.
"What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking, Helga dearest," accompanied by a light kiss on the inside of my wrist, "That a body someone spends that much time training has to be at least reasonably entertaining in bed."
"But you hate the man!"
"So?" accompanied this time by a raised eyebrow.
"Salazar..."
What could I say? For someone so paranoid and cautious he does the most stupid things at times. Men.
"I fail to comprehend why one meaningless tryst disturbs you so much."
"I'm not upset you slept with Godric,” well, not terribly, because it’s really not my place to judge, “I'm upset you told Rowena."
“She would have found out eventually. He doesn’t exactly have the mental capacity to keep a secret. I was merely acquainting her with the facts, rather than the gossip.”
Oh, sometimes I could cheerfully slap that sneer off his face! The ‘stupid’ label isn’t true, it’s merely personal prejudice. Godric may not be as book-smart as Rowena and Salazar, but neither is he dumb.
“Salazar! Not only did you have sex with her lover,” and what that said about Godric, I refused to contemplate at the moment, “But you also boasted to her about it. In front of the staff!” I’m so indignant I’m almost shouting. Well, raising my voice at any rate.
“It wasn’t exactly boasting... ”
Much as I care for him, Salazar is the one of the few people who can ignite my normally quiescent temper.
"Don't play word games with me! What it was, was totally unnecessary. It was just sheer pettiness! You say you’re in love with Rowena, yet you deliberately hurt her. And it isn’t going to stop her loving him - you wasted your time if that’s what you were trying to achieve. She isn’t even angry with him. All Godric got out of the situation was a one-night stand.”
“Really?”
That gives me pause. Salazar always knows precisely where to slip the stiletto in. I suddenly remember how vague Rowena had been about Salazar’s revelation. Rowena, who can recite whole passages from books she’s read months ago.
“What exactly did you say to Rowena?” I ask Salazar.
He gives the type of smile usually displayed by fed dragons. The maiden-eating kind.
“I merely commented on what a lousy lay he was.”
Oh. Oh dear.
That’s why she was so upset.
Salazar lies and obfuscates so often I forget he is just as adept at being honest. And in his hands, truth can be the most deadly contaminant of all.
