Cethin nodded, and everyone adjourned. They’d reconvene tonight when Corveth would give his answer. If he refused, Cethin was half inclined to leave the seat open. Fuck traditions at this point.
It took him a moment to realize Tybalt was still sitting at the table. Cethin had thought everyone had left.
He leaned back in his chair, hand back on the table and fingers drumming as he held the older male’s stare.
“It was the right move, Cethin,” Tybalt said.
“I am still the king, Tybalt.”
“And you get to decide what kind of king you are. You can rule with an iron fist, or you can listen to the wishes of your people. That’s what you did today,” Tybalt replied simply.
Cethin leaned forward, pointing a finger at him. “You think I don’t know what you’re doing? Pushing Razik into this role? Forcing us to spend more time together?”
“This has nothing to do with you and him. Your betrothed needed a guard. I gave her the best we have.”
Cethin scoffed as he stood, wooden chair legs screeching against stone. He wasn’t about to sit here and argue about this again. Not when Razik was alone with Kailia at this very moment.
He didn’t bother saying anything else to the Commander.
Chapter 15
Kailia
“Trouble between you and Cethin already?”
Turning away from the window she’d been staring out of, Kailia looked at her personal guard.
Razik sat lazily on the sofa, one foot on the ground while his other leg was stretched along the length of it. With an arm splayed across the back, he had a book open in his other hand. Something he’d found on one of the bookshelves. Despite being in what she’d gathered was his typical attire, he seemed comfortable enough in the king’s private rooms.
And while he’d been lounging around, she’d been lost to her dream from the night before. She’d only endured a little of the torture before she’d managed to wake herself up, and she hadn’t been lying when she’d told Cethin it was unnerving to wake up somewhere unfamiliar. Perhaps she’d been more disturbed with herself for being disappointed that Cethin hadn’t even been in the room when she’d jolted awake. His side of the bed had not been slept on, same as the night before. For someone who insisted she stay in his chambers, he didn’t appear to sleep there at all.
Still feeling phantom burns along her skin, she’d crept down the hall to find him writing in a journal of sorts. Then she’d let him draw her into a frivolous round of bickering just to distract her.
But gods, when his magic flitted along her own? That was something she’d never experienced before, but a part of her wanted to again. Was it always like that?
No.
She was not contemplating that right now.
Or ever.
Ignoring Razik’s question, she asked one of her own. “Do you spend a lot of time in these rooms?”
“By Sargon, no,” Razik replied, looking up from the pages he was reading.
“You appear as though you do,” she went on. “You seem at ease, like you are at home here.”
“I stood outside that door for hours because the king needed to prove a point to showcase his dominance,” Razik replied impassively. “Then, when I was allowed in, you decided to stare out a window for the last two hours, despite telling your betrothed that you were tired and feeling under the weather. So again I’ll ask you: trouble between you and Cethin already?”
She pressed her lips together, feeling outsmarted yet again. The male was similar to Cethin in some ways, but where Cethin used his title and power to get what he wanted, Razik relied on appearing constantly apathetic despite observing every minor detail in a room. Both effective methods, really. They’d simply each honed different skills, but they both used them to the same ends. However, recognizing all that also let her see the issue at hand. Razik was too observant, and she’d have to be extra convincing around him.
Clearing her throat, she curled her fingers along the fabric of her dress. She’d changed into it to make Cethin think she’d be joining him at the meeting he was currently holding.
Forcing a small smile to her lips, she said, “Cethin and I are fine. I truly did not get much rest last night, and the thought of sitting on display again today was… This is all happening very fast. It is a bit overwhelming.”
She immediately went over everything she’d just said. Did it sound convincing enough? Was she proper enough for a queen? Was it too many words? Not enough?
Razik hummed, closing the book and setting it carefully on the low table. “I’m calling bullshit on the first part of that. You and Cethin are notfine, but that’s your business.”
