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40
Béke Day Ten
“You need to tell the Félvér females to stay away from Kazimir,” I instructed Rares as I stood in his office beneath the halls of Ryza. “Izidora was up most of the night last night worrying for Taya because she disappeared with Kazimir during the ball. He is not stable.”
The old Mage huffed, not deigning to look up from his writing to respond. “Affairs between kings is not my area of expertise. He is your equal. You take care of it.”
In the span of a breath, I had a hand planted on either side of the paper he scribbled on, my bared teeth inches from his face. “Do you forget who I am, Rares?”
He narrowed his eyes as he finally lifted his gaze from his work, his lips pulling apart to reveal his creepy, toothy grin. “No, My King. But since you refuse to let me continue my experiments, I fail to see how the Félvér are my problem any longer.”
“Do you consider yourself to be their creator?” I hissed. “You’ve always liked playing Goddess, Rares. You can’t turn your back on them now because you’re pissed at me.”
The Mage’s face reddened as I called him on his bullshit. Izidora and I were the crown jewels, his greatest accomplishments, and he couldn’t stand that we had more power and backbone than him. But that’s what happened when he wanted to play Goddess without regard for the consequences.
“Fine,” he spat, as if the word was a bitter potion. “On one condition.”
I lifted a lazy brow. “I’ll bite. What do you want?”
“At least let me study the new babes born to Félvér parents. I need to keep track of the winged ones especially, since they tend to have more physical ailments.”
Rares was fucked in the head, but I couldn’t deny his logic. I’d rather have healthy babes born in the Iron Realm, and if it were unavoidable, know how to help them. “Done. But none of the fucked up shit you used to do to us. Only assessment and observation. No potions. No magic unless I give explicit permission.” I pushed back off the worn wood, tired of intimidating the man who had spent so long torturing me. “See to it that the word gets around to the Félvér not to get close to Kazimir.”
Rares grumbled his response, but I at least heard him say he would take care of it. I left him hunched over his desk, allowing the heavy wood door to slam shut on my way out.
The tunnels beneath Ryza were eerily empty of people and noise, as most of the residents had sought other accommodations since being given free rein over the Iron Realm and encouraged to mingle with our guests. What I had done was good, right even, especially with how well our plans unfolded.
I’d gifted Zuriel a suite near ours a few days ago, especially since Kazimir had not stopped his menacing ways. He still leeredat Izidora every chance he got, and clearly followed her to places he should not. Izidora was strong, as I had trained her to be, and she could take care of herself, but I wasn’t leaving anything to chance – not with him still around. With everything Zuriel had done for me – and Izidora – lately, he more than deserved a change in status.
Same with Drazen. I’d given him a similar set on the floor below so my general and all-around assistant was close by.
The long halls leading to my office allowed my mind to wander over the good deeds I’d done lately and onto the next steps in my plan to unite the realms and free the Félvér. More papers awaited my review before I could break for the day and find my mate. We would then head to the courtyard where the sprawling artisanal fair was already underway.
What would she wish for?
My greatest wish had finally come true, and our bond hummed as I reached down it, offering a soft caress against her mind. She returned one, a small, simple gesture to some, but just knowing she was there at any time to offer a whisper of comfort soothed the ache of loneliness in my chest, if only for a moment.
There was nothing I could wish for really, other than saving the Félvér from bloodshed in a war; I doubted the Goddess would, or could, answer that wish – not if it was as we suspected, and the Goddess battled with the Fates over the outcome of Északi.
The rest of the day passed in a blur as financiers, business owners, and lawyers rotated through my office like clockwork, all needing something from their king. By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, my head pounded from stress, and I needed a drink. Taking a break from my desk, I poured two fingers of whisky into a glass and stood by the window, watching over my kingdom as I sipped from it. My back was to the door, but I sensed the moment my mate slipped into the room, tryingto be quiet so she could sneak up on me. If it weren’t for the bond signaling her arrival, the scent of roses and plums would give her away every time.
I pretended not to notice her until she was moments away from grabbing me. In one swift motion, I downed my drink, tossed the glass, and hooked her to me, forcing her back against the glass window in front of me. “Did you really think you could surprise me?” I purred, caging her with my body.
Her floral arousal mixed with a hint of fear filled my nostrils, and I inhaled deeply, savoring that I could still make her heart pound.
“No,” she whispered, looking up at me through long, dark lashes and chewing on her lip.
I caught it between my thumb and forefinger and ripped it from her teeth. “Sucking on that pink pout is my job,” I reminded her.
Her fingers darted out from behind her back and walked their way up my chest until she cupped the side of my face, scratching at my beard with her nails. “It’s also your job to help me buy a lantern.”
I cocked my head as I gazed down at her. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “You are the one with all the money, after all.”
“I see that I have spoiled you,” I grinned, tracing my fingers along her collarbone. “I’m not mad about it.”
She shrugged, some of her hair falling over her shoulder as she did so. “Me either. Now let’s go.” Her smile was breathtaking as she slipped from beneath me and tugged on my hand until I followed her to the door.
