Page 147 of Onyx Cage: Volume II

Still, I nodded. For her, I would try to be more mindful.

Her brows rose as she looked at me expectantly.

“I’m giving you the chance, right now,” she said irritably. “Before another luncheon tomorrow.”

Fortunately for both of us, my choices in bedmates through the years had been chosen specifically for their discretion and their lack of complication.

Katerina was the only lady at court that I had a history with, usually preferring to keep my dalliances limited to the occasional discreet barmaid. I may not have been able to prevent a future encounter with the former, but I certainly never needed to put Rowan in a position to encounter the others.

“I’m not Davin, Lemmikki.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “It’s not as though I’ve been with half the court.”

“I’m sure he’d be offended that you think it’s only half,” she scoffed, but her expression softened.

She was grinning now, but her eyes went distant, flitting to the mountains the way they always did when she was homesick.

So, I set the bottle down, giving her a genuine smirk in return as I moved across the room to stand in front of her.

“If it matters to you, I will make sure that you are...informed, should the situation arise.”

She tilted her head, looking up at me through her dark lashes. “Yes, it matters to me,” she said softly.

Then she stepped even closer, her fingers gliding up my chest, leaving trails of fire in their wake. The scent of amber and citrus washed over me as she stood on her tiptoes, whispering in a possessive tone that sent a rush of adrenaline through me.

“Or did you forget that I own you, Evander?”

I swallowed, letting out a low, dark chuckle at the echo of my words on her lips. She did, in fact, own me, just as surely as I owned her.

“I could never forget that, Lemmikki.” The words came out in a growl as she slipped free of her dressing gown to reveal a delicate bit of silk and lace that did little to cover her.

Graceful fingers brushed against mine as she grabbed my glass of whiskey, meeting my eye in a challenge as she took a long drink.

“Der’mo, Lemmikki.” I breathed out the words against her neck before carrying her to the bed to remind her exactly how much she belonged to me.

Since I doubted either of us was ready to face the entire court again, I planned our first dinner with Mila and Taras alone. Taras and I sat back, watching as our wives animatedly gossiped about their afternoon before gushing over the new style of dresses Rowan was introducing to the court.

It reminded me of being at the cabin, the rare bit of peace something I had never risked indulging in at the estate. Even now, I was cognizant that a messenger could come from my father at any moment, shattering the flimsy illusion that moments like this created.

That didn’t stop me from letting out a small chuckle, nearly choking on my bite of stroganoff when my lemmikki brought up the world’s most unappealing nightdress.

“He found them to be quite provocative,” she told Mila, sliding her gaze to me.

“Indeed, I did,” I said evenly, recalling the striking image of her wild curls and horrified expression as she stood in said shapeless nightdress. “I’m not sure how I kept my hands off you then, what with the seventeen layers of irresistible ruffles.”

It was only partially a joke. Even in the ridiculous outfit, there had still been a small part of me that had wanted to rip apart the hideous fabric concealing her perfect body.

Mila distracted me from those memories with a howling laugh, one that even brought a smile to my cousin’s usually terse expression.

“I’m fortunate that my father was more lenient than most dukes,” she said when she got herself under control. “I was never forced to suffer those.”

“A fact for which I am grateful,” Taras said with a grin.

“Speaking of your father,” Rowan said, looking at her friend. “He looked...displeased as he was leaving the other day.”

My cousin and his wife shared a private glance.

“Yes, well, Iiro is pressuring him to sign.” She pointedly avoided looking in my direction as she continued in an even tone. “And he isn’t thrilled that as Bear’s ally, it’s harder for him to stay neutral. But neither was Evander here to prevent this from happening.”

She added the last part more quietly, not as an accusation, but more as a private insight.

---