Victoria closed her mouth and sat down. She rested her cane next to her and slid the pistol beside her on the cushion.
"Very good. " He smiled and chose a seat next to her on the settee. "Now, then, if I give you this information, what will you give to me in return?"
Prickles erupted over her skin. "What would be of value to you?"
"Two things. Two very simple things, Victoria Gardella. Ah, yes, I know exactly who you are. " Sebastian smiled and he looked at her with the gold-orange eyes of a tiger. "The first requirement is… you cannot tell anyone where and how you obtained the information. You cannot tell your cohort Maximilian; you cannot tell your aunt. If you do, I will know. And it will go very badly for you. You see, no one else at the inn knows who you are. No one would know we have met. No one would know how you came upon this information unless you divulged it. "
Victoria nodded. "I promise. "
"And I should trust you?"
"The same way I trusted you when you told me my maid would be safe. And the same way I've trusted you, bringing me back here. "
He chuckled again, that knowing laugh. "Ah, yes, as a Venator you are in such jeopardy from me. " His words were mocking, yet there was an edge to them that told Victoria they weren't as careless as they sounded. "But you were right to trust me regarding the safety of your maid. She is truly in no danger. As I told you, I do not allow preying on the unwilling in my establishment. "
"What is the other requirement?" The prickles on her arms rose in anticipation of his response.
"I wish to see your vis bulla. "
Victoria's throat went dry. Not what she had expected. But much, much worse.
"Would not a kiss suffice?" she asked boldly, a red haze clouding the edges of her vision. After all, she'd already kissed one man today. She could not imagine… opening her man's shirt and showing this stranger her middle.
"Are you offering me an additional favor? If so, I will gladly take it. In addition to my original request, of course. "
"Not in addition, but instead. "
"It is a tempting thought, as I have never kissed a Venator… but no. I wish to see your vis bulla" The expression on his face told her he hadn't even considered making the change. "And then I will tell you all you need to know. "
"How do I know what you tell me will be the truth?"
"You will have to trust me. "
It was Victoria's turn to laugh. "And why should I trust you for something of that nature? And why should you help me?"
"As for helping you… I of course have my reasons, but sharing them with you is not part of the bargain. It is of no matter to you why I should help a Venator. And… if the information is wrong—which it is not, I assure you—what will you have lost by merely showing me your vis bulla?" His voice dropped to a disturbing low at the end, a deep almost-whisper.
"Or…" His voice was stronger now, steadier. "I can simply give Maximilian the information. I am sure he would be appreciative. "
"He wouldn't show you his vis bulla," Victoria responded, suddenly realizing that Max had one just like hers, dangling from his navel.
"I don't wish to see his. "
Victoria felt the harsh thumping in her chest. It was just modesty that prevented her from showing him. Just modesty. And if she did, she could return to Aunt Eustacia and Max with valuable information… or even the book itself.
Sebastian was watching her from a relaxed position in the corner of the settee, but she felt the tension as he waited for her response. And suddenly, as if giving up under his intense contemplation, gravity won out over Verbena's work, and her hair slid down from the back of her head into a loose mass around her shoulders. He smiled in satisfaction. "Just as I had envisioned it. "
"Tell me something and I will decide if the information is worth a kiss… or the sight of my vis bulla? Her own voice sounded rusty.
"Lilith knows where the book is. She will be sending her Guardians for it tomorrow night when the moon is high. Either you will stop them, or Lilith will succeed and have it in her possession. Now, will you play this game or will you not?"
Victoria angled back slightly against the arm of the settee, her torso turned toward Sebastian while her feet remained planted on the floor. The pistol was an uncomfortable lump under her hip, but she didn't care—she rather preferred knowing exactly where it was. She took off her gloves. Spreading the edges of her jacket, she pulled it away from the crisp white shirt that hung from the collar nearly to her knees.
Her fingers rested on the cloth at the center of her belly, and she paused to look up at Sebastian. He hadn't moved, but rested quietly, watching her. His chest rose and fell under his own coffee-colored jacket and pale shirt.
Victoria's fingers moved deftly as she pulled the shirt loose from her trousers. She could not look at him as she drew the edges of her shirt up, felt the cool shift of air over her suddenly bare skin.
The holy silver gleamed against the white of her flesh, nestled in the shadowed hollow of her navel. She heard Sebastian draw in his breath slowly, and then free it slowly.