But itwasn’tup to him. And he knew that Raven would want to head to Violencia as soon as she could. It would be his duty to postpone that.
Let Anadil and Drago figure out this fucking war. They’re the ones who want it.
“What about him Ivan? If he snuck on board then it’s clear there’s only one reason why.” Julian snapped. “I didn’t have much in his file, but I heard what Raven said about him in the game. He tortured her, brutalized her. Hewantsher.”
Griffin jerked at the words. He had gathered as much, but hearing it solidified was unbearable. The thought of her on one of his tables… “If anyone has any hope of finding Ivan, it will be Oleks. He will continue to search for evidence of where he has gone. But it is doubtful Ivan will make it into the castle.”Unless he has help.But Griffin didn’t speak that part.
“That’s not enough! Drago should be sending men to search for Ivan high and low!” Julian’s voice must have finally been too loud because Raven rustled in Griffin’s arms. He hoped she would go back to sleep, it would be easier to get her into the castle that way.
But no such luck.
“What’s going on?” she asked, waking from a haze and separating from Griffin entirely. She offered Julian a soft smile.
“Come here.” He tugged her to his side of the bench.
It took everything in Griffin not to react. But this was how it needed to be. They had to share her.
Griffin found Raven’s bleary eyes. She rubbed them a few times, and the move caused a prick of warmth to surge in his gut, her fully pink lips begging for him to claim them. But he held back. Now wasn’t the time.
The carriage came to a halt again and he flicked his eyes outside. “We’re at the castle.”
She followed his gaze, and her mouth opened. The sun was setting just behind it, casting the entire scene into shadowed lights.
To him it looked terrifying, a cage that he could not easily escape. But it was clear she didn’t feel the same way.
“It’s beautiful, butoff. The juxtaposition of old and new is unsettling,” she mused.
He supposed she was right. The castle was in its original form, but new technology had been added. Cameras that lined the arches, a sizable screen above the main entrance that showed a griffin circling endlessly on a video loop.
Griffin got up first, just in time for the carriage door to open. He offered his hand to Raven.
To his surprise, she took it without hesitation, reaching for Julian to follow suit in the process.
Griffin stamped down his annoyance. This washisplan. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.
Stepping down, he turned to help both of them exit with him. Ignoring the crowd that gathered outside.
A man broke from it, offering a half bow. When he straightened he was forced to push his clunky glasses back up his nose and brush back his wiry ashen hair striped in gray. “Sir, your quarters are made up. I can take this man to our guest—”
The man was one of the many advisors that filled both the castle and Drago’s ears.
“Troy,” Griffin hoped he was remembering his name correctly, but didn’t particularly care if not. “This man is Julian, and he will be joining me in my quarters. An official announcement will be made tomorrow at the party. Please leave us. My brother will be right behind, and I am sure you can relay any of your concerns to him.” Griffin attempted to put as much authority into his voice as he could. He knew that what he had just proposed was sacrilegious. But he needed to start the ripples now. The large wave would come tomorrow.
Two men. Marrying one Sacred Cherished?
Unheard of. Blasphemous.
But Griffin didn’t understand why. It made the most sense. He had questioned it before, but now he would test the waters.
Troy opened his mouth to argue, but Griffin didn’t want to hear it. “Leave us.” He would be explaining everything at the party, they could fuck off until then.
He didn’t wait for Troy’s response, tightening his hold on Raven’s hand and dragging her with him into the castle. The wide doors were already swung open, and just inside, there was a double helix staircase. He headed towards it, happy when she didn’t resist him. Happier still to find that it was mostly empty inside. He circled up the staircase, passing landings on each side until he was three levels up, exiting it with Raven still in tow and Julian holding on to her.
“I’m going to be sick,” she murmured, wobbling a bit. “What about Levi, Enzo, Maverick, and Oleks?” Raven narrowed her eyes. “I thought they were right behind us.”
“They will be, but we can’t wait for them. They need to be kept separate from you. A Cherished can’t be with other men in public, it could cause…issues.” Now wasn’t the time to explain that if her men were caught with her, they could, at the very least, be sent to prison. And at the worst? Harold’s screams echoed around his ears. Griffin didn’t pause as he spoke. He didn’t want to be out here much longer. It was best for no one else to see them entering his chambers.
It was only a bit further down a hall and then he turned them into his room, the only one on this wing.
