Typical Sawyer. He would never admit his brother was an asshole. He was too kind for that.
“King Silas knew he’d be risking war by threatening a member of the royal household,” he continued. “So why targetme? Why not the Crown Prince? Surely, Cedric would’ve been a greater bargaining chip, as you put it. He’s worth starting a war over.”
“Free to speak my mind, right?” I anxiously toyed with my hands. He nodded for me to continue. “Maybe King Silas knows that while Cedric is heir to the throne, you’re the one the people love the most. You’re the one your father would move mountains for.”
“Or perhaps it’s because I’m the weaker one,” he said with a faraway look in his eyes. “My illness as a child is common knowledge throughout not only Bremloc but in other kingdoms as well. I’m an easy target.”
Sawyer had nearly died when he was little from an unknown illness. The court physician at the time hadn’t been able to cure him. Hell, no one had even known what was wrong with him. King Eidolon had then put out a summons for every physician in the kingdom and all the cities surrounding it to journey to the castle and try to heal the prince. Briar had been the one to find the answer. He’d saved Sawyer.
“Kuya doesn’t like when his prince says mean things about himself.” The cat boy bounced over to Sawyer and knelt in front of him, resting his cheek on Sawyer’s knee. “Prince Sawyer is perfect to Kuya. He’s Kuya’s most treasured person.”
Sawyer petted Kuya’s reddish-brown hair. “You’re perfect to me too.”
I wanted to ask about Sawyer’s engagement to Lady Alina, the baron’s daughter, but held my tongue. The two of them looked too sweet right then, and I didn’t want to ruin it by bringing up a topic that made both of them sad.
“Need more coffee?” I reached for Sawyer’s empty cup.
“Oh, that’d be lovely.” He handed it to me. “Thank you.”
While I refilled our cups, Kuya padded over to the rug in front of the fire, carrying a large cushion with him. He tossed it down and leapt on top of it, then stuck his feet forward and grinned as he wiggled his toes to warm them. A small wooden box sat in his lap.
“What’s that?” I asked, handing Sawyer a cup before sitting back down with mine.
“Kuya’s treasure.” With his rainbow eyes sparkling, he opened the lid and showed me a shiny rock he’d found at the pond. There was also a small cloth doll with cat ears—same color as Kuya’s—along with buttons of various shapes and sizes, more shiny rocks, and copper coins that equaled about two dollars in the kingdom’s currency.
“No strawberry cake?”
Kuya flashed a toothy grin. “Evan is silly. Cake needs to be eaten, not stored in Kuya’s treasure box.”
Sawyer smiled and grabbed another cookie, this one with a snowflake design. “When do you leave for Exalos?”
“Two days from now,” I answered. Time had flown by since my meeting with Walter Willoughby. The preparations and travel arrangements had been made, and the anxiety was no joke. All the “what if” scenarios and things that could go wrong. “I’m kinda nervous.”
“You’ll have knights traveling with you, correct? If not, I’ll send guards to accompany you.”
“Maddox said he had it handled. Whatever that means.” My grumpy, stubborn captain hadn’t given me more details beyondthat. “Let’s hope his plan doesn’t involve locking me in a cage and having his knights haul me around everywhere.” I deepened my voice. “For my own protection.”
Sawyer laughed at my Maddox impersonation. “What would we do without the overprotective men in our lives?”
“Get into trouble probably.”
Another laugh. “You may be right about that. And here you are with three of them who also love you on top of that protectiveness.” There was a slight hesitation in his expression before he added, in a much softer voice, “How is Lake faring?”
Sawyer knew Lake was a demi-wolf. He also knew how dangerous it’d be if the wrong person overheard our conversation, so he was careful with his words.
“He’s doing well.” I wrapped my hands around my cup, hoping the warmth chased away some of the ice in my veins. “He wants to travel with me to Exalos, and it scares me. But if I tell him not to, he’ll just do it anyway.”
“If something ever happens where his identity becomes known, I’ll do everything in my power to help him. I know that doesn’t alleviate your worries, but I hope it offers you some comfort at least.”
“It does.” My sternum tightened. “Thanks.”
A hard knock came at the door before it opened.
“Master Kuya?” A middle-aged man entered the study. His gray hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and an elegant waistcoat covered his tall, thin frame. The undershirt had large ruffles at the collar. “It’s time for your afternoon etiquette lesson.”
“No!” Kuya skittered off the large cushion and rushed over to Sawyer, hiding behind his chair. He bared his teeth. “Kuya hates being fancy! Kuya wants to play and nap.”
The man sighed. “Now, now. Come along.”
