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“One or two,” Matthew answered grudgingly.
“So, it’s either them or they know the answers. Or if they don’t, they are the perfect vessel to reach elsewhere and find answers there. Icanget those answers, you know.”
The king looked conflicted, but she could glimpse how he understood that she did have the best access.
“You are a woman. We vow to protect our women.”
Rebekah scoffed. “I am a woman. Women vampires and women, in general, are just as smart and capable as men.”
“Smarter,” Matthew muttered, then tried again. “Your brother is going to kill me if I let you go out to spy for me.”
“I’m as much at risk being the king’s advisor as I am being a spy,” she shot back. “Actually, I’mmoreat risk being your advisor, your highness.”
Considering she never got used to calling him anything other than his name in private, that had his shoulders straightening as he considered seriously again and had her hope hanging on a tether. She expected disappointment and promised not to argue once the king gave his order. She told herself her life of past adventures was long gone, and she would be stuck inside these castle walls for an indefinite amount of time to support what would be a prosperous kingdom rather than a corrupt one. Ostrov Krov deserved that prosperity and to rise from the ashes of betrayal.
But the hope returned like a vengeance when Matthew did finally give his verdict.
“Very well. Find out who put out the hit. Come back as soon as you have answers.”
Just because her brother wasn’t here didn’t mean the guy didn’t have eyes and ears everywhere, further proven when she sensed the presence shadowing her the moment she walked out of the castle. It had been a few days since the king’s order, allowing her time to prepare, strategize, and eventually get her plan in motion. The shadow was an unexpected occurrence, one that didn’t fit into her plans.
Nicola tried to lose it as she headed to the market, robes in place and blocking out most of the remnants of sunset. She went to the forest next, expertly navigating her way through twists and turns that most people would have gotten lost in. But she was in her element, having explored every corner of the island when she was bored and spending her childhood memorizing every hidden space instead of being the good little princess her parents had expected her to be. After the forest, she snuck toward the port, where two ships were docked and busy. A couple of boxes in a corner gave her the perfect hiding spot as she observed them.
“Be careful with those boxes! The next kid who breaks one will have their bones broken, too.”
“Aye, aye, boss! But I’m not a kid, and I’m not the one who broke the last box!”
“Shut your trap, you filthy excuse of a human being! You come down from there so I can teach you a lesson or two about what it feels like to scream from getting bloodied to a pulp!”
“Hey! I can talk to my crew like that, but yer a right git for thinking ye can do the same! What the hell?”
The third party of the argument must have already been in a bad mood, and she was getting a headache as the two men broke into a screaming row over who could beat who to a bloody pulp. She rubbed the side of her forehead, then stilled when she sensed it again: the presence that clung like a burr, now closer than ever—because the figure was beside her.
“How are you planning to do this?” the man asked in greeting, crouched like she was.
“Maddox! Did Matthew send you?”
He shook his head. “I might be under House Chatterley in the meantime, but that’s only because most of House Hendricks is no longer in need of my services—or not here.”
It clicked. “My brother. You contacted him from wherever he was, and he asked you to tail after me.”
“No, I didn’t contact him.” There was a guilty pause, then a stubborn lift of shoulders. “But I promised him that I would look after you.”
She scowled. “I don’t need looking after.”
“Consider me a safety net in case things get really bad.”
“They aren’t. It’s reconnaissance at best and twisting a few arms at worst.”
He frowned, not entirely convinced. “You didn’t answer my question.”
Oh, the man was tenacious. It was exasperating. “I’m planning to do this the same way I do most things. Winging it.”
“There’s no winging it when it comes to these people,” he argued. “You might think they are disorganized, but they have their system.”
“I know that. It still doesn’t explain why you need to tag along. I can handle this.”
“Perhaps you are not the only one who needs a change of pace.”
