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“—is water when I reach for the glass in the middle of the night and knock it over,” Olympus finished, his face going a bit pink.
Lord Vikhrov rolled his eyes at Olympus, then glanced to Lefric. “I know you and your friends aren’t spies. You are all free to travel in the city in any way you please,” he said, glancing at each of us Sons.
“Thank you, my lord,” Sebald answered for all of us, ever the polite one.
“I have all sorts of things to show you,” Lefric went on, “and people to introduce you to. You have to see the warehouse building where the Hakobyan shipping businesses are located. And you definitely have to meet my friends, Billie and Hayk.”
“They’re the ones we met when we were here before, right?” Neil asked.
“They are, but you didn’t meet them properly,” Lefric said. “And you definitely didn’t get a proper look at the city. You barely saw any of the waterfront.”
Lefric launched into a lengthy explanation of all his favorite places along Good Port’s waterfront, all of the shops and restaurants. That blended into a hushed discussion about Olympus’s secretary, the one who had been killed. I probably should have paid more attention to that, but I was too busy watching Dmitri out of the corner of my eyes.
For a man who prided himself on being a fierce and bloodthirsty wolf and a man who kept secrets close to his chest so that he could use them like game pieces, he was sloppy.
He got sloppier through the meal, drinking more than just one glass of wine. In fact, his manners and behavior deteriorated so badly by the time dessert was served that even though Lefric piled my plate with something sweet and syrupy that he called baklava, I got up, thanked Lord Vikhrov for the meal, and trudged to the end of the table to Dmitri.
“You need to go to bed,” I told him, feeling all of the responsibility without any of the compassion that I should have felt for the man who claimed I was his pup.
Dmitri laughed, managing to slur his laughter, which took talent. “That’s right, pup,” he said, pushing himself unsteadily to his feet. “You just want to get me in bed.”
I sent an apologetic look to the scandalized supper guests who had endured the meal with Dmitri.
“Think whatever you want, Dmitri,” I said with a sigh, rushing to put my shoulder under his armpit and my arm around his back when he looked like he would collapse. “I want you in bed.”
Dmitri laughed again. “I knew it.”
I sent another apologetic look to Peleus as he hurried forward to help me escort Dmitri out of the room.
Just before leaving, I spotted Magnus watching me from the head table. Again, I had the uncanny feeling that he was proud of me for shoveling the shit we’d brought with us into Lord Vikhrov’s house. I couldn’t managed a smile for him in return, though. All I could do was shuffle Dmitri out of the room and hope that he fell asleep as soon as I poured him into bed.
ChapterSix
Hauling Dmitri back to the suite we’d been given in Olympus’s house took more muscle than I was used to using, but at least I was able to get him there. He puked up a good deal of the wine he’d drunk on the patio of Olympus’s house and on the nice clothing he’d been given, and then threw up more of it on the stairs leading to the suite while Mia helped me shuffle him the last few yards to the door. I apologized to her for the extra work Dmitri had made, then hustled Dmitri into the suite.
“Com’on, pup,” Dmitri slurred as I removed his outer tunic and bundled him onto one side of the bed. “You wanna fuck? Les’fuck.”
I ignored him, positioning him with his face half off the bed so that if he had more to throw up, he’d get it on the tiled floor instead of the bedclothes. Then I left him and went to the washroom to clean myself up and prepare for bed.
Dmitri was asleep and snoring by the time I returned to the bedroom, which was fine with me. It meant I didn’t have to deal with him as I climbed into the opposite side of the bed, settled on my side with my back to him, and tried to sleep.
I was surprised that I actually fell asleep, but then again, my exhaustion was so deep and so thorough that I could have slept through a war.
When I awoke in the morning to bright sunshine pouring in through the archways leading to the balcony, I was alone in the bed. As soon as I figured that out, I sat and rubbed my eyes. I even lifted the covers, just to be sure Dmitri hadn’t somehow burrowed into the bed. But he wasn’t there.
He wasn’t in the washroom either, or on the balcony. I scrubbed myself clean, shaved my face, brushed my hair, then dressed in the clothes I’d been given the day before, all in silence. Part of me expected Dmitri to leap out at me from some hiding place, intent on scaring me another way, since I’d proven hard to scare with threats, but he didn’t.
I hesitated near the suite’s door for a moment before deciding there was no reason for me to sit waiting for him. He might have thought I was his pup, but I felt less and less like I filled that role with every passing moment.
I left the suite, heading haltingly through the halls of Olympus’s house, not entirely certain where to go or what to do.
It wasn’t until I nearly bumped into Mia as I turned a corner, looking for…anyone, that I was given some direction.
“Lefric and your other friends have gone to Lord Vikhrov’s house for breakfast, sir,” she told me with a kind smile.
The least I could do was return her smile with one of my own, but then I asked, “Do you know where Dmitri is?”
Mia stopped instead of continuing with whatever errand she’d been on and turned to me in surprise. “He was not in the room with you?”
