Her Majesty's Necromancer (The Ministry of Curiosities #2)(77)

He held out his hand to me. I took it and he directed me inside to a chair, but I didn't want to sit down. I suspected he would remain standing, and I didn't want to feel at a disadvantage. I leaned on the back of a chair for support and met his gaze. He was watching me.

"You think I did it," he said. "You think I killed them."

There were several things I could have said, but I chose the path that I hoped would encourage him to tell me more. "Why would you?"

"Revenge." His gaze traveled to my bruised cheek. "You know I'm capable of exacting it."

With those few words, he'd put me in the same category as he placed Tim—as a friend worthy of his vengeful form of justice. Despite everything, it was a relief to hear. It meant he truly had forgiven me for my betrayal. I gave him a wobbly smile, but he didn't seem to understand why I was smiling. He frowned.

"I'm mostly unharmed," I told him. "I hardly think what happened to me warrants such drastic revenge." He said nothing, so I went on. "But you were agitated most of yesterday after we spoke, then you went out last night for a long time. Today, you've been distant. I don't think you killed them, but evidence points that way."

"I didn't."

My hand almost slipped off the chair in relief. If nothing else, it proved I'd harbored a kernel of doubt. "I believe you. So where did you go last night?"

"Nowhere. I walked around for a few hours then came back here."

I frowned. "Why were you just walking?"

"To clear my head and think."

"What were you thinking about?"

He drew in a deep breath, then another, and he stepped closer. He lifted a hand to my swollen cheek but didn't touch it. His eyes turned smoky, warm, and his face lowered. "About whether I should do this."

His mouth met mine. There was nothing tentative about the kiss. It was thorough, confident, yet as gentle as a first kiss ought to be. I'd not expected him to have soft lips. They were usually drawn into a hard, firm line, but now they felt like pillows. They were wonderful. He was wonderful. I knew the kiss didn't solve anything between us—if anything, it probably complicated things—but at that moment, I didn't care.

I let go of the chair, buried my hands in his hair, and kissed him back.



THE END