Page 53 of Decoy
Her look was skeptical as she cast me a sidelong glance. “Your cooperation feels too good to be true, giving me reason to suspect a trap considering you have no motive to give up such information so readily.”
Under normal circumstances that was entirely true, but from the moment I’d met her I’d been playing by an entirely different set of rules. Rather than admit that, I shrugged. “Perhaps I enjoy the challenge.” It was my standby excuse, convenient for moments such as this.
“Of course you do.” She tilted her head. “I’m admittedly intrigued. What would such a game consist of?”
I tapped my chin in thought. “I’ll let you choose. We could make it a guessing game, or we could play one truth and two lies.”
Her lips twitched. “Isn’t it supposed to be two truths and a lie?”
“I can’t make ittooeasy for you; I’m only so generous. Perhaps instead of either of those games, we should brainstorm a few red herrings for your dear advisor.”
“I’ll take what I can. All of your ideas sound amusing, though perhaps we can start with guessing.”
“Be careful, you only get a few.”
She pressed her thumb to her lips as she considered. “Your show of confidence is really a mask for your true lack of skill in every area but throwing knives, and your head is empty of anything but self praises.”
I’d expected a true guess, but perhaps calling it a game had led her thoughts done a very unserious path. Despite her insults, I couldn’t quite smother my snort. “And here I’d hoped you’d come up with something considerably more flattering, such as my receiving daily fan mail that often consists of at least three marriage proposals.” My shoulders slouched in feigned disappointment.
She rolled her eyes. “As usual, you give yourself far more credit than you deserve. But if your ego is truly so fragile, then how about this: you only claim to have no kills, but in truth you’ve done enough to fill every room in your manor, so many you’ve been forced to suppress the memory in order to live with yourself.”
I winced. “I was mistaken in believing Your Highness had been taught decorum. Who needs a weapon when your words alone act as the most efficient daggers?”
“That’s what you get for proposing a game rather than cooperating willingly.” But her attempted quip couldn’t mask the desperation that had led to this unconventional conversation. “Even if you’re not currently aftermysecrets, I’m still in need of one of yours…arealone, not a pretend one.”
My pulse quickened. I’d spent my entire life guarding my secrets, only for her to chip away my defenses until none remained. For all I safeguarded, none frightened me more than how much I was falling for her…but that was the last one I could ever share.
Which left the one that had been my darkest until I’d met her. “I hate how my entire life has been consumed by a path I’d give anything not to walk.”
“Interesting…but unfortunately unhelpful for my purposes, especially considering I already suspected that truth the day I discovered your aversion to blood.”
“Then perhaps the real secret is that I have no choice; I’m completely trapped, and not just by familial expectations, but a force too strong to escape.”
Curiosity mingled with her pity, a look that should have left me embarrassed but instead only made me feelseenfor the first time. She reached out a hesitant hand and stroked my cheek. “That must be terrible.”
Her empathy along with her warm, feathery touch was nearly my undoing, compelling me to speak words I’d always kept locked away. “I can think of nothing worse than living my entire life for someone other than myself, driven by a worthless goal not of my choosing.”
She lowered her gaze. “My own would be a fierce contender.”
I found myself intrigued. “What’s been your purpose?”
For a moment she seemed tempted to indulge me…before she buried it beneath another layer of protection. “We’re currently after your secrets, not mine. If I had to guess another, it’d be that despite your insistences on the contrary, you want to kiss me again.”
I’d been prepared to deny whatever she said, whether true or not. Though her tone was teasing, at her words the will to fight left me entirely.
“Are you really seeking a kiss from your enemy?”
“Only when he behaves like an ally.” Her cheeks pinked alluringly, tempting me to caress her blush with my thumb. “I forgot to thank you for watching over me last night.” She tilted her face upward in silent invitation.
Until this moment I hadn’t realized how intense the longings drawing me ever closer to her were. Before I could fully comprehend my actions and put a much-needed stop to them, I cradled her cheek. “May I?”
Her breath caught, but to my relief she didn’t pull away. “Is this another game? I don’t understand how it couldn’t be, but there’s no benefit to your kissing me when my own secrets are carefully guarded under lock and key.”
“I’m not currently after your secrets.”
Silence settled around us, the only sound our frantically beating hearts and the energy that hummed between us, drawing us closer.
After a moment’s hesitation she peered up at me, her large dark eyes inviting me in. “Perhaps…I owe you a small token for your help last night.”
