Chapter 11
Cate
The minute the door closes behind him, I let out the deep breath I’ve been holding in.
I reach for the ties of my corset, needing my lungs at full capacity. I practically tear the clothes from my body, slipping into a robe and collapsing into one of the chairs around the table. My skin is on fire, but the cool comfort of the silk robe does little to soothe it.
I look down at my hip, thinking for a minute that his hand might have left some kind of imprint with how hot his skin burned against my waist. I could feel the heat even through the layers of fabric cinching me together.
The heat between us was everywhere. I find myself in the arms of a new partner frequently, and many times the attraction I convey is feigned.
But I didn’t have to fake anything once Callum Reid swept me into his arms, pressed his hips against mine.
Let me feel how much the attraction was reciprocated.
And even worse than the attraction, he told the truth.
When he spoke about his sister. When I asked him what he saw for the future, and he spoke about equality for the people, he told the truth.
The air around us had turned a peaceful blue, the same damn color as his stupid eyes.
He revealed a bit of himself in that moment, allowed himself to be vulnerable, and with that exposure showed me an honest piece of himself.
I can only twist and manipulate emotions after my partner has achieved release, when the vulnerability is thick enough for me to latch on to, but when a person shares an honest bit of themself with me, I can discern the truth of their words and their intentions.
And Callum Reid’s intentions are as pure as the blue of the ocean waters surrounding Avon.
Not that it matters. The man may have kind eyes and an impressive bulge, but that doesn’t take away from my main goal here.
Get enough money to buy out our contracts, get the information Lady M requires, and make sure my sister is safe.
Callum Reid is nothing more than a means to an end.
The man may seem charming and kind, but it was under his father’s rule that my sister and I were abandoned and abused and neglected.
Which means I need to keep my guard up. I need to treat him like any other client and keep him at arm’s length.
Especially since I already know I plan on betraying his trust.
I wish the thought didn’t already turn my stomach with shame.
—
I pound on Andra’s door the next morning, my worry transforming to fear the longer it takes her to answer. I haven’t seen her in almost two days, and I can’t even remember the last time we went so long without a conversation.
My worst suspicions are confirmed when Andra finally opens the door.
It’s only been two days, but in that time, my sister appears to have aged ten years.
“What in the bloody hell is going on?” I demand, taking her firmly but gently by the elbow and guiding her to a seat on her chaise longue.
She shrugs out of my grip. “I’m fine, Cate.”
The dark circles under her eyes, the way her thick golden hair hangs lank and greasy in front of her face, and the weight she seems to have lost would say the opposite.
I sit next to her, placing a comforting arm around her and softening my tone. “Andra. You know there is no use in lying to me. What has happened? Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick.”
She rests her head on my shoulder. “I’ve been with Lady M.”
My whole body tenses, ready to spring to a fight and cut anyone and everyone down, but I fight my every instinct, remaining calm for Andra’s sake. “What have you been doing with Lady M?”
“She’s been having me read. Multiple times a day.”
I force myself to loosen my grip on Andra’s arm. “What has she been asking you to See?”
“Everything I can about the election.”
I suck in a breath. Between my spying and my sister’s visions, it seems like Lady M—and maybe even Harold—is preparing for something big. “She isn’t giving you time to recover in between sessions?” It’s not really a question because the answer is clear on Andra’s face.
“It’s not just that.” She hesitates, pulling away from me, putting space between us.
I grip her hand. “Andra. You know you can tell me anything.”
Her eyes, the mirror of my own, meet my gaze and so much fear is layered in them it steals my breath. “Something is happening to my visions when I’m with Lady M.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re stronger, somehow? I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s like they’re being amplified. I See more and the visions are clearer and more specific, but each reading also takes more from me. I’m completely drained after each one.”
My brow furrows. I’ve never heard of any Gifted’s power being amplified before.
I don’t even know how such a thing would be possible.
I do know that Lady M is using and abusing my sister’s Gift, and the sooner I can get her away from here, the better.
I’ve been avoiding the truth—that we will need to leave the club, escape before word of Andra’s Gift gets out.
It’s heartbreaking, but it’s time to face it.
“Well, I have some good news.” I tuck a strand of oily hair behind her ear. “I’ve taken on a special client, and I’ll be earning enough money this week to buy out both of our contracts, with enough left over for us to move away and start fresh somewhere else.”
Andra doesn’t react with the overwhelming joy I expect. “You want to leave La Puissance?”
“No, of course I don’t. But you know how I feel about Lady M, and that was before I knew what she was putting you through the last two days.
She can’t be trusted, and these contracts are bordering on diabolical.
” I take her hand in mine. “Andra, we need to get out of here while we can. Something is not right.”
Andra turns away, her gaze on something far off that neither of us can see. “The things I’ve been Seeing, Cate.” A shiver runs through her.
I tighten my grip, debating whether to ask for more details. But the light in her eyes is so dim, I don’t want to cause her pain by reliving what may be the darkest of her visions. “All the more reason to leave. I don’t think La Puissance is going to be safe for us for much longer.”
Judging by the state of my sister, it’s not safe right now. But we’ll just have to tough it out for a few more days. We’ve survived worse.
Which means I need to do whatever I have to do to get the information Lady M needs from Callum Reid. Despite what his eyes and the feel of his hand on my waist might do to me, the man is a mark and nothing more.
—
Callum arrives so late that night, for a minute I think he might not be coming.
The thought brings a weird combination of relief and disappointment.
I need his money and his information. But I’m not sure what’s worse: continuing to get close to him as I know I must, or the eventual betrayal that will come from said closeness.
A knock sounds on the door just a few minutes before I plan to write him off for good and when I open it, he stands in front of me with a sheepish smile on his face. A smile that could very well break down the defenses of a weaker woman.
Luckily I’m not a weaker woman.
“I apologize for my tardiness.”
I gesture for him to enter. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if you decided not to come back.”
“Oh?” He hangs his hat and coat on the rack near the door, shooting me a curious glance over his broad shoulders.
“I know how hard it is for men to admit when they need help with something.” I’m purposefully pushing buttons, or looking for buttons, rather, testing to see if he’ll give me some kind of adverse reaction.
So far Callum Reid is perfect—too perfect—surely he must have a flaw, and tonight I hope to find it.
If the man is an asshole like the other monarchs, turning him over to Lady M won’t be so bad.
“Especially asking for help with something as delicate as intimacy.” It’s a reminder to both of us as to why we’re supposedly here.
“I need help with a lot things, my lady. It would be foolish to believe otherwise.”
I close my eyes for half a second, using the brief respite from his earnest face to remind myself what the end goal is here.
“Shall we dance?” Callum unfastens the buttons at the cuffs of his sleeves, rolling up his shirt to bare his forearms, covered with a light smattering of freckles and golden copper hair and roped with muscle.
He’s dressed more casually tonight, in black pants and a black shirt covered with a red brocade vest.
And how am I supposed to focus on finding his flaws with forearms like that. I swallow thickly. “We won’t be dancing tonight, actually.”
“What’s the plan, then?” There’s a hint of fear in his eyes.
That fear bolsters me. I have the upper hand here. Callum Reid is already under my thumb; all I have to do is keep him there. I pull back my shoulders. “Undress me, Your Highness.”
The color drains right out of his face, leaving him even paler than he was before. “I’m sorry?”
“That’s tonight’s lesson. Undress me.”
“Is that really necessary?” He asks the question like I’m not gifting him with an opportunity plenty of people have paid good money for.
I cross the room, landing right in front of him, tilting my chin up to meet his solid blue gaze. “Ladies’ garments are tricky, and nothing kills the mood faster than having to call a servant in to help remove your partner’s clothes.”
“Can’t you just explain how to do it?” His voice rises in pitch, and I wish I didn’t find his hesitation so charming.
“You are going to have to put your hands on me at some point, Your Highness.” I spin around, my back to his front, peeking at him over my shoulder. “Now, take off my clothes.”
He sighs and I don’t feel his hands on me for a full minute. But then his fingers take to the buttons lining the back of my dress, popping each one quickly, like he has done this in the past.