“Magic,” Daisy purrs.
The way she says it, my entire being goes on alert. There is something bigger here, something that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s there, just beneath the surface.
I don’t know what it is, but it’s there and it’s not good. I’m not sure that it’s pure evil, but I know that it isn’t honest or kind. It all seems a bit mischievous, sneaky, and maybe even a bit devious.
“And what are you going to do to fix this?” Bessie demands.
Daisy doesn’t say anything immediately. She seems to want to take her time with everything that she says in response to Bessie and I’m not sure why. I cannot get a read on her, not even when I’m inside of her own head.
“I’m going to wait for Logan to send a missive, then I’m going to go to the city.”
“Because you want him or because you’re going to help me?” Bessie asks on a laugh.
“Both,” Daisy responds quickly. “He’s exactly what I want and I will have him. Plus, the Assembly needs information and he’s on to them. Logan wants to make sure he doesn’t get discovered. He’s trying to give him just enough information to appear loyal.”
Bessie nods her head a couple of times. “Whoever she is, she’s appeared and there is something off about her. He’s suddenly changed and he is attached to her.”
Daisy giggles. “He may feel like that in this moment, but as soon as I get him alone, he won’t. It’s too hard with that maid there and all of the men, but once they’re in the city, I’ll be able to slip in and do everything that I need to. Don’t worry, Bessie. I’ll take care of everything and you’ll be in control of Devilrise before too long.”
“Good,” Bessie says with a nod.
“Birdie,” a voice calls out.
My entire body jerks and my eyes open wide. Turning my head to the side, I see Martha standing next to me, a tray in her hand.
“Dinner. Colt wanted you to get started. He said he would be late and meet you up here when he was able.”
Pushing myself up to a seated position, I make sure to arrange my sheet over my still naked breasts.
“A bath will be here shortly as well,” Martha announces.
“I went to the brothel,” I whisper.
Martha’s eyes widen as she places the tray on my lap. “Birdie,” she breathes.
“They’re plotting against Colt. Bessie wants control and she’s trying to use Daisy to get it, there’s something else and I don’t know how to tell him.”
Martha holds up her hand, shaking her head a couple of times. “Don’t say a word to me,” she warns. “Tell only Colt.”
“Why?” I ask.
She clears her throat. “Because whatever it is, it is only for his ears. If he cannot trust someone in his inner circle, then that could mean me as well. You’re his wife and he needs to be able to trust you implicitly.”
“He’s not going to believe me. I’m worried that this could ruin what little trust and love that we have,” I admit on an exhale.
Martha shakes her head. “He is quick to anger, but Colt is not only headstrong, he is intelligent. Probably the smartest man that I know. If you tell him, even if he doesn’t believe you at first, he will figure it out. Have patience.”
“It seems I’m being told that I need to have patience with him often,” I grumble.
Martha takes a step backward, toward the door, a smile playing on her lips. “That isn’t common in your world? A woman needing more patience than a man?” she asks, arching a brow.
Thinking back to just my parents, excluding any relationship that I’ve personally been in, I know that she’s right. My mother has the patience of a saint sometimes. Though my father isn’t without the quality himself.
“I think it can be pretty equal,” I admit.
Martha grins. “Eventually, it will become this way. Right now, you need to have more.”
She turns around and walks away without another word. Then, the room fills up with boys carrying my tub, then filling it with water. I snack on the dinner until they’re finished, then I make my way into the tub and moan as I sink down into the warm water.
Just as the warmth envelops me, the door opens. Turning my head, I smile at the sight of Colt standing at the entrance of the bedroom, his eyes darkening and a look of extreme starvation crossing his features.
COLT
My entire body freezes in its place at the sight of my wife in the bath. Her hair is up and off of her neck in a pile at the top of her head. I can see her bare shoulders, but everything else is hidden by the side of the tub. She looks over to me, her eyes wide and just as she did the moment I first laid eyes on her, she takes my breath away.
“You’ve talked to Logan?” she asks.
Something in the way she asks the question causes me to pause and watch her for another moment. She knows something, I’m not quite sure what, but there is something she isn’t telling me.
Instead of demanding answers, I begin to strip out of my clothes. Kicking off my boots, I leave them in the middle of the floor, then undress out of all of my clothes until I’m completely bare. Birdie’s eyes widen as she watches me, her tongue peeks out and she tastes her lips as I slowly stalk toward her.
“Scoot,” I demand.
Climbing into the small tub behind her, I spread my thighs and pull her back against my front. “Colt,” she breathes.
There is a flash in the sky outside and I wonder if she’s upset. Her body trembles slightly against me, but I don’t demand she speak. Instead, I wait for her to explain to me what she’s thinking, because there is something going on in her head, it’s right there on the edge
