Exquisite Death: Dark, Friends to Lovers Romance (The Gilded Sovereign Book 3)

Chapter 5

I’mspeechless at how beautiful the house is. I haven’t seen the second floor, but I’m sure it’s as epic as the hallway we’re walking down now. The house is very old with antique, dark wood furnishings, but there’s a natural light that illuminates the interior and prevents it from looking dreary.

Heinrich steps through a doorway and motions for us to follow inside before shutting the door behind us. The office we’ve entered is decked in bookshelves on every wall, and a very large painting of some old guy hangs above an enormous open brick fireplace.

“Please, sit,” our guest of honor says as he settles behind a large wooden desk that could sit twelve people rather than only him.

Tarian and I each take a seat on the two dark brown wingback chairs facing him.

“You have a lovely home,” I tell Heinrich, unsure of what else to say.

Growing up in Tynewood, the members of my family, along with the Lancasters, Durands, and Calverts, were seen as high society. We had what they refer to as old money. It was only as I got older that I realized there were other people who lived in mansions and were as wealthy, but it was all newly acquired.

“Thank you, Ms. Birchwood,” the older man responds. “I wasn’t aware of what a beauty you are. It’s no wonder Tarian has you traipsing around the world with him.”

There’s a leeriness to Heinrich’s gaze that makes me uneasy.

As if Tarian can sense my discomfort, he clears his throat and leans forward in his seat, drawing Heinrich’s attention away from me.

“What are we doing here?” Tarian asks. “I thought we had a meeting to go to at the church?”

“We do, but I wanted to welcome you to my home and have a drink before we make our way to the meeting.”

This man scares me. I can handle Tarian’s darkness, the monster he keeps hidden in the depths of his soul, but Heinrich is something else.

“That’s fine,” Tarian responds as he leans back in his chair and pulls out his packet of cigarettes. “Do you mind if I smoke in here?”

“Not at all,” Heinrich tells him as he rises from his seat and grabs a decanter with amber liquid sloshing inside. I watch our host pour three shots into crystal tumblers that would make my dad jealous. He hands me one and another to Tarian, then lifting his own glass, he smiles at me and toasts, “To new friends and acquaintances.”

I take a sip of the liquid, which burns its way down my throat. I feel it warm me from the inside out. Heinrich downs his shot in one before pouring himself a second.

Tarian places his empty glass on the desk, and soon enough, both men have had three shots each. A knock on the door sounds, and excusing himself, Heinrich leaves the office.

Tarian turns to me, his gaze locked on mine.

“Don’t go anywhere without me. If he asks you to do anything, you refuse unless I’m there with you.” He speaks quickly as he leans in and squeezes my hand, making sure I’m paying attention. “I own you for tonight. If you feel the urge to slap me at any point, please wait until we’re alone. Given any excuse, these men won’t think twice about hurting you. I am one of the Crowns and women aren’t seen as equal in these get-togethers. Am I understood?”

“Tarian,” I whisper as I shake my head. “You don’t have to treat me like a fragile little doll. I’m a grown woman who can look after herself. I appreciate the warning, but I don’t need you to be my hero.”

“I’m no hero, sweetheart,” he grins, “What I am, though, is a man on the brink of unleashing chaos and getting my hands drenched in blood.”

Even though he’s smiling, I know he’s not joking. What Tarian uttered was a promise, a vow to do anything necessary to get his vengeance.

“Then I’ll be right beside you,” I respond adamantly.

“Don’t try to be a heroine, Grecia. It could get you killed,” he tells me with no humor in his tone, and a cold shiver traces its way over my flesh.

I know the situation we’re in is dangerous, and I’m also under no illusion that Tarian would bother trying to save me. But I don’t need his help, I can handle myself in a fight. Men invariably underestimate how deadly a woman can be when she’s pushed into a corner.

I give Tarian one of my brightest smiles before I speak again.

“Don’t doubt me, Tarian Calvert. I may be a woman, but I can take a man out if I need to. And I’ll bathe in his fucking blood if that’s what it will take to prove to you I’m not some weak, tortured little girl.”

“Are you trying to make my dick hard right now?” As Tarian arches his dark brow at me, the silver of the rings in his eyebrow and lip glint, and I can’t help but squirm when I think about what else he might have pierced. He’s far too distracting.

I can’t do this.

Pushing off the chair, I make my way to the desk to set my glass down, and my eyes land on a folder with Tarian’s full name emblazoned on the front in bright red letters. I quickly flip it open to find two photos—one of Tarian as a baby with his name scribbled on the back, and one of Thane standing beside Tarian, who looks about ten years old in the picture.

“What’s this?”

Tarian’s beside me in seconds, his hand resting on my back, and the heat that shoots through me at the contact causes me to gasp and pull away as if he’s burned me. If he notices, he doesn’t make an issue of it. He quickly flicks through the folder and sets it back down on the desk just as the door swings open.

Heinrich enters accompanied by a stunning blonde woman, who looks like a supermodel. She’s tall, slender, and has a very slight frame. Her hair is the color of spun silk, and her eyes are a luminous green. She takes us in, staring at me longer than she does Tarian, and I wonder if she’s trying to place us.

“Where is she?” The beauty before us asks, and I immediately know who she is. The woman standing in front of us is Rukaiya’s birth mother. “Where is my little girl?”

“She’s in Tynewood,” Tarian tells her as she approaches us.

We watch as she slides into one of the wingback chairs, keeping her back as straight as a pin. She’s so poised. It’s as if she’s royalty, and she’s been trained all her life how to carry herself.

“I’d like to speak with her, to see her.”

“Okay, darling,” Heinrich steps forward. “It’s not safe yet. Once Thane is found, we can talk about you going to Tynewood, but right now, it’s not feasible.”

“He’s correct,” Tarian confirms. His voice is soothing, yet I can hear the tension in his words. “Rukaiya’s happy. She has a life there now. I know you want to see her, but you will have to wait.”

The woman looks like she’s on the verge of tears, and I wonder just how old she is because she doesn’t have a wrinkle. I know Rukaiya’s mother had her at a young age, but I’m intrigued to hear more about what happened to her. I can only imagine how difficult it will be for Rukaiya to have her mother, a complete stranger, walk into her life.

“I’ll wait, but…” Her voice falls silent, and the air in the room feels like it’s taken on a whole new level of tension and fear. “Does she know about Thane? That he is her father?”

Tarian nods. “She does. He told her. We think he’s planning something. We’re not sure what, so it’s best you wait here until we can find him.”

Her gaze locks on Tarian, and the tears shimmering in the green of her eyes look like droplets of water on shiny gemstones.

“I can’t bear to lose her again.” Her despair is that of a mother who loves her daughter.

“You won’t lose her. The Sovereign in Tynewood will keep her safe,” Tarian reassures her, and the confidence in his voice seems to calm her. “I’ll find Thane, and when I do, he’ll pay for what he’s done.”

“No!” The woman shoots up from the chair and grabs Tarian’s hand. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s… He’s not a bad man.”

“What do you mean?” I question, not understanding how she can say that. The man I met a few months ago was vile. He was cold, and there wasn’t a compassionate bone in his body for anyone.

“He loves… He loves Rukaiya. I know he does. But he’s confused.”

“Confusion didn’t make him kill. It also didn’t make him behave like a heartless bastard by kidnapping his own daughter.” Tarian’s tone has turned to ice as he pulls his hand away from the woman’s. “Thane was involved in the death of my father, he made me believe my mother was dead, and he stole your daughter’s life by giving her to a couple who worked for him. He treated Rukaiya like a fucking abandoned animal.”

“You don’t understand,” she pleads once more, but Tarian is not listening. He’s shut off, and I know there’s no getting through to him when he’s like this.

“Perhaps we can talk about this later?” I suggest as I cast a glance at Heinrich, hoping he’ll see the shitstorm that’s about to hit his office if this disagreement continues.

“Yes, of course,” our host finally says, pulling Rukaiya’s mother from the room.

He takes her out into the hallway, and I can hear raised voices, but I can’t discern what’s being said.

“Tarian—”

“Don’t,” he bites out, holding his hand up to stop me from speaking.

Frustration blooms in my gut, but I give him the space he’s demanding. I’ll allow him to stew, for now, but when we get to the hotel we’re staying in, I’m not shutting up.

I refuse to stay silent ever again.