She scoffs and makes a tutting noise. “You can’t show up to someone’s house after inviting yourself and come empty-handed. It’s rude.”
“One could say it’s rude for them not to have invited you over already.” I try a redirect because Valor would graciously acceptsomething but then spend the next six months trying to figure out how to reciprocate with something she’d appreciate. It’s quid pro quo on steroids with him.
That might be funny to witness though.My wolf supplies.
I’m undecided in that department.
“You know what, you’re right!” Leticia huffs, straightening her spine and raising her head, her fluffy ponytail flopping. She’s standing so tall and strong. I expect a hand to go to her hip with sass. “I won’t bring anything on the principle I should have been invited over already.”
“Yeah! You tell ’em!” I agree, feeling her self-empowerment through the phone.
She sighs and slumps back down, measuring things out to put them in her big bowl. “You’re sure he won’t think it’s rude?”
“Positive.”
I can feel the seconds running out on this phone call.
Get her number!My wolf whines, picking up on my anxiety.
“Let me get your number; that way I can be sure Valor follows through.” I slide open my desk drawer and make sure to hold the pen up toward the microphone when I click it so she knows I’m serious.
“Leticia!” a woman shouts shrilly. “You better not be messing around, there is so much work to do!”
“Ope, gotta go. I’m counting on you!” she says before rattling off a phone number and disconnecting the call.
It was too fast to catch, but I didn’t need the digits. I only needed permission.
Leticia pulls the earbuds out of her ear in a hurry, stashing them back in the cupboard, barely getting back to the bowl before a woman with dark raven hair comes into the kitchen camera view.
I don’t need to turn the sound on to watch her get scolded.
There’s finger pointing and wide gesturing. The strength Leticia bolstered herself with when thinking about telling off Valor falls out of her body, leaving her making herself smaller. She’s all but cowering behind the big bowl.
Guilt sinks a rock in my stomach that rolls around with anger.She doesn’t deserve that.
We could make it so she doesn’t have to deal with that.My wolf starts putting together the idea of playing house with Leticia.
It soothes the anger to agree with his fantasy, but that’s all it can be. Leticia D’Medici is, as much as she doesn’t want to be called such, the real D’Medici princess, and there is no way they’d ever let her be with a Cavanagh, let alone be seen with one.
6
ROYAL
THEY’RE BROTHERS
Valor is assemblingfirearms with a couple of pack members when I find him at the warehouse. “What now?”
“You know, for a guy who just got a new wife, you’re grumpy. Shouldn’t you be on a honeymoon or something?” I poke back at him before turning to our cousin, Gavin. “Has he been this pissy to everyone today?”
“No, just you.” Gavin laughs as he keeps assembling.
His laughter goes up in a puff of condensation into the cold air of the warehouse. The recent cold snap has left everything down below freezing.
“Well, shit. Sorry to break up the party.” I try to step into the line. My fingers brush the cold metal surface of the table before I pick up a frigid piece and start putting in a firing pin. “I see the heat isn’t any better here than last winter.”
Valor snatches the work out of my hands. “Stop. What do you want?”
“Ugh, you never let me play with your toys.” I moan and groan, but it’s mostly to rile him up.
