“What is it?”
“It’s about your new friend, Felix.”
“Felix?” Jonas frowned, trying to concentrate. “What about him?”
“Our first meeting gave a bad first impression.”
“And here I thought you two hit it off well enough.”
“I know men, Jonas. I know when they’re hiding something. And I saw that in his eyes. I also saw that you trusted him, which worried me. So I did some digging, and I found some information.” She hesitated. “You’re not going to like it.”
Jonas looked her right in her eyes, steeling himself for more bad news.
“Tell me,” he said.
• • •
Nerissa shared her information with him, then promptly left.
Jonas returned to the tavern and swept his gaze across the large room. Felix was at the bar, talking to Galyn. Lysandra still sat at the table in the dark corner, studying the wall and sipping from her tankard of ale.
“Lys,” he called to her. She glanced over at him and he signaled for her to follow him.
He led her back to the alcove where he’d spoken with Nerissa, only this time he went up the staircase. He found a vacant room on the second floor, and pulled Lysandra into it with him, closing the door behind them.
She eyed him with wariness. “What’s happened? Did Nerissa deliver bad news about the princess?”
“Yes, but I can’t deal with that right now. We have a more immediate problem.”
“What is it?”
“Nerissa doesn’t trust Felix.”
“That makes two of us,” she said, but then grimaced. “Sorry. I know you’ve come to consider him a true friend. I must learn to respect that. And, really, he isn’t nearly as smarmy as I first thought.”
He hissed out a breath. “He works for King Gaius.”
Lysandra stared at him with shock. “What?”
She looked as blindsided as he’d felt when Nerissa told him. “He said he was raised by a group of cutthroats who worked for a rich boss, right? Well, that rich boss was the king. He’s a hired assassin for the King of Blood.” Jonas’s anger had started slowly, as cold shock, but had built quickly into something practically tangible, something he could hold onto. “That’s how he found me. Five weeks ago he was at the palace to receive his most recent assignment—to track me down and bring my head to the king.”
“Wait. But—but he didn’t do that. You’ve been with him all this time and he hasn’t made a single move, right?” Lysandra gripped Jonas’s arms. “Maybe she’s wrong.”
He was furious with himself for being stupid enough to trust someone he barely knew.
Nerissa’s information had resonated with him. It finally filled in the blanks that Jonas had been trying to ignore about his new friend.
He believed Nerissa.
“He’s waiting for something.” Jonas shook his head. “Now that I have the crystals . . . Cleo told me the king was after the Kindred—after magic. That is his goal. Do you have any idea what the king would pay for even one of those crystals? And do you know what he’d do with that kind of power if he’s able figure out how to harness it?”
“Jonas, please calm down. Losing your head isn’t going to help.”
“Nice choice of words.” He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. “You were right not to trust him. You sensed something, didn’t you? Something off.”
“I did. But—I mean, I’ll admit I don’t trust easily.”
“Neither do I. Not normally. Damn it, I don’t have time to deal with this. I need to start searching for the princess . . .”