Chapter Thirty Myla #2
My gaze flicks to where Sir Dae hangs attached to the metal hook and chain—unconscious with his feet dangling a few inches above the ground.
The flame gems I have placed around the room highlight his sharp cheekbones and full mouth while strands of black hair frame his face, the rest of it pulled back into a neat braid.
As far as males who have hung in front of me go, he might be the prettiest one I’ve ever caught.
The bastard had put up a decent struggle, though, and our scuffle in the alleyway had not only left me surprised that he knew how to fight at all but also with a bruised rib and a swollen eye where he had landed well-timed punches.
I try to avoid hits to my face at all costs because, even though I am mostly hidden beneath the veil I am required to wear in the palace, I never know when Leesi will show up to dress me.
And I am under no preconceived notion that she would keep the discovery of a mysterious wound on me to herself.
Sir Dae’s body jerks as he gasps for a breath, finally regaining consciousness.
I pace around him as he slowly wakes and observes his surroundings in a calmer manner than I would have anticipated.
Most immediately panic, their bodies recognizing the danger they are in before their minds do.
But this male just looks around the darkened chamber as if he’s mapping out every corner in his mind to see which will yield his best chance at escape.
Maybe he is. The thought brings a smile to my face.
“Hello.” I drop my voice deep enough to hide its femininity, beginning one of my favorite games. “Welcome to my workshop.”
“Where am I?”
“In Khargis,” I answer, walking around him until I’m at his back. I wait for him to thrash, as they all do, to keep me in his line of sight. But the male stays still, his breathing relaxed.
“Not just Khargis, but in the lower district,” he counters, halting my steps. At the silence that builds between us, he adds, “This area has a certain odor to it. It clings to the buildings and the people, making it very distinguishable to a sensitive nose.”
I resume my pacing, letting a hand slide to one of the daggers strapped to my thigh.
“Fair enough, though the smell can’t be too offensive to a male who spends so much time in this district.
” I keep my eyes trained on him, smirking beneath my mask when he tenses for the briefest second before relaxing again.
“So you’ve been keeping tabs on me.”
“Oh, much more than that, Sir Dae.” I stop once I’m in front of him again, drumming my fingers along the outside of my leg. “I know that you run a collection of businesses in Khargis, ranging from clothing shops to apothecaries to the occasional bakery and tavern.”
“Diversifying one’s income is never a bad thing.”
“I also know that you have a wife and children at home, and yet when you aren’t working, you spend your evenings here. In the lower district you seem to despise so much.”
He lets loose a chuckle, and my vision flashes red before I tame my ire. “My family is taken care of. They want for nothing.”
“Except a loyal husband and father.”
He laughs again, shaking his head before laying it against his arm, flexing his hands where they are restrained above his head.
“Spoken like someone who has longed for something they could never have. My wife’s class was lower than my own.
Marrying her was seen as a kindness, and she acts as such.
Our children attend the finest schools and have full bellies every day.
They will grow up and lead as the next generation to carry my name.
My loyalty to them is in all that I provide, not what I do to chase my own pleasures once they sleep. ”
“Do you allow your wife to chase her own pleasures while you are gone?” The flattening of his lips answers my question before any words can leave his mouth.
“Precisely. Your claims of generosity, I’m afraid, fall upon deaf ears.
Because I know what your so-called pleasures are.
” The sound of my dagger sliding from its sheath draws his gaze to my thigh.
“There is nothing wrong with partaking in a hobby to relieve stress.”
I tilt the blade in my hand, letting the light from a nearby flame gem reflect off of the sleek metal. “I think the females you brutalize would disagree.”
“And I think that the opinions of birds matter not to a cat.”
My jaw clenches, but I force my movements to stay steady—controlled.
This game is mine, and while Sir Dae may be a skilled opponent, his moves are limited to only what he aims to rile out of me.
There’s a sadistic thrill at having someone who counters my moves enough to keep me entertained.
Even if I know that, in the end, the justice of my blade will still prevail.
“You know, so many of those from the higher districts don’t believe you to be real, despite the way your reputation precedes you.
” I watch him track the movement of my blade as I toss it up in front of me, catching it by the hilt and then doing it again.
“I know, down here, they treat you as a hero. Their vigilante come to rescue them from the evil that walks among them. But up there, up the mountain where the sidewalks glitter with gold and the air isn’t tainted with a rotten stench, the fae that matter can’t believe anyone would waste their time killing scum over some childish idea of righteousness. ”
“What makes you think there is any sort of morality to the way I kill? Perhaps I just enjoy the sound they make as I flay their skin from their muscles.”
“I don’t doubt that plays a part. It is quite a unique feeling to force someone to confront death early, isn’t it? All the confidence in the world can shatter easily once someone realizes that their next breath might be their last. There is something intoxicating about it.”
I get close enough for Sir Dae to see into my eyes.
To see, even in only the amber light of the flame gems, the way they glisten at the prospect of doing just that.
“Glad to see we are in agreement.” I flick my wrist to angle my dagger, and like a hot knife through butter, I dig into him as I drag a line across his chest.