Chapter 21
M y father was in his study, which at least boded well. He usually gave his more volatile orders from the war room.
Mairi waited outside, since she was rarely allowed in that room, and I strode past her without bothering to assess the situation that awaited me. She had left only seconds before I had, so she wouldn't have had time to do more than alert him I was coming.
Another small win. Maybe no one would die today.
There was no chance to brace myself under my stepmother’s calculating stare, so I crossed the threshold and shut the door behind me.
His eyes were clear today, cerulean mirrors of my own. His salt and pepper hair was the only obvious sign of his age, the rest of his smooth features giving no hint at the steady deterioration of the mind within.
“My son,” he greeted when I walked in, another sign that he was lucid. Of course, that clarity wasn’t necessarily a good thing for me, today of all days.
“Father.” I inclined my head, trying to return the warmth he held for me.
He gestured to the seat across from his desk. I poured us both a vodka, pushing his across to him before sitting down with my own. I reasoned it was a good decision to fortify myself for the impending conversation.
“What news of our enemies?”
Did he mean the other clans or the Lochlannians? Did he even remember where I had gone?
“The Summit went well,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “It was a cunning decision on your part, sending me in your stead. Iiro understands now that he does not command your time, and the others have been reminded of our standing amongst the clans.”
That wasn’t untrue. It was viewed as a power move for my father to refuse attendance, however unintentional, one that had been noted and accepted by the dukes. It was also a sign of his trust in me, something that would help me avoid more bloodshed in the future as his condition worsened.
“Good, good,” he said, accepting my explanation as a balm to his pride. “And the issue at hand?” he asked vaguely.
Like walking on needles at the edge of a cliff. How much to say?
“The princess. Iiro had designs on her, but I knew you would never let that stand. I claimed our family’s blood debt against hers.”
A slow, menacing smile spread across his lips, and warning bells went off in my head.
“Well done. We can make an example of her.”
“My thoughts exactly. It is why I was hoping you would allow me to keep her. As a…” I paused deliberately. “Pet, of sorts.”
He tilted his head, examining me in the way he did when he caught a hint of what he considered to be weakness.
“You wish to spare the child of our enemies?” His tone was low, dangerous.
Of course not, Father. Why spare her when I could get vengeance for a war she doesn’t remember and kill our people in the meantime?
Not that I had never wanted to murder the princess, but at least it was for sins of her own making, not those of her parents.
Still, I lifted my chin, letting out an offended scoff. “Of course not, but there’s no need to rush her execution when she can be…useful to me in the meantime. What better way to remind the King of Lochlann of his own impotence than to take his daughter as my own?”
I knew it was a mistake even before my father bristled.
“ Your own?”
Several options flew through my mind. I could suggest taking her as a reward for my military service, but that wouldn’t satisfy his own pride, which was what it ultimately always came down to. Every part of me reacted viscerally to the idea of my father putting his hands on her, in any sense of the word.
He was a married man, but counting on him to remember that…
I could use it now, though.
“Ours, of course, but given Mairi’s jealousy…” I trailed off.
He huffed. “There’s more than one way to make use of her. We could always send her back to her family in pieces. Or possibly to Iiro. It would certainly be more entertaining than keeping her shut up in your rooms.”
Rowan’s response to that crept unbidden into my head, the way she would likely raise her stubborn chin and tell him how unoriginal it was, how the other dukes had already discussed the transport of her body parts at length.
The way she would earn herself an incredibly painful and drawn out death, not understanding that my father could be more brutal than the rest of the Socairan dukes combined.
As much as he wanted revenge against Lochlann, though, there was more to his suggestions than that. It was a test. For me.
I wanted badly to take a sip of my drink, but custom dictated that I wait for the duke, and I suspected he was abstaining on purpose to force me to do the same.
“For the men, perhaps. But certainly not for me.” I smirked. “Did I mention she was betrothed to the younger Korhonan?”
It was a gamble, since my father didn’t hate Elk like I did, but it would provide enough of a reason for me to want her as my own. Sure enough, the suspicion cleared from his features.
“Ah. So this is about your childish falling out with Korhonan.”
Like so often before, it was on the tip of my tongue to tell him why I had fought with Korhonan, and why, exactly, I hated my stepmother. Then I saw his response, the way his brows would draw and his head would tilt as he calmly explained that I should have been better than to let a woman raise her hand against me.
Besides, there was much more at stake than my history with any of them.
“It does please me to take something that belongs to him,” I acknowledged. “But I also see value in holding onto the girl and the potential leverage she represents until we can contact Lochlann.”
He looked thoughtful, and I held my breath. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, his eyes took on a faraway expression.
Der’mo.
He looked from me to the door, paranoia evident in his jerky movements.
“Konstantin,” he barked the name of his dead brother—the one Lochlann’s king had sealed inside the tunnel twenty years ago.
Relief and grief and confusion all warred in his expression, something I might have been sympathetic to if I didn’t know exactly where this conversation was headed.
Sure enough, he went to the door and shoved it open, turning to his head guard, Bogdan.
“We’ve had word of traitors at Kanavski Village. I expect it taken care of.”
“Sir.” The guard nodded, already leaving to place the order with the several guards who were in the hall, having overheard it.
And now, there was exactly nothing I could do to stop it. He wouldn’t go back on his own order, and I didn’t have the authority to contradict it.
Der’mo , der’mo , der’mo .
“I’ll leave at first light to take care of it myself,” I said, before it could go any further.
I could mitigate the damage, at least. Take care of was more open to interpretation than some of his other orders.
He looked back at me, shaking his head slightly while his brain struggled to process the present versus the past. In the end, he nodded.
“See that you do.” He turned to disappear into his office, and I decided to take my chance.
“And the girl? You said I could keep her as a pet, as a reward for having the foresight to claim her on our family’s behalf?”
He looked back at me, blinking several times.
“Yes. She is yours to do with as you wish.” With that, he really did go.
I didn’t bother letting out a breath of relief, not when he could change his mind. I just had to keep her out of sight until I could damned well figure out what to do with her.
I turned to make sure of that, only to find Mairi blocking my path.
“Don’t worry, Evander. I’ll be sure to care for your pet in your absence.”
“There’s no need for that,” I assured her in a tone loud enough to carry. “I’m sure none of us would want to risk contradicting the orders of the duke.”
That would at least ensure the soldiers barred her entry to Rowan’s rooms.
If only I could be as certain that Rowan wouldn’t find her way out.