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“But I’m sure Nikki managed the situation as smoothly as can be, all things considered. He’s always been so good at handling things during stressful situations.”
Nikki? Oh, she had to meanKai.How many names did my mate have? Nikki was a pretty cute one, too.
“Yes, our captain is an excellent leader—good at keeping a level head.” Except when it came to sex, but I wasn’t about to tell his little sister that.
I was pretty surprised, once again, when Seraphina broke out into laughter. I didn’t think I’d said anything particularly amusing.
Something in my expression must have tipped her off because she sobered up after that. “Sorry, I’m not making fun. It’s just funny to have someone here be so straight-faced. Before my brother left, he was known for breaking the rules, rebelling against our parents in any way, and generally being a pain in the ass at court. Excuse my language.”
“No offense, but I’m a soldier, Your Highness. I’ve heard saltier words as terms of endearment.”
“I suppose I should have known. Please, feel free to talk as you would normally, then. I do tire of people either pretending I’m not there or treating me with silken gloves.”
“I imagine it would be taxing.”
“It is. So please, talk to me as you would a friend. Oh, and if you know anything I might gently tease my brother about, please arm me with it. You have no idea what it’s like to be a little sister but have nothing to egg my brother on about.” I saw a frown try to tug at the corners of her mouth, but she forced her lips into a pleasant smile. “It’s like he’s a stranger, which is far too sad. So anything about harmless snafus at your base or his love life is fair game.”
I understood where she was coming from, I did, but it wasn’t something I was comfortable doing in any respect.
“As far as I know, our captain has casually dated, mostly around his rut, but it’s the long and the short of it. We’re not close.”
A second and third lie to follow up the first. It was quickly becoming a habit, wasn’t it?
“Ah, that’s too bad. Well, I wish you a lovely rest, anyway, and I look forward to speaking with you again. We’re going to go introduce ourselves to the psychic.” Her cheeks grew pink. “A psychic not sworn to the crown with inhibitors automatically placed on them is pretty rare. How exciting!”
“I’m sure Sergeant Khan will enjoy meeting you.”
“I hope so.”
Beaming, the young woman happily flounced out, with Halle silently following her. I made sure to close my door after them, and once they were gone, I heaved a sigh of relief.
It was just my first day in the palace, and yet I felt like so many new angles were presenting themselves. As exhausting as things already were, I knew this was just the beginning.
Chapter 8
Kai
I schooled my expression into a neutral one as I walked into a lovely room overlooking the heart of the city, with double-thick enchanted glass taking up one of the walls. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it didn’t fry everything below by refracting and concentrating sunlight.
“Nikolai, my dear!”
That was the voice of none other than my mother, and I looked to see her rushing for me, arms outstretched. It was unusual to see her so animated, as usually my father was insistent such actions were unbecoming of a royal lady.
“I didn’t dare to believe it true,” she said, pulling me into a surprisingly strong hug for her years and size. Of course, I hugged her right back. Ididlove my mom, even if I hated a lot of the trappings of the court. She couldn’t really help the position she was thrust into as only a teenager, married off to the strongest nation against Vekas in the hope of protecting her homeland, too. “It issogood to see you again, son.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” I gave her a couple of gentle squeezes before my father cleared his throat, then my mother reluctantly stepped back. With a little space between us, she was able to look me up and down, regaining her composure.
“Honestly, my dear. It’s borderline ungrateful someone as handsome as my darling son has allowed his hair to look like that.” She gestured to my head, then gently pulled at my sleeve. “Whatarethese clothes? Truly, they don’t suit your lovely complexion.”
Not exactly kind and supportive, but I knew what she was doing. She was worrying over me, as all mothers did, but in one of the few ways my father approved.
“And you look like you’re starving.” Her head snapped toward the closest attendants. “Food and wine for your crown prince. This is truly a day to celebrate.”
Several ducked their heads and hurried out. Although I’d grown used to the caf’s food and was quite grateful for it after a long day, I was looking forward to eating the delicious fare available to my parents and much of the palace.
“Here, come sit with me, son. We have so much to catch up on. Truly, I don’t understand what you could’ve been doing for so long, but I am eager to hear everything.”
When my mother was happy, it was easy to see where my sister had gotten her best traits. I just wished my father hadn’t largely trained her out of them.
