Chapter 11 · Spy in the Gilded Cage

"Still digging through my drawers, Sera? I thought we agreed on the 'assistant' part of this job."

I didn't even have time to jump. Nora was right there, her voice a low, dangerous purr right against my ear. I froze, my fingers still curled around a small, leather-bound ledger I’d fished out from the bottom of her vanity.

I slowly turned my head. She was too close. Like, dangerously close. I could smell that damn expensive vanilla perfume of hers, the kind that smelled like a lie wrapped in gold. Her eyes weren't the soft, saintly gold the public saw on the billboards; they were sharp, predatory, and currently scanning my face for any sign of guilt.

"I was looking for the schedule," I lied, my voice steadier than my heart. "You said you had a meeting with the Council tonight."

Nora didn't move. She didn't even blink. Instead, she stepped closer, pinning me between the mahogany dresser and her own body. The heat coming off her was insane.