Last scowled. Maybe she was immune, because she hated Luvic, and his magnetic Bard beauty only made her hate him more.
Luvic’s smile shone brighter at Last’s scowl. He gently pressed his hand over his heart and said, “Looking for you, of course. You’re my wife. Why else would I be here?”
Last crossed her arms over her chest. “I see you’re feeling better.”
Luvic rubbed his hand over his heart. “Much.”
“Too bad.”
“Really?”
“What gave you the impression I cared about your well-being?”
Luvic lifted an eyebrow. “Our wedding vows?”
Last snorted.
Luvic’s smile brightened.
“We have unfinished business,” Last said.
“You’re right.”
Last tilted her head, seeming confused by the confident, happy spark dancing in Luvic’s eyes. It wasn’t the look of a man who was upset about his lot in life. He seemed entirely happy and entirely content.
Finally, Last scoffed, dismissing Luvic’s smile. “Bard,” she said as if it were a curse.
Luvic nodded. “You’re a Bard now too, you know.”
Last’s expression hardened. She stared at him like she owned him and could do anything she wanted to him.
I repressed a shiver.
“Luvic,” she said.
His eyebrows rose, and I looked at her in surprise. She never said his name. She smiled at him and reached out to gently brush her thin hand across his cheek. He took a single step back, leaving her hand to brush hot air.
She laughed. Then, closing her hand into a fist, she leaned close and whispered, “I always get what I want. One way or another. I thought we might be friends. I thought we might make this easy. Isn’t that what you wanted? Easy?”
Luvic scratched his chin and frowned. “Who wants easy when they can have hard?”
I held back a smile and turned my head away from them.
Last hissed, and then Luvic said, cool and crisp, “Your brother asked for you. Hmm. Ten minutes ago. Fifteen? Run along, wife. He’s waiting. He’s impatient. He’s . . . Primus.”
Last stared at Luvic like she couldn’t quite follow the turn in conversation.
Luvic flicked his hand. “Go,” he said. “Run. He’s angry.”
Last blinked and then shuddered. Then she grabbed her dress in her fists, lifted the hem, and hurried from the chamber.
Luvic and I stood in silence, waiting for the hard clatter of her heels to fade.
When they did, I whispered, “Did Primus really ask for her?”
The carefree smile was wiped free from Luvic’s face, and the bouncy-ball energy popped. He stepped forward and gripped my arms. “Can you help me if I ask for it?”
“What?”
