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Magnus looked at him for a moment, as if weighing his feelings about Jace. I knew Magnus had extraordinarily mixed feelings about my love, and the way he darted a side glance to me hinted that he knew all about how I was Jace’s pup now, and that it had caused Magnus to reassess his opinion of Jace again.
Magnus’s gaze lingered on me long enough that I considered bringing up what I’d found in Good Port, in Gregorius Ali’s house. No one had seen me pocket the seal I’d discovered on Gregorius’s writing table. Well, I thought perhaps Lefric had noticed, but he hadn’t said anything. I wasn’t sure why I’d taken it. I wasn’t sure why I’d hesitated to tell anyone about it as well.
No, that wasn’t true. I’d taken it because I’d recognized the imprint on the seal and instinct had told me that if anyone found it in a murdered secretary’s house in Good Port, questions would be asked. I hadn’t brought it up to either Jace or Magnus yet because both of them had too many other things to deal with.
Now, however, I had a feeling that my discovery and those important things were about to collide.
Magnus had just turned away from me to continue the breakfast conversation when I asked, “Your family’s sigil is a falcon, isn’t it?”
Magnus jerked to look at me again and blinked. “Whatever has caused you to ask that question now?” he asked in return.
The conversation had stopped, and all eyes were suddenly on me. Which I hated. That was why I rarely spoke anymore. Almost everyone made me want to disappear.
I was saved from answering when there was a knock on our kitchen door. Unlike Sebald and Avenel’s cottage, the one we were staying in had a back door leading off the kitchen in addition to the main room. We all turned as Olympus opened the door and popped his head in long enough to say, “Jorgen and Hati and their pups are here.”
Olympus sent a brief look to Peter, as if to see what he thought of that, then stepped back into the garden, leaving the door open.
Breakfast was either finished or abandoned in a hurry.
“I dislike the idea of meeting outside, in the open,” Magnus said as we all shuffled our way to the door and out to the garden. I knew Magnus too well to think he’d forgotten my question, but he clearly wasn’t going to pursue that conversation now. “But there are too many of us to fit in any one of the houses.”
He was right. Aside from Magnus, Peter, and Neil, there were me and Jace, Olympus and Lefric, Ox and Katrina, and Jorgen had brought a handful of men more than just Hati and two young, handsome men with him. Jorgen’s extra men appeared to be there as guards, though, and they immediately fanned out around the perimeter of Sebald’s garden.
“Jorgen, good morning to you,” Magnus said, stepping ahead of the rest of us to shake Jorgen’s and Hati’s hands. “Hati, you’re looking like you slept well. Are these the pups you were telling me about?”
Peter flinched, which was the first sign I’d seen from him that he was still sore about the pupdom issue. Neil moved closer to his side and took his hand, whispering something in his ear. Peter took a breath and lowered his head.
“They couldn’t wait to see this place and to meet the other pups when we told them about them,” Jorgen said, wearing a huge smile.
We all knew that the excuse of bringing Jorgen’s and Hati’s pups to meet me and Avenel was a ruse, but everyone seemed more than happy to go along with it. And honestly, I was curious about the other two young men.
“This is Kliment,” Jorgen said, gesturing for a well-built, but still quite youthful-looking man with strawberry-blond hair to step forward. “And this is Nikandr.” The other young man, slighter of build with dark hair and pierced ears filled with diamonds, came forward when requested.
“It is a pleasure to meet you both,” Magnus said, smiling at the lads.
“This is Gennadi,” Jace said, grinning like he was having the best day of his life as he took my hand and brought me forward to where Kliment and Nikandr stood. “He’s just made the decision to officially become my pup.”
I nearly laughed. Jace revealed the information with so much pride in me, but also like it was all some sort of fantastic, and slightly silly, show of dominance for Jorgen and Hati.
Whatever it was, Jorgen looked impressed. “So you’ve taken that extra step, then?” he asked Jace, assessing him differently. “And Gennadi has agreed to it? After what we all know Yuri put him through?”
I lost my smug smile and lowered my head. It took me a few deep breaths to stop myself from feeling the ghost of those humiliating things Yuri had made me feel. This was exactly the reason I’d wanted to be Jace’s pup in the first place—so men like Jorgen couldn’t touch me.
“He has,” Jace said with way more aggression than the question warranted. He stepped behind and circled his arms possessively around me. “We’ve both come to see that the status of pup will give Genny a level of protection that just being lovers can’t.” He’d addressed the entire comment to Jorgen, but he glanced to Peter at the end.
Jorgen caught the exchange and smirked. He was clever enough to have at least some idea of what the undertones were all about. All he said was, “Good for you.”
Hati glanced around. “Where are our host and his pup?” he asked. “The boys have already met Avenel, and they liked him quite a bit.”
Come to think of it, it was a little strange that Sebald and Avenel weren’t out in the back garden. They knew we were all planning to meet and why. After the way they’d played hosts the day before, I would’ve thought they’d be the first ones in the garden.
“I could pop inside and get them, if you’d like,” Lefric said, already in motion toward Sebald’s back door.
“In the meantime, why don’t we avail ourselves of the chairs that were left out yesterday and get to know each other better,” Magnus said, gesturing toward the circle of chairs spread around the patio.
Magnus wore a casual smile as he moved to take a seat himself, gesturing for Peter and Neil to move with him. Anyone who might have looked into the back gardens wouldn’t have seen anything other than a group of friends sitting around catching up on old times, which I was certain was the point.
“I shouldn’t admit to this,” Jorgen said as he claimed a chair, glancing to Hati as he sat in the chair beside him, “but I’m rather impressed with these cottages. Hedeon has its problems, but architecture isn’t one of them.”
