It didn’t take long for Circe to find her release, thank the gods. Kieran took her to her stomach, driving into her, and I knew how hard he could fuck—something Circe very noisily approved of. By the time he found his release, I had a feeling she would find herself comparing every future lover to him.
My eyes drifted shut as they disentangled themselves and rose from the bed. Kieran whispered something that made her giggle. The soft click of the door closing announced her departure.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” I asked.
“What do you think?”
I grinned, opening my eyes. “Actually, I’m glad you had company tonight. You could use the practice.”
Kieran snorted as he dipped a cloth into a basin of water. “You feeling okay?”
“Of course.” I took a drink of the whiskey. “Why do you ask?”
“You’re sitting over there with a hard dick,” he pointed out, drawing the wet cloth over his. “By choice.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Not like I haven’t chosen more disconcerting things in the past.”
“True.” He tossed the cloth aside. “Got an update for me?”
“I do,” I said, filling him in on what had occurred, which wasn’t of much interest to him until I got to the part about what I planned to do to the Duke.
“You cannot kill the Duke,” Kieran said, dressing as he joined me.
“Oh, I’m going to kill him.” I straightened my leg. “There’s no way around that.” And if I had the time and opportunity, Lord Mazeen was another dead motherfucker.
So was that damn Priestess.
And I couldn’t forget Lieutenant Smyth.
There would be a bloodbath.
“When the Craven attacked the Rise, she was out there,” I told him, and he did a double-take. “She kept her identity hidden, but she saved guards that night. She’s damn good with a bow and arrow and likely just as skilled with a dagger. She’s a fighter, Kieran. You know what that means for her to have taken what the Duke has been doing to her? To not be able to stop him?”
“Hawke—”
“He has been caning her, Kieran,” I cut him off, anger pulsing through me, chasing away the last of the strange feelings of peace. “And only the gods know what else. He must die. Maiden or not, what is being done to her is inexcusable.”
His jaw tightened. “I’m not down with anyone being abused, but what you’re talking about is revenge.”
“And?”
Kieran’s stare met mine. “That’s not the same as stopping an abuser.”
“Seems like the exact same thing to me.”
“One is an act to protect another,” he countered. “The other makes it about you.”
“And those two things cannot be true at the same time?” I asked, letting out a harsh laugh. “Because they are.”
“I didn’t say they couldn’t be.”
“Then what are you saying?”
For several moments, there were only the muted cries of passion from an adjoining chamber, and then Kieran said, “You care about her.”
“What?” My booted foot slipped from the low table and landed near the canvas sack I’d filled with clothing for Poppy that I was about ninety percent confident would fit. Pants. Sweater. A cloak. Kieran would take it with him when he left, as it would be less suspicious than me running around with it the night of the Rite. “You need to say that again because, surely, I didn’t hear you right.”
“You heard me right.” Kieran crossed his arms.
For a moment, all I could do was stare at him, wondering if he had suffered some sort of ailment of the mind. “Then that is a ridiculous question.”
“It wasn’t a question,” he said. “It was a statement. You must care about someone to want revenge for the harm done to them.”
Was that true? I didn’t think so. Not in every case. Not in this case.
“And honestly, I’m not all that surprised. You’re forced to spend a lot of time with her. To protect her,” he continued. “I suppose it’s only natural that you would develop some sort of feelings for her.”
“The Duke’s soon-to-be death has very little to do with her or any perceived feelings and everything to do with him. Because if he’s doing this to her? He’s doing it to others. I’m not going to leave here and allow that, and I know damn well you wouldn’t want him able to continue harming others, either.” I searched his gaze. “The plans haven’t changed, Kieran. The Rite will happen. The Descenters will make their move, and I will take her. None of that has changed.”
Kieran stared, inhaling roughly through his nose. “Glad to hear it.”
My brow pinched. “Did you think it had?”
“I don’t know.” His stare fixed on the unlit fireplace. A couple of moments passed. “Have I told you what a bad idea this whole plan of yours is?”
A grin tugged at my lips. “You have. Many times.”
“Have I told you that I think it’s a colossal mistake, then?” he asked.
“You’ve said it’s an enormous mistake. I also believe you’ve called it gargantuan in the past. Mammoth another time,” I reminded him. The expression etched into his face was something I’d seen a million times. It was the one that warned he was on the verge of a lecture that would make his father proud. “At this point, you’ve got to be running out of adjectives.”
“I have a whole list stored up, starting with humongous.”
I laughed. “You’re starting to remind me of Emil, you know.”
Kieran snorted. “Unlikely.” His pale blue gaze turned serious. “You’re not going to be swayed about this whole Duke thing, are you?”
“No.” I figured it was best to keep the others I wanted dead to myself. “I believe he will be an unfortunate victim of the attack the night of the Rite.”
He squinted. “The Descenters won’t be laying siege to the castle.”
“No, but I will make it look like at least one managed to infiltrate,” I said. “Either way, we will be gone, so it matters little.”
The pinch of his brow said that it still mattered. “How the fuck did the Maiden learn how to use a bow?”
“That’s not all she can do. She can also fight hand-to-hand. She almost took my ass down.”
“Well, I want to know more about that.”
A dry laugh left me. “It’s not as interesting as you think.”
“Disagree,” he murmured.
“I think it was her other guard. Vikter,” I answered his question. “He must have trained her.”
“That is unexpected, and a potential problem down the road.”
I sighed, looking at my empty hand. “Don’t I know it?”
A heartbeat passed. “Caning her?”
Anger simmered in my gut as I nodded.
“Fucking gods.” His eyes, a brighter shade of blue now, met mine. “Make it hurt.”
“I plan to.”
“Good.” He scratched his jaw. “I cannot wait to be free of this cesspool.”
“You and me both,” I said, and we would be. Soon. Our plan would work.