“This better be good,” he growls.
“It’s Wadestaff. He’s pretty insistent, captain.” Alastor sounds pained, like he can exactly picture the annoyed expression now forming on Leon’s face.
“We should see what he wants,” I say, shuffling to the edge of the bed to find my clothes.
Leon grunts in displeasure but retrieves his own pants, shirt, and sword belt. He watches me dress, and I don’t feel self-conscious. Instead, I’m amused when he shakes his head as I pull my skirts down.
“It should be a crime to cover such a perfect ass, you know,” he says.
I hush him, sweeping my hair up into the semblance of something neat before heading to the door. Lifting my head high, I breathe in and stride out into the lounge, passing Alastor with a nod.
“Evening, Alastor,” I say.
“Er…evening, Your Highness,” he says.
Phaia and Hyllus are the only ones still up. They exchange looks as Leon follows me out into the lounge, but they otherwise stay silent. I thank the gods Stratton’s not awake—he’d definitely make some wisecrack.
“What’s going on?” Leon demands.
“He’s waiting outside. I tried telling him you were busy.” He doesn’t bother hiding the look he shoots in my direction. “But he was insistent. He says he has something to discuss.”
“Fine. Let’sdiscusswhat he’s doing disturbing me in the middle of the night,” Leon says, flexing his fingers toward his blade.
“Maybe hear him out before you make up your mind to kill him,” Alastor says. “It would be a pain to have to find new accommodations this late.”
Leon sighs, forced to acknowledge the good sense in Alastor’s words.
“Alright. Bring him in.”
* * *
“I want to make a deal,” Corrin says when he and a dozen of his burly security guards have squeezed into the room. He’s brought more with him this time, but Alastor’s roused the rest of the fae, and I still like our chances if things get tense again.
“We already made a deal,” Leon says. “You do what we tell you, and in return I don’t kill you.”
“A generous bargain to be sure,” Corrin says lightly. “But I have an idea that could be more effective.”
“Go on then, let’s hear it,” Leon says, crossing his arms across his chest.
“I know you and your fae friends need safe passage back to Filusia. Spending so much time on horseback and in glamours must be getting tiring for you.”
“I’m listening,” Leons says.
“For a price, I can organize a boat to take you east. It’s faster, easier on the ass, and keeps you clear of any undesirable authorities.” He shrugs. “Well, if you have convincing papers. Which my friends always do.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Damia says with a raised eyebrow, causing Corrin to flash a smile in her direction.
“And what is this price?” Leon asks.
Corrin’s eyes go to Alastor. “Your friend here has a valuable gift I’d like to make use of. There’s a traitor in my ranks, feeding delicate information to a competitor of mine. I have a suspect in mind; I just need to confirm that he’s been lying to me.”
“I see.” Leon turns to Alastor. “Your power, your call,” he says simply.
Alastor thinks it over. “So you want the captain to lend me out like one of your working girls, just so you can sniff out a crook? I hate to break it to you,” Alastor says, gesturing to the men in the room. “But have you looked in the mirror lately? You’reallcrooks here.”
“So you understand why finding the truly dishonest man among us would require special talents,” Corrin says, unfazed. “Besides, this isn’t just a matter of hurting my bottom line. The information he’s passed on has gotten some of my employees hurt, and I won’t tolerate that.”
“What a good boss you are,” Leon says.
