"Alaric, are you alright? I heard you coughing from far away. You really need to take care of yourself."
A man peered in from the doorway, short, dark-skinned, with an uneasy yet ingratiating smile.
But behind his mask of kindness, I caught the briefest flash of cunning and smugness.
My stomach churned and the bitter medicine threatened to rise once again.
Amaris rose, taking the things Silas was carrying and practically pulled him inside.
"Silas, you’re finally here! There’s so much work waiting for you at home."
Silas rubbed his hands together, grinning widely, his yellowed, smoke-stained teeth exposed like a predator’s.
"Don’t worry about a thing, Alaric. Now that I’m here, you can count on me."
His eyes quickly scanned the room, barely concealing the greed behind his gaze.
"Silas is a hardworking man," Amaris added, her voice sweet with feigned concern. "Now that he’s here, you can finally rest easy."
Rest easy? More like it would make things easier for you two to act.
Suppressing the boiling nausea and rage that surged inside me, I forced out a weak smile and gave a slight nod.
Amaris smiled with satisfaction and patted my blanket.