"We should go back to the temple. I don't know what the next step should be."
"I'm not going back."
She stared at him, a knot of anger and pain in her chest. She looked like his mistress. Probably smelled like his mistress. Tasted like his mistress. She crossed her arms. "Then we'll have to go without an escort. The more men who see us together, the more danger we'll be in."
He had to think about that. When she had first appeared in the city, she'd seemed so... incongruous. Now she seemed inescapable.
"It's possible that I can find another way to kill the king," she said softly, "and that you can help me."
"By leading a revolution against the crown?"
Her eyes flashed. "You're no longer an actor. You're a king. If you want to put an end to this— _this_ —then it will be you who commands the army. Not the First Prince."
He lifted his chin. "I could have you killed."
Celaena's brows shot up. "Are you serious? _You're_ the one planning an assassination? You might be willing to sacrifice your life, but I'm not going to be killed."
"If I do nothing," he said, " _you'll_ be killed."
She did not respond.
"How can you expect to work with me?" he asked. "If I have you killed, you won't know who _I'm_ working with."
She held out her arms. "But I would know that you _did_ it. You'll be the only person to know that I was executed. I've been thinking about it. It's a great risk for me—but I'm willing to do what it takes."
A very convincing argument. Especially since he wanted to take her with him.
But he couldn't. "You can't do that. I won't have you giving yourself up, Celaena."
Her eyes narrowed. "What about the girl, Kharada? If I'm to give myself up, she should be at my side. I have the means to get her there."
"I thought you didn't care about her."
Her eyes lit. "I don't. But I'll do anything to keep her
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