“Right.” I stared at the midsize pickup, thinking it fit Kon perfectly—sleek, powerful, and ready for anything. It even had one of those bumpers with the shiny steel bars.
“Hello, my lords.” The Master Mechanic strode out of a doorway on our left, wiping his hands off on a rag.
“Hello, Erik.” I went to meet him halfway. “Could you tell us if any of the vehicles have been taken out recently?”
Erik glanced down the line. “They're all here.”
“Have you seen Master Andrei in here recently?”
“No, my lord.”
“All right. Thank you very much.”
“Yup.” He headed back to work.
“In this weather, I doubt he would risk flying in swan form,” I said as we left the garage.
Kon peered up at the dark sky. It was only five o'clock, but the sun had set an hour earlier and a thick cloud layer blocked the stars. The only light came from the lampposts scattered around the courtyard.
“The question is; do we continue looking on our own or do we report that Andrei is the likely murderer and leave it to the King to apprehend him?”
“Do we have enough proof that Nikolay won't be able to find a way to deny you your prize?” I asked.
“You mean, you?”
“Yes, Konstantin, I mean me,” I said in that tone parents use with sassy children.
“I don't think our evidence is enough, no. Not for Nikolay.” He opened one of the main doors for me, and we hurried into the castle's anteroom. Once the outer door was shut, he opened one of the two inner doors, and we moved into the entry hall.
“Lord Mikhail,” Sir Ivan called to me as he came down the left side of the grand, split staircase before us.
“Sir Ivan?”
“The King has been asking for you. I'm to take you to him immediately.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Konstantin's jaw clench.
“Very well.” I turned to face Kon. “I'll see you tomorrow, Lord Konstantin. Hopefully, we'll have more luck then.”
Kon nodded, his jaw locked too tightly for speech. I tried to send him my regret through my eyes but, as we'd established earlier, my eyes weren't up to the task of complicated communication. Konstantin's expression only tightened further. All I could do was hurry away before he exploded and exposed our secret.
I folded back my coat's hood as I followed Sir Ivan up the stairs, then down to the King's wing of the castle, all while he cast side looks at me. Although his nervousness was obvious, I didn't ask the knight what this was about. I didn't have to. Ivan was one of the good ones; he didn't approve of most of what his king did, but he was loyal nonetheless. We weren't close enough for me to know what that loyalty cost him, but judging from his often strained expressions, I'd say that Sir Ivan didn't sleep well and rarely looked in a mirror.
“Be careful, Mikhail. He's in a rare mood tonight,” Ivan whispered as he opened the King's door for me.
Inside, I found a hedonistic display of sex, wine, and dancing worthy of a Greek god. Naked people writhed everywhere, some dancing but most fucking. The scent of sex hung in the air like the humidity of a jungle. Soft music played, but it was drowned out by the moans and rapturous cries of the King's playthings. My jaw clenched.
“Misha!” Nikolay declared from his perch on a throne-like armchair set to the side of his bed. “Come here, my sweet one. I've been waiting for you.”
The King wasn't participating at the moment, just lounging with legs outstretched, drinking a glass of wine as he watched three of the noblewomen of court get pounded by some of the kitchen staff. He loved pairing up aristocrats with commoners.
I took a fortifying breath as I shrugged out of my coat, then tossed it aside and headed into the fray.
Three hours later, I staggered out of the royal wing, my coat slung over my shoulder, having finally worn Nikolay out enough that he passed out on the floor. Let the others get him to bed; I had to escape while I had the chance.
Chest heaving and palms slapping the walls, I stumbled through the corridors. My braids slid over my bare chest, but I didn't bother to pull my shirt together. Most of the court—those lucky enough to have avoided the King's interest—was in the dining room or one of the common rooms at this time of night. Frankly, I didn't care if someone saw me. Everyone knew of my relationship with the King and they also knew what that entailed. Let them whisper and thank the Gods that they were not me.
“What the fuck?” Konstantin growled as he stepped out of the shadows and grabbed my waist.
