Shadow's End (Elder Races #9)

It wouldn’t have taken much. And Linwe, the gods love her passionate heart, would have thrown herself at the assignment wholeheartedly.

When the tea tray arrived, Vilael set it on the antique desk. He gave her a small bow. “I put a few small cakes on the tray, in case you might be hungry, my lady. I know you didn’t have any supper, but I thought you might like something to nibble on.”

“Thank you.” She waited for him to leave. Then she turned to Linwe. “You’ve been with me all day, and you must be tired too. Don’t bother with the rest of the clothes.”

“It’s no trouble,” Linwe said with a quick smile.

“It is for me,” Bel said quietly. “I’m tired and ready to be alone. Just because I chose not to go down to supper doesn’t mean you should skip a meal. Go get a bite to eat, and unpack your own suitcase. I’ll take care of the rest of my things, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Linwe’s shoulders drooped. “Yes, ma’am.”

She knew the younger Elf loved her and meant no harm. Bel touched her shoulder as she walked past, and the small gesture lifted Linwe’s head. Giving Bel a grateful look, she slipped out and shut the door quietly behind her.

Finally, finally Bel was alone. She stretched the stiff muscles in her neck and surreptitiously looked around her bedroom.

Handpicked antiques from all over the world decorated the room, and luxurious bedding adorned her bed. Everything about the room was designed to bring the occupant pleasure and relaxation, but for once, she couldn’t enjoy the décor.

She looked carefully at the wainscoting and crown molding in the corners of the ceiling.

Are there any hidden cameras? she wondered. How am I being watched?

Because she knew she was being watched. Somehow.

Since she didn’t know how, or from what angle, she still didn’t feel secure enough to pull out her cell phone to text Graydon. Perhaps she could slip outside to the gardens and text from there, but she needed for everything she did, every move she made, every expression on her face, to appear entirely normal.

She looked at the tray of food. Could she eat the food? How paranoid should she be?

It wouldn’t be poisoned. She was certain of that. Not with anything lethal.

But what if a sedative had been slipped into the tea, or baked into the delicious cakes?

Again, it wouldn’t take much, just something innocuous. And it could have been presented in such a way to well-meaning attendants that it would help her relax . . . while the drug would also keep her docile and compliant.

She felt like she was building a conspiracy from nothing. There was no basis for any of her fears, and yet, it was all entirely possible. It could all be true.

Bel, Graydon’s deep, gentle voice sounded in her head. Are you all right?

Despite her best intentions to remain as normal-looking as possible, she startled. There was no way to recover from that, so she didn’t even try.

She walked into her bathroom to splash water on her face and drink fresh water from the running faucet.

She said to Graydon, You nearly gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here? Where on earth are you?

I’m in the air, circling your building.

She couldn’t imagine the kind of tight maneuvering he had to be doing in order to fly close enough so that he could telepathize with her without setting foot on either the roof or the grounds.

Leaning her elbows on the edges of the sink, she hung her head. I hope you’re cloaking yourself hard.

I am, don’t worry. Why are you here at the Elven residence? Why didn’t you go to the hotel like we had planned, and why haven’t you gotten in touch?

Things didn’t go quite the way we planned. Taking her time, she dried her face and hands on a towel. The possibility that she was being surveilled even in her own bathroom sent a burst of rage through her. Her hands clenched in the towel. Ferion insisted on coming with me to New York, and this is literally the first moment I’ve had to myself since I got back to the Elven abode this morning. Graydon, I feel like I’m going crazy. I think I’m being watched, but I’m not sure. Everybody has been hovering around me.

There was a pause. Just when she had started to think that he had left telepathic range, he said, You should trust your gut. If you think you’re being watched, you probably are. This is going to be more complicated than we had expected.

Yes. I don’t know if Ferion is acting out of concern, or if something else—someone else—is driving him to do all this. Gray, I can’t read him anymore, and it might have been out of character enough for me to want to come to New York to spark some kind of trigger.

It didn’t help that she hadn’t gotten any sleep since she had first awakened in the early hours of the morning. She was exhausted and not at all convinced she was thinking clearly.