Chapter 29

Kayla

The moment the emissary handed over the search warrant, I could feel the blood drain from my face. I glanced furtively up at Nicholas, wondering if he would allow this guildsman to come into the house. Surely he would find some excuse, right?

But to my surprise, Nicholas simply smiled.

“Of course,” he said smoothly, handing the paper back to the guildsman. “You’re welcome to come in.”

I resisted the urge to glare at him. Was he really going to just let this guy waltz in and pick apart our lives? But then again, what choice did we have? Denying the guild would only make us look guilty.

I forced a tight smile as Nicholas gestured for the man to step inside. The emissary adjusted his jacket and strode into the entryway, his shoes clicking on the polished floor as he cast a critical eye around the room. He pulled out his notebook and immediately began to jot things down.

“I’ll need to tour the entire house, I’m afraid,” the emissary said as he wrote. He glanced at us out of the corner of his eyes. “Assuming that’s alright with you.”

My heart began to pound. This wasn’t good. My things were still scattered in the guest room—the books, the clothes, the telltale signs that Nicholas and I weren’t actually living as husband and wife but rather unwilling roommates.

I needed help. Now.

“Jade?” I mindlinked desperately while the emissary’s back was turned, hoping she was somewhere nearby. “We have a situation. The guild sent someone over, and he’s inspecting the house. My stuff is still in the guest room—can you move it to Nicholas’s room? Like, yesterday?”

There was a pause, and then Jade’s voice filtered back: “Wait, what? Now? Okay, just—stall him!”

I bit my lip. Stall him. Right. How was I supposed to do that without looking suspicious?

“Would you like some tea, sir?” I asked, plastering on my most charming smile.

The emissary turned to look at me, his gaze sharp but unreadable. “Tea would be fine, thank you.”

Perfect. This would buy me some time.

Letting go of Nicholas’s hand, I darted toward the kitchen, grabbing the first teapot I saw and fumbling to fill it with water. My hands were shaking as I set it on the stove to boil, grabbing a tray and some cups to make the process look legitimate.

When I returned to the living room with a tray of lukewarm tea and prepackaged cookies, Nicholas was leaning casually against the banister, his arms crossed as he stood in front of the staircase. He was chatting up the emissary, casually stepping in the way every time he tried to go upstairs.

“Here we are,” I said cheerfully, carrying the tray over and setting it on the foyer table. “Tea, as requested.”

I poured a cup with exaggerated care, then walked toward the emissary with the steaming drink. But just as I reached him, I tripped over an invisible obstacle—okay, fine, I tripped on purpose—and sent the tea spilling all over his pristine suit.

“Oh my gosh!” I gasped, my hands flying to my mouth as the cup shattered on the floor. “I am so, so sorry! How clumsy of me!”

The emissary stiffened, his face contorting with annoyance as the tea soaked into his jacket. “It’s… fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “I just need to go upstairs and look around, and then I’ll be on my way.”

“No, no, let me help!” I exclaimed, grabbing a napkin from the tray and dabbing at his lapels frantically. “I can’t let a guest walk out covered in hot tea!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nicholas turn away, his shoulders shaking slightly with suppressed laughter. I would have laughed, too, had I not been too terrified to do so.

“Really, it’s fine,” the emissary said again, stepping back to avoid my well-meaning but overly enthusiastic attempts to clean him up. “It was about time I took this suit to the dry cleaner, anyway.”

I retreated, putting on my best apologetic face. “Oh, well… I really am so sorry,” I said again. “I can be such a ditz sometimes.”

“Yes,” Nicholas added, rather smugly. “She can. You know, just yesterday, she stumbled through here and broke half of the expensive vases in this room? That’s why it’s so empty.”

The emissary, stunned, turned to look at Nicholas. I stuck my tongue out at Nicholas behind the emissary’s back. Leave it to him to take the opportunity to get back at me for making him beg for my help in the woods earlier.

“Done,” Jade’s voice suddenly rang in my mind, and I nearly sagged with relief. “All your stuff is in Nicholas’s room now. I made it believable, too.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” I replied, straightening and offering the emissary another apologetic smile. “Let me grab you a towel or something—”

“That won’t be necessary,” he interrupted, waving me off. He smoothed his jacket, his expression a mask of professional indifference once more. “Now, if you will excuse me, I’d like to inspect the rest of the house.”

Nicholas pushed away from the banister and gestured smoothly toward the staircase. “Be our guest.”

The three of us headed upstairs, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest. I prayed silently that Jade had done a thorough job. If this guildsman found anything out of place, we were screwed.

The emissary entered Nicholas’s room first, his sharp gaze sweeping over the space. I followed hesitantly, and my breath caught when I saw the scene that Jade had prepared. Even Nicholas stiffened a little at the sight.

Jade really had outdone herself in such a short time. My books were piled neatly on one of the nightstands, alongside my favorite coffee mug. My clothes were draped over the back of a chair near the window, mingling with Nicholas’s discarded shoes. A soft sweater of mine was tossed carelessly on the bed, as if I had just worn it and left it there.

It was… convincing. A little too convincing, if I was being honest.

Something about the sight made my chest tighten unexpectedly. It was too easy to imagine this as a real thing—to picture us as a couple who shared this space, who lived together, who cared for each other.

But it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

That hurt more than I expected it to. Not even because I wanted that with Nicholas, the prick, but because… I’d almost had this with Liam. Or at least, I thought I was close to having this. And I had been played for a fool the entire time.

The emissary moved methodically through the room, opening drawers, inspecting the closet, even flipping through a couple of my books. I kept my expression neutral, even as my stomach churned with nerves.

Finally, he straightened, brushing nonexistent dust off his hands. “This looks… adequate,” he said almost begrudgingly as he turned to face us. “I will be returning weekly for the remainder of the month to continue my inspections and conduct interviews.”

“Looking forward to it,” Nicholas said dryly, his tone making it clear that he was not, in fact, looking forward to it at all. For extra measure, he draped his arm around my shoulders and tugged me close.

I plastered a cardboard smile onto my face and leaned into him. “Have a nice day!” I said, my voice squeakier than I meant it to be.

The emissary gave a curt nod and left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hall as he descended the stairs. I waited until I heard the front door open and close before I collapsed onto the nearest chair, letting out a long breath of relief.

“Goddess,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “That was close. Too close.”

I heard a snort of laughter from the direction of the bathroom and looked up sharply. Nicholas emerged a moment later, holding something pinched between his fingers, his arm fully extended.

I thought I might be sick when I saw what he was holding: a pair of my lacy panties. He grinned, holding them up for emphasis.

“Looks like Jade covered all the bases, huh?”