Casimir
Sitting at a table cleaning my sniper rifle, I watched with a mix of admiration and amusement as Seri entered the security room, her notebook clutched in those delicate hands as if she were carrying battle plans rather than what I suspected was a glitter-adorned proposition of some kind. The pencil behind her ear completed the adorable look, and I eagerly awaited whatever she was about to present.
“Casimir Leif Cimmerian.”
My full name, crisp and stern on her lips, had me standing instinctively, squaring my shoulders, and Zane let out a low whistle from across the room.
“Oooo!Someone’sintrouble,” he said in a singsong, clearly delighted.
“What’d you do, brother?” Koa didn’t bother hiding his grin.
I ignored them both, eyes locked on Seri. I couldn’t think of a single misstep, at least not today, but her tone made my gut twist nonetheless.
“Zoodle! Koko! I didn’t know you were here!” she squeaked and darted toward them.
Z caught her in a spin as she dropped a kiss on his cheek. The second he set her down with a smirk, Ko swooped in, hugging her as she kissed his chin. I remained where I was, watching this unfold with something tight and bitter coiling in my chest.
When she turned to me again, her eyes widened.
“Wait! No, no, Simmy!” She rushed over and reached up to cup my face, pulling me down so she could kiss me full on the mouth. “I was just trying to be professional so you’d take me seriously!”
“I— You—” I stared at her, momentarily stunned. “Youalwayshave my attention, little wife. You don’t need formality to obtain it.”
Her cheeks pinkened. Then, remembering her mission, she spun away and grabbed her notebook from where she’d dropped it on the floor, then cleared her throat and stood as tall as her five-foot-six self would allow.
Zane snickered into his palm. Ko made a valiant effort not to laugh, but his shoulders betrayed him. I, however, schooled my face into the most neutral expression I could manage. No small feat when I was two seconds away from kissing her until she couldn’t breathe.
“I’ve conducted a thorough reconnaissance mission and now wish to present my findings for your tactical approval,” she chirped, looking quite pleased with herself.
The military jargon landed like a grenade. Behind her, Zane choked on his beer and Ko’s shoulders shook harder.
“Proceed.” Sitting down again, I folded my hands, knuckles whitening as I fought to maintain composure.
The command came naturally, perhapstoonaturally. I was working on that, trying to sound less like her superior officer and more like her husband. As Zane had pointed out, I needed to “dial down the drill sergeant bullshit” when speaking to our wife.
“I’ve been thinking about Foster.”
“Have you?” I hadn’t expected her to develop any particular interest in the lone wolf beyond basic concern.
She nodded emphatically, her eyes wide and earnest.
“I think we should offer him a job.”
“A job,” I repeated, not a question, but an invitation for her to continue.
When she looked down at her notebook, I caught glimpses of what appeared to be a meticulously crafted plan complete with glitter gel ink, tiny stickers, and what I believed were organizational charts drawn with the painstaking care of someone who’d never made one before.
“May I present my assessment?” she asked.
The corner of my mouth threatened to quirk upward at her attempt to use our terminology, but I kept my face blank, years of practice with Zane coming to my aid now.
“Please do.”
“I’ve identified a critical gap in our defense perimeter,” her pink tongue darted out to wet lips I’d kissed raw last night, “due to our current personnel situation.”
Dark take me, she was tryingso hardto sound like us! I bit the inside of my cheek, refusing to let my amusement show. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was laughing at her. This precious, earnest woman was taking this so seriously, and the fact that she’d put this much thought into helping Foster only made my chest burn with an emotion I was still getting used to feeling.
“According to my field observations,” she pointed to a page covered in swirling handwriting and a doodle of Evermere wearing a sad face, “not having an estate manager in four months has led to several tactical vulnerabilities.”
