Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Iris
“Imust admit that I am less than pleased with this plan.”
I grinned at Nikolai’s reflection in the mirror, yanking the neckline of my gown further down. My magically enhanced cleavage was already threatening to burst out of the too-tight corset, but I fidgeted with it until I had it at exactly the right angle.
“If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.” I spun in the vanity chair to face him, frowning at the serious expression on his face. “In fact, I’m surprised you don’t have a better plan. Isn’t this supposed to be your profession?”
His eyes narrowed as he continued buttoning the black shirt he had donned for our evening.
Gone was his typical finery. He’d even removed the many golden rings that constantly adorned his fingers, and the sight of bare skin there seemed unnatural.
He’d pulled his hair back tightly, tied it at the nape of his neck, and chosen clothes constructed from simple fabrics.
It was strange. He was still Nikolai, of course. A change of clothing couldn’t shrink that larger-than-life aura he had, but he seemed almost like a different person without his usual adornments. I hadn’t realized how much his appearance was part of who he was.
Still, even dressed so differently, he was painfully gorgeous. Not that I’d ever admit that to him.
“I do have alternative methods that I would typically employ in situations like this,” he reminded me, folding up the cuffs of his sleeves. “You deemed they would take too long.”
I jumped to my feet, patting him on the chest as I squeezed past him. I had to ignore the way his eyes flickered to my chest as I pressed against him for the briefest moment.
“Yes, I did. You’ll find that my methods are both efficient and effective.”
We’d rented a small room in a local tavern in Rhanport to serve as our base of operations while we figured out how to secure the Blades of Arto. It was a tiny space, just large enough for the two of us to move in, but it would do.
Seating myself on the edge of the modest bed, I began to slip on the delicate heels I’d stolen from where another woman had discarded them in the streets. They were half a size too big and I frowned as I lengthened my toes to better fit them.
“Your methods also leave little to the imagination,” Nikolai grumbled, glaring at me as he scanned down the expanse of my body.
My grin grew as I rose to my feet and spun in a tiny circle. “What? You don’t like my dress?”
The bodice was unforgivingly tight, squeezing against the waist I’d magically shrunk to impossible proportions.
I’d pulled the skirt up into a bunch, cinched to my belt so that the large majority of my toned thigh was visible.
Then a tiny touch of magic had turned my hair into full dark waves, cascading to my waist, lengthened my eyelashes, and rouged my cheeks.
The last change had been my eyes. My natural almond shape was too discerning, too knowing, so now they were wonderfully, innocently, doe-eyed.
I was a perfectly corruptible temptress.
Nikolai sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he appeared to consider his next words carefully.
“Bird, I love your dress. Truly. In fact, I love your dress so much that I’m very close to abandoning this plan entirely, throwing you onto that bed and not leaving until you’re limp with pleasure.
I do not, however, love the idea of watching other men see you in it. ”
I snorted, piling gold coins into the satchel on my hip. “You act as if this is the first time I’ve been to a brothel.”
That got his attention.
His brows jerked upwards. “It isn’t?”
I had to bite down on my lip to keep from laughing at the equal sounds of frustration and intrigue in his voice.
“Drunken men will say anything to a woman they think they can bed,” I explained, looking at my reflection once more to ensure everything was perfect. “Taking advantage of that fact is the single easiest way to get information.”
Nikolai stepped closer to me, his heat rolling towards me as hazel eyes crested over my face.
Watching Nikolai watch me was a strange sensation.
He looked at me the same regardless of the face I wore.
For others, there would be a momentary pause when they would have to reconcile the person they were seeing with the person they knew I was.
Nikolai, though, always seemed to know me.
Regardless of the hair color, eye shape, or body type, he saw through to the very soul of me in a way no one else ever seemed to.
“And have you visited these establishments for any other reasons?” His voice was low, creeping over my skin.
I tilted my head up at him, mischief in my smile. “That’s a rather personal question.”
His fingertips traced my jawline, wrapping around the back of my neck and leaving a hum of anticipation coursing through me. “Perhaps I do not wish for there to be secrets between us anymore.”
I paused.
There was a difference between a secret purposefully kept and information not yet shared.
And there was so much about each of us that had yet to be shared with each other.
For all the heat between us and the history that lingered under our every glance at one another, we were still just a step above strangers.
And as persistent as he had been in his pursuit of me, I couldn’t help but question if he would still want me once he knew every part of me.
“Yes,” I whispered, the confession pouring out of me with uncharacteristic seriousness. “I have been to brothels before for that.”
He didn’t flinch or hesitate as I had expected him to. If anything, his eyes only darkened in the way they did when he was thinking wicked thoughts. “And were you satisfied by the men you found there?”
“Would it bother you if I had been?”
He chuckled under his breath, his hand snaking over my collarbone to trail over my shoulder. I gulped as his attention focused on my lower lip.
“I care very little about who else you have bedded, my lovely bird. I have no need to as I am quite confident that you enjoyed our time together infinitely more.”
Cocky.
And correct.
He wasn’t the last person I had slept with. I’d had certain dalliances at court over the last year that we’d been apart, but I’d left each of them thinking about the way he’d been able to wring out every ounce of pleasure I could manage. He’d ruined me for anyone else.
That single night with Nikolai had been indescribable.
And the bastard knew it.
“I found satisfaction with the men,” I admitted, then inclined my head. I wondered how far I could push his confidence? How much of myself could I expose to him before he turned me away? “And the women, too. Sometimes... together.”
Shock flashed across his features for a moment, but he didn’t move to step back away from me.
“And does that bother you?”
I observed him, traced over every inch of his face, and measured every rise and fall of his chest. I hunted for the exact moment that he would realize I was more trouble than I was worth.
But that moment never came.
“If you would like to invite additional lovers to our bed, my bird, I am only happy to oblige you as long as I am the only one you sleep beside and wake up next to.”
His words, and the sincerity in them, stole my breath. He actually meant that. It was obvious from the way his hand reached to grab onto mine and in the way his lips quirked into a teasing smile.
There was lust in his gaze. That was undeniable. There was more there, too, though. There was a promise that he wanted everything I was willing to offer.
“Now, how does this work?” he asked, diverting the conversation back to their mission as he stepped away from me, giving me enough space to finally gasp for breath.
Finding words was hard at first. “Well, I'll go find out what I can about this collector, and then I’ll come tell you what I’ve learned.”
“No.” The word was clipped, spat out before I’d even finished talking, and he didn’t even bother to turn around and face me as he leveled it at me.
“No?” I threw a hand incredulously on my hip.
Nikolai took the seat at the vanity as he slid on his boots and set upon tightening the laces.
“No, you will not be going alone.”
My sigh echoed as I rolled my eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of—”
“Defending yourself, I know.” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “The answer is still no.”
“I didn’t ask!”
“And I’m not negotiating.”
We stared at each other, both of our eyes narrowed at the other in a bitter stalemate. Nikolai continued lacing his boots as our silent standoff continued, entirely unfazed by the discouraging expression on my face.
I shook my head, warning him with my eyes alone to back down.
Eventually, he stood, waving a hand towards the door of our room. “Shall we?”
Gods, he was insufferable.
Chewing on my lip, I debated the effectiveness of yelling, punching, and/or crying.
None seemed like they would work on him.
He had that look on his face, the look that told me I wasn’t teasing the Nikolai who flicked my nose or talked with me about nothing.
No, this was the infamous crime lord Nikolai Legum.
He had made up his mind and there would be no further negotiation on the matter.
“Fine,” I hissed, prowling past him. “But you sit across the room, pretend you don’t know me, and you stay out of my way.”
“As you wish, little bird.”
It was painfully easy to identify my target.
This brothel was one of the liveliest I had been to in some time. I suppose a God taking over the country and undead monsters roaming the streets made people more inclined to live out their desires.
Music swelled all around us and the scent of sweat and sex filled the air, an aphrodisiac in itself.
Bodies were crammed in every crevice and corner.
On the ground level most were talking, but the sounds from the bedrooms on the upper floor were a music in themselves.
A melody of ecstasy that tempted everyone in the room to indulge.