“Yes.”
“But you can barely hit little kids. You hesitate every time.”
“That’s different.”
“You’re losing sleep over stabbing Stephanie, and that bitch deserved it.”
“That’s also different?”
She stares at me, and I stare back, my brain shouting that I’m having this conversation with hisfiancee, the one he picked to replace me. She’s never going to agree with me.
Laughing, she leans back, stretching her one leg out in front of her. “Fuck. Okay.” She nods.
I stare at her, baffled. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll make you queen.”
My mouth falls open. I jerk it back up, blink a few times, then shake my head. “You can do that?”
“Yes.” She cocks her head with a smile. “But I’m going to need something from you in return.”
“Anything.” I sit back down, my heart hammering out of my skin. I can feel it everywhere inside me, or maybe that’s the air – electrified and burning.
“Tell Jace and Richard about the photo on Echo’s desk.”
“I don’t know who –”
She waves her hand. “That’s not relevant. Just describe it to them.”
I blink. “That’s it?”
She nods. “It’ll drive them fucking crazy trying to figure out who they are.” Throwing her head back, she laughs with a madness that scares me.
Forty-Eight
A queen does not get caught hiring assassins.
Fucking Jace.
- King Richard
As silently as I can, I creep over to my bedroom window in the dark of the night. Although I’m not making any sound, tension radiates up my spine with every step. Jace’s hearing is fucking mental, and he’s asleep right there on the sofa. Not to mention, he’s been extra paranoid since I ‘tried’ to kill myself yesterday.
Easing the glass up ever so slowly, I strain my ears, listening for any noise from the living room. When all is silent, I roll out the window and spread my wings. I turn around to close it behind me so he won’t hear the noises of the city.
A hand shoots out of the bedroom and grabs my arm. “Get back in bed,” Jace growls.
“I’m going to see her.”
“Is that all you’re going to do?” he says, holding up an envelope.
“Yes.” My gaze flickers to it in curiosity.
“So I’m not holding a letter to the infamous Smoke, the greatest assassin ever, hiring her to kill Arienna?” he says, each word clipped.
Terrified, I turn for the barracks. “Smoke’s made it past Evangeline not once butseventimes. If someone’s hired her, we have to –”
“Evangeline gave me the letter, dipshit,” Jace says as he crawls through the window to join me rather than pulling me back inside. “Smoke gave it to her and collected the reward money Evangeline offered to anyone who had legit information on any assassination attempt on Arienna.”
