IP 01 - Assassin's Touch by Laurie London

Author:Laurie London [London, Laurie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: An Iron Portal Novella
Published: 2012-10-24T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Are all female Talents as sinister as you are, lass?” Rickert rubbed his ear as they entered the bedchamber several hours later.

Good, she was glad he still hurt. Served him right for pawing her like that in front of everyone. Next time, it wouldn’t be just his earlobe. “Only when provoked, but then I don’t know many other Talents, so I couldn’t tell you.”

“Aye, provoked. Just as I was.” He plopped onto the bed as if he planned to stay awhile.

“Excuse me? You were provoked? The only thing you were provoked by was your over-aggressive tendencies, that pea-brain between your legs, and your exhibitionist nature.” She didn’t want to think about how his defense of her at dinner made him even more enticing. And for God’s sake, if she had any sort of sense, she shouldn’t be thinking about—

He laughed and her face grew hotter. Flexing her fists open and closed, she wanted to throw something. Where were those candleholders, anyway?

“Ah, now that’s the reaction I’ve been itching for. That subservient behavior—although I appreciated your obedience at dinner—just doesn’t suit you.”

Obedience? The word stuck in her craw like a barbed thorn and she pointed toward the door. “Out. Am-scray. Get into your own room.”

Ignoring her, Rickert tried to pull off his boots, but his foot kept slipping from his knee. How many tankards of ale had he had?

Oh, for heaven’s sake. She grabbed the heel of one of his boots, yanked hard, then pulled off the other one. Marching across the floor, she threw them into the other room.

“You must admit, it worked,” he mused. “People began to relax after that.”

“Well, I’m so glad you chose to inform me of that important tidbit ahead of time. Do all men here act like testosterone-loaded teenagers?”

Without answering, he rose from the bed looking steadier than she expected, and opened the window. Cool night air filtered into the room. He stared into the darkness for a few moments, his hands braced on either side of the window frame, before he turned back to face her. “What do you mean, you’ve never met many other Talents before?”

She sat at the dressing table and fiddled with one of the small bottles lined up along the back. “My Talent was latent until last year, so it’s only been recently that I knew I had abilities.” She didn’t look up when he brushed past her.

“A year? You’ve been a soldier for only a year?” The sound his feet made on the creaky wood floor was surprisingly intimate.

“Yeah. Surprised?”

“Actually, no.” He poured himself a cup of water from a serving pitcher near the door. “It makes perfect sense. I should’ve guessed as much. You’re no soldier.”

She jerked her head up. That was something Smythe would’ve said. “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Bollocks. That sounded insulting, didn’t it? I’m sorry.” He rubbed his forehead and flashed her a rueful smile. “What I meant to say was that your eyes don’t have the dead look of a war-weary soldier.

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