Page 80 of Between Two Kings

“You’re welcome.”

Still too formal. Tem hated it.

“We are exploring other options for income.”

“Such as?”

“The sea is not far away. I thought perhaps fishing.”

“Great,” said Tem. “Keep me updated.”

“I shall.”

She took another gulp of whiskey. There wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to make this conversation tolerable. Tem wished Leo didn’t look so good; it was distracting her.

“There is another matter we must discuss,” he said quickly, as if he wanted to pave over the awkwardness.

“Which is?”

“I assume you heard about the incident with the villagers.”

Tem nodded. She neglected to mention that she had been there.

“We’re attempting to uncover who was behind it.”

Again, Tem pursed her lips. She knew exactly who was behind it, and she would never tell. “Do you have any leads?”

“Not at the moment. But we are in the process of investigating.”

Tem didn’t bother asking what that process looked like. Instead, she made a mental note to tell Gabriel to be careful who he spoke to when he came to work in the castle.

“The villagers are angry, Tem,” Leo continued. “And starving. They blame me.”

Tem understood his position. It was complicated, like hers. “What do you want me to say, Leo?”

He sighed, his eyes drifting to the fireplace. He didn’t answer, and he didn’t have to. Nothing Tem could say would fix the situation. They were trapped, both of them, in the circumstances they had created. Tem stared at the fire too. The room was warm—almost uncomfortably so. It reminded Tem of her chambers in the caves. The thought only made her warmer. Every time she was alone with Leo, her basilisk side uncoiled itself, seeking his scent. It was becoming impossible to subdue it.

“My father denies it,” Leo said suddenly.

Tem looked over at him in surprise. “Denies what?”

“That he wrote the letter.”

It took Tem a moment to understand which letter he was talking about. Evelyn’s. “That’s…” Tem began but trailed off.

Her conversation with Evelyn loomed in the back of her mind, eating at her like acid. She couldn’t tell Leo that she agreed, that she doubted Evelyn’s story. She couldn’t tell him anything.

“Your father is a liar,” she finished firmly. “Of course he denies it.”

Darkness passed over Leo’s face. “He has no reason to lie about this.”

What was Tem supposed to say? She had no way to reassure him without lying. So she simply asked, “She came back for you, didn’t she?”

Leo shrugged, still staring at the fire. His pulse beat in his throat. “Maybe she thought it an opportune time to return.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know anymore,” he whispered.