AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rocking my jaw, I mutter, “Shame you’re not tolerable.”
She brightens like a bomb going off. “Are you suggesting I am handsome enough to tempt you?”
My eye twitches. “Listen, princess, it’s past midnight. We aren’t going to reference Pride and Prejudice until I pass out from exhaustion.”
When her lips return to that infuriating pout, her weeping eyes say, oh, but we could, and wouldn’t that be fun? With any luck, my scowl returns a harsh, no, and—side note—untie me, you mad woman.
Deflating, Briar reaches into her boot and pulls out a slender knife. “I didn’t want to have to do this.”
I brace for the sudden, hot pain of a blade easing across my flesh like butter, or piercing into my muscle like sponge. Instead, she cuts the ropes around my hands and sits on me—again—to cut free the binds around my chest. When she’s done, the knife goes back in her boot, and she folds her hands in her lap. “I believe it’s within our best interests to collaborate on the downfall of the Maxim Project. I want my parents back; you want to know who you can trust now that you’re in charge of your family and you need to know if your parents are still a loose end while you get a grasp on being your family’s head. There’s strength in numbers, in allies. The front of a political relationship between us will provide an alibi for our interactions while you gain your footing in Veleno. Whoever has done this is directly targeting at least us, maybe others. They’re intentionally trying to distract us from something. It is within our best interests to watch each other’s back. What do you say?”
Yeah, how about no? My fingers flex before I wrap them around her waist in order to lift her off me.
She scowls and swats my wrist. “Don’t manhandle me, Rowan.”
My hands snap away from her. “Then get off my lap!”
“And now you’re raising your voice? This isn’t the best start to a healthy relationship.”
“I think our chances of having a healthy relationship were slim after you choked me.” Huffing, I stare at her for a long moment. Then, I stand.
She slips gracefully off me, the picture of disappointment, while I bend to get my own knife out of my boot and cut my feet free. I’m shaking off the ropes and putting some distance between us before she says, “You wanna know something?”
At one in the morning? Not particularly. All the same, I say, “What?”
“Choking can totally be included in a healthy relationship.”
My eyes close. I smooth my hands against my face, back through my hair. When I drop my arms, I’m convinced this woman will be the death of me in less than twenty-four hours. “No.”
She plants a hand on her hip. “Yes. Agree to my plan, and I’ll prove it.”
Absolutely I think the frick not. I cock my thumb over my shoulder, toward the door. “I’m gonna go.”
Stomping a pace closer, she locks her small hand in the fabric of my shirt. “Not until I say so.”
Rolling my eyes toward the ceiling, I crack my neck. “You sure about that?”
♠
Snickers float from the occasional passerby as I drag Briar through her manor, looking for the exit. With my knife to her throat, I assumed there would be more concern, but the perturbed look on her face and the way she’s turned herself into dead weight has so far just made things more difficult for me.
It’s late.
I’m tired.
I can’t, for the life of me, find the way out.
“This is positively uncultured,” Briar mutters, arms folded, lip in a forever pout.
“Shut up, princess.” When a young man turns a corner up ahead, I fix my gaze on him. His eyes widen on the knife I have pressed to Briar’s neck, and his gait falters. It’s nice to see he’s not laughing like the rest of the maniacs in this place. Tightening my grip around Briar, I say “Where’re the stairs?”
“Don’t tell him,” Briar blurts, so I growl, clutch her tight, and lift her feet fully off the ground.
Lowering my head, I grumble, “Hush,” then I turn my attention toward the man and mutter, “Stairs.”
The man’s eyes ping-pong between us several moments before he takes a deep breath and squares his jaw.
Briar laughs. “Good boy! Now, go on.” She flicks her fingers at him. “Back to whatever you were doing.”
