Cade shook his head, rolling his eyes. Waving a dismissive hand, he said, “Give us a minute, Rhys. We are very obviously going to need your services soon.”
“This one isdefinitelygoing to cost you extra, Prince Bartlett. I’m used to cleaning up after a few weeks too long between bikini waxes, not whatever hellfire your consort just escaped from.”
They swept out of the room, their long coat flowing behind them as though they were walking through a wind tunnel.
When the door clicked shut, Cade rounded on me. “Well?”
“Jesaiah attacked me,” I said.
Cade’s mouth dropped open. “Thegardener?”
“Thealpha,” I said sharply.
“I’m sorry, the man who comes to every council meeting and demands that we purchase more organic fertilizer, or as it’s commonly known,cow shit, attacked you and did this?” Cade gestured to me, and I looked down. In the warm lighting of his room, I looked worse. My clothes were filthy, covered in dirt. The burns on my arms were severe, and the shirt was shredded.
“Most of it. Some of it was done by the wards.”
Cade’s face shut down. “What about the wards?”
“You have a hole in your wards.”
Cade was always pale, but he went bone white. In clipped questions, he demanded I explain exactly what I had felt, how I had known, how I had gotten through.
When he circled back, clearly about to ask the same questions all over again, I threw up my hands. “The bigger deal is that your seneschal’s consort attacked me and tried to kill me.”
“There’s something going on. Leon said the council demanded a dinner with consorts in attendance—”
“Ishisconsort going to be there? Because he tried to kill me a few hours ago,” I interrupted, in case Cade had forgotten. “There’s a chance this is part of that whole trying tokill youthing. I’m pretty sure killed by his own council is how Caesar went down, so my warning isn’t so much a ‘beware the ides of March’ as it is awatch your back because someone’s trying to kill us.How much do you trust Leon?”
“With my life.” Cade’s face went pale as he spoke, his brows pulled together.
“Well, either he’s not worth that trust, or his consort isn’t, but I’m putting all my chips on both,” I said. “And let me tell you, I wouldwinthat bet.”
Cade tilted his head and stalked to the window. He stared out at the darkness without saying anything. “If what you’re saying is true—”
“I know we don’t know each other that well, but it sure would be nice if you didn’t call me aliarafter the action-hero stunts I pulled to tell you what’s going on.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation. I could have been on my way toModesto, and instead, I’d come back for him. No, not for him—for the money and the information he had.
“We need a plan,” Cade said, ignoring me.
“Well, I hope you have one because I sure as hell don’t.” I stumbled over to Cade’s bed, sitting down heavily. The cut on my forehead bled into my eyes, burning, and I swiped at it. Climbing up to Cade’s room must have reopened it.
Cade’s brows twitched, and he walked over to me, reaching out. For a second, he hesitated, his hand hovering near my face, and then he brushed his thumb up across my forehead. I stilled, feeling the warmth of his skin on mine, the shiver of his body as he stood so close.
Then Cade stepped back, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiping the blood off his thumb.
“I do. It might not be up to your Scooby Doo, pull-off-the-mask standards, but it will do.” Cade looked me over, then walked to the door. “Rhys? I need you.”
ChapterSeventeen
Rhys looked me over, walking in a wide circle around me, one hand across their stomach, the other tapping their chin.
“Whathappened, honey?” Their tone was horrified. “I left you looking like sin itself two days ago, and today, you look… Well, you look like roadkill someone dragged for a few miles.”
“I had a rough afternoon,” I said. My eyes slid to Cade, following his narrowed gaze back to Rhys.
“Rhys, we’re going to need some discretion here. You’re the only one who’s seeing this.” Cade left it hanging there, the implication clear. Rhys was the only one who was seeing this, meaning if it leaked, we would know who had leaked it.
“Yes, yes.” Rhys waved their hand. “I am, of course, the soul of discretion.”
