I laughed. “It did seem like they hit it off.”
The thought of Vince finding someone made me all warm and gooey inside. Vince deserved to be happy. Maybe Sahalie could do that. At least I hoped so.
Over the course of the day, I started feeling thankful that my family had frozen me out of the political side of things. Meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion, and argument after argument took place in multiple rooms around the manor. I didn’t even get a chance to speak at half of them. By the end of the day, my head was spinning, and mental exhaustion had begun to set in.
Aurelius and his father acted as though a lot had been decided on, but to my uneducated ears, it all sounded like rich, powerful men and women talking gibberish. After listening to a heated discussion between Benedictus’s friends, who wanted to plan a surprise attack, and a contingent of dragons who thought defense was the best scenario, I excused myself.
“You look exhausted,” Delphine said as I shuffled into our room.
“I am.” I flopped down on a chair. “Is it always like this?”
“Is what always like this?” she asked, tucking a bookmark into her spot and setting the novel aside.
“This,” I said, waving my hand around. “Political disasters? War? Alliances? Everything.”
Delphine gave me a sad smile. “Unfortunately, yes. Usually.”
“God, I can’t even tell if they’ve decided on anything yet-oh wait, that’s not right,” I said sarcastically. “Titus did confirm with the Hikshil that their people can stay in the older areas of the castle. Apparently, there is an old military barracks there from back when there were enough dragons to need one. I guess I was wrong there.”
“This is how it works,” Delphine explained. “Lots of talking, lots of round and round, and then, if you’re very lucky, a few small details will be hashed out after a day or two.”
“Ugh,” I groaned, throwing my head back. “It’s ridiculous.”
A knock sounded at the door, sending a spike of irritation through me. I rose and stomped toward the door. “I swear to God, if this is Titus asking me to join another meeting, I’ll lose it,” I said through gritted teeth.
It was Titus, but he hadn’t come for political reasons.
He bowed. “My lady. Prince Aurelius has asked if you and Lady Delphine would join him in his room for dinner?”
At the mention of food, my stomach cramped painfully. When was the last time I’d eaten? There’d been that impromptu meal in Aurelius’s healing room the night before. I thought Imight have had an apple earlier in the day too, but I couldn’t be sure.
Turning to Delphine, I raised my eyebrows in question. “Are you game?”
“I would be delighted,” she said.
I’d anticipated a quick and dirty meal when we got to Aurelius’s quarters. Hell, I’d have drooled over a frozen pizza at that point.
Instead, a huge spread had been laid out on a table near the big bay window-a roasted rack of lamb, potato and leek tart, lemon and parmesan grilled broccoli, and chocolate cake. Saliva flooded my mouth at the sight and smell of the food.
“Oh good,” Aurelius said as he stepped out of the bathroom. He’d changed out of the formal attire into more leisurely clothing. “The staff just brought it in a few minutes ago. Have a seat.”
“Let us know if you need anything else, Your Highness,” Titus said, closing the door behind him.
“Don’t wait for me,” Aurelius said as Delphine, and I sat. “Dig in. I’m sure you’re as hungry as I am.”
“This is much more than I’d anticipated,” Delphine said.
“I was in the mood for something that would really stick to my ribs,” Aurelius explained as he poured us each a glass of wine.
“Has there been any response from Elle’s family? They obviously know you escaped. That fae girl’s vision even showed that Bastien is apoplectic. Nothing?”
Aurelius cut a thin strip of lamb and took a bite. “Not a word. It’s strange. I spoke with my father a few hours ago. We’d all anticipated something-another blustering message calling for war, calling us a disgrace, all the things they did before. Today? Silence.”
“That doesn’t sound like Bastien,” I said, after swallowing a huge bite of food. “He’s too much of a spoiled brat to take this lying down. It’s like he’s still a kid. Freddy stole his toy, and he’ll be driven to retaliate. When we were young, it meant him smacking
Freddy in the back of the head or kicking him. Now? God only knows what he’ll want to do.”
“I agree,” Delphine said, shaking her head sadly. “I saw even more than you did of your brother when he was younger. There were things he did that you children never saw. He’s a sociopath. Several of us tried to tell your parents that, but they never listened.” She gave a little dejected sigh. “If I had to guess, it was my words that made them exile me along with you, Elle. They were tired of me saying their precious oldest boy was a maniac, and their oldest daughter needed a caretaker after they turned her out in the cold.”
I put my hand on hers.
“It’s not your fault. You tried to warn them,” I said.
She patted my hand and went back to eating. “All I mean is that Bastien is most definitely planning something. He hates being made a fool of.”
“That’s for sure,” I agreed.
“He’ll never quit,” Delphine said. “He’s like a dog with a bone. Or a wolf with a bone, I suppose.”
“I think I might have an idea about how to end this,” I said. I’d been pondering the idea for a few hours now.
Delphine and Aurelius both froze, bites of food halfway to their mouths.
“You do?” Aurelius asked.
This was not where I wanted to get into specifics. Hell, my plan was barely even formed. Plus, I knew Aurelius wouldn’t agree. Instead of admitting the truth, I shrugged noncommittally.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “I’m still working it around in my head. It probably won’t come to anything. I need some time to think about it.”
“Time may be one of the things we don’t have much of,” Delphine said.
Aurelius didn’t question me again, but throughout the rest of dinner, he’d give me questioning looks. I hated hiding things from him, but I did not want to get into it until I was positive it would work.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply