Petur picked his hands up off the bed and leaned forward, eyes flashing eagerly. “And whenIwin,” he said.
“Ifyou win,” Deyvid said, “then I’ll let you take me up to the palace, flaunt your success with me in front of your sister, whisk me off to your chambers, and fuck me senseless.” Deyvid watched with some satisfaction as the pupils in Petur’s eyes grew wider.
“I like those terms,” Petur purred.
But Deyvid held up a hand. “IfIwin, then you give the report to your sister by yourself, come join me here in my room, and let me havemyway with you for the evening. No enormous bed, no fancy servants, no elaborate comforts. Just you and me and this cot.”
“If you’re trying to make some sort of point about me not liking you outside of the bounds of my own princely comforts, you’re missing the mark,” Petur said, then grinned. “When do you want to do this?”
“Tomorrow,” Deyvid told him. “Starting at noon.”
“It’ll be hot,” Petur warned him.
“I’m counting on it,” Deyvid said. “Oh, and one other thing. Until tomorrow, you give me privacy. I have a few preparations to make, and I don’t want them spoiled.”
“Now I’m intrigued,” Petur said. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell me? A trouble shared is a trouble halved.”
“It’s no trouble for me,” Deyvid replied, “but if you think you need some sort of inside information or special advantage in order to win, then—”
“Never mind.” Petur got to his feet and dusted his hands off. “Tomorrow at noon, be in the courtyard in the middle of the barracks. I’ll assemble a team, explain who you are and your purpose, make introductions, and, well … we’ll see how it goes, won’t we?”
“We will indeed.”
Petur leaned down. “How about a kiss before I go?” he asked in a low, inviting tone.
“How about no.”
“You are a terrible human being and a tease beyond measure,” Petur said with a perfectly even voice, but Deyvid was very aware of the bulge in his trousers. “And I’m going to make you pay for it.”
“Maybe you will,” Deyvid said, “or maybe you won’t. I guess we’ll just have to see. Bye now.”
Petur finally left, and Deyvid took a full minute to pull himself together. It was like the aftermath of a too-close lightning strike, or when you’d barely survived the pull of a riptide. There was something elemental about Petur, something that drew Deyvidin, and he worried that no matter how hard he tried to free himself now, it might be impossible.
It just might be too late.
***
After a fruitful shopping trip and a few polite conversations, Deyvid was as ready as he could be the next day for his introduction to the larger Shifter Corps. The group he was faced with in the central courtyard of the barracks were squad leaders, all of them sergeant level or above, and there weremorethan twenty of them there. He turned an irritated stare at Petur, who smiled at him from the center of it all.
One of the sergeants was the unfortunately familiar Brannan, who glared at Deyvid as soon as they made eye contact. Oh, he didn’t like being foiled, especially not after going above Petur’s head to talk to the queen, only to get his recommendation slapped down. Deyvid was satisfied by his win, but he knew this was also a person he’d have to be very wary of in the future. Nothing made a man resentful like a loss of face, particularly in front of a woman of power.
“All right, then,” Petur said, puffing out a bit like a peacock as he looked out at his people. “Word travels fast in these barracks, and I’m certain you’ve all talked to members of my personal squad in the twenty-four hours we’ve been home. Therefore, I’m certain you all know who this is, but in case you don’t, this is Deyvid Cleareyes, a reformed High Harrier who I invited to Delomar to improve our battle readiness.”
There was a stir in the crowd, but to their credit, no one opened their mouth. “Those of us who have already fought with him can attest to his skill,” Petur went on. “Those of you who think that because he’s not a mage and therefore easy prey, I urge you to reconsider. Sir Cleareyes feels that the best way for you to get an understanding of what he’s bringing to us with his presence is to create a bit of a challenge for you.”
The prince’s eyes gleamed as he looked out at the crowd. “After he leaves these barracks, you’ll wait here for one hour. When that hour is up, the lot of you will fan out into the city, either alone or in groups, and track him down. You can use your shifted state or not; you can team up or not; you can ask questions of those around you, or you can go it alone. Whoever finds him first will win a purse worth three months’ wages and two weeks of leisure time.”
Nowthatcaused a murmur. Petur waited for it to quiet down before he continued. “And if none of you capture him after the first hour, I’ll go on the hunt myself. When I find him, you can all expect to be working extra hours with your squads for the next four weeks.”
“And what ifyoudon’t catch him?” a brave young man spoke out.
“Then all of you will admit that I’ve got something to teach you, and you’ll learn from me with an open mind,” Deyvid said, firmly putting himself forward. “I may not be Riyalian, but I’m not your enemy,” he went on. “I want to help you be the best warriors that you can be. I want you to be a force capable of protecting your country and your people against any threat, harrier or otherwise. Are we clear?”
He got a chorus of “ayes” and several nods. “Good. Then I’m off.” He cast a sly glance toward Petur. “No cheating, remember.”
Petur held his hands up defensively. “I wouldnever.”
Deyvid laughed as he left the courtyard behind. Once he was out of sight, he reached into the inner pocket of his robe and pulled out the first of the tiny glass vials that he’d procured from the perfumier the day before. “Let’s start with …” He smiled to himself. “Vanilla.”
