West went still beside me, the tension rolling off him in the deafening silence. Clove, too, watched me. But my attention was on Holland. My eyes narrowed, my lips parting as I tried to peel back the words. “You don’t even know me.”
She gave me an approving smile. “I want to change that.”
“I don’t need an empire. I have a life and a crew. In the Narrows.” The words stung as I spoke them. I was so desperate to get back to the Marigold that I could feel the tears threatening to rise.
“The offer isn’t just for you.” She looked to West. “I’d like you to consider coming onto my fleet.”
“No.” West spoke his answer so quickly that Holland had barely finished when he opened his mouth.
“You’re not even going to hear me out?”
“No, I’m not,” he said, unblinking.
She didn’t look amused anymore. She looked angry. I took an involuntary step closer to West and she noticed, looking between the two of us. I’d given too much away.
“I’d like you to take an evening to think about my offer. If you still don’t want it by the time the sun rises, you’re free to go.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, watching the sharp spark of light in her eye. In only a night I’d learned more about my mother than I had in my entire life. Saint wasn’t the only one with secrets, and I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.
If Holland was telling the truth about Isolde, then she was a thief. A liar. She’d never told me about my grandmother in the Unnamed Sea or the single most important gem discovery she was responsible for. But there were some things about my mother I knew were true. Things I trusted. If she destroyed the only chance Holland had at pushing into the Narrows, she had a reason.
And there was more going on here than Holland was showing us. Taking out Zola and Saint wasn’t just revenge. It was strategy. They were the two most powerful traders, both posted from Ceros. She was clearing the playing field before she made her move with the Council.
Saint wasn’t the only one working a long game.
EIGHTEEN
Holland’s man led us back up the staircase, and I ran a hand along the banister, looking up to the window-paned skylight above us. Dust glinted off the glass like the facets of a gem.
“Fable.” West’s voice made me blink. He stood at the end of the corridor with Clove, his face cut sharp with apprehension.
My fingers slipped from the bannister and I curled them into a fist. He waited for me to step inside the room and closed the door behind us, leaving Clove outside.
I searched the table for a match and lit the candles. Through the window, I could see the sun setting beyond the horizon. When it rose again, we’d be on our way to the harbor.
“Are you going to take it?” West’s words filled the quiet.
My stomach dropped as I looked up at him, the smoking match still in my hand. He was shut up tight, the hardness in him showing. “What?”
“Are you going to take the offer from Holland?”
I turned to face him. “Are you really asking me that?”
But he didn’t hold my gaze. His eyes dropped to the floor between us. “I am.”
I caught the crook of his arm and waited for him to look at me. “I told her I didn’t want it.”
The look of relief on his face was more obvious than I knew he wanted it to be. But he didn’t appear to be convinced.
“You can’t trust her, Fable,” he breathed. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take her offer.”
“You sound like you want me to take it.” I sank into the chair beside the window. “What is it?” I asked softly.
He was unreadable, silent for a long moment before he finally answered. “We need to talk.”
But I wasn’t sure I was ready for what he might say. “We don’t have to.”
“Yes, we do.”
“West—”
“We should talk about it before you decide.”
“I told you. I’ve already decided,” I said again.
“You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say.”
My pulse beat under my skin rapidly, my mind racing. I wasn’t sure why I suddenly felt afraid of him. Since the moment Saint told me West wasn’t who I thought he was, I’d been holding my breath. Waiting to see where the break would be between us. Maybe this was it.