His mother jerked her chin toward her bedroom. “Changing.” Then she lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper. “What were you thinking?”
“That I wanted Ember and she wouldn’t have me.”
His mother scowled at him. “You loved her that much?”
He gaped at the question. How could she have doubted it? Was she totally blind?
Shaking her head, she pressed her gloved hand to her brow. “I’ll never understand you, Bastien, and this strange penchant you have for picking up strays. Aros and your saðir are right. I coddled you too much when you were a boy.”
He snorted at her words. “Uncle Aros is in no position to give anyone parenting advice. At least I’m still speaking to my parents. Jullien barely tolerates being in the same room with him. As for Sa… I’ve always said that my only goal in life was to be his burden and to give the two of you something scandalous to talk about at cocktail parties.” He glanced to the closed doors. “Mission accomplished… with panache.”
“Not the time to be flippant.”
“Certainly not the time for sobriety. Am thinking I need to get hammered. Sooner rather than later.”
She let out a puff of irritated breath. “Bastien Aros Cabarro!”
“Øda!”
With an irritated sigh, she patted at her hair—as if any strand would dare defy her.
Unlike her youngest child. He could practically hear her shrieking at his father in her elegant head—You just had to have that extra spare for your throne, didn’t you? This is allyourfault, Newie!
Luckily, her composure never wavered. She merely cleared her throat in that delicate, regal way only his mother could manage. “Well, as mad as I am at you, at least you stepped up and didn’t leave her and your child abandoned. I can’t fault you there. But I don’t envy you the bed you’ve made for yourself. Her family—and in particular, her zusa—will not be so receptive of you, nor will they view this kindly. More than that, we’re at war and no one knows how this is going to turn out, especially with the recent attemps that have been made on all our lives. Bad timing, svenn… bad, bad timing.”
“What do you expect from the child who crashed a dinner party on arrival? I’ve been nothing but a pain in your bacrat since the day I ruined your favorite dress and upholstery with my inconsiderate birth during the second course.”
Reaching up with a quick smirk, she tugged playfully at his ear. “And yet you’ve always been my favorite. What does that say about me?”
“You’re a glutton for punishment and thatMiksadidn’t beat you enough when you were a girl.”
That finally wrung a laugh from her. “No. Never. Just an easy mark for that beautiful smile of yours. I’ve never been able to deny you anything. You know that.” She brushed gently at his hair. “I just wish you wouldn’t put yourself in such horrible situations.”
“I know. I should be more like Quin.”
“I’veneversaid that. While I love your theren… and your zusa, they lack your resilience and charm. Your quick thinking. Pity, that. It’s why I want Quin to make you his chancellor.”
Bastien laughed. “That’ll never happen. He has no respect for my opinion and even less for my politics.”
As she drew a breath to respond, the doors opened to show Alura in one of his mother’s older gowns.
And by older, it was one his mother had worn earlier in the year. The vibrant blue set off Alura’s coloring to perfection.
Yet it left him cold. Because in his heart, it was Ember he wanted to see here, by his side.
It’s not meant to be.
Especially not after this.
He could bemoan it all he wanted, but it would change nothing. Ember was gone forever now. He’d slammed that door and bolted it shut. And he had no one else to blame.
Alura was his future now.
Come hell or high water, he’d make the best of it. As his mother had said, he’d do his best by her. While he’d been drunker than Bob’s cat when he’d gone to bed with her and couldn’t even recall getting to her condo, never mind sleeping with her, he wouldn’t deny waking up naked the next morning by her side. With a hangover that would rival the power of a League strike force.
As for the baby, it would be tested as soon as it was born, as a matter of course. All royal children were required to be scanned for their DNA. Not just to ensure lineage, but to screen for any birth defects or possible health concerns, and to have a sample on file should the child ever be kidnapped.
Or executed.
