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Seating himself on the empty carriage seat, Velichkov roughly yanked me down beside him. My wildcat hurriedly pushed himself upright and tried to flatten his hair from where it had gotten all mussed, but before I could move into the spare space left next to him, the Temarian guard that had been following Mat around all morning climbed in and snagged the spot. Wolf darted inside just as the door was closed from the other side, settling himself across all of our feet.
“Ren,” Mathias said with a deepening scowl, his lips red and swollen and disappointingly not occupied in the way we both preferred. “I think we’re beingchaperoned.”
He was right. We’d been carefully separated by the two men so we were sitting as far away from each other as possible in the tiny space, with another 120 pounds of lupine flesh and teeth nesting casually between us. I pulled a face, wriggling to free myself from where I was pressed against the wall by Valeri’s massive bulk.
“That’s it. We’re taking the other carriage, and you can have Dima and Starling.” I leaned forward to open the door just as Velichkov rapped on the roof with his knuckles and the carriage lurched forward, throwing me back into my seat. I opened my mouth to call the driver to a stop instead, and the heir slapped a meaty hand over my mouth.
“You know I’m a king, right?” I asked testily after I’d managed to free myself.
“Not yet, you’re not.” Velichkov eyed me unfavourably. “But youarean irksome, talkative little pest.”
“Nathanael,” I drawled. “Did I ever tell you about the plan I once had to kill your brother slowly and horribly by dunking him into a shallow pond full of eels? I’ve suddenly decided to revisit the idea.”
“A shallow pond?” Mat asked testily. “Wouldn’t a deep one be better? Make it harder for him to escape?” He growled out that last part.
Velichkov had seemingly decided to ignore us both, watching the world slide past through the little window to his left.
“I didn’t want the eels to find themselves a nice spot to settle down in and raise little eels and visit their eel neighbours on the weekend,” I explained, becauseduh. “A shallow pond meant that all their attention would be on him, and if they wanted an inch of space for themselves, they’d have to take it from his flesh.”
“Charming,” the man opposite me muttered.
I beamed at him. “Many people say the same, and I can only assume it’s due to my infinite kindness to those less fortunate than myself. Which is everyone, of course, but especially this brute here.” I patted Velichkov’s thigh in what was totally a friendly manner, and then abruptly found myself in a lot of pain as my wrist was twisted in a way wrists were not meant to go.
“Val!” Mat rebuked, and the heir reluctantly let go.
“Couldn’t you have found someonesweetto fall in love with and upset an entire continent for?” Velichkov complained loudly to his brother, who smirked and pulled his feet up beneath him on the cushioned seat, settling in for the ride.
“Speaking of people who aren’t sweet,” I said, staring at the other man in the carriage whose name I remembered but wouldn’t be using because I couldn’t have him think I cared, “aren’t you the one who wanted Nat flogged?”
“That’s all behind us,” Mathias said.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re too forgiving,mi amor.”
Parvan met my accusing gaze without blinking. “I did say that, but believe it no longer. I wish to atone for my past mistakes.”
“Right,” I said, ensuring my tone communicated how I wasn’t nearly as merciful as my lover. I’d be having Dima check out the truth of what he claimed as soon as the Hearken woke. If Parvan retained even half an ounce of ill intent towards Mat, I’d make sure he choked on that glorious salt-and-pepper beard of his, the practicalities of such a thing be damned.
But as the day drew on and the carriage bore us steadily south, I noticed Velichkov was keeping a wary eye on the guard too, and relaxed slightly with the knowledge that there was no way he’d be able to try anything with the heir on his back. Regardless of how good Parvan might be with a sword, nothing could stand in the way of Valeri Velichkov and protecting his little brother.
As I knew all too well. I’d been on the receiving end of his ire – and his fists – more than once, and even if the damage had been healed long ago, I remembered the look of sheer fury on the man’s face when he’d found Mathias and me in bed together. Of course, that slightly less-than-pleasant memory quickly gave way to one from half an hour earlier when my northerner and I had joined fully for the first time, and as attuned to my thoughts as always, I saw Mat shift in his seat and give me a wickedly teasing smile.
Watching his teeth drag slowly and deliberately across his lower lip occupied my attention for the remainder of the day’s journey, until we finally came to whatever private lodgings had been arranged for us and I almost tripped over in my haste to get him alone.
The next day, as we all stood waiting for the carriages to be brought from the stables outside the house that belonged to whatever Mazekhstani noble Panarina had paid or threatened into letting us stay, Mathias nudged his shoulder against mine and passed me something.
“What is it?”
“The gender law reform,” he said.
I hefted the roll of parchment in my hand, assessing its weight. “Why is it twice as heavy as before?”
“Because it’s twice as thick,” retorted Starling from Mathias’ other side. “Obviously.”
I glared at her. “You’retwice as thick.”
“Not one of your best, darling,” Mat said affectionally. He gestured at the scroll. “It’s been modified to account for feedback from stakeholders.”
“Stakeholders?” I raised a meaningful eyebrow at Starling. “Meaning you?”
