The Wish Granter (Ravenspire #2)(98)
“Sebastian can’t further Teague’s business interests much longer.” He really couldn’t. She’d seen it in his eyes before he’d set out to fulfill Teague’s list that morning. “You can seize the opportunity to be a proactive leader, or you can keep behaving like the blunt instrument who follows orders but doesn’t know how to give them.”
The whip slithered off her throat, and she reached for the raw, tender skin as she said, “Right now, Sebastian is collecting today’s debts, but I know what’s coming due next week. Teague would be happy to have those collected early. And you know Teague’s network of employees. You could handpick a team for him to take into each additional kingdom. Someone to handle theft—”
“Procurement.”
“Whatever. Someone to handle enforcing—”
“I know what roles need to be filled.” He stood and began pacing the floor beside her. “I just don’t know if you should be trusted.”
If Ari should be trusted? That was pretty hard to stomach coming from the man who’d abused his son and helped kill Cleo.
The anger within her flared, a hard, brilliant heat that filled her with visions of grabbing the whip from his hand and using it on him instead. When he turned to face her, she smoothed out her expression and tried to keep her fury out of her eyes.
“If the information I give you proves false, you’ll know within the hour,” she said, and hoped desperately that old, ailing Maarit hadn’t taken it upon herself to do something totally out of character and clean Ari’s study. “You’ll need to avoid the housekeeper, though.”
“That old woman?” He laughed unpleasantly. “Teague sent his carriage back to take her to the palace for the trade summit.”
“More likely so the palace physician could try to coax a few more years out of her. Still, be careful. She’s sneaky, and she has a way of showing up when you least expect her. Strange that a man like Teague is so devoted to a human, isn’t it?” she asked because maybe Jacob knew something that could help her. She remembered the way Maarit sometimes smelled like the fae magic in the tea she’d given Ari. The way she sometimes seemed to move faster than she should be able to move. Maybe Maarit was fae. Maybe she was Teague’s mother. Ari shuddered at the thought. Or if Maarit was human, she’d been the only one in Súndraille to gain his complete trust. Either way, she was adding “get Teague’s secrets from Maarit” to her short list of ideas for how to take down Teague.
But first, she needed to relieve herself and eat whatever she could coax Jacob to bring her.
He crouched in front of her, his eyes boring into hers. “So what do you want in exchange for information about next week’s debts? Be very careful what you ask for, Princess. If I don’t like your answer, I’ll just beat the information out of you instead.”
“And then you’d only be proving to Teague that you’re nothing but a blunt instrument.” Her eyes widened as his raised a fist toward her face. “Besides, I don’t want anything that would get you into trouble. I just want a privy bucket and some food.”
And some privacy so she could look over the contract hidden in her chemise. She didn’t kid herself. She wasn’t going to be unshackled from the wall until Teague was ready to kill her. She needed time to think, time to plan, so that when Sebastian returned, she’d have a way for him to help her finish Teague.
There had to be a way to finish Teague.
Jacob held her gaze for a long moment, and her skin ran cold in anticipation of a blow from his fist, but then slowly he said, “I’ll get you your bucket and something to eat. Where’s the list of debts?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as I have the bucket and the food. It would be stupid of me to give away my one bargaining chip before I get what I need in return. And you’ll just whip me if the list isn’t where I say it is, so you have nothing to lose but a little bit of your time.”
He grunted and stood. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t try anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“What could I possibly try?” She rattled the chain against the wall and raised her eyebrow at him.
He coiled the whip back onto the hook at his belt and strode from the cage. As soon as the door shut behind him, Ari snatched the parchment from her chemise, unfolded it with shaking fingers, and began to read.
FORTY-FIVE
THE SUN WAS drifting toward the west when Sebastian reached the edges of Teague’s property. His father was disappearing into the villa, which meant either Teague was already back from the trade summit and was with Ari, or his father had left her alone while he got himself a meal.
Sebastian slowly opened the door to the cage. The princess was alone, standing with her back to him, hunched over something as if she was reading. A plate of mostly eaten toast sat at the edge of her mattress, and a privy bucket was set up in the corner.
Words didn’t exist that could hold the depths of his agony and guilt. He held his body rigidly still, as if exerting that tiny bit of control would somehow stop the chaos that raged within. Panic cut him off from reason. His thoughts were fragmented and distant. All he could see was the light leaving Kora’s body. All he could hear was the frantic thudding of his heart against his rib cage—a thudding that sounded so much like Kora’s body hitting the floor that it made him sick.