Threads of Desire (Spellcraft) - By Stone, Eleri Page 0,33
eyes. Her breasts were still scraped from the stubble on his jaw, but this man was a stranger.
The slight nod he gave her was hardly encouraging. Rael handed her the reins. “You’re certain you can handle her?”
“I rode often at University, and she seems a biddable enough creature.”
Rael smiled fondly. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she? I picked her out myself.”
“You did well then.”
A shadow flickered in his eyes and he glanced over at Kal. “He wanted you to have the best.”
They were off, passing through the dragon gates and into the street, moving in a little bubble of peace created by Kal’s guards. He’d had Rael purchase this horse for her? It was worth more than what he was paying her for the rug. She should have demanded more. An ugly thought, reminding her of why she’d come to him in the first place, whispering that this fantasy world he created for them with his wealth was a lie. They were too different. It couldn’t last.
The crowd surrounding them was dirty and loud, jarring after the silence and beauty of Kal’s home. This was where she truly belonged.
The grand estates gave way to the respectable homes of merchants, lined all in a row, neatly as boxes on a shelf. After a time, the streets narrowed. The leaning slums of her old neighborhood rose to either side, blocking out the sun. Kal’s gaze was fixed ahead, his expression remote. He hadn’t told her where they were going. There’d been something off about him all day...tighter, harder. When he’d taken her this morning, there’d been an intensity to him that had terrified her as much as it aroused.
She was anxious now.
She could smell the ocean, brine and fish. The warehouses were nearby, the brothels and the wharfs.
“It’s a rough neighborhood, but no one asks questions here.”
“Curiosity is a good way to get yourself dead here. I’m familiar with this place.”
His elegant fingers twitched on the reins and his horse lifted its head, snorting in annoyance. “I didn’t want scrutiny, you’ll understand. The building itself, well, I’ve done my best to make it as comfortable as possible.”
A cold suspicion gripped her.
“We had to reinforce the structure first,” he continued. “It’s perfectly sound now and there are guards, of course. It’s safe here despite the area.”
She nodded, searching his face.
“Are you sending me to a brothel?”
His nostrils flared and the blood drained from his face. “No.” The word choked him and he spat it out. “Do you...you don’t really think that I would do such a thing?”
“I don’t know where you’re taking me.”
He gave a tight nod. “I thought it would be better if you saw with your own eyes what I’ve...it doesn’t matter. Here, see for yourself. This is my building.”
It was a warehouse. The façade was worn and dingy and much of the plaster was cracked but unlike its neighbors, this structure stood straight and true. Still, it was a warehouse in the underside of the business district on the poorest side of town. She dismounted when he did, and when he offered her his hand, she took it. He tucked it against his arm and led her up the wide gritty stairs.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured. “There’s nothing to fear here.”
“So you say.”
“Trust me, Ily.” He paused at the door and looked down at her, expression grave. “I am trusting you.”
He opened the door and ushered her inside, through an empty foyer and up a short set of stairs. These stairs weren’t the main ones. They were tucked to one side like a servant’s entrance. She’d half-expected Kal to leave her there at the base and take the other set. The guard took up a position beside the door and when she glanced back, he was watching her soberly.
“What is this place?”
“Part what it seems,” he said. “This is where my merchandise comes from, mostly rugs and trinkets. Some small jewelry.”
“The other part?”
His hand settled comfortingly on the small of her back. Her body trusted him even as her mind was screaming out a warning. “Come, let me show you.”
He pushed through another door and immediately as they stepped inside the large brightly lit room, someone called out his name. A female someone, tall and beautiful. Another aristo by her dress, but perhaps she was only of a wealthy merchant family. Ily sized her up in an instant. The welcoming smile she directed at Kal. The suspicion that narrowed her eyes when they fixed on Ily.
Ily turned away, stiffening as she took