Cora tensed back up immediately, her jaw popping open and dropping even wider when Raghnall actually paused to consider.
“Grandfather–” Luca started from behind us, stepping forward in stunned disbelief.
“It cannot be done,” Raghnall announced. “What children she bears by you will bear the name of House Avus. As her husband, she will belong to you in heart, body, and name.”
“The others have loyalties to Viper,” I said.
Cora gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth. Behind me, Luca cursed.
“This is ridiculous,” he said. “Grandfather, you can’t possibly be considering this. It would be the end of our House. For the matriarch to reside in another House, for her children to bear another name, it’s never been done. You can’t–”
I met Isla’s gaze over her grandfather’s shoulder to find her just as stunned as the others. She stared at me, speechless both physically and mentally.
“You propose unity,” I said, speaking to Raghnall but maintaining eye contact with Isla. “And yet you abandon my wife the moment she transitions to my family. How can there be an alliance between House Avus and House Lynx if, by the very marriage securing said alliance, Isla becomes no longer a part of Lynx? I have no intention of controlling my wife. She is an independent woman raised from birth to inherit all the rights and privileges of her House. She has been considered acontender for the role of Heir long before I entered the picture. A ring around her finger and a space in my bed does not disqualify her for that position. She is intelligent, cunning, and resourceful and she will serve your House loyally whether she resides within it or not. With her at my side and me at hers, we can make the best decisions not only for our individual Houses but for all of Sanctuary. And if Cosmo should rise up and try to claim the Ring for his own, we can stand together in the truest form of unity Sanctuary has ever seen.”
I felt a swelling of pride deep within me that came not from my own heart as Isla’s eyes sparkled with fierce appreciation. Cora was still stunned speechless by her side as Luca sputtered incoherently behind us. My grandmother and Raghnall both remained silent, each of them watching me with a curiosity that showed how much they’d both underestimated me. I hadn’t come here as a boy unaware of my value, blindly hoping to please those above me. I had come as Heir to my House, properly informed and prepared for political negotiation. I was a force to be reckoned with, an authority in my own right, a contender. Now, they knew.
“The offspring—“
“Whatever children Isla and I do or do not have will have the opportunity to be named Heir of either House Avus or House Lynx. When the time comes, I will choose my successor just as Isla will choose hers in the way it’s always been done, whether they are our children or not,” I answered the question before Raghnall could ask it.
The patriarch’s forehead wrinkled as he pulled slightly away from me. I waited for him to consider my offer and his potential response. Backing out now would be a slap in the face to House Avus, leaving him without an ally to face Cosmo, something he needed more than he was willing to admit. Going forward withit would take away his choice on the matter of his House’s succession. He was caught in his own snare and he knew it.
“It seems that nowIhave much to consider,” Raghnall finally spoke after a few minutes, stroking his beard as he cleared his throat and settled back in his chair.
Luca was horrified if the sputtering at my back was any indication, Cora seemed to be locked in a state of shock, and my grandmother was suppressing a grin beside me, but it was Isla who drew my attention more than the others. She was practically beaming outwardly with the pride I still felt radiating from my core, from her. I placed a hand on my heart and gave a slight nod in her direction to show I felt the outpouring of admiration she was conveying to me. Her lips stretched up into a small smile as I rose.
“It’s a big decision,” I told Raghnall, calling back to earlier in our conversation. “Marriage always is. Take your time. I look forward to hearing what you choose. Isla, Cora, a pleasure as always. Luca.”
I gave them each a small nod before departing with Nascha. My grandmother took her time heading for the door and I had no choice but to walk beside her.
Luca’s eyes burned a hole in the back of my head all the way.
Chapter Twelve
Olympia
It was against protocol and manners and damn near everything else to keep me waiting and yet here I was.
I stood outside the gates of the House of Harlow, tapping my foot impatiently on the cobblestones as the pale boy in the white robes scurried inside with wide eyes to relay my message. I’d promised Milo I would be nice and I had been. I hadn’t technically threatened anyone, just insinuated how quickly a house full of books was likely to go up in flames under the right conditions. Then I’d casually dropped the cue that the Heir to a Major House had been trying to get in contact with them and acolyte-of-the-year had gotten the hint.
Now, I only had to wait, but waiting was the worst part and I’d never been particularly patient. I’d paced for a time, hands on my hips, but tired of that quickly. So instead I stood scowling at the front door and tapping my foot to release the restless energy of my growing frustration.
“Olympia?”
Finally. My gaze snapped to the man exiting the House. He was well dressed in a freshly pressed suit, hair coiffed andflopping to one side. He wore spectacles that reminded me of Milo but he didn’t push them up constantly like my cousin as he approached. His eyes swept over me and I got the impression he was distinctly unimpressed. I bristled but reminded myself to be calm, to play nice.
“I’m told you asked to speak with me,” he said. His tone was a lazy drawl, so monotone it was almost disrespectful.
“You’re Jude?” I asked, raising a brow nonchalantly to show that I was equally unimpressed.
“I am. I’m assuming this has to do with your Heir’s requests for information?”
I didn’t answer because obviously it did. Why else would I be here? Instead, I pursed my lips and waited.
“If we had anything to send, I assure you it would have been sent upon the first request,” he said after a moment.
“And yet, you didn’t answer at all,” I replied easily, not swayed by his evasiveness. “If it’s your House’s mysterious reputation you seek to uphold, I can assure you that Avus is not amused. We didn’t ask for anything unreasonable, just information about members of our own House.”
