Asshole lay there, his unblinking eyes staring at me. His features curled up into a smile of victory.
Yes, he might have failed in kidnapping us, and yes, he was now dead, but the effect he had on me, Cleb, Traes, and our futures was absolute.
I would bear this black mark on my conscience for the rest of my life.
But with him died my secret. My slave past.
No one ever needed to know the truth.
And yet, my stomach churned. Could I live the rest of my life without telling Traes the truth? Could I ever truly be happy knowing I had lied to him? That everything I’d done led to both me and Cleb getting kidnapped?
These were the very same thoughts that ran through my mind as we drew up to Traes’ house. Rich morning light kissed it, making it glow.
Warm and welcoming, and yet, might it mark the end of my time here?
The guards saw us coming and hurried down the steps to meet us. They took the arjaths by their harnesses and held them steady.
“Give them as many treats as they want,” Traes said, dismounting. “I owe them a debt I can never fully repay.”
Grinning broadly, the guards bowed and took the arjaths back to the stables.
Traes approached a second pair of guards that descended the house steps.
“Take fresh arjaths east,” he said. “Go to Quill’s house next door and tell him that in one of his dilapidated watchtowers, at the very top, he’ll find a dead body. It’s the kidnapper who took Bianca and Cleb. Have his men help you load the body onto a cart and bring him here. He may have been a criminal but no one deserves for their body to be eaten by rats.”
The guards saluted and took off.
I disagreed with his last statement. I thought Asshole deserved everything that came to him. I guess I was less forgiving than Traes. I wondered if he would be so understanding if he knew everything Asshole had done to me…
Traes carried Cleb and kissed me on the cheek. Then he led us inside the house.
We were met with applause as we entered. It began loud and then quietened when they saw Cleb in Traes’ arms. They were suddenly distraught.
“He’s fine,” Traes said. “He’s asleep.”
The servants sighed with relief. They shared grins and slapped each other on the back. We all shared in the immense sense of relief.
“I’m sorry we’re not wearing our uniforms, sir,” one of the servant cooks said. “We got up in the middle of the night.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Traes said. “I’m just pleased you all helped. We never would have found them without you.”
Praise was a rare thing in Traes household. They basked in its warm rays.
The servants eyed Waev with his shoulder bag, camouflage jacket, and hat. None of the servants had ever seen him dressed like that before. He held a secret, one that he’d kept very close to his chest ever since he’d been there.
And he wasn’t the only one.
“Would you like a cup of tea, sir?” Waev said to Traes.
And just like that, they reverted to their previous roles.
Traes braced Waev with a hand on his shoulder and nodded.
“Yes, my friend,” he said. “That would be wonderful.”
Waev clicked his heels and marched in the direction of the kitchen. He was hounded on all sides by the rest of the house staff, who would want to know the intricacies of how they managed to find Bianca and Cleb, and why he was wearing such unusual clothes.
No doubt he would tell them an altered version. I ought to know—I happened to know something about alternate versions.
Suddenly, Traes and I were alone. The entrance hall had never felt so large before.
“You should go upstairs and rest,” he said. “I’ll send for the doctor. When he gets here, he’ll go up to see you right away.”
“I’m fine,” I said. “Nothing a good bath and a long sleep won’t fix.”
Traes handed Cleb over to a thick shouldered guard.
“Give him a quick wash and put him to bed,” he said. “He needs his rest.”
“Yes, sir,” the guard said and carried him up the stairs.
Traes closed the space between us and took me in his arms. He held me close.
“Wait,” I said. “What about the servants?”
“I’ve decided to be open and honest about our relationship with them,” he said. “With everyone. I want you to be my lady.”
I wasn’t sure I heard him right.
“What?” I said.
“I want you to marry me,” he said. “I know it’s sudden but I can’t deny how I feel about you. Don’t you feel the same way?”
Yes, I did. With all my heart.
But there were too many lies between us, too much I hadn’t told him. Him saying this was like being hit by a freight train.
“Wait,” I said. “This is too fast. There are things about me you don’t know. Things you might not like—”
He took a step forward and placed his hands on my shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “Nothing else matters. Only that you and Cleb are safe. You bring out the best in me, bring out the best in Cleb. You are the missing piece in my life, and perhaps, with time, I can be the missing piece in yours.”
You already are.
“We don’t need to rush into anything,” he said. “We never need to feel forced to do anything we don’t want. Tonight, I almost lost you and Cleb. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I never want that to happen again. I want to keep you and him safe forever and always.”
The tears spilled from my eyes and down my cheeks. I wasn’t embarrassed or shy about showing them. The words he was saying, the way he was looking at me… it was what I always wanted to hear.
I was so happy.
And yet, I couldn’t stop thinking about the lies I’d told. I had a dirty black
