“Ah! Tea! How perfect! I am parched!” he exclaims as he invites himself to join Llywelyn and Prys at the table.
I keep my head down and listen to the sound of tea being poured. Selwyn launches into a monologue about the plants he is trying to grow, and the varying levels of success he is having.
It is so hard not to grin. Talk about cock-blocking. It is perfect. Selwyn is playing the affable, clueless big brother role perfectly.
But I’m not fooled. Not in the least. This here is a very dangerous man. Shrewd. Calculating. His good-natured act is nothing more than a thin veneer. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. I really, really hope he is on Llywelyn’s side.
“Oh, Your Grace!” Selwyn says brightly. “With your means, you must be an expert at growing your own herb mixtures for hookah! Any tips?”
Prys splutters, but the prince’s passive aggressive insult was so perfectly done, there really is nothing he can say. Selwyn just called him impoverished, and there is not a thing he can do about it.
I could kiss Selwyn. Even if he is a wolf.
Silks swirl above me as Prys gets to his feet. He mumbles a hasty excuse and turns to leave. Tae shows him out and the door clicks firmly behind him.
I have never heard a more beautiful sound in my life. But before I can say a word, or climb to my feet, Llywelyn jumps up and storms off to his bedchamber. The door slams behind him. So hard I swear I hear something crack.
I get to my feet. Shit, I really am getting old. I’m dangerously stiff, just from sitting on the floor for a couple of hours.
Brown eyes meet my gaze and hold it. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to.
“What the fuck is going on?” demands Prince Selwyn.
I have a sudden, childish urge to look for Tae, but he seems to have vanished. Leaving me all alone with Selwyn. Which is only fair, I suppose. Tae did go and get the man. The rest is up to me.
“Sit,” says Selwyn, tilting his head to the chair Llywelyn was just sitting in.
Numbly, I obey.
“Talk,” says Selwyn as he pushes a cup of tea over to me.
I pick it up and take a sip. I can do this. Everything is fine. I’m good at thinking on my feet and weaving tales that best suit me and my motives.
“Prince Llywelyn and I were getting close,” I say. “Closer than just pet and master.”
Selwyn’s brown eyes are utterly unreadable. I shake off the discomfort and continue.
“Last night he was upset, and I thought he needed to be alone, but he didn’t. He needed me and I stayed away, so he assumed my feelings had changed.”
I take another sip of tea while Selwyn scrutinises every twitch of my face.
“Prys somehow picked up that it was a good time to swoop in.”
I exhale carefully. It is as close to the truth as I dare to give. Therefore, completely plausible. Lies that are nearly the truth, are the easiest ones to get away with.
Selwyn slowly picks up his teacup. He takes a long, careful drink of his tea, while his eyes never once leave mine. I don’t think he has even blinked since he first locked eyes with me.
“No, it is more than that,” he says calmly.
Fuck.
I can’t let him figure out I’m an agent, or that Llywelyn wants his brother’s throne. Not until I am one hundred per cent certain Selwyn will back the power grab. And at the moment, I know next to nothing about this man. Except that he is dangerous.
My heart is beating too fast, and my palms are sweating. What else can I give him? I need something juicy I can throw down, like giving a haunch of meat to a lion so you can escape the cage.
I swallow. “Llywelyn has omega traits. His moods have been… intense. I think something is going on. Tae found a book, but I can’t read fey.”
I’m going to feel shitty later for spilling Llywelyn’s secret, but it is far better than the alternative.
