Nadyah glanced between the two of them. Bringing another into their circle would be a risk, but it had to happen at some point, may as well get it over with. “Is there a way to ensure this female’s absolute loyalty and discretion?” she asked, her voice sharper than she’d intended. “And this ‘team’ she will need, how do we keep them all from selling Nash’s tech to the highest bidder? Or the intel that Lina is the one who commissioned this work for a princess?”
Being suspicious was part of her job, and she could count on one hand the amount of people she trusted implicitly. It wasn’t likely Varan could promise none of the information would leak.
He flipped through the documents on his shreve and for a second Nadyah thought he was going to ignore her. That flash of rage inside eased when he said, “It is easy enough to make them sign contracts, parcel out the work so no one knows the whole plan except Roxy. You would have to bring her in to your circle,” Varan said. “If you’re really worried about it we can hire adequate grunts and then kill them all once the work is done.”
The nonchalant shrug, the lack of any emotion whatsoever about the prospect of killing so many people chilled Nadyah to the bone. It may become necessary but… “There has to be another way.”
Neither Varan nor Adelina replied.
Adelina looked thoughtful, not disgusted or horrified. Her princess had changed so much from the meek female she used to be, Nadyah didn’t always realize how much. Would Adelina put hundreds of people to death to keep a secret?
“If we keep the intel parceled out we should be fine, but I want your spies to keep an eye on them. I suppose I should meet them as well.” Adelina smirked. “I don’t think we’ll need to kill them all, but I appreciate the offer.”
Nadyah breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment she hadn’t been sure what Adelina would say. “Can we meet this mechanic now?” Nadyah asked.
Varan gave her a flashy grin. “I’ll send Roxy a cast.” Adelina lounged on the chair as Varan got out the liquor from his desk. “I have a feeling we’ll need this,” he said, pouring four glasses of his famous winterflower liquor. The sweet, spicy scent filled the air and Nadyah’s mouth watered.
She took the glass he handed her and watched as Varan gave Adelina hers. The smell of the liquor reminded her so much of Varan’s personal scent she wondered if licking the sweat from his skin would taste similar to the burning liquid on her tongue.
A few moments later there was a knock on the door and Varan crossed the room in two strides. “Hello Roxy, thank you for coming up so quickly.”
The female just snorted in response.
Maybe Nadyah would like her after all. Adelina gave her a look as though she agreed, a playful smile tugged on her lips but it was still a bit sharper than normal.
“What do you want Varan?” she demanded, her voice was husky and warm, a tad deeper than Nadyah’s own.
She tried to crane her neck to see around Varan, but he stubbornly blocked the doorway.
“I have a possible job for you if you’re interested, but there’s someone you need to meet first.”
Roxy shoved Varan out of the way.
Nadyah couldn’t help her choked laughter from escaping. Oh, she would definitely like this one.
The female was about the same height as Nadyah, if a little shorter and with so much fiery red hair that washing it had to be a nightmare. The curls were bouncy and thick, a beautiful mess that set off the freckles across her nose quite nicely. Nadyah hadn’t seen many people with that coloring, and only Lady Joslynn had hair so intensely red. The only difference was her dusky brown skin. It was as if Roxy were a living flame.
There wasn’t an accent so perhaps the girl had immigrated from Pedranus or her parents had at some point.
Those sharp green eyes flicked to Nadyah first and then Adelina. They were the color of malachite, of a beautiful pond or lake against white stone. Those full lips pursed when she recognized Lina. “I’ve met your thief before,” she snapped.
The temper on that one fueled a never-ending fire by the way her eyes simply blazed.
Roxy crossed her arms over a very full chest and glared at Varan. Her pants were a moss green, slung low on her waist and baggy, barely held up with the black belt. The boots she wore were similar to the ones Nadyah had borrowed from Adelina, but they looked well-worn with stains on the black leather.
What caught Nadyah’s eyes though was the shirt she wore. It was spidersilk with billowy sleeves that went to bands on her wrists. The black was see-through except for the black camisole underneath. Gold shimmered from multiple piercings in her ear and a gold choker necklace held a green stone in the hollow of her throat. It was such a contrast of lazy, messy comfort and femininity that it had Nadyah openly staring, holding her breath as she waited for what would happen next.
“Yes, but she is the one with the job,” Varan said, gently steering the female towards them. He pushed her into one of his armchairs and placed the glass of winterflower liquor in her hand. Then he leaned against his desk once more and waved a hand as if to say they may begin.
Adelina rolled her eyes, but didn’t bother sitting up straight. Instead she downed the rest of the liquor and leaned forward to set the glass on the low table before them. “Who’s your favorite royal?” Adelina asked innocently, gossiping about the royal family like any other citizen.
Roxy crossed her arms. “I hate them all.”
Nadyah’s brows rose and she turned to Varan. He just smiled. He’d known and he still brought this bitch to talk to the princess. Every muscle in her body yanked against her leash of control, demanding she stalk across the room and slap that smirk off Varan’s face.
Roxy only had more unpleasant things to say, and Nadyah almost felt sorry for her. “They’re all spoiled and have no clue about what life is really like for their citizens,” Roxy went on. “If I could, I would give them a piece of my mind.” She sipped casually from the glass, with no idea who she was speaking to, peacefully ignorant.
“Well, here’s your chance,” Adelina said, that wolfish grin back on her face and Nadyah stilled when she saw it. Her princess dropped the disguise program and flashed her gold palm in a small wave. “Give me a piece of your mind, Roxy.”
Glass shattered against the floor and Nadyah sighed in exasperation. Varan could be so dramatic.
Chapter Eleven
Varan
Ladrole
Stella di Draga
Planet Draga Terra
The courtesan gave Varan a long-suffering look and Roxy was so very pale under those gorgeous freckles. Surprisingly Adelina remained as cool as the night, smiling as she waited for a response.
Varan chuckled. He loved riling up the females in his life. They were all so hot-tempered it took almost nothing to do so. The look of utter horror on Roxy’s face was worth it, the perfect payback for insinuating earlier that he had no idea how to handle females, in bed or out.