Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117246 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Best to be blunt and strike to the heart of the matter. “You’ll have to excuse me if I’m baffled by your fascination with me.”
He leaned against his seat back, slow and deliberate, watching me. The old me would have squirmed under such scrutiny. Today’s me betrayed nothing. Probably nothing. Very little, anyway.
With his elbow supported on the arm of his chair, he reached up to rub two fingers over his lips. “I have a confession I’ve hoped to make for a while. Until yesterday, you weren’t ready. I’m not sure what carried you over the mental finish line, but I’m glad for it.”
“Don’t be so sure I’m ready now.” I had no idea where he was headed with this, but it couldn’t be good for me.
“I know you well. Before you arrived at Fort Bala, I was tasked with digging deep into your history. That isn’t something I’m normally assigned, but I did it. I dug. I meant it when I told you I’d read everything about your life.”
Okay, why would he admit this? “That doesn’t endear you to me.”
“There was a reason. Viscounts intercepted a message between two Soalians. In it, they discussed recruiting you. Cured wished to discover why.”
Shock punched me. He’d just, like, admitted it, verifying a portion of the Lemon Ade file. My head spun. There was no good reason for Cyrus to cop to this. It gave him no advantage that I could see.
“I see the wheels turning in your head,” he said with a half grin. “You think I plan to win you over and convince you to name names.”
“Do you?” A bitter twinge seeped into my voice.
“That’s merely a bonus. I admit, I’ve been intrigued by you from the start.”
Lie! “On day one, you disdained me.”
“You’ve mistaken interest and a lifetime of distrust for dislike. The moment I saw you, I realized I comprehended everything and nothing. Then you proved to be so much more than I expected. Brave. Kind. Resilient.”
Do not melt. Stay strong! “I wasn’t brave or resilient then.” I wasn’t even sure I qualified for either description now. Though, yes, I had improved by leaps and bounds.
“No matter how many times you fall, you rise. That takes an incredible amount of bravery and resilience.” He sipped from his glass, casual as could be as he battered my defenses. “I admire you.”
That couldn’t be true. It was a ploy, only a ploy. A way to do exactly as intended and win me over. “I don’t know what to say,” I admitted. Had no idea how to advance my own ploy in the face of his.
His gaze intensified, cranking up an invisible dial. Nearly breaking out in a sweat, I shifted in my seat. I’d agreed to share a meal with him to gain information, assuming I could control the tone of the interaction. A mistake. I’d never dealt with this Cyrus before. The seductive suitor.
“Since Shiloh’s death, I’ve come to accept three vital facts.” Voice as thick and smooth as honey, he said, “You don’t trust Cured, and you don’t trust me. But I want you anyway.”
Chapter Twenty
Do you not understand the power you wield?
—The Book of Soal 1.1.1.26
I shifted in my seat. Fiddled with my fork. Shook my head. Nothing changed the trumpet blast inside my head. I want you anyway.
I almost believed him. I yearned to believe him. But I wasn’t the same gullible girl anymore.
I was a woman determined . . . who still didn’t know how to play this. I could pretend to share his interest. Or pretend to pretend. No, wrong move. The situation was already complex. Adding in other intimacies might lead to my downfall. If I’d learned anything from him, it was to know my strengths and weaknesses and work accordingly.
“Let’s be clear. You’re saying you want to date me,” I managed to croak, buying time.
“Yes.” He set his glass aside. “For most of my life, I’ve been focused on preparation to rule Cured, a position I was born for. I know it with every fiber of my being. Then you came along and distracted me.”
“But that’s ridiculous.” This must be some kind of bold new strategy to upend my entire world before he pounced. “I’m no one special.”
His frown contained a gentle rebuke. “Your response is an insult to us both.”
I cringed and tried another route. “You’re seeing Countess Soti’s daughter.”
“I’m not. I dated her casually last year. Now our parents throw us together whenever possible.” Lowering his chin toward his sternum, he reminded me of a predator locking on its prey. “You don’t need to give me excuses or an answer. In fact, I’d like to provide you with a peek behind the curtain first. Grant you access to places necessary to gain the answers you seek. Consider it pre-dating that will lead to real dating.”