“Yes, my soldiers have proven themselves unworthy of the task,” the King said with a glance back at the knight who stood at attention behind him.
The knight—a member of the King's Guard, one of the most prestigious positions a soldier could hold—lifted his chin and pretended to have not heard the chastisement. Lucky for him, Nikolay had already looked away, turning his attention to the new appetizer—a fresh oyster dressed in a delicate sauce. He contemplated it while the waiter stood anxiously nearby, ready to grab this plate as well. No one wanted a repeat of last month's debacle. They were still finding bits of béarnaise in the hand-carved plasterwork.
At last, Nikolay lifted the oyster, slurped it down, and set the shell on the plate with a nod. The waiter removed the empty plate and hurried away again, his expression grim despite the King's satisfaction. After all, this was just the start of the meal.
“Most soldiers wouldn't know what to look for. Evidence can be trampled or missed very easily,” Konstantin continued their conversation as if he hadn't noticed the drama, but I'd seen his stare flick toward the other men.
“I imagine it will be difficult for you to investigate the deaths after the bodies have been buried,” I said.
“It's not optimal, but I'll be having the bodies exhumed. Hopefully, I'll find something that your coroner missed.”
“Let's not discuss corpses while we dine,” Nikolay said crisply.
“Of course. My apologies.” Konstantin inclined his head.
“Tell me more about your work in America. What do you build, Lord Carpenter?”
The second course was served—roasted pigeon. I tried not to grimace, but I'd always felt a bit cannibalistic when I ate fowl. Nikolay, however, loved any kind of roasted bird. He started carving the meat up with relish.
“Furniture mainly.” Konstantin nodded his gratitude to the waiter, who removed his empty plate and replaced it with the second course. When the tiger spotted the pigeon on his plate, his face lit up like a child who'd been offered candy, and he tore into the meal with gusto. With his hands.
Granted, it was perfectly acceptable to eat fowl with your fingers, but the way the Kaplan popped joints made it look as if he'd brought the bird down himself. His sharp teeth rent crispy skin and tender flesh with jerks of his head as if it were raw, and his tongue slashed out to lick the grease from his lips in a way that made my pants suddenly tight—in the crotch.
With a deep inhale, the Kaplan met my gaze and grinned as if he knew about the situation in my pants.
I cleared my throat, looked determinedly at my plate, and picked up my utensils. As I delicately cut into my meal, I heard a dark chuckle. On my left, Lord Pyotr, one of Nikolay's favorite lovers, cringed. When I looked over at him, I found him watching Konstantin as if the tiger-shifter might pounce across the table and tear into him as he did the pigeon.
“Furniture,” Nikolay said, reminding me that Konstantin had answered a question. “And you make a living from that?”
“A good one. More importantly, I enjoy it. I like working with my hands.” Another glance at me.
Oh, dear Goddess of Air. The Garin would have to investigate my murder if he kept this up; he was killing me with those eyes.
A blur of movement caught my attention, and I swung toward it automatically. Gleb, the wine server, had tripped and was on his way to ruining the night for all of us, but especially himself since he was falling toward the Swan King. I lurched out of my seat, catching him with my chest and one arm while I grabbed the wine carafe with the other. Swinging him about, I made it into a ballet move, taking us in a twirl away from Nikolay. Gleb's eyes went round when I set him on his feet and steadied his hand on the crystal carafe.
“Misha.” Gleb's breath came out in ragged bursts and his hand clenched on my arm. “Thank you.”
Catching him wasn't the difficult part. Gleb was only fourteen, and I had a good thirty pounds on him, even with my slender build. It didn't take much strength to stop his fall. No, the hard part would be to make his mistake entertaining. The only way to avoid the King's ire—even after an accident had been averted—was to make light of it. In short, I had to get Niko laughing or Gleb would suffer anyway.
Raising my voice as I might in the theater, I said, “If you wanted to dance with me, Gleb, all you had to do was ask.” Then I took the wine carafe from him and twirled the boy again.
And, thank all that was holy, Nikolay laughed. He laughed even harder when I filled his glass myself. Then I handed the carafe back to Gleb and gently pushed him away from the King.
As I resumed my seat, I declared grandly, “Perhaps I should pour your wine from here forward, Your Majesty. I fear for the safety of your royal raiments.”
Nikolay snatched up my hand and kissed it. “I do enjoy the thought of you serving me in all ways, Misha.”
“As do I.”
The Swan King made a pensive sound. “But I'd rather have you here, beside me, where I can look upon you while I dine.”
“To be honest, I'd rather be here as well. The view is just as good from where I'm sitting.” I gave him a sultry smile, but it only lasted until he looked down at his food.
With his focus elsewhere, I was finally able to check on Gleb. The boy was fine and had proved smart enough to get as far away from the King as possible. He caught my eye from the other side of the room and bowed deeply to me. My smile for him was genuine, though that one faded as well when my gaze was caught by a tiger.
Konstantin had finished his second course and was lounging back in his chair with the air of a barbarian conqueror, but his expression was far from relaxed. He watched me with predatory intensity—a hunter scoping prey. But I wasn't his prey. Not exactly. This Garin was hunting information and his look said that he was indeed the best of his clan. He would sniff out the secrets of our court, starting with the one I'd just dangled before him.
I lifted my chin, waiting for him to say something to Niko, to betray my secret and, therefore, Gleb's as well. Thanks to an ancient treaty, the Kaplan governed Russia. They didn't rule the other races, but they did monitor us while respecting our laws—sort of like the way the humans have the United Nations, but more effective. And their respect extended first to the monarchy. In other words, Konstantin, though a neutral investigator, would be more inclined to take the King's side than mine.
