Page 50 of Bound

Thankfully, the other brothers didn’t take too long to realize that. But as they fell in line behind Jayd, preparing to leave the suite, Evrest hooked a hand around Brick’s bicep.

“Mr. Brickham? A moment of your time?”

“Ermmm…sure.”

He uttered it out of confusion more than trepidation, but Jayd whipped around a stare that clearly flipped the fraction around. Still, he sent her another reassuring smirk. Just as her phone buzzed in the charger on her desk. “Forward into the fray, Highness,” he said. “I’ll be hobbling by your side in no time.”

A smile grabbed the outer corners of her lips before lighting up his whole chest. “Promise?” she volleyed.

“I promise.”

“You shall be all right, then?”

She dotted that one with a warning glare toward Evrest. He dipped an auspicious stare in return.

“Now I promise,” he assured.

Jayd pressed her lips together. Her glower hardened. Clearly, his little pixie didn’t entirely believe her brother.

Brick wasn’t sure he could blame her.

Chapter Nine

She was not sure which stress jabbed harder at her belly. Not knowing what Ev had in mind to chat with Brick about, or not knowing exactly what Maimanne had to talk over with her.

Oh, yes. As in right now. To the tune of being summoned to her mother’s suite with three consecutive text messages on her phone.

At least she had a decent excuse to flop against a wall and groan with as much petulance as she liked. While it felt as wonderful as getting to belch after being in a corset too long, she already realized her mistake in the indulgence.

She hadn’t waited until Syn and ’Raz stomped fully away.

Sure enough, both of them stopped so fast that their boots chirped against the polished hallway tiles. Samsyn, with his wider strides, got to her side first.

“Bad or worse?” he murmured right away. It was a well-loved part of their family shorthand, used for everything from taking a bad tumble to dealing with a particularly pesky journalist—or fifty. It stood in for idiotic generalities instead getting directly to the subject at hand.

And in this case, it was perfect.

Jayd, all too happy to cut to the chase, held up her phone with the text messages screen on bright. At once, Syn proved why a brotherly growl was sometimes better than a belch outside the throne room.

“Bloody fuck toast,” he rumbled.

“Hmm. Good one,” Jayd muttered. “You would have even been thanked for it, but I have made up my mind to be rankled with you until Bayrami.”

Shiraz, having caught up to Syn, scowled. “What, so you can kill him then? And ruin my favorite holiday of the year?”

Syn chuckled. “But then you would all have to honor me too.”

’Raz rolled his eyes. “As I said, do not ruin it.”

Samsyn let the comment roll by. With his attention reengaged by the screen Jayd had yet to switch off, he again channeled his inner hound dog.

“What do you think dearest Maimanne wants?”

A trilling laugh escaped. “Perhaps to explain why she kept such a massive secret from me?”

“And to apologize for it?” Requiemme looked happy for the chance to poke that in.

Jayd was certain she joined her siblings in an obvious eye roll of response.