Page 80 of Caroline the Cruel
When they entered the hall outside her room, Jaden offered Caroline his arm. She reached out to take it and when her fingers wrapped around his bicep, his other hand clamped on hers, pinning it there. He looked down to her, brow furrowed in as much seriousness a twenty-five-year-old playboy could muster, and said, “If we walk in there like this, you know what it means, don’t you Caroline?”
She swallowed down a lump in her throat and nodded. “We’re on each other’s team.”
“That’s right.” Jaden grinned, then they marched down the hallway arm-in-arm to make good on their unspoken agreement with the world.
Chapter 17
“Didn’tIcompelyouto jump off a building?” Caroline asked, watching the former king pour himself another glass of winter’s sin. The petitions had lasted until well after her normally scheduled dinner time and she had been hoping the cozy study in Kierengaard had been vacant so she could have a moment of quiet, but it seemed Hollis enjoyed the space as much as she did. And his presence held as much entertainment value as the book she’d been planning on reading.
“Surprisingly, you have not. And I think it’s because you fancy me,” Hollis said, letting his eyes rove over her fitted knit dress.
“Must have slipped my mind. It’s very morose to drink alone.”
“Well, lucky me, because here you are.” Sauntering toward her, Hollis pulled another glass from the bar cart and poured it to the rim, handing it to her. “Go ahead, since you can apparently handle your liquor.”
The tumbler was crystal and still had an “I” in filigree etched into its surface. Caroline ran her finger over the silver letter, her mind skipping to images of her husband—former husband. The thoughts were enough to make her take half the glass in a swallow.
Hollis eyed her with a look that suggested he wished he were the alcohol she was swallowing. The dumb smile spreading across his face sparked an idea. For the last month since she’d released him and exiled his brother, she’d been debating how to punish him for the wedge he’d helped drive between her and Breicher.
“I find you have a certain appeal.” Fluttering her lashes, she shot him a mockingly sweet smile. Hollis’s eyes brightened, as if he hadn’t assessed her expression as she’d intended. His arrogance was staggering even after everything that had transpired in the last few months.
The tufted navy leather creaked as Caroline draped herself across the couch in the center of the room in front of the roaring hearth, setting her half empty glass on the side table. Mistaking it as an invitation, Hollis took the other end, still gripping the bottle in one hand as he sat. “I figured as much,” he said, and Caroline choked at the gall of it.
“I see narcissism is a family trait, though yours seems to outdo Jaden and Breicher by a load. There, I guess you’ve found something you can be king of.Hollis the Ego King.”
“Oh, Caroline, I thought we were getting along much better. I’ve been helping with the petitions, contributing as you suggested.” Hollis paused as Caroline held her glass out to him, giving it a little shake. He refilled it, giving her a wary look. “I told you it’s incredibly strong, remember?”
Shrugging, she tossed the contents back, then held it out again, hiccupping.
“That bad, huh?” Hollis asked. When she didn’t respond, he refilled it, then his own. “Might as well join you.”
An hour later, the bottle was almost empty, and Hollis’s speech was relaxing.Perfect.
“You know what I fear, Hollis,” she swished a hand in the air, allowing her voice to show the effects of the excessive amount of winter’s sin she consumed. “Well, besides death of course.”
Hollis leaned forward, resting an elbow on the back of the couch. With his other hand, he absently toyed with the hem of her dress. “Tell me, Caroline.”
Cocking her head, Caroline said, “Wait,” then giggled. “S’not fair for me to tell you a secret and you not have to share, too.”
Hollis chuckled. “Well, that’s easy, beautiful. What scares me the most is you. Your turn.”
“Well, she said, twirling her hair. I hate spiders, but what I fear the most…” Hollis edged forward even closer. “Definitely snakes.”
Caroline crawled across the couch toward Hollis, like a friend might move in a treehouse when they were about to share a juicy secret. “We’re friends, right?”
He nodded, eyes insistent.”We’ve shared an entire bottle of winter’s sin, so I’d say it was official.” The expression on Hollis’s face was of a cat who’d given a mouse nowhere to run. He’d cornered her. Or he thought he had.
“I learned something else when I killed the Gods. It wasn’t just the rosenwood that could kill a Dallimore.”
Hollis sat engrossed. “Go on,” he urged.
“The leaves,” Caroline whispered. “They said if the dried leaves were ground up into a powder, it would be the same as poison.”
“It’s unbelievable no one tried that after all these years,” Hollis said.
“I know. And lucky for me, there aren’t any rosenwood trees left, so no more leaves.” Caroline hiccupped again for effect as she set the trap. Pushing to her feet, she stumbled, knocking her shin on the center table. Shit. She should have healed more of the alcohol from her system before she tried to walk. Flee really. Hollis looked like he was moments from kissing her and that sent a series of cramps to her stomach, or it was the winter’s sin.
As Caroline tottered from the room, she wondered how long it would take Hollis to strike.
