Night's Honor
Page 47
He took both of her hands and pulled them down, and she saw that he had moved to straddle the bench to face her fully. Searching her expression, he asked, “What happened?”
She hesitated, her mind racing. She didn’t want to tell him, in case that provided some kind of buffer. But what if it didn’t? He had a right to know what kind of danger she had brought to his estate, so that he could guard against it. She couldn’t betray him, or the others, by leaving them in ignorance.
“I’ve made a powerful enemy,” she said. “And he’s vindictive. I thought I might be able to disappear, or if he found me, just being in your household would be enough to back him off, but this morning I realized I was being stupid. Just me being here has put you and everybody else in danger.”
He looked calm, but his gaze had turned deadly. If he had looked anything like that at the Vampyre’s Ball, she would have been terrified. As it was, her breath shortened.
“Who is it?”
She realized he still held both her wrists in a gentle, entirely unbreakable grip. “I think I’ve told you enough.”
“It’s Malphas, isn’t it?”
Hearing Xavier speak his name aloud shocked her, and her heart began a slow, hard clanging in her chest. Tightening her hands into fists, she pulled at his grip. Somewhat to her own surprise, he let her go. “How do you know that name?”
He gave her a quizzical look. “We ran a background check on you. You worked at a casino in Las Vegas. It was not difficult to find out who owned the casino.”
“Oh, God.” Black spots danced in front of her eyes. She bent forward, putting her forehead to her knees. “Can he trace that? I know that Djinn can get into computer systems somehow, and spy on Internet usage. He can trace that, can’t he?”
Xavier put a hand at the back of her neck, his touch steady and bracing. “Slow, deep breaths. No, don’t come up so fast. Give it a moment. Some Djinn have the ability to get into electronic systems, but only a few are tech savvy enough to understand how to read the bytes of information. Since he hasn’t shown up here, I think we can assume Malphas hasn’t tracked the interaction.”
“Okay,” she said, breathing slow and deep like he said. The black spots disappeared. “You can let me up now.”
The pressure on the back of her neck eased, and she sat upright. He rubbed her back, still watching her closely. “Better?”
She gave him a quick, stiff nod. “Yes.”
He gave her a smile that she could tell was meant to be reassuring, but his gaze was still deadly. Over the centuries, that broken naive boy had turned into something entirely honed and dangerous. Somehow, though, she could tell that the expression wasn’t meant for her. It didn’t frighten her, but a shiver ran down her back anyway.
He said, “This is where you tell me everything.”
“I don’t know,” she replied. She rubbed her arms. “I have to think.”
His smile widened. “Tess, you can’t possibly believe I’m going to let you walk out those front gates now, can you?”
Lifting her chin, she said, “Yes, I do. Any time during this trial year, either one of us can call it quits.”
He laughed, a quiet sound that shivered along her skin. “That was then. This is now.”
“What do you mean?” She stared at him, wide-eyed. “You can’t change our agreement like that.”
“I can do anything I want,” he told her. “And I will, including changing the terms of your stay. You’ve already said you intend to leave, which means we have no agreement.”
“What are you saying?” The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You can’t keep me prisoner here.”
“Can’t I?” He looked entirely ruthless.
Her voice rose. “What happened to those fancy promises you made about not making me do something against my will?”
He shook his head. “But you don’t really want to go, do you?”
She glared at him and tried to force a denial out, but he had her with that one.
“You might as well start talking,” he told her. “If you don’t tell me what happened, I’ll go to Malphas and ask him.”
“Don’t!” Without thinking, she clutched at his lapel.
He took her by the shoulders and pulled her close, his hard, glittering eyes boring into hers. “Talk.”
“Who are you?” she said, staring. “Where has the soft-spoken, courteous man gone?”
“He’s right here in front of you, and he’s very angry. He just doesn’t know if he’s angry at you yet.” He gave her a thin-lipped smile. “Now, what is it going to be? Are you going to tell me what happened, or will Malphas?”
She knew who she was looking at. This was the man who chose to become a Vampyre in order to go to war for ten years. She said, calmly, “I can’t talk you into letting this go, can I?”
He shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving her face.
“Fine. Fine.” She still held his lapel, and he still gripped her shoulders. They were much too close. She pushed against his chest, and this time he let her go. Swinging away, she rose to her feet and started to pace. “Remember how I said I was good with money? Malphas hired me to keep his books.”
While he still straddled the bench, he watched her with an unnerving attention. “Were you cooking them?”
“Oh no, there’s nothing on paper.” She waved a hand in the air, reached the edge of the ballroom and stalked back. “He looks like he’s completely in compliance with the gaming commission, and he pays taxes on all casino profits. That’s not the issue.”
He sat back and crossed his arms. “Then what is?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What I saw and heard happened around the edges of casino life. People showed up for private appointments with Malphas, people who had racked up really large debts. I saw their expressions afterward, and I overheard things I wasn’t meant to hear.”
“Dear God, you eavesdropped?” said Xavier. His expression turned ironic. “I don’t know why I find myself shocked. You are far more talented at gathering information than I ever gave you credit for.”
She swung around to the end of the baby grand that was opposite from where he sat, wanting the illusion of something between her and his too-still figure. “Oh, I didn’t mean to, and nothing happened quite like what happened the night you and Melisande were talking. I just . . . I caught snippets of conversations here and there. I really tried not to notice what was happening or put two and two together. That was my first job out of college, and it paid damn well.” She laughed bitterly. “But I was flattered and excited that I could pay off my student loans so quickly, and I wanted it to be okay.”
She hesitated, her mind racing. She didn’t want to tell him, in case that provided some kind of buffer. But what if it didn’t? He had a right to know what kind of danger she had brought to his estate, so that he could guard against it. She couldn’t betray him, or the others, by leaving them in ignorance.
“I’ve made a powerful enemy,” she said. “And he’s vindictive. I thought I might be able to disappear, or if he found me, just being in your household would be enough to back him off, but this morning I realized I was being stupid. Just me being here has put you and everybody else in danger.”
He looked calm, but his gaze had turned deadly. If he had looked anything like that at the Vampyre’s Ball, she would have been terrified. As it was, her breath shortened.
“Who is it?”
She realized he still held both her wrists in a gentle, entirely unbreakable grip. “I think I’ve told you enough.”
“It’s Malphas, isn’t it?”
Hearing Xavier speak his name aloud shocked her, and her heart began a slow, hard clanging in her chest. Tightening her hands into fists, she pulled at his grip. Somewhat to her own surprise, he let her go. “How do you know that name?”
He gave her a quizzical look. “We ran a background check on you. You worked at a casino in Las Vegas. It was not difficult to find out who owned the casino.”
“Oh, God.” Black spots danced in front of her eyes. She bent forward, putting her forehead to her knees. “Can he trace that? I know that Djinn can get into computer systems somehow, and spy on Internet usage. He can trace that, can’t he?”
Xavier put a hand at the back of her neck, his touch steady and bracing. “Slow, deep breaths. No, don’t come up so fast. Give it a moment. Some Djinn have the ability to get into electronic systems, but only a few are tech savvy enough to understand how to read the bytes of information. Since he hasn’t shown up here, I think we can assume Malphas hasn’t tracked the interaction.”
“Okay,” she said, breathing slow and deep like he said. The black spots disappeared. “You can let me up now.”
The pressure on the back of her neck eased, and she sat upright. He rubbed her back, still watching her closely. “Better?”
She gave him a quick, stiff nod. “Yes.”
He gave her a smile that she could tell was meant to be reassuring, but his gaze was still deadly. Over the centuries, that broken naive boy had turned into something entirely honed and dangerous. Somehow, though, she could tell that the expression wasn’t meant for her. It didn’t frighten her, but a shiver ran down her back anyway.
He said, “This is where you tell me everything.”
“I don’t know,” she replied. She rubbed her arms. “I have to think.”
His smile widened. “Tess, you can’t possibly believe I’m going to let you walk out those front gates now, can you?”
Lifting her chin, she said, “Yes, I do. Any time during this trial year, either one of us can call it quits.”
He laughed, a quiet sound that shivered along her skin. “That was then. This is now.”
“What do you mean?” She stared at him, wide-eyed. “You can’t change our agreement like that.”
“I can do anything I want,” he told her. “And I will, including changing the terms of your stay. You’ve already said you intend to leave, which means we have no agreement.”
“What are you saying?” The bottom dropped out of her stomach. “You can’t keep me prisoner here.”
“Can’t I?” He looked entirely ruthless.
Her voice rose. “What happened to those fancy promises you made about not making me do something against my will?”
He shook his head. “But you don’t really want to go, do you?”
She glared at him and tried to force a denial out, but he had her with that one.
“You might as well start talking,” he told her. “If you don’t tell me what happened, I’ll go to Malphas and ask him.”
“Don’t!” Without thinking, she clutched at his lapel.
He took her by the shoulders and pulled her close, his hard, glittering eyes boring into hers. “Talk.”
“Who are you?” she said, staring. “Where has the soft-spoken, courteous man gone?”
“He’s right here in front of you, and he’s very angry. He just doesn’t know if he’s angry at you yet.” He gave her a thin-lipped smile. “Now, what is it going to be? Are you going to tell me what happened, or will Malphas?”
She knew who she was looking at. This was the man who chose to become a Vampyre in order to go to war for ten years. She said, calmly, “I can’t talk you into letting this go, can I?”
He shook his head slowly, his gaze never leaving her face.
“Fine. Fine.” She still held his lapel, and he still gripped her shoulders. They were much too close. She pushed against his chest, and this time he let her go. Swinging away, she rose to her feet and started to pace. “Remember how I said I was good with money? Malphas hired me to keep his books.”
While he still straddled the bench, he watched her with an unnerving attention. “Were you cooking them?”
“Oh no, there’s nothing on paper.” She waved a hand in the air, reached the edge of the ballroom and stalked back. “He looks like he’s completely in compliance with the gaming commission, and he pays taxes on all casino profits. That’s not the issue.”
He sat back and crossed his arms. “Then what is?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What I saw and heard happened around the edges of casino life. People showed up for private appointments with Malphas, people who had racked up really large debts. I saw their expressions afterward, and I overheard things I wasn’t meant to hear.”
“Dear God, you eavesdropped?” said Xavier. His expression turned ironic. “I don’t know why I find myself shocked. You are far more talented at gathering information than I ever gave you credit for.”
She swung around to the end of the baby grand that was opposite from where he sat, wanting the illusion of something between her and his too-still figure. “Oh, I didn’t mean to, and nothing happened quite like what happened the night you and Melisande were talking. I just . . . I caught snippets of conversations here and there. I really tried not to notice what was happening or put two and two together. That was my first job out of college, and it paid damn well.” She laughed bitterly. “But I was flattered and excited that I could pay off my student loans so quickly, and I wanted it to be okay.”
