Page 32 of Thief of Hearts

Zain watched Levern as he moved across the room. “He’s a fool for underestimating you. I make it a rule to never underestimate women. In my line of work they’re better thieves. They’re quieter, more agile, and able to sneak through smaller openings. Men don’t see them as a threat, so they can steal from right under their noses and they’re never the wiser.” He turned toward me. “The rest of these men are going to underestimate you and I’m going to enjoy every moment of you making them regret that.”

That was even better than him telling me that I was beautiful. I felt myself preening under his praise. My hand seemed to raise of its own volition and came to a rest on his upper arm. “Thank you.”

He glanced down at my hand and then back at me and I saw the way his eyes darkened. I pulled my hand away and cleared my throat. “Where were we? What other competitors do I need to know about?”

I could feel his stare but I didn’t look at him. I was afraid of what I might do if I saw his expression. After a few long moments, he finally spoke. “There are Lemnians here. I would recommend steering clear of them. They hate women. They lock up their own women and don’t let them outside. They say the only time in a woman’s life when she stands under the sun is during her wedding ceremony, when she leaves her parents’ home and moves to her husband’s.”

“That is awful!”

“It is,” he agreed. “But it makes the Lemnians very easy to steal from. Their poor women are so starved for attention that they . . .”

I was glad he didn’t finish his sentence. I did not need more of a mental picture than I already had. “Where are they so that I know to avoid them?”

“There. The ones wearing yellow.” He pointed to the far corner of the room and I realized with a start that I recognized those men.

“I know the Lemnians.”

“How?”

“The night before I came to the tournament, they tried to rape me.”

Chapter Eleven

Zain’s entire face filled with fury. “They what? Explain.”

I told him quickly what had happened, what the men had said and tried to do.

He had his sword out so fast that I almost didn’t see him do it. He marched toward the door and I got in his way, forcing him to stop. “What are you doing?”

“They don’t deserve to live.”

“I already took care of the problem.”

“How? They’re still breathing.”

“Their leader is not. Although I didn’t technically kill him. He impaled himself on my sword, so that’s more his fault than mine. No new tattoo for me.”

My attempt to tease him out of this mood didn’t work. I tried a different tactic. Given what he had told me about the Daemonians . . . “What are the rules about killing fellow competitors?”

I saw the knot in his throat bob, as if he were swallowing down something bitter. “It isn’t allowed in or out of the tournament.”

That seemed to stay his hand. He sheathed his sword but the anger didn’t leave his face.

I glanced at the Lemnians, who hadn’t seen me. What would happen when they did? Would they want vengeance for their fallen friend? Would the “no killing” rule still apply if I defended myself from men who wanted me dead?

While I certainly still wanted the diviner stone, it had become about more than that. I wanted to beat all these men. I would send every single one of them limping back home in shame and defeat.

I yawned and that restored Zain’s good humor.

“Am I boring you with my desire to commit murder?”

“I haven’t slept in a few days.”

“Because of your nightmares?” he asked.

“No, because men are terrible.”

He nodded. “I’m constantly surrounded by men, and that’s true.”