Graham’s eyes met mine from across the table, and we both smiled. Haven had drunk a tiny bit too much apple brandy, and was curled up on the chair with me, crying onto my shoulder so much I was pretty sure it was going to have a salt stain when it dried.
“I can’t believe you’re all grown up,” she blubbered. I patted her golden hair, breathing in a lungful of her cinnamon scent,which had a burned edge to it now, as it always did when she was sad or scared. “Grown, and going to Verdan all alone?—”
“I’m going with the trade delegation. I won’t be alone.”
“—and lonely, without your mother or anyone to talk to.”
I fought a smile. “I’ll have people to talk to.” Not that I needed that. I was fine keeping to myself. It was safer.
“Are you packed, though? You’re leaving too early. You might forget something.”
“You helped me pack. My trunk is sitting out in the training yard.” I eyed the bottle of brandy. I was starting to feel like I might need some myself.
“But what if you need different clothes? The weather there…”
“They have clothing shops in Verdan. I’m going to be working with textile suppliers at first, anyway.”
“But who knows where you’ll end up? Verdan’s better now that Vali got rid of the old king, but it’s so far away, and they’re not nearly as forward thinking as we are in Rimholt about women’s education and—oh, Goddess. I never even spoke to you about the herbs you might need for”—she waved at her stomach—“avoiding motherhood.”
I cringed. I wasn’t going to talk to her about that in front of half the family, and I didn’t need the information. “I promise I have everything I need to avoidthatin my cloak.” It was true. I had enough fast-acting poisons to kill any man who thought about sticking his dick in me before he could even get hard.
That wasn’t what she meant, of course. But I wasn’t going to need the herbs she was referring to, though I had some in my bags. Queen Vali and I had talked about herbal remedies to suppress fertility cycles years ago, since I’d needed to find them for my hidden Omegas. I’d given most of them to Winna and the others, and I’d made sure Verity knew the queen would find us more when they needed them.
I’d known since I was seven that there were herbal remedies and vinegar tinctures for Beta women to avoid conception. The brothel workers who’d been my friends had shared their knowledge easily, and Haven had told me a few more things a while back. But neither Queen Vali, Haven, nor Aunt Cilla had mentioned ones that worked on Omegas.
Discreetly, I sniffed my armpit. I didn’t pick up any mint now. As long as I stayed away from Alphas—at least ones who might trigger lusty thoughts—I’d be safe. And if any came close who looked too good? Well, they probably wouldn’t look so good six feet under the ground. Or being eaten by carnivorous cattle.
I laughed quietly, which set Haven back to crying for some reason. “You’re being so b-brave.”
Rand sighed as he came back into the room from putting the baby to bed. “Come on, love. You know our daughter is a capable, strong, clear-headed assassin—I mean, young woman.” We exchanged grins while Haven grumbled something about even assassins needing a mother around. He plucked her off me, and she cuddled into him. “It’s not her you need to worry about. It’s the rest of the world.”
Over her shoulder, I mouthedIs she pregnant again?I didn’t think so, since my dads were pretty careful not to serve her brandy during those months.
Before he could reply, someone pounded on the door. “Open in the name of the king!”
What was going on? Rand moved fast, whisking Haven out of the room. I had a knife in my hand and another tucked up my sleeve before Niko managed to get the door open. I noted that my crew had immediately snapped to their stations, guarding the doorways to the bedrooms and the front hall. Peony and Augusta were nowhere to be seen, but I knew they were upstairs, securing the little ones and Haven.
Only Robert was out, as he had been all day, guarding the…Oh shit.The royal tots.
The king’s guards burst through the door, with Robert right behind him. “Ratter, where’s Dash?” he panted.
“What’s wrong?” I raced to his side, though one of the guards foolishly tried to place himself between me and my crew member. Without a second of hesitation, I had the guard on the ground and wheezing, a tiny trickle of blood coming out of one ear. I held him down easily as I examined Robert for injuries. “You’re hurt?”
“I fell, coming off the wall. Apparently, Dash told his parents he was tired and went to bed early. I saw what I thought was him in his bedroom when I came on shift, but it was just a?—”
“Pile of pillows,” I said, and began cursing. The guard cursed, too, so I smacked his head on the ground to shut him up. “Get the crew out on the town. Have them alert the rest of our street rats. Do we have any idea where he might be? Could someone have taken him?”
“Anyone who wants a ransom,” one of the guards muttered. I held a hand out to the one I’d incapacitated. He sneered at it and got up without help.
“How did they discover him missing?” Rand demanded as he entered the room, buckling on his sword.
“Captain.” Both guards saluted. The smarter one snapped out, “There was a theft in the castle, discovered only this afternoon. One of the Mirrenese contingent attacked the prince in the Great Hall. He was fine but went to bed early, claiming exhaustion. Later on, one of the Mirrenese children said he had a Solstice gift for the prince. He was allowed to place it inside the door. When they opened it, he ran past the guards, and stabbed the prince’s bed with a knife.”
“Two attacks on the boy in one day,” a voice I hadn’t expected to hear again said from the door. “They both claimed they wereretaliating for the killing of their kin… by taking the life of your boyfriend, I believe it was.”
Rand allowed Serak into the room. He glided straight to me, his eyes taking in every detail around him in an initial sweep. He bowed slightly to Graham and Rand, then stopped beside me. I glanced at his shoulder. He had a slight lump underneath his shirt, probably a bandage over the stab wound. I didn’t have time to care about that now, though.
“My boyfriend?”
