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“Yes, sir, I will.”
“Did you happen to spot where Ayla is?”
“No, sir, but I have a feeling Darla will know.”
She would. “Meet me at the rear servants’ gate at sundown. We’ll do our best to sneak out without getting spotted.”
“Heard,” Oren said with a nod. “I take it I should be removing the gold we brought rather than the royal coffers?”
“Yes. I don’t want any eagle-eyed treasurers to spot a missing sum and go sleuthing.”
“Understood. I’ll see you when the sun sets.”
He gave a small salute, then hurried out, leaving me alone with my stack of requisitions. I looked down at them, the papers all piled on top of each other like a personal challenge, waiting for me to delve into them and figure out what was niggling at my mind.
“Fuck,” I said, standing up without a single regret. I had better things to do.
I went to the one chest of personal items I’d brought and changed into a uniform that wasn’t royal at all, but not a soldier’s, either. No, it was an old palace guard outfit, complete with an old blond wig and a little eye-case with blue contacts inside. I hadn’t had to use such a thing in a long time, but it was one of the best ways for me to navigate the palace without being spotted and interrupted every few feet.
My scent was trickier to mask, but I’d taken a page out of Ayla’s book and grabbed a few blocking lotions and sprays. When I was younger, I’d just wear Oren’s socks and his undershirt beneath the disguise, hoping that was enough to mask, but pheromone-blocking tech had improved quite a bit since I was a child.
Once I was in my simple disguise, I paused at the door of my room, listening intently for any servants passing by. When the coast seemed relatively clear, I darted out and headed for Darla’s room.
I hoped she was in. It’d be easier to find her in my disguise rather than traipsing about in my royal clothes, but I didn’t want to waste time. The guard thing only worked when no one was really paying attention, and the longer I was out and about, the greater the chance someone spotted me.
That was the thing about disguises: the more they were used, the less effective they were.
I held my breath waiting for Darla to answer, but after a beat, she called that she’d be out in a minute, then opened the door a bit later.
“Uh, do I know you…Captain?”
I held a finger to my lips. “Where’s Ayla?” I murmured.
“Ooh, what’s this, a clandestine meeting? Howromantic.”
I sighed. I knew Darla’s exuberance and sense for drama made her a good foil of my mate, but sometimes it just took up so muchtime.“Sergeant Khan, perhaps it would behoove you to worry about your own blossoming romance with my righthand man instead of being so involved in my own.”
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but your lieutenant has no interest in me.”
I stared at her likeshewas the one in disguise. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
She sighed and crossed her arms, unamused. “He laid one on me in the heat of battle, I get it, adrenaline was pumping, he was swept up in the moment. Every time after I’ve tried to talk to him, he’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t want to be anywhere near me.”
I was still staring at her, but how could I not when she was talking complete nonsense? “Darla, I don’t know how to tell you this, and I probably shouldn’t, but Oren has been head over heels for you for literal years.”
“What? No, he hasn’t.”
“Why would I lie to you about this? Look, you can believe me or not, but think about it. His awkwardness around you when normally he couldn’t give two shits about what people think of him. How he usually hangs in your peripheral on your right side, which is something he usually does with me. Do you know why?”
She shook her head, her eyes wide like she was mentally reviewing all their time together.
“Because he’s righthanded and he wants to make sure whoever he cares about is on the side he can react to faster. He doesn’t do it with anyone but us.
“He’s also not much for conversation, but he tries with you at least once a week, right? It might just be a good morning, or a comment about the cafeteria food, but I’ve never seen him even try with anyone else.”
I watched as Darla’s expression grew distant and was grateful to have an inhibitor bracelet. I’d hate to have her rooting around my head while she tried to figure out if I was telling the truth or not.
“I suppose there’s quite a few times where I noticed his awkwardness. I just assumed he was uncomfortable around me. I mean, every time I pursued him, it felt like he was avoiding me like the plague.”
