The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)(66)

“But how, Your Majesty?” Aya whispered. “Is there truly a way for us to be together?”

“Yes, my dearest. But you must give me a few days to make the arrangements.”

“What do you have to do?” Aya prayed he would say it.

King Archon wiped another tear from her cheek. “Do not worry yourself with the details. I will take care of everything. You simply stay quiet and safe, and I will send word for you to come to me in a few days.”

“Promise?” Aya widened her eyes.

King Archon grinned. “Cross my heart.”

Aya gave him a quick peck on the lips, nearly jumping up and down. In just a few days, she could complete her mission and finally know the taste of justice, which, she hoped, wouldn’t be so salty.

“Now, hurry back to Lord Varick’s estate.” King Archon rubbed her shoulders. “My valet will be returning shortly, and I don’t want anyone to see you coming from my chambers.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

King Archon wrinkled his nose. “I think Archon will do now, dear.”

Aya let out a little chuckle. “Yes, Archon.”

She wished she could see herself in a looking glass now. She knew she must be positively radiant.

King Archon gave her another kiss before wrapping her in his arms and burying his face in her hair. He took a deep breath, which left Aya’s neck cold. She hugged him back just as tightly, wishing she could thank him for what he was truly doing.

“I cannot hold you any longer, Aya, or I won’t be able to let you go. Hurry now, and I shall see you in a few days.”

“I will count the seconds.”

Before she released them, Aya kissed the king’s hands. He smiled at her and returned the gesture, then took his hands away. She scurried off down the hallway, stopping outside the round room’s narrow entrance to take one final look at him.

There he stood, her father’s murderer, straight and proud with his tall top hat and pointy beard. His blue eyes watered, the softest she had ever seen them. For a moment, just a moment, her heart gave a little flutter at his beaming white smile and the crinkles it created around his lips. If someone else were planted in her body, they would see a man in love, staring longingly after the object of his affection. But Aya knew better. Behind this handsome, regal exterior slept a monster, one that would devour everything she gave him before spitting her out and moving onto the next bright-eyed girl—no doubt taking a few other innocent lives along the way.

As she turned away, Aya felt the heat of his desire radiating out of the room after her. She did not take another look back. Like the first night she had left this room, she kept walking forward, her back straight and steps purposeful. Let him sleep with a light heart and easy mind tonight. The next time she entered his cave, she would slay the dragon.





CHAPTER NINETEEN


Aya kept her pace steady and determined. While her nerves were on fire and every muscle in her body wanted to leap for joy, she knew that she had to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Before, she’d had the excuse of na?veté. Now, especially after her public dance with the king at the masquerade the night before and their outing to the shops today, her presence near his chambers would invite extreme suspicion.

Aya kept her eyes forward, unsure of where to go. Undoubtedly, Lord Varick would want to know of her success and the nearing end of their mission. However, it was close to dinnertime, and the idea of being trapped through a meal with him, assuming he still felt so hospitable, made her stomach churn. No, Aya would go to her hovel in Sternville, visit with Dellwyn before she headed to her shift at the Rudder, and get some much-needed sleep in her own room. As much as she adored the two lavish rooms she had slumbered in at the palace, Aya missed having a space that didn’t come with another person and a sense of obligation.

Just as the statue of Queen Hildegard came into view, someone grabbed Aya’s arm. She went to scream, but a hand covered her mouth and pulled her into a dark hallway. Aya beat against her attacker’s chest with her free arm. He pushed her up against a wall, pinning her body so she could not move, and Aya finally looked up. Her heart rate slowed, and she sighed. Willem. Maybe she wouldn’t be returning to Sternville quite yet.

Aya smiled against Willem’s hand. He responded by removing his hand from her mouth and relaxing his grip on her side. He did not, however, release her from the wall. Smiling even wider, Aya gently rocked her hips against his. “Willem, if you wanted to get my heart racing, you didn’t have to scare me. A kiss would have done the trick.”

Willem grimaced. “I thought you would have had enough kissing today.”

“From you?” Aya smirked. “Never.”

“Obviously, I have failed you, Aya.” Willem’s hands squeezed her sides again. “After all, if I had satisfied you, maybe you wouldn’t have felt the need to kiss the king.”

Aya’s eyes widened, and she felt the blood drain from her face. She stared up at Willem, who glowered down at her with a mixture of hurt and anger in his hazel eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Really?” Willem scoffed. “Because I just saw you with King Archon. His Majesty had you pinned up against the wall, just like this, and with the way you were moaning—”

“Willem, stop.” Aya tried to make her voice firm, but it wavered on his name. “You don’t know what you saw. You don’t understand.”