Page 66 of Fate Unchained

Or was it? Eroica certainly wasn’t home, and the estate she’d inherited from her aunt, debts and all, was familiar. Still, her affection for it was more sentimental, not the fierce attachment she’d feel for a place that was actually hers. Even with her aunt now gone, she still considered the estate her aunt’s place. If things with Boris turned in her favor, and she had a way out of all this debt, she’d still be stuck in the same predicament with the house rotting away in its corner of Coromesto, the annual upkeep far exceeding Lilah’s salary. No one would buy it because of whatever deal Boris had made with the king.

As they turned down the street, she glanced at Kyril. When she’d joined him in her office, his eyes were glinting with red, like they did when he was angry, but what was he angry about? And now his jaw was clenched.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

He didn’t look at her. “I’m fine.”

Her brow furrowed. “Did Zann contact you? Do you need to leave? I can—”

“No.” He quickened his pace. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”

It didn’t seem like everything was fine. She trotted to catch up. “Tell me what’s going on. Is it because I didn’t find anything yet about how to free our rune? I just need more time with the grimoire. I’ll find it.” An icy feeling trailed through her chest, and her heart raced. Something was wrong, but she didn’t know what.

“No.” He slowed and waited for her. “All we need to do is focus on killing Boris and the leshak. When they’re both dead, the rune will leave as well.”

Her stomach twisted, and she stumbled. “You want the rune to leave?”

He didn’t look at her. “We weren’t going to keep the rune around at the next full moon anyway.” Now he glanced at her. “So, what’s the difference?”

Her mouth opened and closed. “Oh. Right.” Both of them had said they didn’t want to be together, but that seemed like an age ago. Since then, she’d felt him inside her, not only when they were coupled together but also deep in her chest, where her bond with him had taken root.

But her half of the bond was gone now, and Kyril had never wanted it to stick around, anyway. Ignoring the sharp pain that lanced through her, she lifted her chin and pretended her chest didn’t suddenly feel as raw as when Boris ripped the rune from it. She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “Yes, we should free the rune.”

He nodded, his face unreadable. “Exactly.”

Only a short walk from the western gate they’d entered earlier in the day, The Grande Hotel spread across an entire block, dominating its side of the street. She and Kyril aimed for the front door, wending past a group of people dressed in ballgowns and formal topcoats, returning from their evening out.

Lilah had never been inside the hotel. It lived up to its name. Red, plush carpet spread across the floor. Mahogany wood, of a rich, polished color, decorated the paneling along the walls and comprised the grand, double staircase swooping in two flowing arcs up to the second floor, glossy and sleek underneath a massive crystal chandelier. The opulent desk off to the right side of the lobby was also mahogany, and an older man wearing the green vest and pants of The Grande uniform stood behind it. He surveyed them as they approached and frowned. He had one of those mustaches which swallowed his face and drooped along his mouth in a starkly black flourish, although his hair was gray.

Kyril nodded at him. “We need a room. One on the ground floor and close to the outside wall.”

The desk clerk eyed Kyril’s plain shirt, his mustache twitching as if he’d curled his upper lip underneath it. “All our rooms, except the suites, are the same price. Even the ones with a limited view. Perhaps downtown, near the docks, you’d find a better—” the mustache twitched again— “fit.”

Kyril slammed his hand down on the top of the desk. The man jumped, and his eyes widened.

Kyril’s pupils glinted red. “Did I ask for your opinion? Give me the room I want. Now.”

Lilah shook her head. Of course he yelled at hotel staff in the middle of the night when they needed to blend in and hide. She put her hand on Kyril’s arm. “We appreciate your help.”

The desk clerk gave a small half-bow yet also sighed like he was about to face the king’s executioner. He turned to where small cubbyholes stood along the wall. He removed a key from a slot behind him and slid it across the desk. It was gold and large, with an ornate circular design along the handle and a piece of leather tied to the end, as if giving the option for someone to wear it around their neck. “This is the steeplechase suite, which abuts the city walls, but it does have access to its own small garden.” He tapped the key. “Will that meet your ever so exacting demands?”

Kyril gripped the edge of the desk, the muscles in his forearms flexing. “That’ll do.”

The desk clerk picked up a quill with a flourish. “Name?”

“Hargrove.”

“Lilah Cherkassy,” she said.

The desk clerk’s mustache twitched again. “Unmarried then?”

“Do the people in this town always poke their noses into other people’s business?” Kyril leaned forward. “I wouldn’t think that would end well for them.”

Lilah grabbed the key. “Thank you.” She stalked away, walking around the staircase to the hallway leading to the first-floor rooms. “Great idea to threaten the man giving us our room.”

“He was a rude little snot.”

She didn’t say anything. They found their room and walked inside. Lilah turned the key in the lock behind her with a snick. The sound seemed to echo throughout the suite. She swallowed hard and stepped into their room. Yes, they had shared the cave, but that was because they had to. This felt … intimate. Like something a real couple would do after they became husband and wife and took a honeymoon trip.

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