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He didn’t answer. Just began to walk down the hallway. “You know, you never once asked about the job.”
“We’re stealing a spear,” she said. “You told me that.”
“But nothing else.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.”
She could steal anything from anyone. Even Graves, if she had to. The specifics of the job were unimportant. The least of her concerns. She suspected someone like Graves had a plan for what she was about to do. It would be like any other job. Just more likely to kill her.
“I wouldn’t be overly confident,” Graves said.
“I’m not. Overconfidence gets you killed. I’m as confident as I need to be. I’m a thief. Most people see it as a poor excuse for a talent, but I’m good at it. It’s what you need. Why else would you hire me?”
Graves had no answer to that. His eyes slipped to hers again, assessing, maybe approving.
She matched his long strides as he led her to the giant staircase at the center of the home. They walked up two flights of stairs. She could have gotten lost, the house was so enormous. She was used to Colette’s brothel. It was smaller than Graves’s mansion by far but large enough to accommodate the women she housed within. All those bedrooms. All the workers. But this . . . No one else lived here. It was excess for the sake of excess.
“I have a few house ground rules.”
“We already made our deal.”
“This is for living in my home. My rooms are off-limits. Even from a little thief who knows how to break into them.” He added explicitly, “Don’t go into locked rooms.”
Kierse’s fingers itched to do just that. Telling a thief not to use their skills was tantamount to encouraging them to do so. Especially because now it made her wonder—what exactly did he have to hide?
He seemed to realize that as soon as it was said. “I’ve lived alone for a very long time, Miss McKenna. I value my privacy more than my possessions. I will give you privacy so long as you extend it to me as well.”
“You ruin all my fun.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” she agreed.
He kept his eyes on her face as if trying to judge the weight of her conviction.
“Promise,” she said with what she hoped sounded like sincerity.
“Good.” Satisfied, he walked to the end of a hallway on the third floor. “This is your room.”
“Truly, I’m not tired,” she told him. It had been a long night, and she was weary but also hyped up from all that had happened. “Is the library available to me?”
“The library?” he asked, then nodded once. “You are free to read anything on the shelves.”
“Maybe we could go there, then.”
“Another time. If you’re so eager to get started on your studies, then I will have books for you after training.”
He reached for the doorknob, and she touched it at the same time. Their hands brushed, and even with his gloves on, she could feel the heat from him. He was much taller than her, and she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. Their bodies were close together, she realized, and she swallowed. She’d been playing up her wiles but somehow was ensnared in his gaze.
He retreated first. “You were chased and shot at and forced to leave your friends and family, your home. You are in shock. Though you hide it rather well. You need to sleep.”
“Honestly, I’d rather you tell me more about myself.”
“No new shocks.”
“I’m not a delicate flower that you should fear crushing in your palm.”
“No, you’re delicate like a bomb.”
She grinned like a wild creature. She liked that.
He took another step back as if she ruffled his carefully controlled exterior.
“Just one thing,” she teased, arching an eyebrow.
“I see you won’t be dissuaded. I will start with the most basic. Satisfactory?”
She nodded. She was surprised she had gotten him to bend when she’d been certain he was a mountain not to be swayed. Not that she wouldn’t try.
“What you are is up for debate. We’ll have to figure it out together. Though I have my suspicions. But what you can do is far more fascinating. As far as I have observed, you can nullify magic.”
“What does that mean?”
“It appears that you have some sort of natural immunity. It’s why you can walk through my wards like water. How deep or wide that goes is for us to discover.”
“Immunity,” she whispered as if overcome by a potent drug. “I am immune to magic.”
“That is what I believe.”
The words seared through her. She’d spent over a decade thinking monsters not magic, but now that she knew it existed—that against all odds, she had powers—well, immunity sounded incredibly useful. Especially if it had the implications she was considering.
“Am I immune to you?”
He stilled. His face was blank. “Yes.”
Oh, he didn’t like that. Walking through his wards and entering his residence without him knowing was one thing. A thing that he already didn’t like. But his magic didn’t work on her? That was life-altering.
