“She’s a grown-ass female. She can do what she wants,” Razik said, bringing his mug to his mouth and taking a long drink.
“But she’ll do whatyouwant,” Bram shot back.
“And?”
“And I’m hoping when she comes to you about it, after I ask her, you’ll put her before your own judgments and interests,” the male said, far too pointedly.
“She has rooms at the castle,” Razik said tightly after a few moments.
“I know,” Bram said. “But I want more for her and us. This isn’t a fling or casual fucking.”
“You’ve only really been interacting with her for a few months.”
“I’ve been watching her for far longer.”
Razik eyed him, asking the question that could potentially decide the whole matter for them. “Do you think she’s your twin flame?”
“As much as I wish that were true, no,” Bram answered.
At least he was honest. Razik wouldn’t have believed him if he’d said yes. The pull of a twin flame bond was said to be strong, especially for males in the beginning. If it had been that, he would have expected Bram to become more agitated and irritable, not to mention territorial, long before this conversation.
“And if one comes along one day, you’ll just drop her?” Razik pushed.
“The odds of ever meeting my twin flame are considerable,” Bram argued. “Especially with the Wards and the Fae population dwindling here.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“By the Fates,” Bram growled, running a hand over his short black hair. “Won’t I be in the same predicament if she finds a twin flame? No. Wait. That’s not the point.” The male leaned forward again, his agitation growing. “We live for centuries. No one bases their life around what ifs. So many things can change over the decades.”
Razik knew that. Knew he was asking something ridiculous of the male, but he’d also made a promise to protect Wren. She’d already been abandoned, and he’d found the best way to keep that from happening again was to avoid situations like this.
“What’s she supposed to do when you’re gone on missions?” Razik asked.
“She’s one of the few people who understands what this life entails. She’d know what she’s getting into from the start because she’s already been living this life with you. I see her more than I would otherwise because of who she is to you. To be honest, I tried to get her out of my system, but she’s always around, and…” He pushed out a long breath before taking another drink of ale. “I don’t want her out of my system anymore, Greybane. I wanther.”
Godsdammit.
What was he supposed to say to that?
“I see her as much as you do, if not more, these days,” Bram repeated, as if he felt he needed to keep defending himself or make a case.
“I already said she’s a grown-ass female,” Razik said flatly. “She can make her own decisions, and I won’t stand in her way. We always knew something like this could happen, and we have a standing agreement.”
Bram’s eyes narrowed, as though he was looking for a catch. “So…if she says yes and we start something, you’ll stop being a godsdamn prick?”
“No,” Razik shrugged, his chair scraping on the stone floor as he stood.
Bram sighed, but he said nothing else as Razik made his way across the crowded tavern and out into the night. He was a prick to everyone; he certainly wasn’t going to change because of this.
“Different clothes,” Razik said when he pushed through the doors to the king’s floor and found Kailia in her usual dress, sitting on a sofa.
She looked down at her attire. The black dress with slits on either side, bare arms, dagger at her thigh, and bare feet. Bringing her gaze back to his, she asked, “What’s wrong with what I am wearing?”
“We’re going to the training arenas,” Razik said brusquely, not in the mood to explain himself or his reasoning today. Of course, he was going to have to because Kailia was who she was.
But to his surprise, she perked up, getting to her feet. “The training arenas? To train?”
“What else would one do there?” he asked dryly.
