“What exactly is the point of this nonsense?” Logan asked from his spot next to Holly where they were propped against a wall.

Holly shrugged. “To show Mitchell off like a prized horse up for sale?”

Logan stifled a laugh. “That was sort of mean.”

“Yes, but it’s the truth. I mean look at all of them!” She gestured to the packs of females spread around the room. Some were making halfhearted attempts at speaking with the noblemen in the room, but most were staring doe-eyed at Mitchell where he sat beside his mother on the dais.

“I wonder how long Deva will last before she stabs one of them in the eye,” Logan said with a little chuckle.

Holly looked to where Deva stood silently just behind where Mitchell sat. It had been his idea that she be here, since his mother had wanted him here he’d decided he needed a personal guard and chosen Deva for the job. Cassandra hadn’t been exactly pleased by his choice, but she couldn’t tell him no or he’d refuse to come. It was obvious from the abundance of young ladies of noble birth present that Cassandra was using this opportunity to try and convince Mitchell that there were better choices in female companionship out there than Deva.

“With the look she has on her face I don’t think she’s going to last must longer,” Holly muttered quietly.

Deva’s contemplations were fairly close to what Logan and Holly had surmised she did want to stab several of the young noblewomen who were making eyes at Mitchell. Her hand fell to the double sheath that held her saxe knives and she fingered the hilt of her throwing knife in quiet contemplation of what the simpering blond currently bowing to Mitchell and Princess Cassandra would look like if she hacked off all of her hair.

If Mitchell hadn’t specifically asked her to be here, to be his personal guard, even if he didn’t need one, she never would have agreed to this. Since he had, she had jumped at the chance to spend the time with him. Halt had agreed to the short delay in her training so that she could accompany Mitchell, her dad had agreed as well. After everything was decided, Logan and Holly had also tagged along while Will and Halt went off on some sort of mission for Princess Cassandra.

So, here she was silently watching as the idiot, brainless, girls smiled at Mitchell while she stood here quietly and wondered if she could kill them all and get away with it.

“Deva, do stop glowering you’re going to frighten people.”

Deva relaxed and wiped the grimace from her face. “Sorry Your Majesty,” she murmured quietly to Cassandra.

Mitchell glanced at her with a grin. She wanted to slap him, she knew what that grin meant. He knew why she’d been scowling. He winked at her before turning to face forward again. She’d get him later for that.

Across the room, Logan was scanning the crowd, looking for any signs of trouble. Beside him, Holly yawned. He sent her a sidelong glance before looking back at the room. “Whose idea was it for us to be here?”

Holly grumbled sleepily and shifted against the wall. “Deva didn’t want to be stuck here alone in case Mitchell got busy and she couldn’t be with him at all times, I thought it was a good idea.”

“Oh yes, this is so exciting I’m not sure I can handle it all.”

“Shut up Logan, no one promised you excitement on this little trip.”

He laughed and bumped his shoulder into hers. “Hey, at least we’re here together, right?”

Holly cracked an eye open and looked at him. What exactly had that meant? She couldn’t tell by his expression he was staring out at the room, watching the people milling about and acting like idiots in an attempt to gain the notice of Mitchell and his mother. “Um, yeah right together.” Her gaze drifted over the room and halted on a woman sitting quietly to one side of the room. Holly frowned as she watched the woman. “Who is she?”

Logan frowned. “Who?”

“Her,” Holly said as she jutted her chin in the woman’s direction.

“She’s new, arrived yesterday.”

Holly straightened. “How do you know that?”

“I had Mitchell give me a list of all the nobles who are currently in attendance at his mother’s court. Party, whatever this is supposed to be.” He waved a hand at the gathered people.

“And, who is she?”

“Lady Monica Reynard, a minor noblewoman from Caraway fief.”

Holly stared in silence at the woman. She sat quietly, alone, on a settee against the wall a glass held in her hand. Her brown hair was piled elegantly atop her head, her dress was a deep emerald shot through with gold thread and the latest fashion. There was nothing Holly could spot that was out of place about the woman and yet, something was off.

“I don’t trust her,” Holly muttered.

“You don’t trust anyone,” Logan replied in an offhand manner.

“I trust you don’t I?”

He shrugged. “Some days I’m not certain about that.”

Holly punched him in the arm and grinned in satisfaction when he grasped his arm and stared at her wide-eyed. “You’re a big idiot Logan.”

“OW! Jeez Holly, my entire arm is numb!”

She waved a hand at him. “It’ll be fine. Give it a couple of minutes.”

Logan continued to grumble about his arm while she watched Lady Monica. She was poised and elegant, when anyone stopped to speak with her she seemed to say the right thing, no one left offended that Holly could see. So what was it that bugged her about the woman?

“Seriously Holly, I think you broke something.”

She rolled her eyes. “I did not. Shake it a bit that usually works for Deva. We need to find out more about this Lady Monica.”

“Don’t start Holly, leave the poor woman alone!”

“She’s suspicious! Just look at her!” Holly motioned subtly in Lady Monica’s direction.

“Oh and I suppose that one over there is suspicious too, and those over there, and what about those?” Logan said as he pointed to random girls around the room.

“Yes because they’ll all eying up Mitchell like he’s something to win and that could make them do anything in order to get to him. To get to the crown!”

“Right, the one over there is extremely suspicious. She’s all of what, eighty? Half-blind and with that cane, yes I can see what you mean she might beat someone to death with that cane of hers. We should arrest her this minute.”

Holly scrunched her face up and glared at Logan. “Shut up Logan.”

“Why don’t you trust Lady Monica?”

“I don’t know there’s something about her that bugs me. I can’t explain what.”

“Right okay so we’re going to accuse her doing what, sitting there drinking and enjoying her time at court while ogling Mitchell? Wow, Holly great plan. Please do not tell you want to set the woman on fire.”

She rolled her eyes. “Did I mention fire? No. I think we need to keep an eye on her.”

“Right, because “something about her bugs you” that makes her worthy of surveillance,” Logan replied snidely.

“You know what, Logan, if you don’t like it then I’ll watch her myself.” She scooted away from him a bit and settled back against the wall.

Logan moved over to stand next to her again. “Come on Holly, you have to admit your reasoning doesn’t contain a great deal of logic.”

“Go away Logan or I’ll hit you again,” she answered grumpily.

He smiled at her. “I’m not going anywhere, besides we both need to stay to assist in case Deva tries to murder one of Mitchell’s prospective brides.”

Holly grumbled and settled further against the wall. “I’m ignoring you Logan.”

Standing near Mitchell, Deva just wanted the day to be over with; this entire spectacle was a complete waste of time. Mitchell didn’t want to marry any of these simpering morons. At least that’s what he’d told her. She glanced at the back of his head, he was slumped in his throne, from here it certainly didn’t appear as if he were enjoying himself, however she couldn’t see his face, so anything was possible.

Mitchell suddenly twisted around and looked at her, he motioned her closer and she leaned down so that he could speak to her quietly without anyone else hearing. “Bored?

“No I’m having tons of fun; this is the most excitement I’ve had since Holly killed Morgan.”

Mitchell chuckled. “I heard the sigh, Deva. You’re bored and the truth is, so am I. I don’t know how my mother can sit through this nonsense; it’s no wonder my father finds other things to do during the day.”

“How many of them has she suggested as future brides so far?” Deva asked and she hoped she did a fair job of hiding the jealously from her voice.

“Nearly a dozen of them.” He sighed. “You think she would have given up by now. I’ve made my wishes clear, I’ll choose whom I wish to marry and I’ll do it in my own time.”

Deva grinned sappily. “She’s still going to try and shove multiple choices in your direction in the mean time in the hopes you’ll change your mind.”

“Yes, I think that’s her game.”

“Mitchell, are you paying attention at all?”

He turned to look at his mother when she snapped at him. “Sorry Mother, what did you say?”

She gestured to the woman standing before the dais. “You remember meeting Lady Monica yesterday?”

“Yes of course.” He rose, made his way down the three steps that raised the dais and took her hand, bending over it and kissing her knuckles. “Lovely to see you again Lady Monica.”

She smiled prettily at him and inclined her head. “You as well You Highness.”

“Mitchell dear, why don’t you have a dance with Lady Monica.”

Mitchell wanted to snap at his mother, but he couldn’t do that, not now. They’d had a discussion about her forcing such things on him, it was obvious she was going to choose to ignore his wishes. He held out his arm to Lady Monica, while forcing a smile he didn’t feel. “Would you like to dance, Mi’lady?” She smiled, took his arm and allowed him to lead her to the small dance floor in the room.

Logan shook his head when he saw Mitchell lead Lady Monica out onto the dance floor. He was surprised Holly wasn’t griping about it. He saw Deva excuse herself from her spot behind Mitchell’s throne and make her way across the room toward them

She stopped a foot or so in front of them, surveyed them both and then fixed her gaze on Logan. “Haven’t noticed anything odd have you?”

He shrugged. “Holly has formed an unreasonable dislike for the Lady Monica for some reason. I guess she doesn’t like anyone who sits alone quietly against a wall, in which case she should dislike the two of us because we’re currently lurking near the wall quietly. He glanced sideways at Holly, expecting a snide comeback, she remained quiet, he supposed she was still angry with him for not agreeing about Lady Monica.

Deva folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. “I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that your partner is asleep.”

“She’s not asleep Deva; I think I would have noticed if Holly were sleeping.”

“Oh really?” She reached out and slapped Holly upside the head Holly immediately jumped and blinked.

“Ow! What in the name of Gorlog are you doing?”

“Not asleep huh?” Deva asked Logan.

Logan stared at Holly. “You were sleeping, standing up, in the middle of what is supposed to be a surveillance mission?”

Holly grunted and glared at him. “This is boring and you are a jerk, what did you expect?”

Deva stamped a foot. “Can you two act like adults please? We’re supposed to be keeping Mitchell safe!”

“If you really want him safe keep him away from that Monica woman,” Holly muttered as she glared over Deva’s shoulder to where Mitchell danced with Monica.

“I don’t have a say in who he dances with, Holly! Princess Cassandra wanted him to dance with her! Now behave, we only have another hour of this mess to deal with for today!” She stomped back to her spot on the dais.

Logan scowled at Holly. “I can’t believe you were asleep, I can’t believe I didn’t even notice!”

“Not my fault you’re the least observant Ranger ever.”

“Shut up Holly. Let’s just do our jobs.”

“I would if someone would let me investigate Lady Monica,” she grumbled unhappily.

“Leave it be there’s nothing wrong with the woman.”

Holly kept quiet, Logan might believe there was nothing wrong with the so-called Lady Monica, but something really bugged Holly about her. With or without Logan’s help she was going to find out what was off about the woman. If she was here to harm the royal family in anyway, she was going to regret it.