Chapter 37 #3
She sequestered herself in a small but sumptuous greenhouse garden away from prying eyes.
There, exotic and foreign plants were mixed in with those native to Kraal.
Ksenia drifted toward a bush of flowers caged by sharp iron-filigree fencing.
Deep pink petals faded into a soft, rosy pink from the center to the edge.
Arranged in precise, overlapping rows, the petals fanned out generously around a tender bud in the center.
Dark, glossy green leaves accompanied each one.
She was numb. Tingling from head to toe.
Stop it.
Had she drunk something? She couldn’t remember.
She found herself surrounded by a variety of colors, ranging from pristine whites and soft blush pinks to deep crimsons and rich coral tones. Some had fully bloomed, golden stamens clustering together, providing a warm contrast to the petals’ cool perfection.
She inhaled their light and sweet scent, like fresh honey on a crisp morning.
Her hand was still shaking, and she roughly grasped it with her other one.
Stop it.
A sharp note of whiskey cut through the air.
“Lady Senka, you’ve evaded me enough.” He slurred.
She whirled around.
Chancellor Valdren lurched from behind a tree, his eyes hazy with alcohol.
She took a deep breath, grateful for his distraction.
“So I have. I’m terribly sorry, Valdren.”
He staggered to her, his thick lips slightly parted as his watery eyes dropped to her chest. “It’s quite all right, dear, I know how hard it is to get settled in court.
Lady Milena can be a treacherous handful as well, so it was wise you stayed out of the court’s eye these last few weeks…
” He drew closer to her with every word.
Petals and leaves brushed against her skin as she backed away. “Yes, of course. I appreciate your patience, Valdren.”
“Does that mean you’ll finally be taking up my invitation to meet?” The few strands of hair he had fell into his face.
Ksenia grimaced and placed a hand on his chest to appease his affections and maintain some semblance of distance. “Of course, of course. What of tonight?”
He waggled his brows lecherously. “After Kindling, in my quarters, then. I will supply the wine, if you bring that wickedly sharp wit of yours…”
He retreated back inside, but not before placing a wet kiss on her hand.
She listened to his receding footfall before she hastily plunged her hand into the frigid trickling fountain in the corner. Anything to scrub the taint of his flesh from hers.
She rubbed it raw with the hem of her opposite sleeve.
“Perimeter check.” Bohdan’s breath puffed in the cold. She hadn’t heard him approach.
She stiffened, then rolled her shoulders. “Nothing unusual here.”
He hummed and turned to face her, studying her. The garden felt considerably smaller.
“So, the killer didn’t show.” He may as well have been commenting on the weather.
“I’d prefer it to stay an uneventful evening.” She kept her gaze on the tree line beyond, anything to keep from meeting his eyes.
“Valdren seemed to have a productive one.” His tone was lilting. Amused.
She gritted her teeth. “He was drunk. He’ll forget.”
She would make sure of it.
“He kissed your hand.”
“Is there a need to remind me?” She cut a sidelong glare at him.
The corner of his mouth tilted. “Did you prefer mine?” The question was soft, but it cut like a blade.
Her jaw tightened.
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Her tongue found the back of her teeth. “One was unwanted. The other was performance.”
“Is that so?” His head tilted, body leaning in close.
She refused to move. Refused to give up precious ground.
“I don’t believe you.” His voice was soft, dangerous, as he grasped the iron filigree spikes on the fence by her side.
“Why would I care either way.”
He hummed, silk over steel. “You have a tell when you lie.”
Her mind blanked.
“Your jaw squares, just a little.” His lambskin-gloved hand reached up slowly.
She couldn’t stop him. Not without confirming everything he said.
“Just slightly.” He traced the underside of her jaw to the point of her chin. “Like you’re holding something back with your teeth.”
But she had to say something to defend herself.
Her heart hammered like an animal willing to gnaw its own leg off to escape.
“So then, it was a lie.” His eyes roved over her face, with the patience of someone who knew the answer and wanted to torture her.
Her stomach lurched, like taking a step in the dark and missing completely. It settled into a disturbing heat that radiated from her chest, outward and upward until it consumed her throat, her face.
“You prefer me.”
Shhhhk.
The soft noise of ribbon shearing cut through the tension once more that evening.
She had backed into the fencing, her corset lacing caught on the iron filigree behind her, shorn in one quiet pull.
The tension released in her bodice. And a panic came with it.
She always had a grip on everything: her body, her mind. But now, something had come untethered, and she had no idea how to fasten it back.
The cold bit her exposed skin. She ripped her eyes from his.
“Good night, Captain.”