Roarke decided to skip the birthday.
It was not the first time he had missed something important. It also would not be the last. This was simply another entry in a very long ledger.
Right now, he was not hired as an assassin. He was hired as a spy. An assassin solved problems with blades. A spy solved problems with patience. And while Arzhen Vasiliev annoyed him, annoyance was not sufficient justification for murder.
Also, there was the Luna to consider.
Lady Sees had made her position on Ruby Vaiva abundantly clear. The Saintess was hers. Her toy, her target and her vengeance. No one was permitted to touch Ruby without the Luna's express permission.
And Arzhen was still Ruby's extension. He was her ally. If the Luna wanted Arzhen dead, she would have said so. She would have ordered it. The fact that she had not meant the man was, for now, protected.
