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I snorted, folding my arms over my chest. “For not catching the dark magic on the first try? Are you fucking kidding me? I got us closer to him than we’d ever been before.”
“What’s all the commotion about in here?” Yasmin asked, sailing into the room. “Don’t leave us girls out of all the good stuff.” A winded Vienne hurried in after her.
I stared openly at Vienne until she discreetly glanced my way. Once we made eye contact, however, her eyes flared open wide before she quickly and guiltily glanced away again. I narrowed my stare, wishing I could drag her from the room in that very moment and get my answers right then, but I had to go through this hoopla of a circus first.
As Caulder explained to the queen what had happened, Yasmin blinked rapidly, seemingly shocked. “You mean, you were honestly that close to catching the dark magic and you let him get away?” Her accusative stare fell on me. “Caulder, you can’t honestly approve of such sloppy work, can you? He must be punished.”
“Punished?” Vienne gasped, arching her sister an incredulous glance. “You can’t punish him for not being able to do something no one else has been able to do either.”
“That’s a good point,” Caulder murmured, rubbing his chin as he studied me.
“Well, no one else was assigned with the task of finding the dark magic,” Soren argued. “I say he needs incentive to try harder next time. Twenty lashes’ worth.”
“That’s just preposterous!” Vienne cried. “No. I won’t let you whip him again. He’s done absolutely nothing wrong.”
“Aww, how sweet,” Yasmin cooed. “Defending your one true love.”
As Soren growled out his contempt, Vienne muttered, “I’m defending an absolutely innocent man. That is all.” She whirled to Caulder. “Why, you might as well tie me up next to him and whip me too if you agree to any kind of punishment. Because I didn’t catch the bearer of dark magic today either. Shame on me.”
“No one touches Vienne,” I barked. “I’d rather accept twice the required punishment than let a single lash touch her.”
Caulder sighed and buried his forehead in his hand. “No one’s touching anyone, because no one will be punished this day. Now, will everyone stop arguing about the tiresome topic already? I’d rather get back to the subject of catching this traitorous magical intruder, if you please.”
I nodded, adding, “I have a few more leads to follow up on and hopefully I’ll have more information for you soon.”
“Then, go.” Caulder waved me away. “Every second that evil remains in my castle all of us remain unsafe.”
I nodded and marched from the room.
I could feel it the moment Vienne started after me, so I slowed my pace, allowing her to catch up, then I veered into the Red Chambers, the smallest, most private room on the castle’s ground floor.
As soon as I stormed into the room, I ran my hands through my hair and cursed liberally. She entered behind me, breathing heavily. When I heard the door close, I finally whirled to face her, grasping her shoulders and hissing, “What the hell? What the hell? What the hell, Vienne?”
But she merely drew in a deep breath and smiled up at me warmly. “I knew you knew it was me out there.”
“Fuck, yes, I knew it was you,” I snapped, letting go of her so I could run my hands through my hair some more and grab hold of the locks, pulling taut. “Now could you tell me what I don’t know, like what the fuck were you thinking stealing out of the castle in that disguise and going to talk to a Lowden woman when you know good and well there’s dark magic lurking about?”
Relief showed in her eyes. “So you know I’m not the source of the dark magic? Good. Thank God.”
“Of course, I know that!” I spat incredulously, though I hadn’t known at all. I had hoped she wasn’t. I had adamantly denied to myself that she could be. But I hadn’t known, not until this very moment, where I could look into her eyes and see the relief that she experienced, realizing I still believed in her. That was all the reassurance I needed.
“But none of the others would’ve been so easily convinced if you’d been caught,” I went on, railing, because learning she had no dark magic in her really didn’t help the situation at all. “Hell, your own husband probably would’ve had you hanged within the hour, insisting you possessed some kind of evil sorcery in you.”
“I know,” she murmured on a concerned frown as she rubbed at her neck. “Kind of a troubling prospect, if you ask me.”
“So, do you care to enlighten me as to what the hell you were doing out there today?”
She lifted her eyes to mine. “You’re mad,” she said with some surprise.
“Yes, I’m mad!” I cried. “I don’t recall being this fucking mad in a long fucking time.”
Blinking, she merely studied my face before calmly saying, “You were terribly upset the morning after you felt my orgasm.”
What? I shook my head, confused. “Yes. So?”
“So,” she said. “Your anger’s not as frightening as I thought it would be. You cut such an intimidating figure with your sword and that dashing scar at the corner of your lip, like a man not to be trifled with. But I’ve never felt scared of you. Not at all. How incredible.”
Huh? How the hell had the topic moved to this?
