Page 143 of Beautiful Prey

JADE

The night is still in my bones when Ash steers us out over the lakes just after eight-thirty. Morning light comes green off the water beneath us, and I’m still trying to wake up when he drops a warm paper bag into my lap.

“Remind me why you woke me up this early again?”

“Eat first, complain second.”

I look inside and find two things the size of my fists, still warm, twisted at the top and dusted with something that isn’t quite sugar or salt. “What are these?”

“Solvir. It’s sort of bread, but closer to pastry, and nobody on Tempest can agree which it actually is. There’s a shop under the tower that starts making them at five.” His eyes stay on the traffic. “Granddad used to send somebody down for them when I was a kid. I’ve never had one while it was still properly warm.”

So that’s where he disappeared to before coming back to wake me. I thought he couldn’t sleep. It never occurred to me he’d gone out into the dark to buy breakfast.

Tearing off a piece, I bite into it. The crust cracks softly as the hot, buttery center gives way, and something dark and sweet melts across my tongue. I close my eyes for a second. “Light.”

A corner of his mouth lifts. “That good?”

“Very.” I take another bite, catching the motion of his hand as he reaches across and brushes his thumb along the corner of my mouth.

“You’ve got a crumb there.”

Before I can react, he licks his thumb clean.

I swat him away, grinning when he lets out a low rumble. “Watch the road.”

“Just feed me, pup.” He opens his mouth without taking his eyes off the traffic.

Tearing off another piece, I hold it out for him to catch between his teeth, humming as he chews.

I shake my head, finish the first one before reaching for the second, and break off another piece for him as the lakes drift beneath us, one after another. I could look at them for the rest of my life. Instead, I look at him.

Keeping both hands on the controls now, he drives with his jaw still set, never once looking out at the water.

“You’re still thinking about Ryven.”

“Seren left three messages last night. I called him after you fell asleep.” His thumb shifts against the controls. “Ryven’s angry and confused, and he’s refusing to answer anyone. He told Seren he wanted to be left alone. My cousin can charm an entire room when he wants to, but when something actually hurts him, he disappears into himself.”

“Are you going to let him?”

“For a little while. I told Seren to give him some space.” Ash glances at me. “He’ll come back. He always does. I just need to make sure he has something to come back to.”

“There has to be something in that agreement Sebastian can’t control.” I turn the paper bag over in my lap. “Every contract I’ve ever seen has a hole somewhere. Someone writes too fast, gets greedy, or assumes the person signing won’t understand what they’re reading. Give me the Veyra agreement for an hour, and I’d at least know what we’re dealing with.”

Ash gives me a tired look. “This isn’t a Calder work contract, stormbird. It’s a House treaty. They’ve had lawyers crawling over the thing for years.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s perfect.” I break off another piece of solvir and hold it out to him. “And if there isn’t a clause, there’s a price. Except you already offered your father the mine and every credit you own, and he barely looked up from his tea.”

He takes the piece from my fingers. “Because this isn’t about money.”

“Exactly. So Veyra wants something else.” I watch him chew, then continue. “Your father has something they need badly enough to marry into your family for it. That’s where his power comes from.”

Ash’s eyes narrow slightly on the road. “And?”

“And if somebody else could give Veyra the same thing, Sebastian wouldn’t be the only man holding the leash.”

He doesn’t answer right away, and when I look over, he’s watching the traffic, his jaw set and his thumb moving on the controls. “It won’t be that simple, stormbird.”

“But?”