and how I was dressed. “This isn’t you. You don’t want to be here. You don’t want to play pretend whore to the spoiled prince. So why are you doing it?”

My body went rigid. He really needed to stop using that word. “Do you think I have a choice in the matter? I don’t. And I may be mad at Aiden, but he’s still my friend and is not spoiled, so watch how you speak about him. He’ll come to realize this isn’t what’s right for either of us. He just needs time,” I argued. “You question my presence here, but what are you doing here, Ryken? You’re fae. You don’t belong here working for the king, so why are you doing it?”

He gritted his teeth. “Do you think I have a choice in the matter? I don’t.”

“Why?” I asked, but he shifted his focus back to the weapons in front of him and ignored me.

“Tell me,” I whispered, approaching him on soft feet. He avoided my gaze, refusing to look at me, but I knelt before him and cupped his jaw anyway. He tensed as his face was turned to meet mine but didn’t move away, as expected. That was a good sign. “Please tell me why you’re here. Are you in trouble? Can I help in any way?”

He glared, the look cutting me like a blade. “I’m not the one who needs to be rescued. How could you help me when you can’t even help yourself?”

“Tell me, Ryken. Please.”

He reached up and gripped my wrist, squeezing it tightly and moving my arm back down to my side. “No. End of discussion. Get ready for bed,” he demanded. “I can’t stand to be in here much longer and would like to take my shift outside of this door.”

My lips pinched together, and I backed away. He was impossible, and I was done trying, but an idea came to mind. There was one way to get his attention.

I treaded to the full-length mirror and stood before it, maintaining eye contact with the brooding assassin’s reflection, “Fine. I’ll do as you say and get ready for bed.” I unpinned my cloak and let it fall to the ground, then unfastened the stays of my dress and slid it down my body, until only a sheer shift stood between me and the chilly air.

Ryken’s eyes darkened, and he rose from his seat and pursed his lips. “You’re playing with fire, little crow.”

I turned to face him. “Oh?” He looked furious, and I was, in fact, playing with fire, but was ready to light that rage in him until it was a growing inferno. This was the biggest response I’d had from him in days, and I wasn’t about to stop. “I’m just doing what I’m told.”

I strolled to the bed, checking his shoulder on the way, and his body went tense.

I stopped at the edge of my bed and lifted the covers, tilting my head to smile at him. “Would you like to tuck me into bed, Ryken?”

He growled.

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged and lowered myself into the bed.

That was when he made his approach, moving with a stealthy silence that should have scared me, but didn’t. My breath hitched when he sat on the edge of my bed, slid his hand up my bare leg, and stopped at the edge of my shift.

“You’re a wicked little thing,” he accused, gripping my leg.

I swallowed, my smile faltering at the look in his eyes.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, “Don’t play games that you can’t win, sweetheart.” Then he reached for the cover and tugged, pulling it up to tuck me in.

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