Nero's Fiddle by A W. Exley

nodded. “Full disclosure, remember? But I cannot change events that have already played out.”
    She had learned much on each of her visits to the Rookery, like how the annual death toll of fifteen hundred dropped to under a thousand since the change of regime and continued to decline. She found comfort by focusing on the positive outcomes. “I met Liam; apart from the divine accent, I think he’s very gallant.” She fanned herself with one hand as she remembered her guide.
    Nate’s dark brows drew together in a scowl. “He’s a rogue, watch him; but he cares deeply for his people.” He sent a caress along their bond before he reached for her physically.
    She took his hand in hers and ran her thumbs over his palm. “I’m going to teach the little ones to read, I want them to have choices.”
    Nate relaxed his pose under her touch and a smile quirked his lips. “Just what the world needs, more smart women who can fight their way out of a corner. I’ll talk to Liam about finding space for you to use.”
    “Thank you.” Now she needed to find a way to make learning fun so the children didn’t wise up to her too quickly.
    He held his arms open and she went to him. As he held her tight, she let loose a sigh and her body hummed. She was learning that relationships were hard work, but these moments of quiet peace made it worthwhile.

    “What plans do you have?” Nate asked as he pushed around the papers stacked on his desk, looking for anything urgent. One caught his attention and he extracted it from the pile.
    Cara perched on a corner of the desk. “I need to go see McToon and decide what to do with my Soho house. It’s evicted the only tenant we could find.”
    His gaze flicked from lines of text up to her. “You talk about that house as though it lived.”
    “I think it does, and it has always hated me. In hindsight, perhaps it has absorbed an artifact? My father buried the Heart in the basement, who knows what might have leeched into the brickwork.” She chewed her bottom lip. “I know I searched the house, but I can’t help thinking there is something else there.”
    He dropped the memo and brushed a thumb over the back of her knuckles. “Are you all right to go back?”
    She shrugged. “Yes. I’m not fond of the cellar, though, after what happened down there.”
    A brief smile quirked his lips. “Weaver tried to cave my head in with a dock exoskeleton, so I understand the sentiment.”
    “I shan’t go alone, I have Brick and I’ll hide behind him if the house gives me any trouble. On the off chance it does try to electrocute me, I would be grateful if you kept me alive.”
    “Always,” he whispered, and dropped a kiss on her hand before releasing her.
    Nate folded Cara in his embrace and his lips slid over hers in a gentle tease, somewhat placating her concern. She sighed and leaned into the kiss, over far too soon.
    He pulled back from her. “I have several meetings today, including one with Victoria. I’ll tell you all the details over dinner.”

    Late that night, she awoke to find herself alone. She pulled a velvet robe tight around her naked figure and padded down to the study on bare feet. The household slumbered except for Nate and one lone man standing guard in the entrance way. They dimmed the lights at night and the bulbs threw long shadows, illuminating the face of the man outside the study door.
    She nodded as she pushed the door open and crept into Nate’s domain. The deep green walls absorbed the light and gave nothing back, the only illumination the dance of firelight and the single beam from the lamp.
    He sat at the desk, papers scattered around him, a small red box open in front of him and his head in his hands.
    She padded closer. “What’s keeping you awake so late?”
    He looked up and his hungry stare roamed her body for a moment. Then he sighed, pushed back the chair, and beckoned for her to sit on his lap. “I am kept awake by a surplus of possibilities. Like a