Except when Cair used it to torment his brother, of course.

“Can you keep a secret?” she asked, and I nodded again, curious.

“Those dipshits think they lost the real one, but they didn’t. You really think I’d be so careless as to leave my most prized possession lying around with three snooping brothers?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, no. As soon as I clocked their obsession with knowing its origins, I planted a replica.”

Oh. Well, that was certainly a plot twist I hadn’t expected. I also noted how she said three brothers, not two and whatever awful name I’d have presumed she’d give Tee. I’d file that away in my ‘could be useful later’ pile.

“They were even bigger pests as teens, sneaking into my rooms and getting on my nerves. Teighan, the clumsy oaf, dropped it in the river while they were figuring out how it ‘fired up.’” She flicked the dirk in her hand again, another bolt of lightning flashing. It must be enchanted. “I never let on that I watched the scene from the shadows. I like holding that power, knowing they’re terrified of me finding out the truth. Gives me tingles, y’know?”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, puzzled by her sudden confession.

She shrugged, and sheathed the blade in her belt before pushing out her lip in an exaggerated pout, fluttering her lashes in feigned sadness. “Because I have no other fwends.”

I huffed a half laugh and rolled my eyes. She was such a dick, but her sass was impeccable. Unlike Cair and Teighan—and possibly Orian, though I hadn’t seen the full scope of him yet—it didn’t feel as if Maeve wore a mask. Not entirely. I believed that what you saw was what you got, just pure and authentically her. She didn’t pretend for the sake of fitting in, or seem to hide behind a front of her father’s making. Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t as complex and layered as the rest of the Haryk siblings, or that she had no skeletons in her closet. Maybe she just wasn’t wholly against the life she led, or she didn’t give it much weight. I got the impression that Maeve only did whatever served her. She was a hardened assassin who looked out for no one but herself, so perhaps she was using whatever she had to her advantage instead of wishing for an escape.

I could respect that.

If she didn’t antagonize my mate so much.

“Well, thank you for that interesting story, but if you don’t mind…” I side-stepped around her, officially done with whatever this was—a power play, probably, or just plain old bragging about her capabilities. Maybe a test? “I’m just gonna⁠—”

“Keep your wits about you out there,” she cut in, her tone light and almost playful. “You never know who’s in the shadows, waiting to pounce.”

I whirled around. “Are you… Was that a threat?”