Page 14 of House of Crimson Cloak and Silver Teeth

“Some of them,” I amend.

“Which ones?” He pushes back.

I swallow hard. “Ask again. I’ll tell you what I can.”

His footsteps approach unhurriedly. Each step brings him closer until I can feel his presence again. He’s right there, inches away, close enough to touch.

“Your name,” he says softly. “That’s all I want right now. Just your name.”

It’s against every rule. But if I don’t give him something, he’ll leave. And I can’t have that—

“Wolf.”

Silence stretches between us.

“Wolf,” he repeats, testing the sound. His voice wraps around the syllables like he’s tasting them. “Is that even real?”

“It’s real enough.” I swallow hard. My throat feels dry. “Guild issue. It’s what they gave me.”

His hand touches my face tenderly. Fingers brush across my cheek before his thumb traces the edge of my mask, following the leather where it meets skin.

“Wolf.” His fingers trail down to my jaw. “That’s a dangerous name.”

I can smell the scent of fae wine and mint in his breath. “I’m not dangerous right now.”

He moves again, circling. The measured footsteps of someone thinking.

“Who sent you?” he asks again.

Of all the questions he could ask, this is the one I absolutely cannot answer.

“I’ll ask again. Who. Sent. You.”

I don’t answer. Let him waste his breath.

Garrett circles behind me. I track him by sound, boots scraping against stone. “You’ve been following me for days. Watching. Waiting. Why?”

I already told this fucker I’m here to protect him. What part of that is he not understanding?

“You could have killed me a dozen times over.” His voice stays level, controlled. That calm commander tone that probably works on his soldiers. “In the market square when I stopped to buy wine. At the Valorian meeting when I stood at that podium with my back to the gallery. In my own chambers while I slept.”

He pauses and takes a deep breath. “So what’s the contract? Information gathering? Blackmail? Leverage for some noble house?”

Still nothing. I keep my mouth shut.

“You’re not an ordinary assassin.” He’s in front of me now. I can feel him studying me even through the blindfold. “Someone paid a Grimsbane for surveillance to know my patterns. My vulnerabilities.”

Shit. I am so fucked. I can’t tell him the Silverra who hired me is his own father. I’ll lose the contract. The guild will mark me as a failure. Why can’t he ask literally any other question?

“Who. Sent. You.” Each word comes out harder than the last.

I say nothing.

“Answer me.” His voice drops dangerously low.

Nothing.

“Fine.” His patience finally cracks. “You said you’d answer questions, you lying piece of guild trash. But clearly that was bullshit. I should just leave you here to hang until you’re ready to be honest. You probably haven’t gathered anything useful on me anyway.”