“I don’t want a guard posted outside my room.” Ivo glared at him. “People have been after me since I got off that plane. You told me I couldn’t trust anyone but you. Now you’re leaving me?”
“You can trust Yuval.” Vitki suppressed the urge to run his knuckles down Ivo’s soft-looking cheek. Being alone with Ivo in his bedroom made thelonginghe felt toward the man a hundred times more powerful. “I would have no one around you that I wouldn’t trust with my own life.”
It was truly fucked up that Vitki feltlongingfor Ivo, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Because Vitki wasn’t born into the royal lineage, he was forbidden to solder his soul to Ivo’s.
For the rest of his existence, Vitki would suffer in silence. That alone made him want to murder someone. When Ivo finally took the throne, Vitki would have to watch the man fate had handpicked for him marry another.
Vitki felt sick to his stomach. He had to get out of there. He needed fresh air and plenty of distance between him and Ivo before he did something really stupid, like give in to thelonging.
“At least give me your cell number so I can call you if I need you.” Ivo whipped out his phone, then kept his hand at the ready as he stared up at Vitki, waiting.
“Yuval knows how to get in touch with me.” Vitki felt like a coward as he rushed from the room before Ivo could stop him. Yuval was leaning against the wall when Vitki exited.
Vitki pointed at the door. “No one goes in there.”
“Yes, sir.” Yuval straightened, his arms at his sides as he scanned the hallway.
Vitki stormed down the long corridor, clenching his jaw as he made his way to the council room. As he’d suspected, the elders were holding court. What a fucking joke. It was like stepping back in time to the days of old. He was willing to bet none of them had a cell phone, an iPad, or a laptop. They were so cut off from the modern world that they might as well be encased in the mountains that surrounded them.
“Vitki.” Samara called his name.
Vitki clenched his teeth to the point they should have shattered. But when he turned, he made sure his expression was inscrutable.
“Yes, your grace?” Vitki was not in the mood for civil conversation.
“I have been told that Ivo Koubek has arrived.”
Vitki had no idea how she had found out. No one had known that he and a handful of his most trusted men were bringing Ivo here. “He has.”
It wasn’t as if he could lie to her. If Vitki lied to the council, his punishment would be severe. The last time he had been punished, it had taken him nearly a year to heal.
“I would like to meet with him.” Samara sauntered past him as if her demand would be met.
“Now, your grace?” Vitki asked. He refrained from crossing his fingers.
“I will let you know when,” Samara said before disappearing around the corner.
Vitki glanced at the room full of people. Maybe it wasn’t the brightest idea to go in there. It would be like walking into a den of lions.
Turning on his heel, Vitki sought out Damek, another one of his most trusted guards. He needed to find out how Samara knew about Ivo. And if Samara knew, then the rest of the council did as well.
Vitki couldn’t wait for Ivo to take the throne, but even then there was no guarantee that another assassination attempt wouldn’t be made. The man wasn’t safe, and that didn’t sit well with Vitki. Max had put Ivo’s safety in his hands. He was the Dýka, whether Ivo knew it or not.
Vitki had to stop a moment and think. What was more important? Protecting himself from Ivo or keeping the man alive? It really was a no-brainer. No matter how much he might suffer watching Ivo have the life he was destined to live, Vitki couldn’t let anything happen to the man, which meant he needed to find out who was trying to kill him.
As he suspected, Vitki found Damek in their wing of the keep. It was sectioned off from the main house, back behind it. Vitki always found that odd considering they were supposed to protect the royal family. He had been told time and time again that the royal family needed to be protected, but they didn’t want to see it.
It was bullshit, an ideal left over from days gone by when the royal bodyguards were uncivilized beasts who fought because they had a taste for blood. Vitki seriously doubted a single one of the gentry even had a clue how they did things nowadays.
Max had known, and he had used them to their fullest ability. He had outfitted them with the latest technology and gadgets, giving them carte blanche in protecting the royal family. Vitki hoped that practice continued with Ivo, but only time would tell.
“Damek.”
“Sir?” The man spun in his chair, turning away from the wall of monitors.
“Someone knew we were coming. There were numerous attempts on Ivo’s life between the airport and here. Someone is telling secrets that will get our Král killed. I want to know who did it and if anyone else is involved.”
“Yes, sir.”
