Chapter 14
Victoria dipped her head regally. “I hope to make up even a little by having you join my entourage.” Her gaze swung between him and Evander.
“With my access to diplomatic circles, Nightshade’s intelligence network, and your team’s work, I hope you will get to the bottom of who is behind these latest atrocities.
Because no one wants to see another War of Subjugation, least of all me or Evander. ”
The silence that settled over the cabin was broken only by the rhythmic thump of the paddle wheels and the distant cry of seagulls.
“You care about him a lot,” Viggo said, looking pointedly at Evander.
“That I do.” Victoria’s expression gentled. “And you love him very much.”
The question should have made Viggo defensive. Instead, he found himself answering with complete honesty.
“More than I thought possible.”
Evander’s breath caught at that. He stared at Viggo, his blue eyes gleaming brightly and colour staining his cheeks a soft pink. Though they had confessed their feelings for one another more times than Viggo could recall, it was the first time he was admitting to them in front of another person.
A soft chuckle had Viggo’s head turning.
Victoria was grinning. “Ah, young love.”
Evander narrowed his eyes. “May I remind Her Imperial Highness that she is but a few years older than me and the same age as Viggo.”
Victoria arched an eyebrow. “It is rude to remind a lady of her age, Evander.”
Viggo swallowed a smile at their easy banter.
It was another hour before Victoria set her empty teacup down.
“Well, this has been thoroughly enlightening,” she said with evident satisfaction.
“I do believe we’ll do well together in Europe.
” She smiled at them both. “You’re dismissed, gentlemen.
I’m sure you have preparations to make before we reach Calais.
I look forward to seeing you in Brussels in a few days. ”
Evander rose smoothly and bowed. “Thank you for the tea, Princess Victoria.”
“Always a pleasure.” Victoria’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Do try not to scandalise anyone during your European trip. My ladies-in-waiting are already gossiping about the handsome duke and his mysterious Brute.”
Viggo felt his ears burn as he bowed and followed Evander out of the cabin.
They’d barely made it ten feet down the corridor before Viggo spotted an empty storage closet. He grabbed Evander’s arm, yanked him inside, and pulled the door shut behind them.
“Viggo, what—mmph!”
Viggo swallowed the rest of Evander’s protest with his mouth as he pressed him back against the wall, kissing him with all the pent-up tension from the past hour.
Evander made a startled sound that quickly melted into a moan, his hands fisting in Viggo’s coat and his mouth opening eagerly under Viggo’s probing tongue.
Evander stared at him with dark, dilated eyes when they finally broke apart, both of them breathing hard.
“I’m sorry,” Evander mumbled. “About Princess Victoria grilling you like that.” He clasped Viggo’s cheek with one hand. “I should have warned you she can be rather—”
“Terrifying?” Viggo supplied. He turned his head and kissed Evander’s palm. “Perceptive? Unnervingly intelligent?”
“All of the above.” Evander’s expression turned rueful. “She’s always been like that. Even as a child, she had a way of seeing right through people.”
Viggo cupped Evander’s face, his thumb brushing across the duke’s swollen lower lip. “How did she know about us?”
Evander hesitated fractionally. “She knows me well, as you’ve likely realised. She could see it in my eyes.”
Viggo studied his lover’s face in the dim light filtering through the crack in the door. Something in Evander’s tone rang false. Not quite a lie, but not the complete truth either.
“Evander,” Viggo said quietly. “What aren’t you telling me?”
The duke’s jaw tightened. “I—” He stopped, clearly wrestling with something. “Prince Albert may have mentioned something to his sister. About us.”
Viggo went very still, the shock reverberating through him so strong he wondered how he was still standing.
“How the hell does Prince Albert know about our relationship?!”
Evander hushed him.
“I don’t know,” he finally said, his frustration bleeding through. “Victoria suggested he might have someone spying on my household. Reporting every—” He broke off, colour flooding his cheeks. “Every detail of what occurs under my roof.”
Horror and fury warred in Viggo’s chest. “You’re saying the Queen’s son has been watching us? Watching you?”
“Possibly.” Evander’s hands tightened on Viggo’s coat. “Viggo, you need to understand—Albert is harmless. Reckless and foolish, yes, but he wouldn’t deliberately try to harm me or expose our relationship.”
“How can you be certain?” Viggo growled.
“Because, for all his faults, Albert genuinely cares about me in his own peculiar way.” Evander’s expression was bleak.
Viggo wanted to rage at the violation, to demand they return to London immediately and root out whoever was spying on them. But the hopeless look in Evander’s eyes stopped him.
This was the world his lover inhabited, one where privacy was an illusion and every acquaintance could be a source of danger.
“I’m sorry,” Viggo said instead. He shuddered, feeling an utter cad for having lost his temper. “That you have to live like this. Always watched. Always judged.”
“It’s not your fault.” Evander leaned his forehead against Viggo’s. “And I knew the risks when I—when we—” He faltered.
“When you fell in love with a thrall?” Viggo finished quietly.
“When I fell in love with you.” Evander’s voice and eyes were fierce as he met Viggo’s gaze. “Your status has nothing to do with it. I would face the same scrutiny if I’d fallen for a shopkeeper or a soldier or anyone else deemed unsuitable for a duke.”
Viggo’s throat tightened. He kissed Evander again, slower this time, pouring everything he couldn’t say into the press of lips and the slide of tongues. Evander responded with equal fervour, his fingers threading through Viggo’s hair.
They were both breathing raggedly when they finally pulled apart.
“We should get back,” Evander murmured against Viggo’s mouth. “Before someone notices we’re missing.”
“Let them notice.” Viggo nipped at Evander’s lower lip. “I’m not ready to share you yet.”
Evander’s answering smile was both tender and sad. “We have weeks ahead of us where we’ll barely be able to touch.”
“Then even more reason to let me have this moment.”
Viggo pulled him closer, memorising the feel of Evander’s body against his, the taste of him, the soft sound he made when Viggo’s hands slid down his back. Outside their stolen refuge, the yacht’s engines thrummed and the Channel waters rushed past the hull.
But in this small, dark space, there was only them.
It was a while before they reluctantly disentangled themselves. Evander straightened his clothes whilst Viggo attempted to smooth his hopelessly rumpled hair.
They slipped out of the closet separately, Viggo emerging first to check that the corridor was clear before signalling for Evander to follow. They made their way back toward the main salon, where the rest of their team had gathered.
Ginny took one look at them and smirked. “Did you enjoy your tea with Her Imperial Highness, gentlemen?”
“Quite pleasant, thank you,” Evander said coolly.
“Your neck is red, your Grace,” Shaw observed helpfully. “Did you get sunburnt?”
Solomon coughed into his hand. Rufus frowned at the forensic mage. Fairbridge, who was reading a newspaper in the corner, turned a page without comment, though Viggo could have sworn he saw the man’s lips twitch.
“Mr. Stonewall and I took a walk on the deck to discuss our strategy for Brussels,” Evander said with remarkable composure. “The sea air was quite bracing.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?” Ginny murmured, earning herself a quelling look from Evander that only made her grin widen.
Viggo moved to the window, ostensibly to check their progress across the Channel. In truth, he needed a moment to compose himself. His skin still tingled where Evander had touched him and his pulse still raced from their stolen moment of intimacy.
He wanted nothing more than to drag his lover to the nearest bedroom and have his wicked way with him.
Viggo distracted himself by gazing at the white cliffs receding behind them. Soon, the horizon swallowed the last traces of home.