Chapter 34 Wall and Flame
Fiona
Before he even gives the order, I've turned from him. I walk toward Liora, noting that her expression doesn't ripple and that she hasn't moved from in front of the door. The stupid courtesans peer out of the parlor with wide eyes as I pass. I clench my jaw and force my breathing to remain even as I ignore them and keep my pace steady, putting as much space between the two of us as possible.
My heart is racing. I hadn't meant to do that. I hadn't meant to pull his dagger, hadn't meant to try to punch him. I didn't even know I could do that, given how completely he'd overpowered me on the mountain. He is bigger, stronger, an alpha, and he has years of combat experience on me.
Was it just his arrogance at work that let me take his dagger and land those blows? I highly doubted that he'd let me, given the situation. He'd definitely been about to break my wrist before I struck him, and I doubted that my bullshit training to keep busy had been the reason I had been successful at getting that close to him.
Still, I am proud of myself. I kept my cool and said what needed to be said. I definitely gave him something to think about, and hopefully, he'd never think he could say something so crass again. His reputation and his plans aside, it was disgusting, and if renting me out is how he plans to get the most out of me, maybe I should have gutted him.
I clench my fist, pushing that thought aside. Aside from me still being in the heart of Caldara and his plan being the only reason I wasn't being treated worse while in enemy territory, it's obvious that Liora still cares for him. Killing him would land me in a lot of trouble, especially since I still had no sense of how to get down the mountain.
Worse than that, I don't want to go yet. My skin ripples with the urge to shift. Adrenaline pumps hard and fast through my veins, pushing me down the hallway. Every muscle in me hums and strains against my forward movement with the urge to go back. My face heats, and I snarl to myself as Varek's eyes, blazing with desire and anger, flash through my mind. It's ridiculous how it's setting a throbbing heat in places I don't want to think about because Varek is an asshole, and I have no business having any sort of sexual thoughts about a man who wants to sell me.
Liora doesn’t say a word until the door shuts behind us. The latch clicks, and I pace, forcing my breathing to something slow and meditative, though the anxiety of what Varek's going to do bubbles up.
"I'm touched."
"He's a pig."
“Sometimes, but you must like pork." I glance at her, finding her eyes glinting. She cocks an eyebrow at me. "Pretty sure if we weren't there…"
Heat creeps up my neck. “I might have gutted him."
She hums noncommittally. "Maybe, but I'm not sure that would have stopped the kiss."
I scoff. "Wouldn't exactly go over well for his plan, would it? Sampling the prized cow."
She shrugs. "He might decide to keep you."
I stop and turn to her. "Are you about to tell me this is how you meant for me to cooperate?"
Liora tilts her head. "Your father already sold you. He's not the worst buyer or keeper."
I narrow my eyes at her, scanning her face, searching for some sense of what her angle is. Part of me is curious, but most of me doesn't care. The angry, offended, and outright murderous part of me couldn't care less.
"You're thinking about it," she says. "Good to see there's a brain in there."
I glare at her, but it only makes her smirk grow sharper.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” I snap, folding my arms. “For telling him he's doing a shit job as a king and a cousin."
Her smile falters, the steel in her eyes softening. After a pause, she nods. “Thank you."
Her voice is soft. She drops her gaze to the floor, a small smile on her lips.
"No one’s done that before.”
I soften too, but only a little. “Someone should have done it a long time ago.”
Liora sinks onto the edge of the bed.
"He's unlikely to do anything," she says and sighs. "You calling him out will probably just make him dig his heels in about them, but I don't care about that."
I go to her and take her hand. She startles and meets my gaze.
"You don't have to lie."
She works her jaw, then tears her gaze away. Her expression turns guarded again.
“Even if you're not going to angle to climb on top of him, you're going to have to watch your back. Lucian’s sister, the blonde, is vicious. She’s adopted, and she's been angling for the throne for years. She's not going to sit by after all that in the hallway."
A bitter laugh slips from me. “I don’t want him. Any chance I can make her queen and get her to let me go?”
Her eyes narrow, skeptical. “You expect me to believe that after what I just saw?”
“I don’t really care what you believe,” I say. "I mean what I said. His lack of regard for you is disgusting."
"And you?"
I scoff. "I'm a foreign princess. He owes me nothing. His crumbs of consideration are only for his own benefit. It has nothing to do with me."
I ignore how that truth stings inside and the flash of hot, sharp jealousy that twists through me at the thought of Lucian’s sister in Varek’s bed. It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. I can't stage an escape yet, but with all the suitors coming, my best bet is to escape with one of them, even if that means some sort of crude deal.
I could kill them or just escape as soon as we get down from the mountain. I wince. The country could retaliate against Solara. It would be better to just escape while in transit and disappear.
"You really don't think I could turn her to my side?" I narrow my eyes. "It would serve her purpose if I weren't here if she really thinks I'm a threat to her ambition."
I look at her. Liora studies me for a long moment, then shrugs. “Maybe. But rumor says they're already involved, and Lucian's family is completely for it. I'm not sure if she really considers you much of a threat, so much as a distraction."
The jealousy spikes again, fierce and ugly. The image of Lucian’s sister draped over Varek’s bed gnaws at me. I tell myself it’s stupid. I don’t want him, but my nails bite into my palms as I clench my fists. I hate myself for the reaction. I stand again and start to pace.
"A distraction from what?"
"Her, obviously. Everyone saw his interest in you, and I'd hate to say this, but you've clued him in to a lot of things the Alpha wouldn't want his enemies to know."
I cock an eyebrow. "Go on."
Liora huffs a laugh, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “You basically declared that I'm primed to betray him… and most of Caldara."
I smirk. "Are you?"
"Of course not," Liora says. "We're blood, no matter our differences."
"… I believe I said you don't have more than a passing loyalty to him." I scan her. "That means keeping secrets, maybe even defending the borders, but only if you're still in them."
The fire in the grate spits and crackles. Liora gets to her feet.
"As Alpha said, no one is leaving Caldara."
I hear her words, but I feel what she's not saying. She wants to leave, would probably do so in a heartbeat, but she can't. Is it a bond or a compulsion? It could be a spell, but I have never heard of magic being used in Caldara.
"Unless he says so."
Liora scoffs. "He won't."
"You don't know that," I say.
He wants to sell me for some big payout, but I doubt he wants to keep feeding mouths that don't work when Caldara already struggles. I doubt anything but stubbornness will make him refuse a good match for Liora if the price is right. I start pacing. My mind runs circles around itself. If I can figure out the right price for Liora, I could get her free. If I can get a suitor interested in her, and she in him, he would at least be distracted from trying to match me.
"I don't like the look on your face. What are you planning?”
I smirk at her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Her brow furrows, tension pulling tight across her shoulders. “Whatever it is, it's not going to work. Alpha is too stubborn to change his mind once he’s set on something.”
"Oh, I'm sure of that," I say. "He's a rigid man, but he's not stupid, is he? There are many ways to get what I think he wants… and just as many to get me what I want."
"And what is it that you want?"
I turn to the window. "You first."