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“Nathanael.”
I groaned into Mathias’ mouth. “Big brothers should be seen and not heard,” I complained, loudly enough for Valeri to hear as he marched down the corridor towards us with his huge wolf at his heels. “Particularly when they’re so fucking late. Seriously, Velichkov, you about gave my boy heart palpitations arriving this close to the wedding.”
“Sorry,” he said, actually sounding contrite. A Dios-damned miracle.
The heir swooped forward to wrap Mat into a hug, and I tried to keep the savage glee from my expression as Mathias went white, his eyes widening and his mouth forming a silentohas his brother pressed against the welted skin.
“I regret I did not arrive sooner,” Valeri murmured, seemingly oblivious to my lover’s discomfort. He drew back and held him by the shoulders, Mat’s pained expression instantly lightening into a cheery beam before he could catch sight of it. “We had to travel slower with mother accompanying me.”
Mat stilled, and I saw faint hope tug at his lips. “She’s…here? You convinced her to come?”
Velichkov inclined his head. “Perhaps wait until tomorrow to speak to her, as she is resting. Her health is not what it was.”
He turned and clapped me on the back, having long ago learned his lesson about trying to embrace me. I didn’t know what was sowrongabout being felt up – Mathias had once tried to explain the meaning of harassment to me, although I’d gotten distracted by the way his mouth was moving and that pretty, pesky tongue of his – but Velichkov acted as if I was a poisonous snake to be dealt with at arm’s length. Naturally, I made sure to get closer than that as often as I could.
“Do you know what this means?” Mat asked with wonder, his eyes lighting up as he looked between us. “Every ruler of Rieshe Eshan in the same place for the first time in...decades! Over a century? Val, you did that!”
“Youdid, little brother. They are here for you.”
My wildcat fidgeted, flushing and mumbling some shit about having nothing to do with it. As ifanyof this could have happened without him; the peace, the unity, the understanding. Did he still not realise how amazing he was?
It seemed I’d just have to spend the rest of our lives reminding him.
*
Chapter Fifty-Seven
“Nathanael,” Valeri said warmly, patting the seat next to him in invitation. I paused in the doorway of the receiving room, eyeing the hard chair and trying not to wince at the reminder of how fucking sore my fiancé had left my ass.
“Thanks. But I...I’d rather stand.”
“Oh, I bet you would,” Ren drawled, looking as smug as fuck where he was leaning against the wall, ankles crossed loosely.
“Nat,” Val repeated, frowning. “Sit down.”
Mila eyed me suspiciously. I watched as her gaze shifted to my king in accusation and he winked at her, unable or unwilling to stop the shit-eating grin that slid across his face.
“Val,” she murmured. “Leave it.”
“I’m just offering my brother a God-damned seat!” Valeri protested. “Why the fuck am I the villain in-”
“Trust me,” she said under her breath.
Ren’s eyebrows rose in a way that told me he now found my sister even more interesting.
“Is everything ready for tomorrow?” I asked hurriedly, needing to distract them all – and me – from my sudden unwillingness to sit down. “The schedule, and the bishop-”
“Darling,” Ren murmured, immediately at my side. He stroked his hand down my arm, the light touch soothing and grounding. “Everything’s sorted. You’ve seen to that.”
“I should check over it again,” I insisted, but I was prevented from moving when he locked his other hand around the back of my neck. “Everything has to be perfect.”
“Of course it will be perfect. You’ll be there,” he said, perfectly suave and yet ruining it with the smirk he shot me that said heknewhow good he was. My brother pretended to gag.
“It’s the first marriage between continental royals in more than two centuries,” I reminded them all sharply, directing my glares at both men until they sobered, nodding in chastisement. “It’s important that nothing goes wrong.”
“And you’resureyou want to do this?” my brother asked, although the question was half-hearted at best. He and Ren had become firm friends – begrudging ones, to be sure, and both vehemently denied such insulting accusations if voiced, but harder to deny were the hours they spent in each other’s company on Val’s regular visits to Máros.
“I would not be a Velichkov if I gave into the idea too easily,” he added, teasing, and Mila snorted.
