Chapter 13
Cate
The room explodes in a cloud of rosy red lust when Callum finishes, so thick it almost chokes me. His response is so strong, I could easily tug his emotions in any direction I wanted. And I should, I should be twisting and turning, wringing every drop of pleasure and using it to my advantage.
I could make him fall in love with me with barely a twinge.
But I don’t.
I promised him I wouldn’t manipulate him without his consent—a lie—but now I can’t imagine breaking my word.
I saw how he reacted at the orphanage; I watched him interact with Amelia, really listen to what she had to say. She conveyed more than enough to me with a single look in that entryway before we left. He listened. He cared.
It’s why I brought him back here, why I stripped myself bare—of clothing at least—to remind us both why we are here, what this all really is.
The way he pulls away from me a mere second after finishing makes me think he doesn’t have much faith in my promise to not manipulate him without his consent. I try not to let that sting.
He buttons his pants and disappears behind the privacy screen. I hear the faucet turn on and I prop myself on my elbows, trying to catch a glimpse of him. I tell myself it’s to keep my eye on him, but really, I just hate seeing him run away.
When he comes back, he has a damp towel in one hand and my robe in the other. He gently cleans my exposed skin, so tender it stops the breath in my chest. It’s becoming a common occurrence when I’m in his presence.
“I’m sorry, my lady.” He places the lightest of kisses on my stomach before rising and striding across the room like he can’t get away from me fast enough. Callum Reid is one giant mass of contradictions.
I stand, slipping into the robe and knotting it at my waist. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Callum.”
“I shouldn’t have done that”—he gestures helplessly to the bed—“without your express permission.”
I cross the room to him, placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. “Nothing that just happened was without my consent, Callum.”
The look in his gorgeous blue eyes is nothing short of tortured. “I think I should go.”
“Okay.” I don’t know why it burns, his constant need to put space between us, but it does.
I shake my head, as if that can help clear from my brain the notion that Callum is anything more than a client.
In reality he’s nothing more than a mark.
Just because he listened to Amelia doesn’t automatically make him a good man, a good person.
It certainly doesn’t make him anything more than the means to an end for me.
He cups my cheek in his hand. “Is it okay with you if I come back tonight?”
I raise one eyebrow and force myself not to lean into his touch. “You’ll be ready for another lesson in just a few hours?”
His hand moves to grasp the nape of my neck and his eyes fall closed as if he can’t bear to look at me. “I’m ready for another lesson right now, my lady.”
“Then why don’t you stay?” I ask softly, before I can think of all the reasons why he shouldn’t.
“I have some things I need to take care of. But I will be back.” He presses his lips to my forehead before closing the distance to the door with a few long strides.
I lean in the doorway, watching him depart, pretending like I’m only interested in the view of his impressive backside as he walks away. In reality, I’m wondering why it feels like a piece of me is walking away with him. I reach an absent-minded hand up to rub at the ache in my chest.
Meri whistles; she and Bianca are striding down the hallway just in time to watch Callum leave. The two join me at my perch. “Who, may I ask, is that fine human specimen and why have I never seen him before?”
I gesture for them to join me in my room. It’s still early evening, but I pour myself a whisky anyway. I need it. “That is Callum Reid.”
Bianca shoots me a wary look, perching on the edge of my bed, but she doesn’t say anything. She knows more about my arrangement with Callum than anyone, but she still doesn’t know the whole truth of it.
Meri’s eyes widen as she slides into one of my chairs. “Wait, you’re telling me that incredible-looking man is the Prince of Scota?”
“Former Prince of Scota.” I down my first glass and pour another, limiting myself to just these two. Apparently I need to be ready to “teach” again in just a few hours. The prospect stirs a confusing swirl of emotions in my chest.
“He is visiting you in the middle of the day now?” Worry lines Bianca’s voice. I wonder if she is fearful of his motives, or mine.
“He did pay me for a week of my time.”
Meri’s eyebrows rise. “A whole week? What does he need a whole week for?” She leans on the table, ready for all the gossip.
“I’m giving him sex lessons.” I arch my eyebrow right back, as if this is all a joke.
Meri wrinkles her nose, leaning back in her seat. “Does he need them?”
I swallow a large gulp of the amber liquid. “Nope.”
“Hmmm.” Meri looks back and forth, between me and Bianca. “I feel like I’m missing something.”
I keep quiet. I used to tell Bianca practically everything, the rest of the girls nearly as much, but I’ve been holding back since that day in Bianca’s room. If I tell them what Lady M has asked of me, what she is doing to my sister, and they don’t believe me, it might destroy me.
Bianca’s brow creases in worry. “Cate, what is really going on?”
“I’m doing what I need to do to protect myself and Andra.”
“From the Reids?”
I shrug, not willing to contradict her, though despite everything, I don’t feel like the former rulers of Scota truly pose a threat.
Meri leans forward, reaching for my hand across the table.
“I don’t like this, Cate. This is a former monarch, a man who will lose everything because of the Uprising.
A man whose family is part of the reason Gifted have no rights.
How do you know he’s not setting you up for something truly terrible?
How do you know he doesn’t have ill intent? ”
I squeeze her hand. “Despite all my better instincts, I think I trust him.” If nothing else, I trust Callum Reid more than I trust Lady M.
Bianca’s green eyes study my face. “You like him.”
I pull my hand away from Meri as if that can hide the flush on my cheeks. “Don’t be silly. He’s a client.”
Bianca shakes her head, a small smile tugging on her lips. “I know you better than that, Caterine. You are not nearly suspicious enough. You like him.”
I down the remaining few drops of whisky clinging to my glass.
“What does it matter if I do? He’s just a client, it’s not like there’s any hope for anything more.
I wouldn’t want it even if there were.” The lie tastes sour on my tongue, and I realize just how deeply Callum Reid has implanted himself in my life, maybe even in my heart. I shake the notion out of my head.
Meri shrugs. “Why not? Things are different now, Cate. He’s no longer a prince.
He could be with whoever he wants.” She pushes her chair back.
“I truly hate to miss out on the rest of this gossip, but I have a client meeting.” She blows us kisses as she lets herself out, the door of my room clicking shut behind her.
Bianca levels me with a knowing look. “What’s this really about, Cate? Has he done something to you?”
“It’s not about him. It’s about me.”
Bianca’s face softens and her smile holds no small dash of pity. “You deserve to be happy, Cate. It’s not your job to take care of the whole world. The club is fine, the Uprising is over, Andra is—”
“Andra is being worked to death and the only hope I have of getting her out of the situation is to finish this job. Callum is paying for my services, just like any other client. And that’s all he’s going to be.” My words are sharp, and I don’t know if I’m trying to convince her or myself.
Bianca’s teasing smile fades. “What do you mean Andra is being worked to death?”
I close my eyes, admonishing myself. “It’s nothing.”
Unfortunately, the door separating my and Andra’s rooms opens just in time to prove me wrong.
Andra looks even worse than the last time I saw her, like she’s managed to lose both weight and sleep over the past couple of days.
I jump out of my chair, crossing to where she hovers by the bed. “Andra? What happened? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Her voice is weak.
I guide her to the chaise and gesture for Bianca to get her a glass of water.
Bianca hands her the glass and kneels in front of her, her healer’s eyes scanning Andra’s face. “I don’t think there’s much I can do. There’s nothing physically wrong.” She looks at me, a thousand questions in her eyes, but I ignore her and them, focusing on my sister.
I sit next to Andra on the chaise. “Just a few more days and this will all be over.”
Andra gulps down the glass of water and turns to me. “I Saw something.”
Bianca and I exchange a worried glance. I put my arm around Andra and pull her toward me. “What did you See?” My first thought is that something horrible is going to happen to Callum, and it chokes me.
“It’s Harold.” Andra’s eyes meet mine and the worry in my own is reflected. “He’s going to do something and the consequences will be deadly.”
“What is he going to do?” Bianca asks quietly.
“He’s going to kill the king of Scota. To become the nominee for the province.” She looks at me. “It’s the same vision I had before, but sharper, clearer. I don’t think there’s any way it won’t come to pass, Cate.”
I suck in a short breath. The plans are fully in motion, then.
Lady M is going to take the information I provide and find a way to make Harold the victor.
Harold is going to become the nominee for the Scotan province.
It isn’t that part that frightens me but the way he is going to have to go about it that does.
The Harold MacVeigh I know would never dream of committing such violence.
Violence against Callum’s father.
The second realization hits me square in the chest. If Callum and Harold are both set on being the candidate for Scota, if they both have plans to assassinate King James, if Harold has the advantage of knowing what Callum’s plans will be, what are the chances Callum comes out of this unharmed?
Bianca’s eyes meet mine as she also slides the pieces into place.
“This has to be because of Lady M,” I finally breathe into the stilted silence. “Harold would never have come up with this plan on his own.” I stand quickly, knocking Andra off balance. “We need to stop him.”
Bianca steadies Andra before standing next to me. “Do we?”
I gape at her. “Are you serious?”
“Think about it, Cate. Someone must kill the king of Scota and become the representative for their province. Why not Harold? We know where he stands, and he stands with the people, and with the Gifted. For all his faults, Harold is a good man. I’d much rather have him in charge than some arrogant former royal. ” She gives me a pointed look.
But the one thing I know that she doesn’t is that Callum Reid is the opposite of arrogant. An arrogant man would not have listened to Amelia the way he did today.
I need to warn him.
I use every argument I can think of to justify telling Callum the whole truth, even though to do so would be betraying a man who has been like a father to me. Betraying the ideals I’ve held close my entire life. Until a certain blue-eyed prince showed up at my door.
“I need to go lie down for a little bit.” Andra breaks me out of my thoughts, rising from the chaise and handing me her empty glass. Her eyes are so vacant it scares me.
And it’s that look in my sister’s eyes that reminds me what my true purpose is.
I’m not here to serve Callum Reid. I’m not even here to serve Harold MacVeigh.
I am here to protect my sister, and the best way to do that is by keeping my mouth shut.
I can’t tell Callum what I know, even if the thought of keeping this from him makes me physically ill.
I walk with Andra to her room, pulling the covers up under her chin and tucking her in like I did when we were kids.
“Cate,” she calls just as I’m about to leave the room. “There’s one more thing.”
I pause in the doorway, dread pooling in my stomach. What more could there be? “What is it?”
“You’re involved somehow. With the king’s death. I can’t see how exactly, I just know that you’ll be involved. Be careful, please. Bonds aren’t meant to be broken.” She hesitates, her brow scrunching up. “And there’s trees. Use the trees.”
I nod, my throat so tight I can’t offer her a real response, not that I would know what to say. Andra’s final words might be nonsensical, but they don’t erase what came before: I will be involved. I fear I already am. I shut the door softly.
Bianca is watching me with wide eyes. “You can’t tell him.”
“I know.”
“Even if you do like him, even if he does turn out to be a good person, you can’t tell him.”
“I said I know, Bianca.” The words lodge in my throat.
She studies me for a few long seconds before heading to the door. “I’ll let you prepare for your next lesson.”
Callum will be back in my room in a few hours, and if I have any hope of saving my sister, I’ll have to keep this knowledge hidden. I’ll have to look him in the eye, feel his hands on my skin, and know that his life and his legacy are both in danger, and there’s nothing I can do.