Baron of Hearts (Master of Monsters Book 2)

by Hadley, Stephen L.

  To his credit, Nicolo did not join the fray. He crouched atop his small platform and watched the chaos with undisguised satisfaction. Only when the watchmen began to push through the few remaining holdouts did he descend, vanishing effortlessly into the crowd of frightened pedestrians.

  That was Leo’s cue. He pushed forward, hoping to spot Nicolo among the masses and pull the man aside. Unfortunately, Nicolo had done his job too well, and Leo could find no sign of him. And, as he reached the speaking platform, he sighed in frustration.

  Few people remained, only a dozen or so watchmen, and an equal number from the former crowd. Most of these lay groaning on the ground, subdued by or struggling with their opponents. Here and there, a few dribbles of bright red blood stained the cobblestones. Still standing at the doorway to his office, Jaime Olden regarded the entire scene with equal parts disgust and worry.

  And then, Olden spotted him. Leo grinned as the man’s face showed briefly with shock, then darkened with rage. The alderman shouted something, gesturing wildly in Leo’s direction. At first, one of the watchmen seemed ready to do something. He hurried in Leo’s direction, then paused at the sight of his clothes and companions. Swallowing visibly, the man turned away and busied himself assisting one of his comrades.

  His grin growing into an outright smirk, Leo made his way through the remains of the crowd. He could feel Karran and Sann tense on either side of him, but none of the watchmen were foolish enough to try anything. They shied away from him, pretending not to notice his presence.

  “Well,” Leo said loudly. “Is this what I can expect from your next term, alderman?”

  “Get out of here, Baron,” Olden snapped. “Or I’ll see the Watch arrests you too.”

  “They seem a little busy at the moment,” Leo said. He glanced around, shrugging. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”

  “Count Terras will hear of this!”

  “I certainly hope so!” Leo said with a laugh. “Otherwise, what was the point? Honestly, you should be hoping he doesn’t hear about it. I doubt he’ll take kindly to your starting a riot in his district.”

  “It was your slaver bastard who started it.”

  “Oh, was that what I heard?” Leo laughed again, donning the most vindictive grin he could. “All I heard was the sound of hundreds of votes flying away. My mistake, I suppose.”

  To his surprise, Olden stalked forward. He kept his gaze locked on Leo the entire time, though he seemed incapable of ignoring Karran and Sann completely. He stopped short, just out of reach of the two females’ claws.

  “You’re going to pay for this, Lord Pervert,” Olden growled.

  Rather than retort, Leo simply bowed, deeply and elegantly.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I can afford it.”

  ***

  It was hard for Leo to keep from smirking the whole way back to his estate, and harder still when Davin’s men spotted him. The men remained outside the gate, leaning against the wall as if merely loitering. They stiffened at the sight of him, exchanging incredulous looks and paling slightly.

  “Goodfellows,” Leo said, giving a nodding half-bow. “Thank you for all your hard work.”

  The men remained silent as he walked through the gate, but began whispering as soon as it closed, as though unaware that their voices could pass through.

  Once inside, Leo regarded both Karran and Sann with a broad, earnest smile. “Thank you,” he said. “Truly. If it wasn’t for you two, I’d probably be in chains right now.”

  Karran returned his smile with one of her own, kissed him affectionately on the cheek, and trotted off in the direction of the cellar. Sann, on the other hand, remained exactly where she’d stood upon entering.

  “Massster,” she said. “I protec-c-cted you. Now, you will reward.”

  Ordinarily, the presumptiveness with which the drakonid spoke would have rankled him. But Leo was in a far more obliging mood than usual, even given the day’s infuriating start.

  “Oh?” he said, stepping closer until their bodies nearly touched. “And how would I reward you, if I was in a generous mood?”

  “Mating,” Sann replied, without hesitation.

  He made a show of considering her proposal. In truth, he had decided instantly, but it was good for discipline if Sann grew accustomed to waiting on him.

  “All right,” he agreed, at last. “But we’re using my bed this time.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Leo knew from personal experience that Sann was talented in many ways, both in bed and as a guardian. Some, he’d witnessed firsthand. Others, he’d experienced beneath her clawed hands. The drakonid’s cool skin and fiery, almost violent personality made the evening hours fly by until the evening hours found him spent, exhausted, and covered in goosebumps.

  And yet, despite the hours they’d spent together, he never expected her to be a good cuddler. Admittedly, he’d never had the opportunity to consider it, but even if he had, the clumsy bulk of Sann’s wings and the chill of her skin would have made spooning an unpleasant experience.

  Being spooned, on the other hand, was an entirely different situation.

  He’d drifted off after his second ejaculation and woken up in utter darkness. Accustomed to the slight nocturnal light through the window, he’d panicked for a moment until he felt the coolness of Sann’s bare breasts pressed up against his back and the weight of her arm across his side.

  Her wing stretched around him, covering him like a cocoon. The thin, opaque film of its membrane did not share her body’s chill, but rather warmed him like a thick blanket. Taken in tandem, the simultaneous warmth and cold of her body lulled him effortlessly back to sleep.

  Or at least, it would have.

  Leo yelped as the door to his chamber swung violently open and the men poured in. He lurched from the bed, arms outstretched blindly in search of his rapier, but he’d gone no more than a step when the first of the men tackled him. Leo roared, struggling helplessly as a second assailant joined the fray.

  And then, in a moment of sheer, overwhelming terror, he felt the hard, merciless edge of a blade pressed to his throat. Its chill was far greater than a drakonid’s.

  Sann, for her part, proved far more difficult to subdue. She’d woken a second after Leo, but her reaction time far outstripped his. She leapt upright, crimson eyes practically aglow in the dark room, and hissed ferociously at the men who’d entered. Wisely, none of them had chosen to approach.

  “Order your slave to stand down,” bellowed the man with the knife. He wedged the blade firmly against Leo’s neck. “Now!”

  “Sann!” Leo cried, too startled to even consider refusing. “Wait! Stop!”

  From her perch atop the bed, Sann stilled. From the tilt of her eyes, Leo could tell she was looking at him, but she hardly seemed to see him. Fortunately, she did not move.

  For a long moment, nothing happened. No one moved about the room and the only sound Leo could hear was his own terrified panting.

  “Bring the light,” instructed the man who held him.

  Leo felt himself beginning to shake. Adrenaline had driven away the last vestiges of sleep and his mind began to race.

  The men hadn’t killed him—yet, anyway—which meant they wanted something from him. Not that he had any hope of guessing what it was; he didn’t even know whose men these were. Davin and Wyden sprang to mind, of course, but neither had any reason to attack him without warning. Davin was not so shortsighted. And Wyden’s previous attack had allegedly only been done as cover.

  Leo swallowed hard as the bottom of his stomach fell away.

  Terras. The man had defeated him in court and he had retaliated, albeit unintentionally via Nicolo. No doubt the man had sent thugs to finish the job. It was hard to challenge a count, and impossible if that same count managed to steal your ill-begotten coin.

  A lantern appeared in the doorway, illuminating the room so starkly that Leo found himself squinting. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. But when they had, he fou
nd himself gaping at the person—the woman—that carried it.

  “Hello, Leo,” said Cirilla Orczy. “Do you mind if we talk?”

  ***

  Leo grimaced as the man shackled his hands behind the chair. It wasn’t that they were too tight, though they were, but rather because the heaviness of the iron pulled his neck against the edge of the knife still at his throat.

  It wasn’t for his sake that it remained, of course. Even without looking, he could feel the man watching Sann. She remained perched atop the bed, ready at any moment to leap futilely to his defense.

  Cirilla stood opposite him, hands tucked behind her back as well. Unfortunately, that was where the similarities ended. In contrast to Leo’s helpless nudity, the de facto baroness wore an exquisite gown, patterned with reds and browns. In the low lantern light, it made her look as though she was coated in rust and dried blood.

  “You know, I didn’t actually believe the rumors,” she said, idly. “But I suppose there’s no denying it now. You really do fuck your slaves. I thought it would just be the servants.”

  Sann hissed slightly and Leo fought the urge to glance at her. He kept his gaze fixed on the woman before him. Her dark hair was cut short, albeit in a stylish sort of way, and framed her face like a coronal shadow.

  “What do you want?” he growled.

  The blade at his neck pressed down and he winced.

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Cirilla said. “I want to talk. That’s why you’re still alive.”

  “Then let’s talk.”

  “You shouldn’t be so eager,” she said. Smiling thinly, she glanced around the room and clicked her tongue at its spartan furnishings. “After all, I’m the one you insulted. I know my name came up in conversation, and yet you decided to pick a fight with Terras instead? It’s shameful.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Leo said.

  Cirilla swung to face him, her face hovering between imperious and raging. “Don’t lie to me. Do it again and I’ll cut your throat. Understood?”

  Leo stared at her for a moment, then nodded. He felt the prick of the knife at the motion, but the dull pain was better than speaking the word aloud.

  “Good,” Cirilla sighed before continuing. “Now, understand this, Leo. I don’t want you dead. It’s far better for me—and you—if things continue the way they have been. All things considered, you’ve fared rather well against Terras. Yesterday’s riot was a clever ploy. If things continue the way they have been, you might actually stand a chance at unseating him in six months.”

  “Or sooner,” Leo added.

  To his surprise, Cirilla smiled.

  “Or sooner,” she allowed. “And that’s partly why I’m here. It serves my interests well if you remove Terras as soon as possible. Recently, the greedy bastard has been trying to push through a new levy on imported goods. A concession to craftsmen here in Ansiri, you understand. Now, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how inconvenient that would be to my family’s holdings.”

  “Quite,” he said.

  “And so, I thought I might pay you a visit.” Carefully brushing some imagined dust from the edge of his desk, Cirilla leaned against it and stared down at him. “To propose an alternate solution to your dilemma.”

  Leo studied her cautiously, with the focus only a knife to the throat could inspire.

  “What dilemma?” he asked.

  “Me,” she said, with feigned innocence. “You’re not the only one wrapped up in noble schemes and Low Crown gossip, Leo. I know full well that once Terras is dealt with, you intend to wage war against me. No, no—please don’t deny it! I meant what I said about cutting your throat if you lied again.”

  “All right,” Leo said. “And what’s this solution of yours?”

  “To remove me from the equation. Or, remove you , as the case might be. From either perspective, we’ll make the obstacle disappear.”

  “Disappear?” Leo echoed, frowning. “I don’t understand. Are you saying I should bribe you to stay out of the way?”

  “In a manner of speaking.” Cirilla laughed, leaning forward and cupping Leo’s chin.

  It was an unpleasantly patronizing gesture, but he was still too conscious of the knife to resist her. And yet, gazing up at her, Leo could see none of the woman’s earlier disdain. If anything, she seemed to be looking at him with an appreciation that bordered on admiration—a wholly disconcerting notion under the circumstances.

  “Leo,” she said gently. “I’m asking you to marry me.”

  It took Leo more than a few seconds to recover his wits and several more before he could speak. When at last he stopped gaping at her, his voice emerged as an almost squawk.

  “W-what?”

  Cirilla sighed and released his chin. Straightening, she folded her arms and regarded him with no small amount of annoyance.

  “’W-what?’” she echoed mockingly. “Well done. That’s exactly what every woman hopes to hear.”

  “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I just… I don’t understand. How does that solve anything?”

  Rolling her eyes, she glanced at the man holding the knife. And, for a split-second, Leo feared he’d made a terrible mistake. But then, the woman merely sighed.

  “How hard did you hit him?” she asked. Returning her attention to Leo, she leaned forward once more and spoke slowly, the way one might address a child. “It solves everything , Leo. If we wed, then we no longer have to squabble needlessly over position. My interests become yours, and vice versa. Together, we can destroy Terras and replace him as count and countess.”

  “Well, yes, but…” Leo stammered out. The sudden change in topic had left him reeling. “Isn’t… I thought… I heard that you had a lover? Pallan, or something?”

  “Pallin,” Cirilla corrected. She grew quiet, averting her eyes for the first time. “Josiah Pallin. And yes, we are. That’s… part of why I’m here.”

  Leo wanted to ask more, but something in Cirilla’s voice told him there was no need. He sat quietly, growing uncomfortably aware of his own nudity in the meantime.

  “The Pallin’s are not a noble family,” she continued. “That doesn’t matter to me. At least, not in the way most nobles care. But it does make them an easy target. I’ve thought about this a great deal. I have the resources to challenge nearly any noble house in Ansiri, but if I were to marry Josiah, I become vulnerable. How long could I continue fighting if his parents or sisters were held as hostages? Not long. And unfortunately, wedded or not, they’re too proud to accept my protection.”

  “But if you married me,” Leo said as understanding dawned. “No one would even consider them. They would assume you broke with him.”

  “And there’s another advantage. Obviously, you are in the habit of finding slaves to warm your bed. If I permit you to continue your dalliances, I assume you would not object to my own.”

  Leo eyed her, choosing his words carefully. “Correct,” he said. “But I’ll not claim another man’s child as my own.”

  Laughing, Cirilla shook her head. “Nor will you have to. I’m perfectly capable of affording maidenwort. Was that your only concern?”

  “No,” Leo admitted. “But I’m hardly in a position to refuse, am I?”

  Again, Cirilla shook her head. This time, however, she abandoned her spot on his desk and moved toward him. Crouching, she practically climbed into his lap. With one hand, she cupped his chin and pulled his face toward her. And, with the other, she stroked his thigh dangerously close to the groin.

  “Precisely,” she whispered, and kissed him delicately on the lips.

  Chapter Seventeen

  As best Leo could figure, he had only gotten about three hours of sleep. Nevertheless, the prospect of trying to return to bed after everything that had happened was unthinkable. Not that he would have been able to, thanks to the crowd of concerned figures waiting outside his chamber door.

  Karran, Nyssa, Mihal, and Brigit practically swooned with relief when he stepped through
it, mercifully clothed. One of Cirilla’s men followed him. And though Leo was relieved by the lack of knife to his throat, he was only too aware that the man was still well within striking distance.

  It was an awkward sort of ceasefire that saw the woman and her retinue escorted to the door. The second it closed behind them, Leo slumped against the wood and sank wearily to the ground. The others rushed to his side, no doubt fearful that he’d been injured somehow, but it was Sann who reached him first. Apparently, without a potential foe to stalk through the house, her priorities had reverted to Leo himself.

  “Massster,” she hissed, her eyes aflame and her fangs bared. “Ssshall I k-k-kill them?”

  “No,” he replied, somewhat breathless. “Not now. Not tonight.”

  “Leo!” Brigit practically shouted, her manners forgotten. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Bri.” He dismissed her concerns with a wave of a hand. “Could you bring me something to drink? Or wake Delia and have her do it?”

  “She’s already up,” Brigit said. “Everyone is. I had her take them to the tunnel when we heard the shouting.”

  “Oh,” he said simply. On some level, he knew he ought to have been pleased by how effectively his household had handled the situation. He only wished he could say the same for himself. “Thank you, that was good thinking.”

  “Tea or wine?”

  “Wine,” Leo replied. Then he thought about it. “Actually, I’d prefer something stronger. If we have it.”

  “Can you stand, Master?” Mihal asked. Crouching, the trow offered his arm.

  Leo almost ignored it, then thought better of it. Accepting Mihal’s help, he rose to shaky legs and nodded gratefully.

  “Thank you,” he said. Breathing deeply, he forced his sluggish mind into action. “Now listen. I want you two keeping watch tonight. Take shifts if you need to sleep. Karran, I want you to head back to the tunnel. Once everyone is out, wake the kobs and get them working. All of them. Make sure the passage is large enough for the servants to reach the other side if need be. Then, I want you to keep watch at the old estate. I don’t think anyone knows about the tunnel, but I’m not taking any chances. Sann, I want you to keep an eye on the back door. If anyone comes over that wall, you tear them to pieces. Understood?”