Page 48 of Lies That Bind
My eyes widened. “You what? Did you… with him?”
She grimaced. “No way. I put the charm on his guard, though, and then killed him.”
That sounded more like Elaine.
I peered at Liana, standing behind her, and I wanted to run to her and check on her, but my curiosity held me in place. Vespa, who I hadn’t noticed before, leaped from his seat in the saddle and came up beside Elaine.
“Liana said you got something that will scare Maxim?”
She nodded, “We are ready to write him back now, Empress, and with your letter you can include these.”
She pulled some black cloth from her bag and opened it tautly for me to inspect.
They were black silk boxers with the wordMaximembroidered into the waistband in gold thread.
“Ewww, are these his underwear?” I asked her. But I was grinning.
She nodded, unable to hide her own smile. “And when you send them back with a letter telling him to ‘Sleep tight,’ he’ll think we have a spy in his midst. Or at least a way to get to him if he messes with us. He’ll tear his innermost circle apart, searching for the traitor.”
Whoa. Okay, that was genius.
I yawned, and she patted my shoulder. “I’ll bring these to your living quarters, and we can work on the letter in the morning.”
I nodded. “I have to tell the admirals.”
Elaine shrugged. “You don’t have to do anything, but I agree you should. Let’s tell them after we’ve sent the letter so we don’t have to get their opinion on anything.”
Hah. I liked that.
“Deal.”
She left to go inside and hopefully change clothes because seeing her like this was like seeing your own mother indecent.
I finally walked over to Liana and hugged her neck, stroking her feathers. “I’m glad you both got home safely,” I told her.
I could sense that she felt some healing and closure at finally killing Drak for her mate, but there was something bothering her.
She peered down at me.‘Aisling, don’t underestimate Maxim.’
I felt something inside of her, something I hadn’t ever felt from her before.
Fear.
‘It will be okay,’I told her, and then wished her goodnight.
But that night, I tossed and turned.
Demon.
Absence of light.
Liana’s warning circled around my head all night long.
Early in the morning,after only a few hours’ sleep, Elaine shook me awake while holding a giant cup of coffee.
“We need to respond to his letter,” she told me.
I marched myself out of bed and shuffled over to the bathroom, where I got ready quickly and then chugged the coffee.
