by Devyn Jayse
Hazel placed his drink on the table.
"Why are you telling me this?" I wondered if he thought I was worried about Jade's husband returning.
"I'm not sure you understand the people you're dealing with." Undeterred by my frown, he continued, "At the end of day, they're lawless men."
"But you have no proof Blaze did this." I didn't think he would say that if he knew that Blaze had stopped me from killing the prince.
"That's true, I don't. But no one else had motive to remove him. A man doesn't suddenly disappear without trace." Garren took a deep sip of his drink.
I was conflicted. Jade's husband was a threat to her and Penny. He had done terrible things.
"Maybe he'll reappear." That was a weak response, but I didn't know what else to say.
"Perhaps." Garren's tone indicated he thought otherwise. "There's another matter I wanted to discuss with you. It was the reason I was here the night before Penny's attack."
"What is it?" I had to lean forward to catch what he was saying.
"I've been instructed to reach out to you and offer you a job."
"A job?" I frowned.
"You know I was sent out to the outer territories early after taking duty. The family thought I was on patrol duty, but that wasn't why I was sent there." His eyes were serious. "I'm not a regular guard. My work encompasses more than that. I work for the interests of the kingdom."
He'd lost me. "What? What do you mean?"
"I'm part of the king's secret network."
"You're a spy?"
"Some people may call it that. We ensure the kingdom and outer territories remain stable and safe from threats."
"But we don't have any threats. The castle is situated strategically from attackers. Our nearest neighbor is Serakastra, and we have good relations with them," I said.
"Not all threats are external."
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot say more than that. I was told to present you with the offer. His Majesty would like to recruit you into our team."
I stared at him, my mouth agape. "How? I'm exiled."
"Because of that, he cannot show outward approval of you. Your status as an exile benefits us and provides the perfect cover. His Majesty wanted to see if you would thrive with such challenges, and you have. I was assigned to be your handler. The offer to return to the castle was a test. So was the botched delivery."
"Botched delivery? That was you?" I scowled.
"Yes, we wanted to see how you would handle things under pressure. You were wise not to follow the man into the alley."
"Oscar lost several valuable objects!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"He was compensated for his trouble," Garren replied with a dismissive wave.
"He knew?" So that's why I kept my job?
"Yes, he's part of our network."
A suspicion formed in my mind. "And Blaze? Is he part of the network, too?"
"No." Garren hesitated. "Blaze is one of the reasons we believe you can be a valuable addition."
"You want me to spy on him? I won't do it," I said immediately.
"No, not spy. All we want is information on how he operates. We have never managed to get anyone close to him."
He waited for my answer.
My mind was awhirl. Blaze had aired his suspicions of Penny's attack being orchestrated so that I could save her. I had thought him paranoid at the time, but now I had doubts. Whatever the king wanted to call it, reporting on information was spying. I couldn't betray their trust in that manner.
"The king has offered you safe passage into the castle to see your sister," Garren added, "and the babe when it's born."
I could see Gwen? I could have a relationship with her child? "What would he want me to do?" I asked.
"You would be a source of information in the area and sent on missions occasionally. The king doesn't see you as a constant player. You would be more of a passive tool."
"Thanks," I muttered. "Every girl dreams of being a tool."
Garren ignored my comment. "We know the prince will increase his attacks on you. You foiled his past offensive, but he won't stop. It's just a matter of when. Join us, and you'll have protection and resources behind you."
I bit my lip. Garren didn't know that the prince and I had met and battled. I had expected Prince Jasper to start renewed attacks and send people after me soon after that but so far nothing had happened. While the prince hadn't shown his hand yet, he would not forget about me--that was true. He would never stop hunting me.
"I'll consider it," I said.
"That's all we ask." He seemed relieved as he got to his feet and prepared to leave. "Oh, and Dare, one last thing."
"Yes?"
"Just be careful. Don't underestimate the people of the Blights. You may think that you're safe now and that you belong, but don't lower your guard. They're survivors for a reason."
"I will," I said with a nod.
I stayed at the table, considering the king's offer. I had many reasons not to take it, but the temptations were there. I wondered if I should take a job that would give me access to my family or refuse it for people I had just met--folk who had criminal underpinnings.
To distract me further, Blaze appeared and helped himself to a seat.
I glanced up at him. "Did you kill the man?"
"Why are you asking?" Blaze asked with a slight frown. He knew I was talking about Jade's husband.
"Everyone keeps telling me how bad you are," I replied, distracted.
"They're right." He leaned back in his chair, watching me carefully.
"I don't think you're as bad as they make out." Had he been, the prince would be dead. Unless he had his own reasons for keeping the prince alive, things he wasn't sharing with me.
His frown eased, and a small smile played across his face. "You don't have the proper respect and fear of me that you should."
I leaned forward, putting my elbows on the table, studying his face.
"Don't worry about it. It's refreshing not to have someone meet me and shake when they talk to me." His head tilted to one side. "You're different."
"Or I'm just foolish, not listening to the many warnings about big bad Blaze." The truth was he had never given me a reason to fear him. I had witnessed and been subject to the prince's cruelty, meanwhile Blaze had never shown me anything close to that.
"Big bad Blaze." He allowed a lazy smile to spread across his face. "I like that. You should start calling me that from now on."
I scowled at him. "You didn't answer my question. So did you kill the man?"
"I have killed a man, yes. Which man are you asking about?"
"Jade's husband."
"Are you sure you want to know the answer to this?"
I hesitated. "Yes."
He stayed silent for a few heartbeats. He looked disappointed at my reply. Then he pushed back his chair and got to his feet. "No, I didn't." He walked away.
I realized as he left that, while he may not have done away with the man, that didn't mean that none of his gang had.
I considered what I should do. Do I take Garren's offer and work for the king that sent me into exile, or do I stay loyal to the lawless leader of the Blights?
What is the right thing to do?
Lucky for me, I didn't have to make my decision that night.
Thank You For Reading!
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Acknowledgments
The Dare Valari series was inspired by two special people. I'd like to thank my friends Shareefa and Alanoud for their unbridled enthusiasm toward the sto
ry and the support they both extended to me over the course of this book's creation.
Thank you Shareefa for that fateful dinner on 24 July 2014 when you first suggested Dare's name. Thank you for coming along with me on this book's journey. Alanoud, I am forever grateful for your eagerness and passion for this story. Thank you for beta reading the book and for your many wonderful suggestions. I hope I did Ragum justice.
Thank you to my first beta reader, Marsha. I appreciate you taking a chance on an unknown writer and sharing your insights. Your advice and feedback were invaluable.
This book is already dedicated to my parents but that will never be enough for the love and support they have shown me over the years. Thank you for encouraging me to get a library card. Thank you for buying the countless books I asked for. Thank you for being my parents.
I am grateful for the support of my family and friends. I am forever thankful for your generosity and kindness.
Thank you to Lynn and L. Kelly Reed at Red Adept Editing. The book is better for your services. Any errors found within this book are my own.
A special thanks to Natasha Snow for the wonderful cover. You did an amazing job bringing Dare to life. Thank you for working so hard and producing such incredible results.
And finally, I'd like to thank you for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I liked writing it. If you'd like to be part of my Readers Group click here.
