“Fine,” Cethin finally acquiesced. “But only when I am not around.”
“The stabbing occurs when you two are alone together,” Razik said, sitting far too casually in his seat for someone who had just argued with the king.
“I’ll leave the three of you to work out the details,” Tybalt said. Then he added, “I assume such things will be handled likethe centuries-old males you are and not like younglings who haven’t gotten their way.”
Kailia held in a huff of amusement at the comment. She was pretty sure she liked the male, even if the sentiment didn’t appear to be mutual.
Cethin lowered back into his chair as Tybalt left, and as soon as he was gone, he turned to Razik with a sneer on his lips. “What are you playing at, Greybane?”
Unfazed, Razik propped an ankle on his knee as he said, “You flatter yourself thinking everything is about you. Tybalt heard this was coming and wanted to get things in order. He asked me, and I said yes.”
“You willingly agreed to be in my presence,” Cethin deadpanned.
“No. I willingly agreed to be inherpresence.”
“Why?”
“Are you sure the two of you have never been lovers?” Kailia cut in, trying to understand the animosity between the two.
“Yes,” Cethin gritted out.
“Did one of you take the other’s lover?”
“No.”
“Anything to do with lovers?”
Finally, Cethin turned to her. “Why do you assume this has anything to do with lovers?”
“I’ve only seen males become this irrational when lovers are involved.”
“Personal experience, Lia?” Razik cut in.
“No, simply observations.”
Neither of the males said anything in response, and neither did she because this was all very confusing.
Icy black wisps flitted around her arm a moment before Cethin stood and extended a hand to her. “She doesn’t need a personal guard when we’re in our own rooms,” he said, eyes onher until he looked over his shoulder at Razik. Then he added, “Feel free to stand outside the doors and wait until you’re needed. And I expect you to be there. If you’re not, I’ll report you and have you replaced for failing in your responsibilities. Again.”
“You motherfu?—”
But Kailia never heard Razik finish the curse as she slipped her hand into Cethin’s, and he immediately Traveled them to their floor.
Dropping her fingers, Cethin stalked across the room and filled a liquor glass. He downed the entire thing before refilling it. Several minutes passed as he sipped on his refilled glass of alcohol and she simply stood there, unsure of what was happening.
“You did well today,” he finally said.
“No thanks to you,” she retorted, lifting her chin.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You didn’t prepare me for this.”
“Of course I did. I told you what to expect today.”
“And then you told me to tell them I was from Shadowfen, and they had questions, Cethin,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “How was I supposed to answer those? Was I even supposed to answer them? Was I supposed to speak? Let you do the talking?”
“You can speak whenever you wish,” Cethin said, taking another sip and watching her intently. “And I stopped the questions.”
