Inari tried not to be offended as she traversed the hallways of Rehn Castle. Caspian and Elias were only trying to help, she reminded herself, and that included secret conversations. Mollified somewhat that they were busy on her behalf, she followed a guard toward a different sitting room and entered with her phone in hand.

There was the matter of her sister to see to, and while she understood that Caspian had direct access to her father and that the two traded calls over her safety and protection, she wanted to hear his voice directly. Wanted firsthand reassurance that Lisbet would pull through.

“Hi, it’s me,” she said when he answered on the second ring.

“Did Caspian pass on the news about your sister?” Thane asked.

“Yes. Tell me, how does she look? What did the doctors say about her recovery?”

“She has regained a little color, and the doctors just took her off the ventilator. She’s breathing on her own, though she hasn’t woken up yet. The doctors say that because she’s young, and because she didn’t take in more poison, she’s responding well to treatment.”

Relief flooded through Inari’s body. She felt dizzy with it. “That’s excellent news. I really wish I could be there. Please tell her I love her if she wakes up during the night.”

“I will. I would send for you, Inari, but the circumstances being what they are, I feel safer with you there,” Thane said.

“I understand. I feel safe here. Elias, Caspian, and Erick are all working on the case, which is keeping me somewhat distracted. Please call and let me know, anytime day or night, if there are changes with Lisbet.”

“I will. Your mother is wrung out with worry and fear, but I’m sure she’ll contact you tomorrow morning.”

“Kiss her for me. Bye.” Inari ended the call. She paced the room, staring at—but not seeing—the luxury formal décor. Her steps took her past a tall fireplace, a double pair of French doors, and a statue of a solemn woman perched atop a plinth.

She hadn’t lied to her father. She did feel safe there. But she was also restless, especially now that she’d had a few hours’ sleep. Her mind jumped from scenario to scenario, all of it to do with her stalker.

And Elias.

She recalled the strength of his body, the comforting way his broad hands stroked in tandem up and down her spine. Rock solid, a force to be reckoned with. His brand of masculinity was a bit more understated than some. He tended toward quieter introspection these days with small bursts of roguish behavior that reminded her of when she’d known him in younger years.

He’d grown, matured. Become a man preparing, eventually, to take the throne of his kingdom.

That thought brought to mind the image of him and Caspian sitting at a desk in one of the subterranean rooms. Why was it that men haunted those places? None of the women she knew, not one, preferred those dank, dark conditions to the regular rooms of a castle or even the sunshine of a late spring day.

It didn’t matter.

What mattered, suddenly, was that she help him as he was helping her.

She turned on a foot and, with new determination, exited the sitting room.

---

Elias studied Caspian, expecting any number of wild tales to come out of his mouth. Apparently they’d hit pay dirt thinking the women might know more about Inari’s past interaction with men.

What Caspian relayed to him, however, was not anything he’d imagined to hear.

“All right, so according to a few of Ivanna’s acquaintances, Inari was having an illicit, hot affair with none other than Wolfe Novak, of Weithan Isle, the illegitimate son of Valentina Novak, whom your father famously married then divorced.” Caspian’s brows arched high.

Elias didn’t need the reminder of who Valentina Novak was, and who she had once been to his father. His family history was steeped in rumor and mystique about that entire ordeal, when Sander Ahtissari had married Valentina under duress, then exposed the woman for her conniving, manipulative ways. In truth, the marriage had not been official, only staged, although Valentina hadn’t known it at the time. That incident had cooled relations between their countries. His father still spoke with Prince Severian, Valentina’s brother, now and then.

Wolfe Novak had apparently inherited his mother’s wild side. He was a rogue’s rogue, adept at playing women and breaking hearts. Elias sometimes heard rumors of Wolfe’s transgressions via the grapevine, though he tended to tune out of most of those conversations because who slept with whom interested him little.

“And how authentic are these rumors? Can they be trusted?” Elias asked. First things first.

“According to Ivanna, it was common knowledge among a select few royals that Inari was involved with Wolfe. This was a year ago, however. Inari has not been connected with another man since, which, of course, led Ivanna to announce that Inari was still secretly in love with Wolfe, but had ended the relationship because he’d cheated on her. Repeatedly.”

Elias considered all the information at hand. Inari being involved with Wolfe didn’t sit well, and it had nothing to do with the recent poisonings. He refused to examine his discontent too closely at the moment.

“Well, if she hasn’t been involved with anyone in the last year, and her last . . . beau was Wolfe, then it seems to me that we can close down that avenue of interest. If Wolfe is such a player, and we know that he is, I don’t see him coming back to try and kill Inari a year later, especially if he was the one cheating,” Elias said. He thought about his own reply, testing it for holes and shortcomings. Just because something seemed one way did not necessarily make it so.

“That’s what I thought, too,” Caspian admitted. “Wolfe has been playing the field this past year, moving from one supermodel to another. The pictures of him on yachts and in exclusive nightclubs and partying it up with beautiful women are legendary. If he was so broken up over Inari, then one would think there would be at least mention of phone calls or unreturned texts or something like that. He doesn’t act like a scorned lover or a murderer to me.”

“What’s more surprising is how under wraps the two kept it all, if Wolfe is prone to splashing his escapades all over the news,” Elias said.

“It was very hush-hush. Inari rarely talked about Wolfe to anyone, though my sister admitted that Inari seemed angry and hurt when it ended. After that, Inari apparently rarely dated and lost some of her vivacious, flirty ways.”

“It changed her,” Elias said. “Maybe she was seriously in love with him to have that kind of reaction.”

“Could be. Anyway, that’s the dirt on former beaus. I inquired about anyone before Wolfe, but Ivanna told me she couldn’t pinpoint one man that stood out. Things were casual, fun and nonbinding before Wolfe.”

Elias ran a hand through his hair. “Then we’ll drop that line of inquiry and keep on with the others. Maybe we should refocus on who benefits if the entire Ascher line is wiped out.”

“Or a political strike from another country. Who might want to overthrow Somero? That’s also a worthy question,” Caspian said.

Elias grunted.

Indeed.