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His jaw clenched. “Then I’ll just have to change his mind.”
Of course, I’d prefer Simu to Nicu any day. I knew Simu. I already loved him, and given half a chance, could fall in love with him, but what he was suggesting was a pipe dream.
Letting a little twinge of exasperation show on my face, I reminded him, “The engagement is a few weeks away.”
“I’m aware,” he drawled out. “It’s not a done deal until you’re in front of a priest. I’m the one who loves you, not him. That Lupu scum doesn’t want this any more than you do, so there’s that.”
I swallowed down the hurt that bubbled up at his harsh comment. Our world was harsh, and I had to remind myself that he hadn’t said anything untrue. First Luca rejected me. Then Nicu accepted, but with hatred in his heart. The hurdles I faced were almost too much. I took a deep breath around the band of tension constricting my lungs.
I patted his chest, my hand smoothing down his shirt before dropping away. I took a couple of steps up the stairs, placing us eye to eye, and gazed into his face, trying to read what he was planning. He returned my gaze with a stoic one of his own, revealing nothing. Suddenly weary after a day of traveling, returning home, and now this, I let my questions go. I didn’t have the energy for it. I’d already put my family through enough, and I wouldn’t add to their burden by entertaining an alternative.
“Just…don’t do anything foolish, Simu. The cards are stacked against us, and I don’t want you to get hurt. With Mom the way she is, I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
He broke our stare, his eyes fixed on the wooden banister to my side.
“Promise me,” I demanded. “Don’t do anything that will get you killed or start a war.”
His gaze flicked toward me and darted away again. With a belabored sigh, he nodded once. “Yeah, okay. But anything less than that is fair game.”
Stubborn man.
I should’ve pushed for an oath of some kind, but I wasn’t sure I’d get more. The pride of an aristocrat underlined his deep hatred and rivalry with the Lupu men. Something he and Cristo had in common. It was a surprise that he was a member of our clan. The Lupu, with the royal blood in their lineage, would have been the obvious choice, but Simu had joined us. It spoke to the fact that he had his own mind, and I always admired that quality about him.
Still, what he was contemplating was risky, and we already lived in a dangerous world. Honestly, the less I knew, the better. I’d learned that lesson the hard way. The one time I found out more than I should, I ended up leaving my family for six years.
Backing off, I threw my hands up. “Fine, do what you must.”
Bringing my cheek to his, I gave him a kiss on one cheek and then the other and bid him a good night. Taking two steps at a time, I fled up the staircase without a backward glance.
