Violet showed no signs of distress when he watched her, and her sleep seemed peaceful. How had he missed her lingering fear, and why hadn’t War told him?
Vivian’s mockery made him hit Kincaid’s limp form again. He had no doubt she’d hurt Violet because she’d found her in Roman’s arms, innocent as it may have been. He and Viv weren’t together. They had an understanding to put on a show for the public, but romantically, they couldn’t care less about the other. Vivian still had a lover, and Roman still followed Violet, but Vivian didn’t know that, and her treatment of Violet was unacceptable.
“You’re useless if you break your hands,” Ares remarked as he sauntered into the cell.
Roman wanted to ignore his friend, but the man spoke true. Fae had magic, but that magic did not include rapid healing or immortality. Broken hands wouldn’t stop him, but they would make fighting more difficult.
Roman stalked out of the cell and addressed the guard outside of it. “Have him cleaned up and treated. We can’t let our friend die from an infection.” Death would be too easy.
Ares caught up to Roman quickly in the dark hallway of the dungeon. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He asked the same question every time they visited Kincaid, and as Roman did every time, he changed the subject. “I think Vivian is seeing someone,” he replied, using her as a scapegoat. “Have you heard anything about it?”
“No.” Ares eyed Roman with an annoyingly perceptive look on his face. “I’m surprised you care. Have you asked her about it?”
Roman swiped at the speckles of blood on his face. “She denied it.” Lying to his best friend felt wrong, but confessing his obsession with Violet was out of the question. Roman thumped his chest. “I can feel it. I’m going to confront her again tonight.”
“If she is, she’s convinced him to keep quiet because fucking the future queen would be something anyone would brag about.” Ares tilted his head side to side. “Or they don’t want to be charged with treason.”
Roman cracked his neck. Tonight, he’d demand Vivian put a stop to her affair. He didn’t give a shit who she fucked, but he’d not allow her to hurt Violet without consequence. Taking away her ability to be with the person she wanted seemed like a good start. “Let me know if you hear anything.”
Ares handed Roman a towel to clean himself. “How’s Violet?”
“How would I know?” Roman challenged. He scarcely spoke to Violet in public, and he ensured no one saw him follow her around. Ares couldn’t possibly know anything.
His friend grinned from ear to ear. “Because I saw your eyes glaze over to connect with War earlier, and he’s always with her in the afternoons.”
Roman made a mental note to glamour himself before connecting with War. “I wanted to see whathewasdoing,” Roman lied again. He lied a lot these days.
Ares slapped him on the back. “Can you tell the big guy to put in a good word for me?”
Roman went rigid, unable to feign nonchalance. “Why?”
Ares laughed loudly, the sound grating on Roman’s nerves. “I’m just fucking with you.” He flashed perfect teeth that Roman wanted to knock out of his head. “I can ask her out myself.” Roman stopped walking, and Ares followed suit. “Is there a reason you don’t want me asking out your future sister-in-law?”
Roman eyed Ares up and down. The man had light sand skin with dark brown hair and almost matched Roman in height. Most people attracted to men found him appealing.Does Violet?
Roman blanked his expression. “Why do you want to ask out Violet?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Ares lifted a hand and counted on his fingers. “She’s one of the prettiest girls I’ve ever seen. She’s funny.” He grinned widely. “Have you heard the little jokes she tells? They’re ridiculous, but she looks damn cute telling them.” Roman’s muscles readied to attack. How did Ares know about her jokes? “I like her style. She’s smart.”
“I get it,” Roman bit out. Not many men asked Violet out; he’d made sure of it over the years because he needed more time to find a way to make her his. He’d considered more than once begging her to secretly marry him to break his bond with Vivian, but he knew Violet would never do that to Viv, no matter how badly she treated her.
Roman had stopped threatening them over the last year, and stopped altogether when his parents announced Vivian as the future queen. It wouldn’t take long for gossip of an affair to spread, and he’d not put that on Violet.
He had no intention of marrying Vivian, but it’d do him no favors for the citizens in his kingdom to know their future king pined for another woman. Some people were royalists and zealously worshipped anything to do with the royal fae, including mate bonds. Some royalists thought if they could touch a royal or their mate that some of the gods’ blessing would transfer to them. If they suspected Roman intended on breaking that sacred bond, they would do anything necessary to keep it from happening.
“You should do it,” Roman suggested through gritted teeth. If Violet said yes, he’d reassign Ares to another kingdom. The Mountain Kingdom sounded nice. And far.
Ares burst out laughing as they ascended the stairs out of the cool dungeon. “I’m kidding, Rome.”
Roman considered snapping his best friend’s neck. He didn’t think he’d miss him that much. “You think Violet is a joke?” he asked without an ounce of humor. “Do you not think she’s good enough?”
Ares held up his hands, all jesting gone. “I meant what I said about her, but I’d never touch her. I don’t know what your deal is with your mate’s twin, but I respect you too much to go there.”
Roman needed to mask his emotions better. Her safety depended on it, and that meant until he either found a way to transfer the bond or convince Violet to marry him anyway, he needed to pretend better with Vivian.
* * *
