JACE

I woke up alone in my bed. I was naked under the covers. Pain throbbed in my head and I rubbed my temples to alleviate it.

How did I get into the bed? Wasn’t I taking a bath?

My mind felt foggy.

Where was Penelope?

I moved the covers and realized my muscles ached, too. Especially my groin. I felt sticky with sweat. As I moved into the candlelight, I could see the white smears of my seed on my cock and thighs.

What the hell happened?

I didn’t remember anything.

I stumbled across the bedroom, hanging on to the bathroom doorway as the world spun around me. I felt like if I didn’t sit down, my knees would give out. I took in deep breaths and felt a little better.

I showered, scrubbing my skin raw. I tried to think about the last memory I had.

Yes, taking a bath. Penelope bringing me tea. She said I was probably dizzy from not eating.

Then ... nothing.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and returned to the bedroom.

The incense was the same heavy scent as before. I had asked Penelope to change it out. Why did she insist on using this particular smell? I did’t like it. I opened the lid and saw embers from the cones she had placed in the ash.

Still burning. Still awful. I made a face as I reached for the glass of water on the bedside table. I poured it into the incense burner and doused the cones. I was annoyed that Penelope had ignored my instructions.

I opened the drawer on the nightstand and found a half-used pack of the same cones. I picked them up, intending to throw them away, but noticed a small pink business card.

"What’s this?" I murmured as I looked it over. It was embossed with gold. On one side was the name Love Charms. On the other side, a name: Courtesan Lila.

Love Charms was one of the swankier brothels on the wharf in the red light district. They had a reputation for fair play in their gambling halls and clean women. The upper ranks of the prostitutes, the courtesans, only took one client a night. Most had sponsors who paid well for exclusivity.

I didn’t know what Courtesan Lila’s calling card was doing in my nightstand. I looked at the little packet of incense, and an insidious thought crossed my mind.

The first time with Penelope had been an out-of-control night. Wild. Unrestrained. I was so hot, so hungry for sex. Subsequent times with Penelope were the same.

Now I realized why.

She had drugged me.

I slammed my fist on to the bed, making a dent in the mattress. If that bitch had drugged me, she would pay dearly for that. I thought about the state I’d woken up in and felt my heart turn over in my chest.

Had Penelope and I slept together tonight? Why didn’t I remember?

I yanked on the bell pull. A couple minutes later, the housekeeper knocked on the door. "Sir?"

"Where’s Miss Shire?"

"She left for the Governor’s Ball, sir."

Wasn’t that tomorrow? "What day is it?"

She told me and I couldn’t believe it. "I’ve been in this room for almost two days?"

She nodded. "Miss Shire said you weren’t feeling well. She took the invitation and left for the Governor’s mansion about fifteen minutes ago."

"Get my uniform ready."

I would attend the Governor’s Ball, too. But first, I would pay a visit to Love Charms and talk to Courtesan Lila.

***|***|***

JACE

I had the carriage wait about a block away from the brothel. The walk there was brisk. It was cold outside, and it smelled like dead fish.

I’d been to brothels in the borderlands between the Northern and Western Realms. They weren’t clean places, but they had decent drinks and you could watch the girls dance. I wouldn’t risk my dick on a quick lay.

The minute I walked in, I felt like I’d fallen into a soft pink cloud that smelled like gardenias. I showed the calling card to the security guard inside. He sent a porter to tell Courtesan Lila. I waited in the foyer, impatient.

Finally, the porter returned. "It is Courtesan Lila’s pleasure to meet you, Brigadier General." He gestured for me to follow him. We went up a winding staircase to the top floor of the building. He knocked on a door that had been painted lilac purple.

It opened.

A beautiful woman stood in the doorway looking like a piece of frosted cake. Blonde curls draped her bare shoulders. Her dress was lace and silk, designed to hug her curves. Her smile was sin itself.

"Welcome, Mr. Willowmarch."

She allowed me inside, pointing to a chair near the window. She stretched out on a divan, her gown falling away just enough to bare her smooth calves. Her toenails were painted a light pink color. A gold anklet clasped one of her delicate ankles.

I showed her the incense and the card. "I found these in my bedroom."

"A bedroom you share with Penelope Shire?"

"You know her."

"Know isn’t the right word. She paid me for information and for aphrodisiacs. I’m afraid the one in your hand isn’t the only drug she used."

I clenched my teeth. "I’m married," I said. "I never intended to sleep with Penelope"

She laughed, and it sounded like church bells ringing. "Haven’t you heard the saying that good intentions pave the way to hell?"

She shifted, and my gaze was drawn to that little anklet. There were tiny bells on it, and they jangled as she moved.

"Are you here to scold me for selling Penelope the tools she used to seduce you?"

"No. I only wanted to find out if my suspicions were correct."

"They are. But I suspect you very much understand the nature of Penelope Shire."

"What do you mean?"

"She has a hole in her heart that will never be filled. That’s the way it is with some people. Born broken or made broken by others. Either way, you can’t fix that kind of greed. It’s voracious. She will never be satisfied, even if she gets what she wants."

"What was the other thing she gave me?" I asked.

Courtesan Lila met my gaze. "She gave you poison."