Page 12 (1/2)

Whicharea “How uests was he permitted?”

“It depended on Neha’s mood” An answer that said much about Eris’s existence “Never any women aside from Neha and myself Even the servants orked in this palace were all male”

For a man who had been a favorite of wo a limb amputated “Do you think the rule was observed?”

“I think Eris did not have any wish to anger Neha further”

That didn’t answer the question, and the way Mahiya had subtly angled her face away froht as she spoke told hi

The stealthy hunter in Jason rose to full wakefulness

6

“A leopard, as they say,” heat the question of Mahiya’s true loyalties, at whose secrets she kept, “does not change its spots” Eris had never been good at self-denial where wo up into the face of the golden god as Neha’s consort, her eyes blazing with shy desire

Jason had witnessed that particular scene approxi a ball given by the archangel Ura smile of sensual invitation down to ht ever actually accept such an invitation

Yet Eris had needed to have his ego stroked enough that he’d fathered a child upon the sister of the woman he’d sworn to honor Jason didn’t fool himself that Eris had loved Nivriti—the man had been a narcissist, had cared about no one but himself And in spite of his trespass, he had survived What was there to stop such aa lover within the walls of his luxurious prison?

“Tell aze, “Did Eris have a lover?”

Mahiya had avoided his earlier question, having realized far too late that she’d betrayed a knowledge and a curiosity beyond the woman she was meant to be Her only defense for the unprecedented failure was surprise—it had been so very startling to speak to so simply because she chose to keep her silencebut of course he wouldn’t Jason was a le doubt that his intelligence was a piercing arrow

Now, looking into eyes a deep, impenetrable brown that stripped her to the bone, she realized it was too late to put the mask back on

Jason had already seen her