In the Shadow of the Goddess (Book 1 of The Fallen Gods Trilogy)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Nikolos draped his arm over the back of the seat, taping his fingers on the velvet cushion. The grin faded a little. "Has Shaar met with your expectations? I would think a woman such as yourself could see her way to endless opportunities here."

The image of a hawk circling above lazily filled Jill's mind. She had to stay ahead of him and keep thinking even though the wine made it an impossible effort. "It depends on what the opportunities are. My family wants me to marry—somebody rich, with lots of future prospects. Geniece said she could introduce me to all the eligible men in Shaar." Wow, where had that lie come from? It was actually pretty good.

"I'm doubly lucky then, aren't I?"

"I..." Now what? Can I possibly dig this hole any deeper? "Are you offering yourself as a candidate? I'm not sure Geniece would approve."

"Rissa, I have always been a very...straightforward man. That's why I'm the Duke of Shaar and not in Valinac wallowing in the shadows. Those two...Tamas would spend forever staring at the sky for all the ambition he has: a useless second son who would have been a worthless emperor. He only planned far enough ahead to steal what wasn't his. No idea what to do with power once he had it. And Rayna...The whore of the empire. Smart enough to spread her leg at the right time for the right person, but spending that power asking for bobbles and toys. Neither of them know what it's like to build a life from nothing with a worthless title from some backwater marsh. They don't know how to keep what they have from slipping away."

It all sounded similar to Jill and his complaints seemed like nonsense, but she kept her mouth shut and tried to keep her mind from drifting.

"I've always known exactly what I wanted and how to get it. Some people may see that as selfishness. I call it ambition. What I want, right now, is you. And I should warn you, I always get what I want."

Ugh! That centered her nicely. Her heart fell into her stomach and sat there, waiting to be digested. She wavered, speechless, her fingernails digging into the velvet through her gloves. He was so much like Ross. Born with little more than good looks, ambition, and a few shaky family connections, he wanted the power and all the trappings that went with it.

"But I thought you and my cousin—"

"Geniece is very entertaining, but it's never been more than that."

"She's having your baby," she pointed out, in case he'd forgotten.

"And should that matter? Is that relevant to how you feel now? I want you and I think you want me too. Tell me I'm not wrong."

It was, she knew, one of the most foolish things she could possibly agree to in her life. Supremely foolish. Worse than walking a high-wire without a net. Worse than a lot of things. I need to get out of here. I have to get away from him! And yet...He would have killed Perren. What else was he capable of?

"Rissa?"

"You just surprised me."

"You surprise easily then. But, am I wrong?"

"You are...not," she breathed, looking down at her gloved hands in her lap. Only an idiot didn't know what would happen next. All the signs were there and really, she had lived this moment before with Ross—the night he proposed. The night she thought she'd gotten what she needed, but it wasn't what she wanted at all.

"See? I know you better than you know yourself."

He fell silent and Jill realized belatedly the carriage had stopped. The door opened. Nikolos got out first, then turned to offer her a hand. Her feet landed on stone steps and she had to crane her neck to take in the sight before her.