Page 129 of The Call of Crimson
“Yes,” she confirms, her voice not convincing.
“Yes, my cousin Charlotte really is that bold. That was her touching and flirting with him that night. No pants for you today,” Ayden says with a wicked gleam in his eyes. He enjoys this game they play entirely too much.
I chuckle when Breyla mumbles under her breath something about Charlotte being a heifer.
Maybe someday I’ll mention that she resembles a salmon more than a cow. She was a distraction to pass the time in Prudia for me, but she lay in bed like a dying fish. Where Breyla was fire and passion, Charlie was cold detachment. I honestly don’t miss her at all.
“How long do I have before the meeting?” Breyla asks.
“Half an hour,” Ayden says.
“Then I should bathe and change,” she sighs, retrieving her sword and tucking her real daggers back into the folds of her dress.
“Would you like me to escort you?” he offers to Breyla’s retreating form.
“I haven’t forgotten my way to my room, Prince,” she says with a dismissive wave over her shoulder.
Ayden turns to me, serious once more. “You will be joining us at the meeting.”
I arch a brow, unbothered. “Why?”
“Like it or not, you are an heir of this kingdom now,” he says. “It’s time you met the council as a prince, not a mere emissary.”
“So, I shall play the role of bastard prince, then?” I ask coolly.
“Those are your words, brother. Not mine.”
“Those are everyone’s words, Ayden. I’ve always been a bastard of some sort. The difference was that my adoptive parents didn’t care. They loved me regardless. Here, I’m barely tolerated.”
The words sound harsh, but they’re true. The title of bastard had never really bothered me. Feeling like a bad smell that everyone tries to pretend isn’t in the room was what actually got under my skin.
Ayden doesn’t flinch. He leans closer, lowering his voice. “I know we are at odds right now, but I don’t just tolerate you. Despite the…” His lips twitch. “Female between us, I rather enjoy your company. I hope one day we may be more than brothers in name only.”
I stare at him, conflicted.
Truthfully, the more I got to know the male outside of what he was to my little demon, the more I was coming around to the idea of him. But with a Breyla-shaped chasm between us, I could never see us moving past this point. I don’t dare voice these things out loud, but just give him a slight nod.
“I’ll see you at the meeting.” Turning on my heel, I return to my chambers to bathe.
The meeting took place in the small council chamber, a room I had spent more time in than I cared for.
A long white oak table occupies the space with black cushioned seats surrounding it on every side. Windows line the opposite side of the room, their curtains pulled open to allow in the late morning sun.
Various council members occupy several seats, followed by the head of the castle staff, the captain of the guard, and several merchants from the town.
At the head of the table, Ayden sits in the chair reserved for the king. To his left is Queen Josephina. To his right is Breyla, her hand laced with his and a wide smile plastered on her face.
It wasn’t the smile she made when laughing or the smile she gave Elijah when he managed to say something that caught her off guard. Nor was it the unguarded one she donned while dancing. It’s the courtly, polished smile of a well-trained Princess. It was warm, but obligatory at its core.
But it’s for Ayden.
And that alone was enough to make my blood heat and my jaw tighten.
Inhaling a deep breath, I slip into the seat between Rowina and Charlie.
“Thank you so much for deigning to join us,” Queen Josephina says sardonically.
Her displeasure with my presence grows every day. It’s a wonder she hasn’t attempted to end me in my sleep.
