Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,82
in many respects of Roark.
The duke opened the door to a glassed room full of plants. So many varieties that she might have been more impressed if she’d not been living in the Marshes. She recognized many of the blooms. Some were native to Emerald.
She released the duke’s arm to give herself space to observe and react if needed.
The duke did nothing, almost as if he waited. Sure enough, Roark walked in a moment later, the picture of insouciance, hands in his pockets.
“Duke Aqunium, such a pleasure to see you.”
“We both know that’s a lie,” the duke replied dryly. He crossed his arms, a man a bit past his prime but not giving in to age. “You have a lot of nerve showing your face here.”
Casey remarked, “You have a lot of nerve coming after him and his daughter.”
“Don’t you mean my granddaughter,” the duke sneered.
“You are welcome to visit her in Eden any time you like,” Roark stated.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Killing me won’t give you a real title.”
Roark snorted. “I don’t want one of your titles. I already have one. What I do want is for the attacks to stop.”
“So the reports I’ve heard about assassins are true?” The duke appeared quite happy about it.
“As if you don’t know. You hired them,” Roark boldly stated, and she had to wonder if he read the duke’s mind or was bluffing.
“You think I’d waste money or time on you?” The tone of the duke’s reply left no doubt about that.
“You might for revenge,” Casey said, watching the duke’s expression.
“For what? Killing Theona?” The duke laughed. Hard and long. “On the contrary, I should thank you. When she found out I was considering her brothers to be my heirs, the little traitor ran to your Marsh city thinking she could use it as a power base to take me down. Your removal of her solved a problem for me.”
“So you held off coming after Roark until you ran out of heirs. With no one left to leave your legacy to, you decided to go after Charlotte,” Casey ventured, only to receive another negative.
“You need better informants, it would seem. I have an heir. Not to mention I’m not planning on dying anytime soon.”
“Since when?” Casey blurted out.
“Since two years ago,” the duke replied. “I’ve kept it quiet for the moment given the number of enemies I have. I lost two sons already.”
“They were killed?” Roark asked. “I thought they went mad.”
“They did and suddenly. No marsh fever. No warning signs. From sane to rabid in the space of a moment.” The duke looked sad, and she almost felt pity for him until he said, “They were obviously too weak.”
“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” Casey said, not willing to let him go as a suspect.
“Why would I lie?” the duke said.
“So I don’t kill you right now,” Roark stated, looking at ease, but she could sense the rising tension in the air, almost see the dark miasma of his power spreading like a living cloak.
The duke’s lips flattened. “I have no quarrel with the king of the Marsh.”
Roark suddenly went still. “Are you acknowledging my reign?”
“As a matter of fact, I am. When King Du’mer dies—”
“Don’t you mean if?” Roark taunted.
“When the king dies,” the duke reiterated, “once I am crowned, I will recognize your claim.”
“In return, what do you want?”
“No war.” The duke presented a cold smile. “I have all the lands here I need. Keep your Marshes. I have no use for them.”
“I’ll want that in writing along with trade and tariff agreements.”
She blinked at them both. “Did you just broker peace between your kingdoms?”
“We did.”
“Just like that?”
The duke appeared amused. “Exactly what did you expect? Civilized places know how to use discussion to get things accomplished. Given that we’ve completed our business, if you don’t mind, I should return to my guests.” The man left, and she gaped at Roark.
“What just happened?”
“We ruled out a suspect and just made the life of Marshlanders a little bit better.”
“Then why do you seem keyed up?” she asked.
“Because this deal is only good with the duke. If the king dies and someone else takes his spot, there are no guarantees.”
“I’d be more concerned with the reason we came here in the first place. Are you sure he’s not the one going after you?”
“He dropped his shields enough for me to get a peek inside his head. I saw a great many vile things, including his part in the