But his comment about their father concerned me. It made it sound like Sebastian had gone behind the King’s back somehow. If there was some kind of family drama going on in the royal palace, I wanted nothing to do with it.
Before Sebastian could scold him any further, Elian scampered off like a rat escaping into a sewer. I suddenly became even more grateful for my good relationship with Amos. Obviously, Elian’s circumstance had molded him into a loud-mouthed brat.
“I apologize for my brother’s behavior,” Sebastian said, his voice full of scorn as he rubbed his temple.
For a moment, Sebastian seemed like a real person. An older brother annoyed at his younger sibling. But I reminded myself that one instance of humanity didn’t make him a good person, or even a decent one. He was still awful, along with his entire family. He hadboughtme, for fuck’s sake.
“I suppose Amos doesn’t act this way,” Sebastian said.
At the mention of my brother, I raised my head. Part of me was surprised the prince actually remembered his name.
“No, he doesn’t,” I said, pride sneaking into my tone. “Amos is a good kid.”
“Lucky you.”
I gave him a wry, bitter smile and rolled my neck so the collar jingled. “Yeah. Lucky.”
Sebastian regarded me with a slight raise of his brow before letting the subject drop. He walked further into the hall, hurrying me along.
My sense of space was all warped, thanks to the colossal palace. It barely felt like we’d taken ten steps before someone else called out to Sebastian. It was a young voice, like Elian’s, but much softer, like he was speaking in a dream.
“Seb? Who’s that?”
I glanced over to see a boy of about sixteen. There was no accusation in his face, unlike Elian, just a healthy curiosity. I would have let my guard down, except in the very next second, a huge dog broke away from his side and was bounding towards me.
“Fuck!” I yelped. I instinctively leapt back but hit the end of the leash. It happened so hard and fast that it applied a sharp jerk of pressure on my neck, winding me. I hissed a curse that came out breathless.
Sebastian didn’t panic. He stepped in front of me and said in a firm, authoritative voice, “That’s enough.”
The dog skidded to a halt. Its cropped ears flicked back, as if wondering why Sebastian had stopped it.
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Sebastian said to the dog. He gestured to me. “Rourke is part of this household now.”
A lot of things were happening at once. I had a brief moment to realize Sebastian was actually talking to the fucking dog before it dawned on me that he’d probably just saved my life. I also recognized the breed of dog now—it was a Black and Tan Tax dog, a fancy purebred that was fiercely loyal to its master and home. They were bred to protect the tax collectors that patrolled the lower quarters and outskirts, since it was a dangerous job if the people getting taxed decided to fight back. I remembered my old man, my alpha Dad, railing at a tax collector once—he was demanding money when we had nothing left to give. The guy had a Tax dog with him that scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. For that reason, I wasn’t too fond of them.
The little omega ran up to the dog and threw his arms around its neck. “You scared Fluffy.”
“Fluffy scaredme,” I said breathlessly. I ignored the fact that the dog’s name was stupid as hell.
Sebastian let out a laugh. It was short but real, the only genuine laugh I’d heard from him yet.
“Cecil, I know Fluffy was only doing his job, but Rourke is not a threat. Can you teach him to treat Rourke with respect?” Sebastian said.
I held back a snort. It was wildly ironic that he was telling his brother and his dog to respect me when I was at the end of a damn leash.
“Okay,” Cecil said softly.
He stood up and glanced at me with wide grey-blue eyes. His hair and eye color were the only indication he was related to Sebastian. Unlike the other two brothers, there was nothing severe or cruel about his face. Then again, he was still young. He had plenty of time to grow into being just as evil as Sebastian.
“Um, Seb? Where did he come from?” Cecil asked. “I don’t remember him from the viewing…”
“He’s not from the viewing.” Sebastian smiled. “Let’s just say he came from somewhere else.”
“Okay,” Cecil said with a shrug. He reached into his pocket for something, then looked at me as if he wanted to take a step closer. But there was fear in his eyes. He held back.
“I’ve got him under control,” Sebastian said coolly. He glanced at me in warning, as if to say,if you hurt my brother, I will kill you on the spot.
I had no intention of doing that. Even if he was a royal, he was just a kid. Besides, Cecil didn’t seem as bad as his other siblings. To show him that I wasn’t a threat, I kneeled down so I wasn’t towering over him. Encouraged by this, Cecil reached out to give me something. It was a dog treat.
