Page 43 of Gilded Curses

“Metaphorically, then.”

Amusement shone in his eyes. “I don’t do metaphorical.”

“Orin!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Stop being an asshole!”

He sighed before looking at his erection and patting its head. “Sorry, old friend. She got us all excited to talk.”

She rolled her eyes again. “You’re such an ass.”

“I’m the ass? You’re the one who keeps waking me up in the middle of the night to yell at me. I’m not the best when it comes to social etiquette because I usually don’t give a fuck, but yours is far worse than mine.”

Knowing they could banter like this all night and get nowhere, Sahira decided to plunge into why they were here. “Earlier tonight, I received a note telling me to meet someone in the garden at two.”

The twinkle of amusement left his eyes as his gaze flicked to the clock in the corner of her room. “You didn’t go, did you?”

“Of course I did.”

“What were you thinking?” he exploded.

When she first met Orin, the amount of emotion he revealed was similar to a rock, and almost all of that emotion was amusement at the expense of others. Now, she’d seen him angry far more times than she’d believed possible.

He’d directed that anger at her before, and it was back again now. Orin wasn’t as irate as he was in Belda’s pub after realizing she’d fed from Zeth and believed she’d slept with the demon, but he was still steaming.

“Why would you do something so risky?” he demanded as he stepped toward her.

Sahira planted her feet, refusing to back away as she lifted her chin and glared at him. “I was thinking I might get some answers.”

“You’re not to go anywhere in this realm by yourself in the middle of the night, ever.”

She planted her index finger in his chest and poked him. “And you don’t have any right to try to command me, ever.”

“Someone has to look out for you. You’re clearly not using your head.”

Sahira regretted her decision to tell him about what happened tonight. She hadn’t expected him to be thrilled with her, but…. “I’m not a child. I’ll do whatever I want and make my own decisions. You chose not to go without discussing it with me, so why would I tell you about my choice to go?”

Orin folded his arms over his chest as he rocked back on his heels. “Who left you this note?”

“Aurora, the woman who usually works with you. When you stayed behind to drink with Desmond, she came to my room to help the others.”

“And she told you she left me a note too?”

“Yes.”

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Who did you meet?”

“Aurora and two other servants, Clive and Alda. Alda was the one crying during the dog attack earlier; the victim was her brother.”

Orin showed no emotion over this revelation. It was so strange to her how some things could set him off so much, yet he could remain completely unbothered by other things… like dogs tearing an immortal to pieces and the suffering of his poor sister.

“And what did they have to say?” he asked.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Orin ground his teeth together as he struggled to keep his temper under control. He hadn’t gone into the garden because of her, but now she was telling him that she’d traipsed her ass out there to meet strangers at two o’clock in the morning. Alone!

He wanted to throttle her as badly as kiss her, and it took everything he had not to shake some sense into her thick head. While she spoke, some of his irritation faded as disbelief and fury over her revelations replaced it.

When she finished telling him everything she’d learned and what the servants wanted from him, his gaze focused on the balcony doors and closed drapes. He should have been the one to meet with and judge them while they spoke. He was very good at picking out a liar.