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“But why?” I hissed, too incensed to bother arguing about how I still did not fully trust him. “What could possibly necessitate this sort of reaction?”
His fingers tightened on my arm. “Someone was bound to get bold enough to attack, but now the others will think twice about it. There will be less likelihood of contracts on your head or knives in your back.”
“This was still barbaric.”
“You would not complain so much if Bael did this.”
I reeled back. “That’s because Bael wouldn’t do this.”
He gave me a condescending look. “You are impossibly naive. Bael is in a cage at present because even I am not sure I can control him and would prefer never to find out. He’d do this and worse—you simply ignore it because you like him better than me. At least be consistent with your morality, rebel. It is difficult to believe you are truly against violence when I have seen you bash in more than one skull, and you are more than halfway in love with a male who has ripped out more hearts than currently beat in this room.”
My mouth fell open, my heart pounding, but I recovered myself quickly. “I still do not see why you care?” I hissed. “They wouldn’t get the crown. It’s not a hunting night.”
“This was also not only about you.” His eyes narrowed, and he lowered his voice. “Kaius was helping Cross locate and destroy shipments of a drug that induces lust. If there is any question at all that he took some instead…that it still exists in the city or was used on you, then he needed to die as an example. We cannot let anyone get ideas.”
I shook my head, shivering slightly with disgust. “He was an incubus. Was this not simply his…nature?”
“Probably, but we take no risks. Furthermore, there are any number of reasons someone might still want to kill you. To throw the country into chaos. To challenge me while I’m escorting you. To test your power…I could go on.” He took a step closer, his terrifying gaze piercing, dark, and immovable. “As of right now, you are the crown. Attacking you is attacking the kingdom, and it’s an insult to me as I have forbidden it.”
I shivered, the magnitude of his words falling over me. “So this is about you, then? Your ego?”
“No, rebel. It’s about the kingdom. Everything I do is to protect the kingdom. Remember that.”
27
LONNIE
THE CUTTHROAT DISTRICT, INBETWIXT
“Sleep alright?” Cross yelled, waving at Scion and me as we made our way across the room.
“Marvelous,” I said sarcastically. “It was the most peaceful sleep I’ve ever had.”
Scion shot me a dirty look, but Cross only grinned wider as several people laughed and the crowd parted to let us through.
The guild master sat at one of the rickety card tables beside the bar, which had been mostly empty last night. Now, every chair was occupied. Cross sat facing us, flanked by six or seven of his children, Siobhan on his immediate left and an attractive chestnut-haired male I didn’t know on his right. Siobhan grinned, but the male merely watched us, eyes narrowed.
“I’m so glad to hear that, lass.” Cross winked. “But if you change your mind and want a different bed, I’m just down the hall.”
Scion made an angry noise in the back of his throat. “Say that again and your children will be orphans for the few minutes they outlive you.”
A shudder skittered up my spine. It wasn’t so much what he’d said as the calm tone with which he said it. He had no doubt in his mind he could take on every one of these thieves at once and win.
The chestnut-haired male to Cross’s right began to rise out of his seat, no doubt to defend his guild master, but Cross stopped him with a look. “No, Arson,” Cross said, putting a hand out as if to hold back the male beside him. “I’ve tested the prince’s patience enough. My apologies to the queen.”
I shook my head. It seemed to me that Scion might be the one who needed to apologize—after all, Kaius’s blood looked like it was going to become a permanent part of the decor—but Cross didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, he made no mention of the situation at all as we sat down opposite him, though it was impossible that he wouldn’t have noticed.
Maybe I was overestimating how much Cross cared about his children or else underestimating the relevance of the drug Scion mentioned. Cross was, after all, the head of a violent criminal group. Being close friends with Scion likely meant he was at least willing to engage in torture when needed.
“Breakfast?” Cross offered brightly. “You must be hungry.”
I was about to decline when my stomach betrayed me, growling loudly for all to hear. I nodded. “If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. We can plot with full stomachs.”
“As long as we get this started,” Scion grumbled. “I’d rather not waste any more time than we have to.”
Cross shook his head. “I have never forgotten how impatient you are, yet it always astounds me all over again. Smell a rose, will you?”
