Chapter 13
W e cleaned up the few actual injuries that were sustained, then made our way to Wolf Estate as quickly as we could. We arrived a bloody mess, one of us with a torn dress that even a cloak couldn’t entirely hide.
Like she wouldn’t have been spectacle enough.
I ignored the questioning glances of the soldiers, and even Lord Alexei, who was manning the estate in his uncle’s stead. He wouldn’t ask me outright about it until we were alone, which suited me just fine.
Already, he was nodding for the servants to show us to our quarters. There was something to be said about Socairan ideals, I supposed, especially amongst allies in the clans.
Still, I wasn’t ready to relax just yet. It was hardly a secret that their clan hated Lochlannians. I didn’t begrudge them their disgust of my stepmother—in fact, I shared it—but I would have been an idiot to trust them with the safety of the princess, clan alliances or not.
Alexei had already sent her a look far too calculating for my liking, not to mention the open disdain toward her shown by the soldiers as we arrived.
My men were far too afraid of me to openly disrespect someone who belonged to me, but the Wolf Estate guards weren’t showing nearly that level of self-preservation. At least if she was in the room near mine, I could pretend her guards were there for me. It wouldn’t be prudent to let on as to how detrimental it could be to Bear if something happened to her.
Alliances could shift, after all.
“Kirill,” I called casually. “Please escort my Lemmikki to the room adjacent to mine. She can’t bear to be very far from me.”
The princess made a face, because heavens forbid she didn’t put every single nuance of her feelings on display every moment of every day, but she did dutifully follow Kirill upstairs.
Alexei’s gaze followed her, his eyes narrowed in unveiled hatred. I resisted the urge to clench my jaw, keeping my features cool and unbothered.
“Lord Alexei,” I called, pulling his attention away from their retreating forms. “I’ll dress then meet you for dinner.”
He nodded, a single predatory dip of his head. I wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate him, but I sure as hell wouldn’t be intimidated by him.
“With your…pet?”
I briefly toyed with the idea of her returning for dinner, but it was better to keep her out of sight, rather than dangle her in front of the men like a toy for them to break. Explaining why I had slaughtered Wolf soldiers in their own estate was one annoyance too many, and storms knew Princess Pain-in-the-Arse had brought me plenty already.
“No,” I said shortly, not bothering to explain myself. “Though she will require a maid to assist her.”
I wondered if she had ever dressed herself in her entire privileged life, but even if she had, she seemed to struggle inordinately with Socairan clothing.
He bristled, but nodded, and I headed upstairs at an even pace, refusing to bely the tension itching between my shoulder blades. Power plays, every conversation here. Kirill stood guard in the hallway without being asked, which is why he was one of my most trusted men.
I nodded my thanks, going to dress quickly for dinner. On my way out, I passed a serving woman who was headed toward the princess’s rooms. I scanned her quickly, taking note of the disgust curling her lip and her tense shoulders.
Whether it was the princess’s lineage or her cursed red hair, the woman clearly had feelings about her current assignment. Nils’ longstanding ignorance must have been contagious.
Irritation pricked at my gut, and I went to intercept the maid.
“Are you going to serve the princess?” I stressed the title, speaking in the woman’s native dialect.
“Yes, milord,” she said with a curtsy, her face paling when she took note of who she was speaking to.
Even here, my reputation preceded me, but at least it was useful in times like these.
“Excellent. I view all of my property as an extension of myself, and I expect it to be treated as such.”
Her nostrils flared, but she nodded demurely, squaring her shoulders with a no-nonsense sort of determination.
That would do.
I let out a slow sigh as she continued toward Rowan’s rooms, briefly meeting Kirill’s eyes over the maid’s head. His lips were pursed in annoyance, but his eyes held concern and offense in equal parts. I might have cared about my clan name and my property, but Kirill was worried about the poor misjudged princess who was probably searching her room for something to make into a shiv as we spoke.
Der’mo. I wondered when the scout I sent would return from his perusal of the tunnels. I was still holding onto a residual hope that they weren’t truly closed in after all.
Between my most trusted soldier going soft on me and the rest of the kingdom plotting her untimely demise, I honestly couldn’t get rid of the princess fast enough. As long as I wasn’t handing her back to Korhonan, anyway.
Alexei and I sat in a private study after dinner, sipping on chilled vodka while we danced around all of the things he wanted to ask, as was the Socairan way. Finally, he set his glass down, pleasantries over with.
“It sounds like I missed quite the Summit,” he sat forward in his chair, carefully examining me in a way that was all too reminiscent of his uncle.
I inclined my head. “You could say that.”
“And the Lochlannian? Is she truly their princess? Or, one of them, I suppose.”
His eyes sparked with calculation, but I kept my expression even.
“She was,” I said darkly, taking a sip of my drink. “And now, she’s mine.”
My meaning was clear. Don’t touch her .
He let out a hum of amusement. “You are not worried about her family?”
Of course I am. I’d be an idiot not to worry about the war we’ll have to wage when the king discovered we were keeping her.
“If Iiro has his way, there will be war, regardless. I chose the lesser of two evils.” I told him what he would eventually figure out on his own, if he hadn’t already. His almond-colored eyes narrowed in consideration.
“It would be easy enough for an accident to befall her on the road,” he suggested, looking meaningfully toward the hall where his soldiers stood guard.
My fingers went rigid around the crystal goblet as I picked up the glass to take another long sip.
“I have use for her yet.” I forced a cold smirk to my lips, wondering why it felt like a lie.
And I did have a use for her. To keep her from Iiro, to keep her from starting a war, and that purpose would not be served if she died. But that didn’t explain the sudden urge I had to draw my blades and sever Alexei’s head from his body.
“The offer is appreciated, though,“ I lied again.
“Always. We are allies, of course.”
That, we were. And Socairans were nothing if not loyal.
Still, sometimes I wondered if the alliances we kept were nearly as bad as our enemies. Then again, what else would I expect when they were loyal to a man like my father?