Chapter 5
Inej was slow to rouse, pulled softly from the comfort of sleep’s warm embrace. She rubbed her cheek against something soft and turned onto her side, not yet ready to wake. Something poked her, making her grimace. She shifted, but nothing alleviated the discomfort.
She scooted back and lifted the covers to see what was jabbing her.
It wasn’t until she stared at the metal buckle that she became aware she wasn’t in her bed.
Her eyes traveled up the length of the buckle to the edge of the garment.
Gray fur met her gaze. The last time she had seen that was when Manu had wrapped his coat around her.
Her head whipped to the side, expecting to see him, but as she scanned the chamber, she found no evidence of another.
“He’s cunning and dangerous,” Gita told her. “He’ll present himself as your savior, and that will allow you to get close. You’ll have to be careful since you are human.”
Nothing like being reminded that elves considered her kind less than. Inej wisely held her tongue. Gita was giving her what she wanted, but she knew the elf would take it away in a heartbeat if Inej didn’t follow as expected.
“His people may not be aware of who he is, but trust me, he’s the ringleader in all of this,” Gita stated.
“How are you so sure?”
Gita’s ice blue eyes sparkled. “Have you heard of the Defense Intelligence Agency?”
“You’re a DIA agent?” Inej whispered in shock. Everyone knew of the organization, but she never imagined encountering one of their spies.
Gita put a finger to her lips. “Manu is responsible for my last assignment going sideways. It’s why I’m hiding out here for a bit.”
So, Inej wasn’t the only one who craved payback. Now, she understood why Gita was so willing to share information. “I’ll find Manu, but how am I to kill him? I don’t think I’ll get close enough to use a blade.”
“Being human, you might. They wouldn’t think twice about you carrying a weapon, though I doubt they’d let you keep it.”
Gita got to her feet and walked to a cabinet. Inej watched as silver magic rolled from the elf’s finger into a lock. A soft click filled the silence before the door swung open. A heartbeat later, Gita turned, holding a narrow box about six inches long.
“This will help,” she said and lifted the lid before handing the case over.
Inej looked down at the vials of clear liquid nestled tightly inside so they didn’t rub together. “What are these?”
“Poison.”
Inej swallowed hard as she held out the hand that had held the vial so tightly, but her palm was empty.
Her stomach dropped, cold and hollow. The one weapon she’d been entrusted with was gone, and the crushing weight of her failure closed in.
She yanked the covers up in desperation, rummaging through them on the off chance the vial had fallen from her grasp.
Her fingers brushed something near the pillow. Her hand closed around the vial. The relief surged so swiftly it made her dizzy. She brought her hand to her chest and cradled the poison in both hands.
She sat with her eyes closed, holding it for several moments before daring to open her eyes once more.
She had tangled herself in Manu’s coat and the covers in her mad search, and only just remembered her leg injury.
Tentatively, she moved her limb and was surprised when there was only a hint of an ache, almost like an afterthought.
She had never taken magical herbs before, as they had always been too expensive.
If she got sick or injured, she dealt with it herself because going to a human who practiced medicine was tantamount to suicide.
Inej slipped her legs out of the blankets, then perched on the edge of the bed and looked around her.
The opulent covers were a rich sapphire blue that reminded her of the sky at dusk.
More sapphire cloth was draped behind and above the bed canopy.
A large, oval, rust, blue, and beige floral motif rug with intricate borders and a central medallion sat at the foot of the bed.
A set of rust-colored chairs with cobalt accents rested against the wall next to a short table.
There was a tall, wooden wardrobe against another wall.
And those walls? They were stone—with no windows.
However, there were several hanging lights that would no doubt brighten the room.
They were dimmed, allowing her to see without blinding her.
She had wanted to find Manu, and the gods had delivered him straight to her. They hadn’t put her in prison. Unless this was just to get her to let her guard down. Only a fool would trust her, and Manu wasn’t a fool. They would be watching her, just as she intended to watch them.
Her gaze swung to the door. There was only one way to find out if it was locked.
She rose, testing out her leg. Once she knew she could stand, she hid the vial under the mattress.
Manu’s coat slipped from her shoulders as she took the first step.
She removed it and draped it over the back of a chair before walking across the plush rug to the door.
She steeled herself as she wrapped her fingers around the knob and turned.
To her surprise, it unlatched. She slowly pulled it open a crack and peered outside.
When no one yelled at her to get back inside, she dared to widen the opening a little more and stared into an empty hallway.
Distant voices to the left reached her. She heard someone laugh, and then more conversation, but she couldn’t make out the words.
Inej poked her head out before stepping into the hall.
“You’re up. Good.”
Startled, she whirled around at the deep voice to find one of the men who had rescued her.
He had a face that would stop most in their tracks.
He was tall with a warrior’s build. His dark brown hair was kept short on the sides, while the top was longer and shoved to the side.
He had an easy smile and dark, compelling eyes.
If it had been said, she couldn’t remember his name.
He was the one who had handed her the water.
Someone in charge of all aspects of his life.
He held up a stack of folded clothes. “I was about to deliver these to you. I thought you might want to bathe and change before you eat. Unless you’d rather eat now?”
She was famished, but she usually was.
The elf’s smile remained in place. “I’m Jalall, and you’re a guest in my home.”
A guest? That was unexpected.
“And you are?” he prompted.
She licked her lips. “Inej.”
“Are you strong enough to follow me a short distance?”
“I believe so,” she replied.
He dipped his head and walked past her. His boots didn’t make a sound on the stone floor.
No wonder she hadn’t heard him approach.
She would have to be more vigilant. Inej fell into step behind him.
The stone was cold beneath the thin stockings covering her feet.
Thankfully, they only went across the hall.
Her mouth went slack when she entered the bathing suite.
A rectangular rock tub sat against the far wall and sank into the floor with about a six-inch rise around three sides.
A sizable arch had been cut out of the wall, with a decorative edge around it.
Sitting along the bottom of the arch were various-sized lit candles.
There were two small arches on either side positioned lower near the water with more candles.
The ceiling above the tub was arched with lights ringing the top to give the appearance of sunlight.
To her left, a rock had been hewn into a pedestal with a round sink balanced on top.
Mixed in were more richly colored rugs, decorative lights, and plants.
“Take your time,” Jalall said.
She turned to say thank you, but he had already closed the door behind him.
Inej locked it, though it was more for her peace of mind.
Nothing would keep an elf out if they wanted in.
He might act nice, but she didn’t trust anyone.
She hurried out of her clothes and moved to the tub.
Ribbons of steam rose from the surface as if beckoning her to enter.
Inej dipped her toe into the water to test the temperature.
It was hot but not scalding. And after nearly being frozen, she was ready to be enveloped by the heat.
She stepped into the water and sat. Her muscles immediately eased, and she sighed.
She quickly unbraided her hair and then reclined against the back.
She might not know how she’d gotten to Jalall’s or what was next, but she had found Manu. Now, it was just a matter of getting close and delivering the poison. She had made it over the mountains and survived a fall and nearly being mauled by wolvites. She could finish this mission.
Her grumbling belly drove her to finish her bath.
She felt renewed by the time she rose to dry off.
Then, she turned to the clothes Jalall had set on a stool when they entered.
There were a few options to choose from.
She sorted through the different items and found a pair of wide-legged pants in deep red.
The matching scoop-neck tunic skimmed her curves and fell past her hips with a deep slit on each side.
The sleeves were too long, but she was able to push them up to her elbows.
A little more digging in the clothes, and she located some socks.
They were her only option since her shoes were gone, and she didn’t want to walk on the cold stone.
She then found a comb to run through the long strands of her hair.
With one final look at herself, she unlocked the door and stepped into the hall. There was no sign of Jalall. She was wondering where to go when a pretty elf came out of her room with linens wadded in her arms. She barely spared Inej a glance as she passed.
“Ready to eat?”
She jerked at Jalall’s voice behind her and bit back her terse reply. She hated being startled, but she had to remind herself that he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Probably. She forced her face into something that resembled a polite smile. “I am.”
“Follow me.” He walked a few steps before he glanced at her over his shoulder. “I’m glad to see that I was able to find you something that fit.”
“As I have no coin, I can work off the payment.”
Jalall shot her a frown as he turned the corner. “Excuse me?”
She realized he might have taken her offer to mean sex, and while he was nice to look at, the only elf she was willing to let into her bed was Manu.
And only to complete her mission. She stayed away from elves as a rule.
“I meant I’m capable of work. I can clean, and I’m willing to learn any other skill. ”
“There’s plenty of time to talk about that later.”
Inej entered the room to find food already set out on the table.
He motioned to the chair on his left, and she took it.
She forgot about finding a way to pay off her debt as her senses were overwhelmed by the varied and delicious smells that descended upon her.
Her mouth watered as she looked at the different dishes.
“I’m informal,” Jalall said. “Which is my way of telling you that no one will serve us. Take what you want.”
She looked at him, trying to judge if he was serious.
He chuckled and reached for a spoon to scoop some food onto his plate. She accepted the bowl when he passed it to her. One by one, she took a sample of everything, and then she looked down at her plate. It all looked so good, she wasn’t sure where to start. Finally, she just dove in.
The first bite was divine, and every bite after only got better. She forgot about Jalall, Manu, and even her mission as she ate until she was full.
She pushed away her empty plate and sat back. That’s when she became aware of Jalall’s dark gaze on her. “I’m sure you have questions.”
“I do. And I’m not the only one.”
As if on cue, there was movement near the doorway.
Inej looked up and into Manu’s eyes. Her heart missed a beat at the size of him.
Out on the mountain, she hadn’t realized how tall he was, or how wide his shoulders were.
His very presence filled the room, making it difficult for her to breathe.
The expression on his rugged face gave nothing away.
His black eyes held hers as he crossed to the table and sat.
She slowly drank in the sight of him, from his thick brows that slashed over deep-set eyes to his strong nose and wide forehead.
Then lower to his pleasing mouth and strong jaw.
His shoulder-length hair was the kind of dark brown that looked almost black in low light.
The long strands were shoved away from his face as if he’d just run his fingers through the length.
He didn’t look like a monster, but no matter how nice his outward appearance, she knew the blackness of his soul.