that…” He paused and smiled. He placed a gentle kiss to her cheek before he whispered, “Everyone has a price.”
2
“Lord Cardinal, to what do we owe the honor?”
Oh, thank you, Hera. Thank you! Hope was trembling. She was pressed back to the column. It was as escapable as the man in front of her and about as solid. She could feel him, and the sensation of his hot breath against her cheek was making it hard to think straight.
The words he had been saying to her made no sense. His actions made no sense. But he was called a madman for a reason.
“Mother Arkhiereus, what a pleasure.” Nero pushed away from her to face the voice she recognized. Hope gasped to fill her lungs with air. It was a desperate relief. “I was conversing with your lovely priestess here. She was helping me pray.”
“As I see. Hope is one of our most devout. I trust her…assistance was to your liking?”
“Very much so. I fear, though, that my prayers were interrupted.”
There was so much innuendo in his words that she felt warmth creep over her cheeks again. She pulled her hood back up over her hair and wished she could hide behind the column. “Mother Arkhiereus, forgive me, the Cardinal was—”
“Being very bold in his prayers, I know. It is all right, Hope. The South Wind is a very brazen man, after all.”
That is to put it mildly. She kept her head lowered. If she could sink into the floor itself, she would. She wished she could retreat, but she would be expected to stand and attend the high priestess.
The Mother Arkhiereus continued to speak. Firm, but affable. It was her skill. “My lord Cardinal, I am sorry that I did not know you were coming. If I had been alerted that you would be here, I would have closed the temple to all but you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Nero responded, clearly amused. “If you had, then Ms. Hope wouldn’t have come over to scold me for my loud and foul language. Then I never would have met her, and what a travesty that would have been. The fates have been kind to me this day.”
“I am happy to hear that, Cardinal. Is there anything else to which we can be of service?”
“As a matter of fact, yes. I do think there is. Is there somewhere we may speak in private?”
This does not bode well. This does not bode well at all. Hope chewed her lip, twisting the silk of her robe in her fingers.
“Of course. Come with me. Hope, you are dismissed to your quarters.”
“Yes, Mother Arkhiereus.” She bowed toward them.
With the rustle of fabric, Hope knew the woman had turned to walk away from them. With the sound of expensive shoes on marble floor, Nero went with her.
She let out a wavering breath.
At least he was gone.
But something told her it wasn’t the end of her problems.
Something told her it was only the beginning.
“You did what?” Kema put her hand over her eyes. “Tell me you’re kidding, Nero. Tell me you’re teasing me again.”
“What? Why in the seven hells are you mad at me this time?”
“I could slap you.” Kema levied her best glare at the South Wind. It was a practiced skill at this point. She had to use it on a daily basis.
“She beat you to it. Twice.” Nero flashed her a playful smile as he leaned back in his lounge. He reached over to grab a bunch of grapes from a hammered copper bowl that sat in the center of the large, low coffee table. The lounge was designed to be draped on sideways, and he did so happily.
He looked every inch like the cat who ate the canary as he plucked the grapes off the stems one by one and popped them into his mouth.
“Tell me you didn’t use your eye on the old lady. Tell me you didn’t.”
“I wouldn’t sink that low! Kema, after all these years, you think I’d go that far as to hypnotize a High Arkhiereus? No, I paid for her in cold, hard gold.”
Kema kept glaring. “You bought her? A priestess? And for what? What’re we going to do with a second-rate—”
“Second rank.” He sniffed. “Third, actually. Wait.” He counted out on his hand. “White, red, blue—no, right on the first try. Second rank. First-rate tits, though.” He popped another grape into his mouth. “Didn’t see her ass yet.”
“Nero.” Kema groaned and ran her hands through her short dark hair.