Bertie grunts.
“I did warn you not to place bets with the boss,” the woman snorts.
Confused, I slide a glance up at Bertie, but the bald man just ignores me. Kaz promised in his letter that Bertie would keep me safe until he was able to take over guard duty himself. But it seems Bertie believes his job is done, as he grunts again before returning to his post outside the house.
“What’s your name, Princess?” The woman leans against the doorframe, her sharp gaze piercing into me.
“Amaryllis,” I reply quietly.
She smirks, holding back a laugh. “Cute name,Your Highness. But it’s too recognisable in a place like this. You have a different one you could use?”
Sheepishly, I nod. “Ru—” but then I bite my tongue.
Ruby is a perfectly nice name. It’s simple, easy to remember, and because it’s not the name Father blessed me with, it’s safe to use here. But there’s something about the name that’s so… special. Something about it that stirs up a certain warmth inside me that so far only belongs tohim.
And for some reason, I doubthewould ever be in the mood to share.
“Ami,” I decide finally.
“Ami,” the woman echoes. “That’ll do. I’m Meera.” With a grin, she shakes my hand, gripping it with more strength than I realised possible for someone other than one of Father’s elite knights.
“Now,” she starts, clasping her strong hands together. “Let’s introduce you to the rest of today's team, then I’ll help you get ready.” Her brown eyes sparkle. “Boss’ll be home any minute now, and then it’s showtime.”
13
AMARYLLIS
Istay close to Meera as she leads me up the carpeted stairs and down a small corridor. Meeting the rest of the heist crew was only slightly less terrifying than I imagined. They were all the type of ruffians that Father had spent most of my childhood warning me about – a mixture of around ten men and women, each one rougher, more boisterous, and louder than the last.
Still, despite their ragged appearances, I appreciated the effort they each made to bow as they introduced themselves to me, and a few had the manners to put their weapons away before shaking my hand.
It really wasn’t so bad. At least I’m still alive.
“This way, sweet cheeks,” Meera grins under the warm light of the hallway. She guides me towards a closed door. Just as my nerves are starting to settle, she twists a key into the lock and ushers me inside.
The room is not at all how I expected it to look. Thick carpets cover the floors while tapestries hang from the walls. In the far corner, there’s a small fireplace, the warm glow of the fire lighting up a nearby vanity covered in oils and cosmetics. Across from the vanity is a large bed, decorated with throws and furs.
It’s clearly a bedroom. And judging by the messy clothes on the floor it’s clearly a used bedroom. My heart stutters as I wonder if it’s Kasimir’s. But then I taste something bitter in my mouth when I remember that Meera has a key.
Maybe he gave it to her just for tonight, or maybe this is actually her bedroom, and I’m just being ridiculous. Wrinkling my nose, I suck in a sharp breath. It doesn’t matter whose bedroom it is or who shares beds with whom.
I’m here to pay back the Scorpion.
That’s all.
“Get comfortable, because we might be in here a while.” Meera’s voice tears me from my thoughts.
Kicking off her boots, she plops into an armchair by the fireplace. “The boss said he wants me to make you look pretty for your show tonight. But it’s been years since thesedaintyhands have worked with anything other than blades.” After wriggling her calloused fingers, she points towards the cosmetics on the vanity station. “I stole all that from the inner city today.”
Suddenly, the room feels colder than winter.
“Stole?” I gasp.
“Don’t look so freaked out! It’s all new, don’t worry. I wouldn’t steal any used shit,” she laughs. “I found you a dress too. Stole it from the opera house.”
My breath catches.
The opera house…
