“Take what back?”
“Thegajoï.”
I grunted. “You’re telling me . . .”
He raised a shameless smile. “I should’ve locked you into spending a whole night with me, naked and horizontal. Or vertical.”
Whoa. Nasty.I wrinkled my nose. “You did not just suggest that.”
He laughed. “Don’t look so appalled. I’m a very good lay.”
“You’re gross.”
“Never thought I’d agree with Trifecta on anything.” The familiar voice made my spine tighten and my eyes close.
How I wished I could open a portal and jump into it. Why couldn’t portal creation have been part of my arsenal of superpowers? Remo Farrow—aka my worst enemy—had joined the party. This was shaping up to be the worst night of my life.
“Propositioning your princess gives me grounds for immediate arrest.” Even though my eyes were still closed, I could imagine Remo’s golden ones, all shiny and smug. There were a few people Remo disliked more than me, and Josh was one of them. My mother was the other.
To this day, Remo was convinced that she’d killed his grandmother for her dust. Remo’s mother, Faith, shared her son’s belief. Neither mother nor son believed Stella Sakar had attacked my mother first—and not even once, but twice.
“Sorry to interrupt your littledate,” Remo all but spit, “but thewariffand your father need to speak with you before dinner,prinsisa. They’ve taskedme—since your guards proved extraordinarily inefficient—to bring you back to Neverra immediately.”
My eyes flew open. First Giya, now Remo. Maybe this wasn’t just another silly revel. “I can bring myself back.” I asked the waitress to beam over my bill. After I wired the money, tagging on a hefty tip, I stood, careful not to brush up against Remo and the threelucionagahe’d brought along—two males with inflated muscles, and a female guard, whom I’d heard was lethal with blades. “Worried you needed backup to get me home, Farrow?”
Remo’s face darkened, turning the same burnt-copper shade as his hair. “Actually, my desire to protect the women in your family is so very lacking I thought it sounder for you to have others around if anything were tohappento you.”
“More like you’re worried about your own safety around ourprinsisa,” Josh lobbed in good-naturedly.
“Careful, Daneelie,” Remo growled.
Josh rolled his shoulders back, the tendons and joints rippling underneath his short-sleeved white tee. He reclined against the bar, propping his elbows on the black glass. “Are you going to gas me for voicing what everyone else is thinking?”
Even though I disliked Remo, I disliked bullying more. “Stop it, Josh.”
“I’m merely defending your honor.”
“I can defend my own honor,” I said.
Remo’s fingers flexed. “So can I, Trifecta.”
“Whatever.” I started to walk away, when Josh called out, “Don’t forget ourdatetonight.”
My stomach rolled from the reminder—a mix of nerves and magic. Had he needed to use the worddate? Actually, it was probably better everyone considered my meetups with Josh that way so they didn’t question my true motive.
Denim-guy, who was still hanging around the entrance of York House, looked on as we left.
“Eyes off her ass. She’s not legal,” Remo snarled before lengthening his strides to catch up to me.
Not that he actually cared if people ogled me. He just enjoyed throwing around his weight and power in Neverra and on Earth. Power he got from being Gregor’s favorite grandson and thedraca’s stepson.
I’d had many talks with my father about having Remo demoted, but he’d said that unless Faith’s son committed a grave mistake, he couldn’t lawfully have him kicked out of the guard. He’d even told me to prepare myself for Remo becoming the nextwariff, and then he’d warned me that certain enemies made excellent allies in politics. I didn’t understand how he’d put up with Gregor, and told him that if I ever became queen—I was in no hurry to take my father’s place—and Remo waswariff, I’d have him fired. My father had sighed and reminded me that I was young and naïve and had so much to learn about running a kingdom. I’d stomped out of his chambers.
That was thirty Earthly years ago—I’d been eleven years old. I’d never brought up Remo Farrow since, even though I watched thelucionagalike aquila, waiting for him to slip. Unfortunately, Remo was extremely careful, as though he knew I was paying attention to his every move.
“Is your father aware of the sort of men you’re dating?” Remo asked.
“It’s none of Iba’s business who I date.”
