“Of course,” I say, trying to keep my voice neutral.
“Meaning?” she asks, searching my face for some hint that I’m being sarcastic. Apparently, she can sense I still have reservations.
I shrug. “Everyone always wants something, and the Hand is no different.”
Her face twists into a dissatisfied expression. She doesn’t like my answer.
“Do you believe what my brother said about your parents?”
“I don’t know,” I say truthfully.
“But you’re willing to accept the accommodation he offers you and let Alastor take the potion Mal gave him?” she says. “What if they’re trying to poison him so he can’t ever get better and reveal their lies?”
I don’t point out that it’s unlikely the Hand has any idea what Alastor can do.
“Doyouthink that’s what’s happening?” I ask skeptically.
“No,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “But I’m just trying to figure out where you stand.”
“He obviously wants you as an ally, and I don’t think they’re trying to kill the rest of us off. I think your brother is smart enough to realize that you would object to any proposal he made after he murdered your friends. But that doesn’t mean I think every word out of his mouth is the full, untarnished truth.”
“You do think he’s my brother though?” she asks, and it makes my chest ache to hear the hope in her voice.
“I haven’t seen that test before, but if you think it seemed accurate, then I trust your judgment. Besides…there is some family resemblance.”
She can’t suppress her excited smile. “I noticed that too. I felt like I was looking in a mirror sometimes.”
“Nonsense,” I say. “You’re much more beautiful.”
It’s so easy to make her blush, even now. But my flirting doesn’t distract her from the subject at hand. Not yet, at least.
“When we talk tomorrow, I’m going to ask for his help killing Oclanna.”
“We don’t?—”
“Wedoneed help, Leon,” she says, reading my mind. “You said yourself that it would be tricky to get into the palace. I don’t know what they can offer exactly. But whether it’s contacts ormanpower or even just information, we can use it. It could make this mission safer for everyone.”
“Or blow it out of the water. You saw what state they were in today,” I say.
She goes a little pale, remembering the wounded. “That just shows they’re dedicated. If the Temple’s brutality doesn’t scare them off, I’d say that’s a good thing.”
“Will you tell them about Oclanna getting orders from Caledon then?”
“I think so,” she says. “But maybe not everything. Harman might not have always gotten along with my father, but that doesn’t mean he won’t want his murderer dead. I think he’ll agree to help even without proof that it would hurt the Temple.”
Her face moves from thoughtful to serious and she steps toward me, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck.
“I’m sorry you don’t have answers about your parents yet. But wewillget to the bottom of it.”
She kisses me, her lips soft and warm against mine, and much of the day’s tension melts away. It’s suddenly easy to not worry about whether Harman is lying to us, about what it will mean if he is, knowing now he’s Ana’s brother. I let her drag all those thoughts and concerns out of me, pulling me over into an abyss of desire with her.
“You’re dangerous, Ana Angevire,” I growl against her lips.
She pulls back, playfully tilting her head.
“How so?”
“One kiss from you and I’d do anything you’d ask.”
