Page 71 of The Fury She Holds
“Obviously.” The corners of his lips pulled into wry smile.
Tal narrowed her eyes, but something in her chest clenched to see that expression returned. Nerves had them both breathing heavily in the tight space, and Tal swore she could feel his heartbeat against her chest.
The maid brushed by the curtain, stirring the air around them. Tal expected the exotic spiciness of clove, but noted freshlavender and rosemary instead. “New soap?” she mouthed and sniffed dramatically.
Faron grimaced. “It’s all I had.”
Tal scrunched her face to hide her smile, but Faron mirrored her expression.
While the maid worked around the room, the two hid in the near-dark, exchanging looks of feigned annoyance. Faron still held Tal’s arms, so she turned her contemptuous gaze to his hands. This only encouraged him to begin massaging circles into the leather at her shoulders. The sensation sent goosebumps running up and down her body, and she hoped the dim lighting concealed the flush that filled her cheeks.
Faron slid one foot to the side of Tal’s leg, pressing her up against the window. He leaned his head down until his breath brushed across her lips.
Tal pressed into the window and let her head fall back. It hit the window with a distinctthud. They froze. They waited for the servant to discover their hiding spot. The silence of the room beyond stretched until Tal couldn’t take it anymore, and she poked her head out from behind the curtain. Cool air blasted against her face, and she realized how stifling it was in their hiding spot. A quick glance confirmed the woman had left. Tal stumbled out of Faron’s grasp and into the cool study air. She wrenched one of her daggers into her hand and brandished it against the noble.
“You! Knock it off,” she whispered hoarsely. She wanted so badly to smack the smirk off his face… or kiss it.What?She inhaled. Did that thought just cross her mind? Instead, she walked over to the bookshelf by the large wooden desk and eyed the shelves.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end when Faron stepped close behind her. He reached over her shoulder and pulled at the binding of one of the books. The same metallicclickechoed through the room, followed by the agonizingly loud groan of the bookshelf. Tal glanced behind her.
Faron’s hand gestured for her to go first. “After you.” Cold surrounded her when she stepped out of his space.
Behind the bookshelf lay a large stone tunnel. It sloped downward toward the northern side of the property in the direction of the dovecote. She took out a second dagger. A quick glance confirmed Faron’s swords were also in hand. They stalked down the tunnel, past the occasional torch illuminating the way.
A deep, quiet voice echoed, stopping them in their tracks. Tal could barely make out the form of the young noble up ahead. He paced back and forth, mumbling to himself. She afforded Faron a single look then took off toward the gentleman, silent as an owl in the night. She pulled up her hood and face covering mid-step and sheathed one of her daggers, staying to the shadows along the wall.
When the nobleman turned away, she ran the remaining distance and pounced, covering his mouth with her free hand and holding the dagger to his neck with the other.
He yelped against her hand and jerked in her grasp.
“Remain still or your neck will be slit open,” she hissed.
He froze. Sweat on his upper lip coated Tal’s fingers. He panted against her hand.
“Scream and you die. Understood?”
He nodded vigorously.
She removed her hand from his mouth and pressed the dagger tighter against his neck to prove her point. “Who are you?”
“L-Lord Lighton.”
“Where are the others?” Tal eased the pressure behind her dagger. Lighton shook so much he nearly cut himself on the blade.
His unsteady hand pointed further down the tunnel. She could see they had reached a valley, and the stone began to slope upward beyond where they stood.
“P-P-Please. They told me we weren’t doing anything wrong. They said they wanted it.” Sweat made his near-blonde hair stick to his forehead.
“Did you ask them that or are these your friends’ words?” she snarled.
“Ple-ease. This is my first time. I s-swear I haven’t even touched one of them yet.”
“Tch—People like you disgust me. You think you can take advantage of someone because you have more money than them?”
The man blubbered, and Tal’s anger grew. She gripped the hilt of her dagger harder and gritted her teeth.
“What are they doing in the dovecote?” said a deep growl behind them. Tal spun with the man to find Faron in shadow. He had disguised his voice to the point where even she didn’t recognize it.
Smart, she thought. A small part of her felt guilty for jumping into the situation against their previous agreement. She risked exposing Faron to his fellow nobility. She would have to make it up to him somehow.
