Page 35 of Sands of Atonement

“What are you talking about?” Casimir was getting impatient.

So was I.

I stepped past his hand on my chest and strode toward Eshe. If she were going to beat around the bush…

As soon as I approached her, she raised her tiny knife in front of her. She was smiling as if she were ready for this.

“Give me the knife. No girl should have it. You might hurt yourself by pointing it in the wrong direction.” I chuckled. It was slightly amusing even though she was the most infuriating person I’d met, then and now.

“I’m not a girl, Ezra. I’m a woman, or did you forget the way you touched me earlier?” Her brow propped high.

My teeth clenched. “You tried to kill me, you woman!”

I lifted my hand to grab hold of her as she swung low with her knife. I veered left, but Casimir interrupted our flow by pushing us apart. His tunic ripped, getting the end of Eshe’s swing.

“You tried to kill Ezra?” Casimir’s eyes were now wild as he stepped toward Eshe. He could get quite protective, as I could with him. “Why would you do that?”

Eshe’s brows knitted. “You killed my family.” Her fists turned white. “I’ve come to repay the debt, Casimir.”

Casimir lowered his hand and straightened his spine. He was always the more diplomatic one. “Eshe,” he said calmly. “We had nothing to do with their deaths.”

Eshe’s breaths quickened. Her cold eyes darted between me and my brother.

As soon as I realized that calculating look again, it was too late. She dashed past us toward the end of the hallway.

For a woman, she was fast on her feet. It enraged me.

My brother and I sprinted after her.

The side effects were finally draining, and I quickened my steps, passing my brother. She wasn’t getting out of here.

She didn’t know where she was heading, and I slowed my steps.

She realized she’d reached a dead end, and my deep laughter echoed across the empty hall.

She trapped herself. So much for an assassin.

Casimir walked to the other side, ensuring she wasn’t going anywhere. He gave me an eye that seemed to say, You okay there? He wasn’t used to hearing me laugh.

I gave him a look. I’ll explain later.

He nodded.

“We would never have hurt your family, not after we had just agreed to get married,” Casimir said, his palms open.

Eshe’s chest rose and fell with deep breaths from the sprint. “You’re lying!”

I stared at her, reading—observing her. She was here. In my house.

“We didn’t. Tell her, Ezra.” Casimir’s voice rose, and he looked at me, brows high and expectant.

Why was Casimir explaining himself to this… girl and wasting my time?

I clicked my tongue. “Casimir is right. We didn’t, but I wish we had.”

I said the words just to rile her up more. Because I could. And it worked.

Eshe’s face turned bright red as her eyes pierced into mine.