Grinning, Leo bowed his head and gave himself over to the hunt for pleasure as well. The tightness of the drakonid’s pussy made it easy enough to find. It took barely a dozen thrusts more—quick enough that Sann’s climax had not even subsided fully—for him to reach his own. Grunting, he gave a final, almost brutal thrust and bit back a groan of satisfaction as he reached his peak. Cock throbbing with release, he forced himself to remain still as his balls emptied themselves into the quivering female beneath him.
When at last he opened his eyes, Sann was staring up at him. She wore a knowing smirk. And, unexpectedly, a blush as well—if the darkened skin of her icy blue face could be trusted to behave the same as a human woman’s.
“Well?” she purred. Reaching up, she wrapped her claws delicately about Leo’s shoulders and guided him down atop her. “Wasss that everything?”
Chuckling again, Leo nuzzled her brow with his.
“Close enough,” he said.
***
Brigit was waiting for him when Leo emerged from Sann’s chambers. She was scowling, but it was immediately obvious from her demeanor that it was not Leo’s intimate activities that had upset her. In fact, she barely seemed to notice the wrinkles in his suit. And yet…
“What’s wrong?” Leo asked.
Brigit flinched as if surprised to hear him speak first. She smiled thinly and waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing,” she said. “Just an issue with one of the girls you hired.”
“What happened? If there’s a problem, I can address it.”
“There’s no need, Master. I already took care of it. I just…”
“ Bri ,” Leo said slowly. “What else? What’s wrong?”
“It… It might be nothing,” Brigit said. She spoke haltingly, without meeting Leo’s eye. “But I thought I should mention it. There was a man watching the house earlier.”
“He was?” Leo asked. “When?”
“I’ve seen him a couple of times over the last few days. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but…”
“Well, I suppose it’s to be expected,” Leo said. He sighed, glancing in the direction of the front door, even though there were several corners between him and the foyer. “He could belong to Davin. Or Terras. Or even Olden. Honestly, I’d be more worried if there was no one watching the house.”
“If… If you’re certain, Master.”
“I am,” Leo lied. “But thank you for mentioning it. Let me know if you notice anything else, please.”
Brigit did not smile, but she did nod. For a moment, she looked as though she was about to say more. Instead, she curtseyed abruptly and turned to leave.
“Brigit,” Leo said. “I can tell there’s something else bothering you.”
This time, Brigit froze outright. Leo waited patiently for her to collect herself and turn to face him, but when she did not, he sighed and made his way around to face her.
“What is it?” he asked.
To his surprise, Brigit still did not meet his eye. Then she bowed her head.
“It’s this woman you’re dealing with,” she whispered. “Aileen.”
“What about her?” Leo demanded.
“I heard what Nyssa told you. That she has a child?” Brigit sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m just… worried about what you’re planning.”
“You think I’m planning to kill her?” Leo asked. “Is that it?”
“You’re not?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” he said. “But I don’t expect to. This whole thing is too important to do anything that might raise suspicion.”
At last, Brigit smiled, just a little. “That’s good to hear,” she said. “Thank you, Leo.”
Nodding, Leo gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He leaned in, pecked her on the cheek, and then left her standing there in the hall.
He hadn’t lied to her, not really. He hadn’t yet decided exactly how he planned to deal with Aileen. But the day he allowed Brigit’s qualms to dictate how he handled his business would be the day that business died. If he decided to kill the woman, that was his choice to make. And if he decided to address the situation in another fashion, that too would be his choice.
Someday soon, Ansiri would be his. Ansiri, and all of the people who lived in it.
And it was never too soon to start practicing.
Chapter Thirteen
“What do you mean he isn’t here?” Leo snapped. He paced the foyer in a rage, clutching the hilt of his rapier and longing to have something on which to use it. “I thought you told him sundown!”
“I did, Master,” Mihal said. His grimace was pronounced, but unrelated to Leo’s temper. That fact was reinforced by the fingers he drummed against the hilt of his own blade. “Baron VanAllen assured me that he would be here. He understands how important this is.”
“Then where the hell is he?” Leo growled. He stopped pacing, glared at the front door, and then resumed his stomping. “Fuck it. If Petre doesn’t care about his reputation, that’s his business. I don’t need him.”
“Then we’re going?”
Again, Leo paused. He glanced around, first at Mihal, and then at Karran. She stood silently beside the door, the unflappable calm to complement Mihal’s nervousness and Leo’s fury.
“I didn’t get dressed up for nothing,” he grumbled. “We’re going.”
They departed in silence. Leo half expected to see Petre strolling up the path toward the door, but the city was silent as a grave. The sun had set almost an hour prior and thanks to a wave of thick storm clouds that had rolled in shortly afterward, the streets were both quiet and dark. The only source of light came from the handful of lanterns lighting the street and distant Ministry of Justice, and a dull glow from the even more distant lightning. Fortunately, the approaching storm had driven all but the most determined citizens into their homes or convenient alehouses.
As much as he wanted to take the lead, Leo was far too cognizant of the dangers. Plus, he didn’t know the way. He fell into position behind Mihal, hand still resting on the hilt of his rapier. Not that he expected to use it yet; Karran followed him a few steps behind, her claws at the ready. Any would-be attacker would be cut to ribbons before they even reached him.
The first few raindrops began to fall a few minutes after they left the estate. Leo ignored them at first, then sighed and pulled up the hood of his cloak. Walking the streets in such a manner would make him stand out even more than if he’d done so openly, but it was better than dealing with the hassle of wet hair and rain in his eyes.
After ten minutes of brisk walking, Mihal’s pace slowed and they moved off the main streets into alleys and darkened corners. Nothing much had changed, but Leo felt his heart begin to race, regardless.
“Where’s Nyssa?” he whispered.
“Following the woman, Master,” Mihal answered. “As instructed.”
“Yes, but where? What if the weather keeps her away tonight?”
“I don’t think it will,” Mihal said. Turning, he grinned at Leo, the white of his smile the only part of his face visible in the dark. “Look.”
The trow pointed and Leo followed his hand. A block ahead, a cloaked figure lurked in the shadow of an identical alley. At Leo’s gaze, Nyssa bowed slightly.
“I thought you said she was following the woman?” Leo said. “Why is—”
Mihal shushed him. Leo scowled and was about to admonish him for it when Nyssa leapt into action. She swept into the alley beside her, cloak flaring. A second later, Mihal turned.
“It’s done, Master. Let’s go.”
Leo glanced at him, surprised. Before he had a chance to speak, however, Mihal darted forward. Swallowing hard, Leo followed after him.
The walk from the one alley to the next was far more stressful than Leo had imagined possible. They were in one of the poorer sections of town and Leo felt as though a hundred eyes watched him from every direction. A shutter slammed behind him as he reached his destination and he paused, then s
tumbled forward and nearly smacked his head when Karran collided with him from behind. He was about to turn and glare at her.
Then he spotted the woman.
Aileen trembled where she stood, her back to the alley wall and Nyssa’s knife pressed up to her throat. If the trow hadn’t been covering her mouth, she looked as though she would have been screaming. Her eyes were wide and darted from face to face, then settled on Leo’s hooded one.
Slowly, Leo drew back his hood.
“Good job, Nyssa,” he said softly. “I knew I could count on the two of you.”
“Master,” Nyssa whispered back. “What would you like me to do with this one?”
“Let her speak,” Leo said. He met Aileen’s eyes and allowed a darker tone to creep into his voice. “Aileen, yes? Let me explain what’s going to happen here. We’re going to talk and then you will continue on your way. If you scream, you die. If you call for help, you die. You fight, or run, or do anything other than what I tell you, you die. Understood? Nod if you understand.”
Aileen nodded. To Leo’s relief, she did not cry out when Nyssa’s hand withdrew from her mouth. She watched Leo, lips trembling silently.
“You’re a servant of Count Terras, yes?” he asked.
Aileen’s lips moved but no sound came forth. Instead, her trembling worsened.
“Answer me,” Leo growled.
“Yes,” Aileen whispered. Her face twisted, frightened tears beginning to leak from the corners of her eyes.
“And before,” Leo continued. “You were contracted to Baron VanAllen?”
“Yes.”
“And during that time, did he take you into his bed?”
Aileen doubled over without warning, her shoulders quaking with near-silent sobs. Almost involuntarily, she wrapped her arms over her stomach. In her patchwork cloak, it had been difficult for Leo to discern the signs of her pregnancy, but now he spotted the bulge without even looking for it. Or at least, he saw it for a moment, until Nyssa grabbed a fistful of Aileen’s hair and yanked her back against the alley wall.
“Did he?” Leo asked.
“Don’t kill me!” Aileen begged. “Please, sir! Please, don’t—”
“Quiet!” Leo snarled. He stalked forward, planting himself in front of the woman and glaring at her. “Answer the question! Did he?”
Aileen could not speak. Her shoulders continued to quake with uncontrolled sobs. But she did nod.
“Is the child his?” Leo demanded. “Are both of the children his?”
Aileen’s eyes snapped open, her lips peeling back to bare her teeth. The tears continued to flow and her trembling increased until the knife at her throat drew blood. But the change in her attitude was so profound that Leo stepped back without even meaning to.
“Don’t you dare touch my children!” she hissed. “Threaten them again and I will kill you myself.”
“You’re in no position to make threats,” Leo said, folding his arms. “I have no desire to harm them—or you. All I want is answers.”
The woman glared at him for a moment, then scoffed. She swallowed hard.
“This one is his,” she muttered, stroking her stomach. “The other is not.”
“Interesting,” Leo said. He pulled his rapier several inches from its scabbard. “Then if I kill you, the entire issue goes away.”
Aileen’s eyes widened slightly. She swallowed a second time. Then, astonishingly, she smiled.
“You’re not going to kill me,” she announced.
“No? And why not?”
“Because I just figured out who you are,” she said. “The count told me about you. You’re some baron, aren’t you? Petre’s friend.”
“So you know who I am,” Leo said, shrugging. “That seems like another reason I’d be better off without you.”
“Maybe. But I’m more valuable to you alive.”
Leo hesitated, sharing a look with both Mihal and Nyssa. He’d come here fully prepared to leave Aileen dead in an alley. But the woman’s self-assurance was enough to give him pause.
“Explain,” he said.
“The count is planning to bring me in front of the court next month,” Aileen said quickly. “I was told to explain my relationship with Baron VanAllen. When the court ruled in his favor, I was to be given a portion of what was promised.”
“Not the whole thing?” Leo asked, frowning.
“A count’s help isn’t free, my lord,” she said. She twisted slightly against the wall and glanced at Nyssa’s hand that still held the knife to her throat. “And neither is mine. If you’ll pay me the five hundred sovereigns instead and help my family flee the city, I will testify that this child is not Baron VanAllen’s.”
Leo chuckled. “Why would I do that? Why would I pay you a fortune when I could just kill you here and now?”
“Because you’re a noble. And so is Terras. You nobles care more about your reputations than anything.”
This time, it was Mihal that chuckled. The trow glanced at Leo, flashing his almost luminescent grin. “Well, she’s certainly right about that, Master.”
Leo ignored him. What he could not ignore was Aileen’s offer. He had never even considered the possibility of turning Aileen against her lord, but if such a thing was possible, it would far surpass the benefits of her death. Hell, the opportunity to humiliate Terras publically was easily worth the five hundred sovereigns she was asking.
There was only one potential complication.
“What about the letters?” Leo asked. “Terras said that VanAllen wrote you letters, wiling quite a bit of money to you and his child. What if Terras brings them forward as evidence?”
“I’m sorry, Your Honor!” Aileen wailed suddenly. “I didn’t know what else to do! The count—he made me do it! I don’t know where he got those letters, but the baron, he never… I never saw them before in my life!”
Leo glanced around, suddenly anxious. Aileen’s voice had grown louder than he liked and he nearly expected to see members of the City Watch come round the corner at any second.
Stepping close, he covered her mouth with a gloved hand. The sudden pressure started a burning ache that radiated from his palm to his fingertips. “Quiet,” he growled. “So you’re a good actress. That still doesn’t give me any reason that I can trust you. What guarantee do I have that if I let you go, you won’t turn around and side with Terras?”
“There isn’t one,” Aileen said, cautiously pulling Leo’s hand from her mouth. “But you’re a baron. And if you knew where to find me tonight, you’ve obviously been following me. You know where my son is.”
Leo nodded slowly. “And if you don’t do exactly as you said…”
“You don’t have to say it.”
“But I’m going to,” Leo growled. He stared deeply into Aileen’s eyes with only inches between them. “If you betray me, I promise that you, your son, and your unborn child all will die.”
Chapter Fourteen
It was the shouting that woke him after only a few hours. Leo sat up, squinting in the morning’s near-total darkness and looked instinctively toward the crack of window visible between the curtains. The sky beyond looked as black and colorless as it had when he’d finally crawled into bed.
The shouting grew louder. Heart racing, Leo started to climb out of bed when the door to his bedchamber slammed open. Petre stormed in, his face dark and stormy as the one that had passed an hour earlier.
“Leo!” Petre bellowed. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“I’m sorry, my lord!” Delia cried, hurrying in after the young baron. “I told him you weren’t—”
“It’s fine, Delia,” Leo interrupted. “Could you bring us some tea?”
“I… yes, my lord. Of course.” She curtseyed, visibly relieved to have a convenient way out. Exiting quickly, she closed the door behind herself.
Leo sat up straighter, turning his gaze on Petre. The baron’s expression had softened slightly, confusion lurking behind his eyes.
�
�What are you doing in bed?” Petre asked.
“Sleeping,” Leo said. “Why did you come shouting into my bedchamber?”
Grimacing, Petre thrust a hand into his suit and withdrew a folded scrap of parchment. He didn’t even bother opening it. Flicking the page in Leo’s direction, he turned and began to pace.
“Petre,” Leo said slowly. He stretched to grab the page. “What is this?”
“It’s from the court!” Petre roared. “It was written days ago but they only delivered it last fucking night ! They’ve moved the hearing up! It’s today!”
“What?” Leo snapped. He scanned the document frantically. “They can’t do that!”
“This is Terras!” Petre spat. “The court will do whatever the fuck he wants!”
The bottom of Leo’s stomach fell out. The document possessed all the appropriate seals and was unmistakably valid. But the sudden change was ominous for more than just the weeks of preparation time he’d lost.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I let the bitch just walk away.”
“Who?” Petre asked.
“The maid. Aileen,” Leo said. “Where were you last night?”
“Dealing with this shit! What do you mean you let her walk away?”
“I talked with her,” Leo said. Climbing out of bed, he made his way to a dresser and began to rifle through it. “She agreed to change her testimony and say that Terras forced her into this.”
“I guess she changed her mind again,” Petre said.
“Maybe,” Leo admitted. “Or maybe not. Terras might not have told her about the change of date.”
“You really believe that?”
“I’m not sure.” Pulling a clean shirt from the drawer, Leo laid it carefully over the edge of the bed. “But it doesn’t matter now. We don’t have time to deal with the woman. We need to prepare for the hearing.”
Baron of Hearts (Master of Monsters Book 2) Page 10
