Page 5 of Kept

My knight captains shot me wary looks as they directed squires and men-at-arms.

A sigh built in my chest. I owed both males an apology after spending the morning biting their heads off. It wasn’t their fault Laurent was being stupid by accepting Queen Elissa’s invitation.

There was a stir near the side door that led into the palace, and then the stupid male in question strode into the courtyard, his heavy black mantle swirling around his long legs.

He spotted me and smiled as he crossed the yard.

Thwack. The leather of my gloves stung my palm.

Laurent’s smile grew, his fangs bright white and needle-sharp. The healing puncture wounds in my shoulder reminded me just how sharp those fangs were—and how difficult it was to change Laurent’s mind when he’d settled on doing something.

Like crossing the fucking Rift without weapons.

All eyes turned toward us as he reached me. “General,” he said, inclining his head and setting the bloodstones in his crown winking in the morning sunlight. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”

“Lie,” I said in his mind.

Silver eyes flashed with amusement—and challenge. “Your men are ready to depart?”

“For these past two hours, Your Grace,” I said smoothly.

“And you’ve instructed them to leave their swords on our side of the Rift?”

“Just as you ordered, sir.”

A dark brow went up. “No weapons will cross the Bleak Pass this day?”

“That’s what I said.”

He pitched his voice low, his lips barely moving as he held my gaze. “Now who’s lying?”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.” I slapped my gloves against my palm. “Your Grace,” I added aloud.

His eyes flashed. “Walk with me, Lord Varick.” He turned and strode away. With a muffled curse, I followed, well aware that every pair of eyes in the courtyard followed too.

Laurent rounded the corner of the blacksmith’s workshop. He stopped in the shadow of the small building’s tiled roof and faced me. “You’re still angry.”

The blacksmith’s hammer struck sharp, metallic beats behind us.

I stepped into Laurent, forcing him to tip his head back to meet my gaze. My breastplate brushed the fur on his mantle. “This is a fool’s errand.”

“Oh, is it? I wouldn’t know. If only you weren’t so shy about sharing your opinions, General.”

My growl rumbled between us. “If you don’t want my opinions, find someone else to lead your army.”

He dropped his gaze to my mouth. “I don’t want anyone else.”

My dick tightened. Fighting with him made me want to fuck him, but we’d been too busy meeting with the Council for the latter. The furious kiss we’d shared last night didn’t count. We’d both walked away bleeding and unsatisfied, and we’d spent a tense night in bed with Given sleeping fitfully between us.

“I want you inside me,” he murmured now.

I looked left and right, then grabbed his mantle and shoved him against the wall of the blacksmith’s shop. “Damn you, Laurent, we have bigger problems than the South. Let the humans burn their king. We don’t need to see it.”

“Yes, we do.”

I wanted to shake sense into him. “This isn’t one of your games.”

“That is exactly what it is.” His silver irises were as clear as the winter sky above us. “Politics is a game, Varick.”

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