Page 32 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

And yet—watching her beam up at me—I was certain God had never made anything more beautiful.

SEVEN

PERHAPS SWAMP BARBIE HAS BRAINS

FREYA

Hollywood would have you believe there was no career more exhilarating than that of a spy. Perhaps only thieves were depicted as living more thrilling lives. But the reality? Surveillance, of any kind, involved an obscene amount of waiting for a whole lot of nothing. It was grueling work, because the instant you let your guard down, something always happened—and you’d miss your one window of opportunity.

Had my earlier incarnations mastered the art of scaling buildings and slipping through rooftops unseen? Yep. Were there few things more satisfying than scaring the absolute bejeezus out of an unsuspecting mark by appearing out of nowhere? Also yep. But what had truly made me good at this was my ability to sit, still as a statue, for as long as it took.

One of Reyna’s accounts had been emptied Monday morning, which had resulted in me being stationed here—watching the new bank where she’d tucked away a conspicuously placed safety deposit box after the thief drained her capital. The challenge, of course, was that I was new to town and wouldn’t have known innocent Aunt Patricia from our perp. Which is why Darius, Bellaton’s head of security and my second tentative friendship within the hierarchy, handed me an iced donut hole without taking his eyes off the rooftop across from us. We were perched atop the building opposite the bank for the third day in a row, casing the area.

We made a decent team, if I was honest. He wasn’t a man of many words—a lot like Ansel in that way—but he kept an astute watch on the roof’s vulnerabilities while I surveyed the street, and then we’d swap roles every thirty minutes to keep our eyes fresh. Just as we had for the last half a dozen hours.

“Do you think Reyna just needed us out of the house?” I said, making small talk, earning an uninterested grunt in response. “I mean it—this is a bit below your pay grade, don’t you think?”

“It would appear my queen believes this is precisely my pay grade,” he said flatly, keeping his gaze where it belonged.

Three air conditioners and one rooftop access point that could only lead to a stairwell. One fire escape zig-zagging across windows to the flat top. That was his assignment.

Mine was a bit more colorful—the street buzzing with well-dressed townsfolk dripping wealth in diamond rings and heavy gold chains. The whole place was a bit too picturesque for my liking. Like I’d stepped into some Stepford Wives fever dream.

“Right, but couldn’t she just be sending us out to get us out of her hair?”

“I don’t follow,” he groused, tone bored as he handed me another donut hole.

“She could be getting laid,” I suggested, fully expecting a glare from my companion, but only earning the slight twitch of his lips.

“She hasn’t had a caller in quite some time.”

“A caller,” I mocked, pursing my lips as I surveyed the mortals going about their day. Thirteen shops, fifteen doors, twenty-seven windows, all within my scope of vision.

“You take offense to the idea of courting?”

“Such formality for the twenty-first century.”

“The Commander prefers formality to the alternative.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” I deadpanned. Everything about Reyna Gwyne was formal—her clothes, her stance, her immovable posture, the composed way she delivered every lilted word. A thought occurred to me—not for the first time—and I tilted my head as I asked, “Who was Blaz’s father?”

“Pardon?” The feel of those evaluative eyes on the side of my face reminded me of Ansel, his scrutiny unsettlingly familiar.

“Miss Prim and Proper doesn’t seem like she’d take lovers casually.”

His focus returned to the building across from us. “She does not.”

“Did she have a mate?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“So she’s just as susceptible to the desires of the flesh as the rest of us.”

“She is part-human,” he pointed out flatly.

“And a tremendous fan of passing judgment.”

“I think if you slowed your own judgments to understand her story, you’d be surprised at the results you’d find.”