To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)(56)

He inclined his head to her before returning to his rounds.

Graciella pushed open the door to find Wilten mixing flour in a large bowl.

Wilten curtsied. “Good morning, milady. I start bread for you.”

“Good, Wilten.” Graciella inspected the girl’s work. “I apologize for my lateness.”

The girl grinned. “You have late night with Emperor?”

Graciella blushed. “Yes, but not the type of night I was hoping for.”

“Oh? Plant not work?”

“It’s a long story. Let’s get two more batches of bread started first, and then I’ll tell you what happened.”

§

Yavi rolled over and stared at her empty cot. She’d left her pillow but taken the fur. He found himself wishing the presence of the pillow meant she intended to return a second night, or maybe for an afternoon nap. He smiled at the ceiling, realizing he must really be in love to feel such warm pleasure at the thought of her taking a nap in his room, even without his being here to watch or interfere.

He shoved the covers back and went to the washstand to change the water and splash some over his face. Something was definitely different in him this morning. Clearing the air with her, hearing her confessions as well as sharing his own, had left him feeling lighter, freer.

He patted his face dry on a clean towel. No doubt she was already down in the kitchen slaving over breakfast. He glanced at his father’s sword, which stood on its rack in silent sentry. It was the only thing Yavi possessed that was of any real material value. What if he sold it to Villeleian merchants and used the money to hire a new chef, so that Graciella wouldn’t have to work in the kitchen anymore?

Sell Father’s sword? What kind of son are you?

“The kind that loves Miss Graciella Stovy,” he told the voice in his head, grinning.





Eleven


Graciella was an hour late serving breakfast, but hoped her freshly baked sourdough would make it well worth the wait. She sat with Yavi at the table, buttering a steaming slice from a loaf that had just come out of the oven. “Do you suppose we might see Jiandra and Yajna by dinner tonight?”

“I would assume so. Perhaps they will at least send a courier today with news of their trip.”

He looked handsomer than ever this morning, his face more relaxed than usual, a faint smile playing around his lips. But she had promised to stop chasing him last night, and she intended to follow through on that promise, so she ignored the view of his neck and upper chest visible through the open collar of his white shirt.

“We will need to change your sleeping arrangements today, Graciella. That is, if you still do not wish to stay in your room alone overnight.” He ate a forkful of scrambled eggs, following it with a bite of the fresh sourdough. “What kind of bread is this? It’s delicious.”

“Sourdough. You have to ferment the flour in water for a few days before you can make it. That’s how it gets the ‘sour’ flavor.”

“We do not have this in Nandala.” He buttered another bite. “Here, our traditional bread is flatbread.”

“Flatbread is easy to make. I can bake you some if you’re missing it.”

He grinned as he took another bite of the sourdough. “Not really missing it at the moment. But about your sleeping arrangements…?”

“Yes, about those.”

“I can have your furniture moved to a different bedroom, or…”

“Or what?”

“Or what. Yes, what arrangements do you think would make you feel more secure at night?”

“Well, I don’t want to sleep alone in the room I’m in. Honestly, I don’t want to sleep alone in any room tonight. I asked Wolfan this morning if he’d ever seen any ghosts, and he said no, but he knew the castle was haunted because he and other guards have seen windows blow open and furniture change position.”

Yavi frowned. “Why haven’t they reported this to me?”

“I think he felt it was no great matter. He said it happens rarely, and it seems the guards expect it.”

“I’ll speak to him after breakfast. This is unacceptable.”

“Please don’t castigate Wolfan. He’s my favorite guard.”

Yavi raised an eyebrow. “Oh, he is, is he?”

“Yes. He was so sweet to wait patiently outside my room while I dressed this morning.”

Yavi stared down at his plate, and she noticed a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“Anyhow, I am not sure what a suitable solution would be. I don’t want to ask Jiandra to share a room with me and leave her husband’s bed. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to make that sacrifice for my pesky little sister.” She ate a bite of eggs. “Besides, I don’t think Jiandra’s presence would make me feel that safe. I’d feel safer with a man.”

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, I can understand that. So the offer still stands if you would like to sleep in my room again tonight.”

Graciella shook her head. “No, I think that is a bad idea.”

“It is?”

“I promised to help you keep your oath, and if I stay in your room, I might be tempted to break that promise.”

He averted his gaze. “Right.”

“So I was thinking, do you think a guard—Wolfan, for example—would be willing to stand watch in my room while I sleep?”