No one's watching me. No servants are hovering just out of sight, ready to report my every transgression back to my father or Monty. No guards are stationed at the doors, ostensibly for my protection but really to make sure I don't escape.
I can breathe here.
And that's a dangerous feeling. Comfort breeds complacency, and complacency gets you killed.
Still, as I sink deeper into the plush cushions on the low couch, a glass of something called coriander wine in my hand, I can't help but appreciate the moment of relative peace. Knight sits on the floor beside me as I stroke his hair, his massive frame still dwarfing every piece of furniture in the room. His burning blue gaze seems softer somehow, more relaxed. Geo lounges in a chair by the window, watching the street below with practiced vigilance, drumming his fingers on his outer thigh.
I take a sip of the wine and almost gasp as the flavor explodes across my tongue. Bright, complex notes of citrus and herbs with an underlying sweetness that lingers.
"Holy shit," I murmur, staring at the pale golden liquid in my glass. "This might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth." I pause, considering. "Present company excluded, of course."
Knight makes a confused growling sound beside me. Geo snorts from his position by the window.
"Surhiira is famous for its wines," Geo says, swirling his own glass. "One of the few exports they allow across their borders. That and some textiles."
"No wonder they guard their borders," I muse, taking another delicate sip. "If I had regular access to this, I'd become a drunk."
"Most Surhiirans don't drink to excess," Geo explains. "They're, uh… overly dignified to say the least."
"I'm sure that doesn't apply fully to the alphas when no one's watching," I mutter into my glass. My body feels loose, my mind pleasantly fuzzy at the edges. Not drunk—I'd need more than one glass for that—but relaxed in a way I haven't been since...
Well, since before I found out Azarel is royalty.
And even that feels like a distant concern right now, washed away by the sweet burn of alcohol and the soft cushions beneath me.
"You'd be surprised," Geo remarks, cracking the spine on the book he seemingly materializes out of nowhere. "Azzhole didn't tell you much about his culture, did he?"
I roll my eyes at the nickname and shift on the cushions, finding a more comfortable position. "He didn't tell me much abouthim, period."
Geo raises an eyebrow, but even though he doesn't say a word, his silence is full of unspoken judgment. We have that in common.
The door to the suite opens and Raven strides in, looking unfairly refreshed with white clothing and his golden hair falling in perfect waves around his shoulders.
"You look pleased with yourself," I observe, taking another sip of wine.
Raven's lips curve in that maddening half-smile of his. "I've just had my first proper bath in days and I didn't have to boil anything." Geo snorts at that, and Raven looks at him before adding, "We can'tallwake up looking flawless."
"Flattery will get you everywhere." I glance past him, realizing we're still one alpha short. "Where's Nikolai? Did you finally kill him and dump his body?"
"Sadly, no," Raven sighs, dropping onto the other side of the couch beside me with practiced grace. "He's out on the balcony, brooding existentially like the anti-hero he thinks he is."
"Is something wrong?" I ask, hating the flutter of concern in my chest.
Raven's fingers find my hair, stroking it gently. The touch sends a pleasant tingle from my scalp all the way down my spine. I find I don't mind at all. Not after the intimacy we shared so recently. "Not exactly wrong. Just... unresolved," he says. "You might want to go talk to him."
I groan, leaning back against the cushions. "Do I have to?"
Raven chuckles, continuing to run his fingers through my hair. "No, goddess. You don't have to do anything you don't want to." His eyes glitter with amusement. "But he might surprise you."
There's something in his voice, a hint of knowledge that piques my curiosity despite myself. With a sigh, I down the last of my wine and rise from the couch. "Fine. But if he ruins my buzz with his brooding, I'm shoving him off the balcony."
Geo grunts in approval from his chair. "Push from your thighs, not with your shoulders. Easier to keep your center of gravity that way."
Raven gives my hand a squeeze before releasing me. Knight shifts, as if to follow, but I shake my head.
"I'll be right back, big guy," I promise. "Stay here."
The white stone of the balcony gleams like polished silver in the soft light of the rising moon. Nikolai stands with his back to me, his hands braced on the railing as he stares out at the village below. His white hair looks almost ghostly in the moonlight, and for a moment, I'm struck by how alone he looks. How... vulnerable.
