Page 40 of Dragon Eternal (Dragon Kings 4)
Shaw wasn’t fine. He was as far from fine as anyone could get. “Tell me about her.” He couldn’t even say Nia’s name. The anger inside that had begun when he found the note had continued to grow.
“Perhaps now isna a good time,” Merrill cautioned.
Shaw glared at him. “I need to know.”
Merrill blew out a breath and raked his hands through his blend of brown and blond hair. His dark blue eyes held Shaw’s as he shook his head. “She’s a courtesan. Tomar was the one who told me. No one else knew about that. They know her face and her name, but nothing else.”
“If a guard for the uppers knows what she is, that means her occupation is kept quiet so word doesna get out.” Shaw propped an elbow on the table and lowered his voice. “That tells me she’s special to the Divine.”
“My thoughts, as well. How did you meet her?”
“I thought it was purely by accident. I doona like being fooled.”
“We know now. That gives us the upper hand.”
Shaw fisted his hands. “We’ll never get what we came for, no’ now. We should leave.”
“So more of us can come and be put through this?” Merrill shook his head. “We stay. I have your back, and you have a way in. Use it.”
“I can no’. I’m too angry.”
Merrill’s brows drew together before his face smoothed out. “Why?”
“Why?” Shaw repeated. “Are you really asking me that?”
“What upsets you more, brother? That you like Nia, and she’s using you? Or that the Divine knows about us?”
Shaw stared at him, unable to decide on an answer.
Merrill flattened his lips. “That’s what I thought.”
“I had a nice time with her. I have a nice time with other women, too. But they doona use me.”
“That’s shite,” Merrill spat in an uncharacteristic show of anger. “Every time you sleep with a woman, you’re using her, and she’s using you. How is that any different than Nia? Unless you’re falling for her.”
“Doona be daft.” Shaw couldn’t believe Merrill would even suggest such a thing.
Merrill shrugged. “Why no’? I saw her. She’s stunning. Everyone watched her. Including the children. She commands attention.”
Shaw sat back. His temper was usually easy to keep in check, but he was having a difficult time containing it.
“Doona look at me like that. You know I’m right, or you wouldna have spent time with her.”
“So what if I was attracted to her? I know what lust is. That’s all it was.”
“Then why are you still angry?”
Shaw was going to punch Merrill. He looked down and saw he fisted his hands so tightly, his knuckles were white. Immediately, he flexed his fingers. Why was he so furious? Despite not wanting to hear it, Merrill was right. He had used Nia for sex, and she had been willing. It wasn’t as if they had sat down and spoken of a relationship. They had both stated what they wanted, and they had both gone into it with their eyes wide open.
Except she had an ulterior motive.
And that’s what infuriated him.
Shaw lifted his head to look at Merrill. “She used me for more than sex.”
“Aye,” Merrill replied in a soft voice. “And it appears she did it to gain her freedom.”
To his disgust, Shaw had forgotten that part. “She has a lot of freedom for a prisoner.”
“How do you know that? She told you she doesna control her money. I think it’s because she doesna have any. The Divine pays for everything she has. Her home, her clothes, her food.”
“Her servants,” Shaw added.
Merrill nodded and leaned both forearms on the table. “What would you do to gain your freedom if someone held you against your will?”
“Anything.”
“We both would. Anyone would.”
Shaw breathed deeply and slowly released it. “I blamed her for something that isna her fault.”
“That doesna matter now. Like I said, we have the upper hand.”
Shaw let his gaze move slowly around the pub. He recognized several from before. There were a couple of new faces, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention. “Someone can discern magic. That means we need to be careful.”
“Cullen and Tamlyn have already been warned. Let’s just hope that no children are set to be killed while we’re here. Cullen will have a hell of a time keeping Tamlyn out of the city.”
“He needs to tell us if that happens. We’ll rescue them.”
