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“I can tell the High Prince what he said. I’m a witness.”

His jaw went hard. “No.”

“No?”

“Not until we have more evidence.” Yves closed the distance between us. “If I bring you to the capital, it exposes you to further danger. To attack by The Devouring. And I will not ask you to do that.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but couldn’t make the words come out. People had always wanted things from me. Mama wanted my obedience. Lou wanted a Kemp. Even Hartley had wanted his twenty percent. I had spent my whole life being useful to people.

Yves was the most powerful man in Valemer. He could order me to testify, yet he worried more about my safety. I found this fact annoying rather than charming.

“We need more time to search,” Yves said. “I have a feeling The Devouring hasn’t left Old Town. They’re still here. Watching and waiting to make their next move.”

I suspected he was right, which was why Lou sent those witches to Widow Martell’s.

“Lou knew I’d tell you about The Devouring. That’s why he was gone before your men arrived.”

Yves gave me a quizzical look.

“When he told me about his grievances, I asked if he’d brought his concerns to you.”

“This needs to be handled carefully,” Yves said. “There’s only one way we find The Devouring.”

“Which is?” I inquired.

“You stay. Here. With me. Take the job as Adrien’s nanny.”

I turned away from him. This was a terrible idea for so many reasons.

“I’m in desperate need of a nanny,” Yves implored. “The whole court knows it. If you’re here as my nanny, there will be fewer questions, and we can work together on collecting evidence against The Devouring.”

“There’s one problem with that plan,” I said, which was a lie. There was more than one problem with that plan. “I’m the furthest thing from a noble lady with a letter of recommendation.”

“Sanguine partners are rarely of noble blood. Vampires often contract commoners as a show of goodwill and to lift families out of poverty. I will make the same argument.” I eyed him warily. “Besides, I need someone like you in my household. You’re smart. You tell me the truth. And most importantly, Adrien has grown fond of you.” He inclined his head toward my familiar. “And Della.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” I responded quickly. “Neither of us is as cute and cuddly as we appear.”

“I don’t need cute and cuddly. I need you.”

For Damien’s sake, why did he have to say that? Why?

“No, you don’t,” I said it for my benefit, not his.

“You make it hard to ignore the truth.”

In my family, we called telling the truth something else. Talking back. Forgetting my place. The last time I told the truth to someone who held power over me, I did it in a graveyard with my wand raised at my own blood, and by morning the snow was red, and I had no family left.

Truth-telling was the thing that had cost me everything I had ever loved. And this man thought it one of my better qualities?

“You’d be so much more than just a blood nanny,” Yves continued. “Yes, formally, you’d have the position. But in truth, you’d be my advisor on this threat. My partner.” He paused. “And I’ll pay you thirty thousand gold pieces.”

The money, the position, it all flew past me. My heart latched on to one word. “You want me to be your partner?”

“Absolutely.”

It took me a moment to trust myself to speak, and the Duke mistook my silence for negotiation.

“You’re right. For all the work you’ll be doing, I’d have to pay you better. What about forty?”