“Of course.”
Hesitating a moment, she picked up her glass and took a fortifying drink of wine. A little concerned, I waited for her to speak, my mind hopping from one thought to the next. Did she not trust me? Or did she fear telling me something?
“The timing may not be the best,” she finally began, lifting her gaze to mine.
I couldn’t read the guarded expression in her eyes. I could’ve tapped her bond and listened to her thoughts…
But we didn’t work that way. I respected her privacy, and she respected mine.
“I know it’s a very busy time sorting through everything the Dauphine left behind. Kevin is swamped and while a new person is great, it’ll take him some time to get them up to speed.”
I nodded. “As Sir Guillaume continues to remind me, the Dauphine had centuries to make her plots and hide her trail as much as possible. We have all the time in the world to sort her shit.”
“Neither was Rome built in a day,” G added. “Despite what the queen of Rome would like us to believe.”
Gwen took another drink of her wine. “Wise words, sir knight.”
The silence stretched out except for the quiet clinking of silverware. The fish was delicious, sweet tender flakes that practically melted in my mouth. I wasn’t immediately sure how to eat the shelled seafood in the pasta—until I noticed a smaller fork. Perfect to lift out the little bit of meat inside. Not bad, I decided, but I liked the dish from yesterday even better.
Lancelot leaned down closer to Gwen, his lips brushing her temple. Staring down at her untouched food, she clung to his hand on her shoulder. Until she finally blurted, “I would like to leave New York. Your Majesty. Please.”
“Okay.”
Her head snapped up, her mouth sagging open. “Okay? Just like that?”
I flickered a quick look over at Gina, just to be sure I wasn’t missing something crucial, but she looked just as perplexed as me. “I guess I always assumed your stay in the tower would be temporary. I appreciate all the help you’ve given to me, especially with the other siblings. But I fully anticipated that one day you would want to establish House Camelot on your own turf, wherever that is. England, I assume? Though I don’t really know that much about Arthurian legends. If you’re in England, that gives me another reason to go see the house in London.”
A sound escaped Gwen’s mouth. Part gasp. Part choke. Her eyes shimmered with tears.
“Goddess, Gwen, what’s wrong? How can I help?”
She twisted in her chair, reaching up to wrap her arm around Lancelot’s neck. Bending down, he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
“Forgive us, Your Majesty,” he said. “After serving HousesShalott and Skye for centuries, our queen isn’t used to having the freedom to do as she wishes.”
“It makes perfect sense for me to hold the tower for you.” Her words were muffled against Lancelot’s throat, but I was pretty sure she was crying. “It’s a position of honor and responsibility. I know that. It’s silly to leave such a prominent nest, especially when you need all the help you can get after taking the Dauphine down. But I haven’t been able to Call any more of my Blood who may still be alive. I’m hoping if I reclaim Camelot that news will spread and they’ll come home.”
“It’s not silly at all. You should have your own home, a place of safety that suits you perfectly. A nest that you build for you and your house.”
Laughing but also wiping tears from her cheeks, she finally lifted her head from her alpha and beamed at me. “Do you really mean it?”
“Of course. I’m sorry you felt like you had to stay on for so long. I should have made it clear to you that you could leave whenever you wanted. Rookie mistake, I guess. Mayte already had her own nest when she swore to me.”
“You don’t know what it’s like at most houses,” Gwen said softly, shaking her head. “If Keisha had managed to get House Zaniyah to swear fealty to her, she’d have forced Mayte to join her in New York City. I’ve even heard of entire nests being closed and shuttered indefinitely. Human caretakers who’ve served the house for centuries dismissed with nowhere else to go, losing family homes and jobs without warning. And of course, some queens even lose their Blood to the stronger queen.”
It was my turn for my throat to tighten and my eyes shimmer. “Which is why I don’t need your assistance tomorrow with Basilia.”
“Ah.” Gwen’s eyes sharpened. “You think Basilia is stronger than you?”
“No one is stronger than our queen,” Guillaume said, stepping closer to the table. “Now.”
“When I healed Leonie, her strength expanded exponentially.”
“I admit I did wonder.” Gwen nodded slowly. “You gave her a tremendous amount of blood, my queen. More than most queens could’ve spared without being incapacitated themselves. When I swore fealty to you, I couldn’t have held so much of your blood. It’s far too powerful.” Her head tipped to the side, her eyes sparking with interest. “I watched your blood flow into her, and there were great chasms carved throughout her magical system. Your blood smoothed those chasms out, but they had to be filled and leveled first.”
Pausing, I gathered my own courage to voice and explain my decision out loud to my sibling for the first time. On one hand, I still felt like a selfish asshole. But on the other…
I’d cut a bitch who even thought about laying a single finger on my knight.
