Page 90 of Reaper’s Curse

Without slipping the glower from my expression, I responded with a nod.

“Great.” Aoes swung his hands together in a low clap. “So…what do we do now?”

With a swoosh, a canister flew through an air tube supported along the ceiling. It dropped into an awaiting depository bin.

Motioning for us to hold the conversation, Aoes read the delivered message quickly and grunted.

When he lifted his gaze from the page, his attention snapped to Winter. “They’re looking for you.”

“Not ready to be found,” Winter replied.

“Well, then.” Aoes bounced his attention between Winter and me, ultimately landing on the prince. “They will undoubtedly check here, so you know what to do.”

Hide in the space I now used as my home base, that was what Winter was to do.

I would have easily taken to the streets, but leaving Winter alone near my stashed reaper supplies wasn’t something I was keen on doing.

The prince lounged in the overstuffed chair, legs stretched out, heels propped on the low table situated in front of the sofa.

“You never answered me,” he said. “If you have no fae blood, what are you? I can think of a few things, but I’d like for you to tell me.”

I was sure none of those few things were flattering.

I’d been leaning against the wall with my hands folded behind my back and eyes closed, listening for anything useful from the chatter in the room above. Like the current conversation between Aoes and palace personnel.

I opened my eyes and dropped a glare on the prince. “Not only is it none of your business, but it shouldn’t matter to you. You should keep your focus on your own problems.”

Winter lowered his feet to the floor and leaned forward. “What if I consider you one of those problems? After all…” He pulled a crinkled sheet of parchment from his pocket. “You’re sending her poorly encrypted warnings and referring to my home as a cage.”

I lurched forward, reaching for the note, but before I could wrap my fingers around the page and tug it free, he yanked it back. The page ripped. I glanced down at the few written words on the small scrap in my hand.

golden black bird heart

My chest tightened and tore apart all at once. What was I feeling? Fury or fear?

“Now look what you did,” Winter said. “You ruined it.”

I fought the snarl perched on my lips. “Where did you get this?” I waved the tiny fragment. “Did she give it to you?”

The prince’s brow arched. “She showed me where she kept her letters from you.” He smirked. “In her room.”

My chest squeezed tight. So damn tight. Winter had been in Raven’s room. Had she invited him? And if so, how many times?

“So, you see, given your little note-passing activity,” Winter said. “Should I or should I not consider you one of my problems?”

I released my tension with a long breath, then I tugged a devilish grin to my lips. “You do anything to hurt Raven, and I will be.”

“Promises, promises.” The prince sat back, then he stood and began to move through the room, clearly restless.

He paused beside the box of items Aoes had brought down to the room several days ago and had yet to do anything with. The glove still lay on top. I’d forgotten to slip it in with my own stuff out of sight. I silently cursed my negligence.

“Do you think they’ve come and gone yet?” Winter asked, regarding the royal search team.

“You could have been surveying their every move with the abundance of spyware available.” I swung my arm to indicate the collection of vision scopes and listening tubes.

“Ah, yes.” A tired grin pressed to Winter’s lips. “But then we would have been forced into a dull silence, and where would the fun be in that?”

I grunted, my gaze narrowing as Winter reached into the box and lifted the glove. He slowly turned it in his hand, studying everything about it.