The corner of his lips lifted in a wry smile. “Is this not our strength, staying true to our nature?”
Reaper’s lips curled in a derisive smile. “True to our nature? Maybe for you. For the likes of me, staying true to my nature means you end up with a knife in your back. Aren’t you happy I’m steering clear of this ‘nature’?”
“Not untrue.”
“Then why does it sound as though you do not agree?”
“I don’t know if I agree, I don’t know if I don’t,” Oliver replied coolly. “But perhaps your nature is not as menacing as you think.”
“You mean I’m a puppy, not a wolf?”
Not a puppy, no. Oliver shrugged, not answering. Let the man draw his own conclusion.
“Hell. I wish Maxen were here to hear that. He’d have a good laugh.” He gestured to the mask. “So, will you let your littleswallow fly in the lead, or will you spread your hawk wings and follow?”
Oliver glanced at the mask disregarded on a patch of hay. Truthfully, he didn’t mind taking the lead, he didn’t mind following hers either.
A first.
An absolute first.
He snatched up the mask, his finger running over its edges as he inspected it. “What if we don’t hand over the ledger when we find it?”
“Then you will never get the book.”
Oliver lifted his body from the stool, his gaze meeting Reaper’s. “I already have the book.”
The man scowled, spitting out the straw in his mouth. “What are you saying? We have it.”
“You have the original. Copies of the pages were made ages ago.”
Reaper unfolded from the hay and slowly rose to his feet as well, his body rigid with displeasure. “Then what the hell are we doing here?”
“The original book would be ideal, but maybe this ledger would be a bit more ideal for me.”
“My brother is with the heir of Talbot’s dukedom.”
Oliver straightened out his arms and shoulders. “You have not metmybrothers, blood or not. Nor have you met Leo Talbot. I wouldn’t stack the odds against the lad.”
“You’ve grown fond of your nemesis’s offspring, especially the little bird.”
Had he? He certainly could not deny his body’s response, nor his mind which could not help but constantly drift her way. Yet none of that held much bearing when weighed against the facts of their situation. And he... had kept some important ones from her.
Himself.
That one word—himself—echoed back and forth in his mind. Him? No matter how fond he’d grown of her, he couldn’t be anything to her, whether friend, acquaintance, or more. And the fact thatmoreeven existed in his thoughts right now... But it could never be him. His family had caused too much trauma. There were still nights—very rare, but they came—when his dreams filled with her cries.
If she ever discovered the truth, she would finally see his family for what they were: foes, even though he himself didn’t consider them as such.
In any event, it was all moot, since he was merely testing the man’s response by threatening to make off with the ledger. And Reaper, except for a scowl and a growl, didn’t seem all that bothered.
Arrogant.
The man cleared his throat loudly. Oliver glanced at him. “What?”
He laid a set of neatly folded livery on Oliver’s stool. “You might need this.”
“Where the devil did that come from?” He’d only disappeared for a short while before returning with the mask, and he hadn’t seen any clothes. “Are you that confident I won’t back out from our understanding?”
