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

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Perren gave Jill his cloak, hired a public carriage, and the two of them made their way alone and bedraggled to Geniece's. For Jill, it was a repeat performance of the previous evening. Then, she'd been confused and disoriented after the temple and the confrontation between Brexten and Aden. Now, what she felt was far more direct: completely and totally pissed off. Her fear for Brexten's life and of what Nikolos could do to her still existed, but after watching endless threads dance around her with no wards to stop them, it had morphed into something concrete with an obvious target.

One of Geniece's many servants let them into the house. Jill stood in the doorway, barefoot, arms crossed. Perren was a silent shadow behind her.

"Where is she?" Jill demanded.

The servant, a young girl who looked no older than thirteen, flushed and wrung her hands anxiously. "My lady, you've returned. The Duchess told me—"

"Told you what? That I wouldn't be back? Where is she?"

The girl shook visibly. Jill didn't care. Not after the night she'd had.

"Don't make me ask a third time."

"Forgive me, my lady. Please follow me."

They'd barely moved from the foyer and into the house when Geniece appeared at the top of the steps. She seemed to glide toward them, dressed in a peach satin dressing gown. The gown's sash was tied in an elaborate bow, hanging over her pregnant belly like it was a present waiting to be unwrapped. Like Jill, she was barefoot. Blue threads skittered away from the woman as if she was contaminated and they couldn't bear to be near her.

Geniece's eyes ran over Jill from head to toe, assessing. "You seem to be wearing out my wardrobe faster than I can provide replacements."

Jill waved it away with a chop of her hand. Threads wove and scattered as she moved—black and blue, making the air looked bruised. "What happened tonight was not what I signed on for. You used me."

Geniece looked not at Jill, but at the servant. "Thank you, Nadette. You may leave now." The girl bowed low and hurriedly darted out. It left the three of them alone in the hall. Though, how alone were they? Who was listening in? Right now, it hardly mattered to her.

"You all but gift-wrapped me for him—hell, you did gift-wrap me! And stupid me, I went like a naive idiot. It's one thing to expect some slimy bastard to paw all over me, but you said nothing about the basement, the prisoners, the tapestries. Nothing about his unstable personality. He's a sadistic monster! You could have warned me or—"

"Is that how you see it? That I gave you to him? I recall you agreeing to go willingly enough. I didn't see anyone holding a knife to your throat," was the cold response.

"No, but he may as well been holding one to Perren's!"

"If you didn't think yourself capable of dealing with him, you shouldn't have gone. You said he reminded you of someone from your own world. I took the words for what they were."

"No Geniece, you're making excuses. It isn't a matter of handling or not handling the situation. Do you have any idea what kind of relationship exists between Tamas and Nikolos? Do you honestly think Nikolos can defeat him? God, do you even know what sort of people you're dealing with?

"I think you threw me, Brexten, all of us at him like pawns in a game, just to advance your own plans—whatever those are. Or maybe you just wanted to see what would happen! This is escalating out of your control. Brexten nearly died tonight. He may be dead right now for all I know. Is your plan worth his life?"