“Oh! Is your human shy? Is that why? How adorable!”
“What do you want, Mabon?” snaps Selwyn.
Mabon’s attention discards me. It snaps utterly to his brother, as if I no longer exist.
“To know how Loo-loo is.”
Selwyn’s heart thumps. I hear it loud and clear, but then again, my ear is pressed against his chest.
“Why do you think I know where Llywelyn is?” Selwyn’s tone is calm and casual. It sounds nothing like his heart.
“Because you do know,” says Mabon. “And I know you know.”
The brothers glare at each other. Oh lord this is awkward. I’m naked underneath this sheet. Lying here in bed with my husband, while Mabon looms over us. I am a third wheel to arguing brothers.
“Llywelyn is in exile.” Selwyn eventually says.
Mabon puts his hands on his hips and tosses his head back. “As if you care about stuff like that.”
A busy silence falls again. Swirling with the unspoken battle of wills.
Mabon huffs. “Cottage in the woods, ring any bells?”
Beneath me, Selwyn growls. Low and deep. An utterly inhuman sound of pure menace. My guts coil, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Mabon rolls his eyes. “Fine, I will offer you a deal.”
Selwyn gently moves me to the pillow next to him, while his brother continues to talk.
“You check in on Loo-loo and tell me how he is doing,” says Mabon. “And in return, I will train your human so he doesn’t cry when he takes your cock.”
A cold, dark shame slaps me in the face with a startling force, but there is barely any time to register it, because the bed moves as Selwyn throws back the sheet and stands naked to face his brother. Fury carved into the lines of his shoulders.
“Outrageous, isn’t it?” gushes Mabon. “His people claimed he was fully trained, and yet…” Mabon falls silent. His mouth snaps shut. It appears he has finally noticed Selwyn’s anger.
“Prince Mabon Y Mabinogi, leave my rooms and never return without an invitation.”
Mabon’s eyes grow enormously wide. He opens his mouth. He shuts it again. He opens it once more.
“There is no need to be so bad-tempered!” he announces.
Then, he turns sharply on his heels. I’ve never actually seen anyone flounce out of a room before, but I’m pretty sure this is exactly what I am observing. Mabon is flouncing out of the room with such dramatic flair that it has to be the best flounce in all of history.
The door slams.
Selwyn takes in a deep breath. Then he grabs his dressing gown and leaves. I stare at the door as it shuts behind him.
Wow, that was quite something. And I thought my family was difficult.
At least Selwyn and I have one thing in common. Messy families.
Dawdling at breakfast any longer is stupid. It is quite clear that Selwyn will not be joining me. Mabon disrupted our normal morning routine, and I didn’t get a chance to please him, or be pleased by him. And now it seems clear that I’m not even going to get to talk to him.
Despondently, I spoon one last mouthful of yoghurt into my mouth. There will be plenty of other opportunities to redeem myself in my husband’s eyes. It’s fine. We are making steps in the right direction. It is still a while until the next full moon, and by then I will have everyone convinced I am happy and capable of fulfilling my role.
I don’t need to be by Selwyn’s side every single hour of the day. He is a busy man. A few hours apart are a good thing, a chance for me to pull myself together and breathe.
The door to the breakfast room opens, and Selwyn strides in. With three bolts of dark, sturdy cloth under his arm. My heart skips a beat, and butterflies swarm in my stomach. Just from the sight of him.
