Chapter 41 Failed Negotiations

Chapter 41 Failed Negotiations
Varek

“What are you offering?” I narrow my eyes at her. “Better yet, what are you willing to pay for me to play along?”

“You don’t have anything to bargain with.”

“How many people do you know for certain you can’t compel?” Her eyes glint. “And how many people who are now in your castle would leave the moment they know their prize is more trouble than she’s worth?”

My jaw tightens.

“You think that’s enough to keep you safe?” I ask. "Some men would just purchase you to ruin you."

She tilts her head. "Would you send me to a man like that?"

I set my jaw. The answer is obvious, but I can't admit that she's seen more of my character, or guessed more of it, than is comfortable for me. It wouldn't be the first time someone used my moral compass against me.

“Didn't think so,” she replies smoothly. “Though that begs the question of what price you're looking for.”

Heat crawls up the back of my neck. I want to tear her out of that chair, and I clench my fists, pulling back from where that thought will lead me. Her steady gaze needles me, daring me to do it.

“What do you want?” I growl.

“A gift of good faith,” she says without hesitation. “Send Liora to me. Alone. And give us privacy.”

I snort. “That’s your grand demand?”

Her lips curve faintly. “That’s the first one. There will be others if you want me to sit pretty and smile for your suitors. If you don't, then I won’t go.” She leans back in the chair, utterly unbothered. “Drag me down in a robe if you like. You and I both know no one but you or Liora could force me to dress. You’d risk more than you gain putting hands on me again, and as for her…” She tilts her head. “I think you know better than to test what’s left of her loyalty.”

My teeth grind. As tantalizing as the idea is, it's dangerous not just because of what I might do, but if my scent is on her, I'll blow more deals than I'd make. Then she rises, slow and deliberate. She walks toward me with a soft, pleasant smile. My cock thickens even as I'm holding on to my calm by the tips of my fingers.

“It’s in your best interest to cooperate, Varek. Why fight it?” She tilts her head. "You’ve brought them all here, surrounded yourself with nobles you’ve done no favors for, you might as well get the most out of it, right?" She shrugs lightly. “Or I guess you can rely on Caldara's army, but it's not so large to fight the united forces of everyone you've brought, is it?"

"You're assuming I let them waltz into my territory with an army."

"You let them waltz into your territory at all, is the point." She glances up at me. "Caldara's stronghold is a keep, sure. One with one well-guarded, well-fortified entry, but you rely on the mountain's natural dangers this time of year more than anything, don't you? It's the same reason food is rationed the way it is."

I set my jaw. I had thought she was too busy to have thought much about the journey to Caldara. Had Liora said something to her?

"It's time to admit that you've miscalculated, and I’m really the only weapon you have, and you'll only have me for as long as you don't sell me. Solara's army is the second in size, and if you sell me, that ceasefire gets questionable, doesn't it? Especially after your food stores are emptied from hosting this little auction."

Her eyes gleam with victory. I'm irritated that she's thought this all through, but underneath, I preen at the sound of her calling herself mine. I’m about to answer when a knock sounds on the door.

“Your Majesty?”

"Come in," Fiona said.

The door creaks open. The servant girl hurries in, clutching the carved wooden box from Solara to her chest. She holds it out to me.

"It's for her," I snarl and turn. Fury and desire simmer hot in my blood. I hate her intellect, and I want to kiss that smile off her face and ravish her until she can't think.

I exit and order the guards, “Have Liora brought to the captive’s chambers. Leave them privacy.”

The guards snap to obey. The latch clicks behind me as I stalk down the hallway toward Ronan's room, where I can hear him getting dressed. He’s half-dressed when I shove the door open, yanking on a tunic. He blinks, then smirks.

“I think you're in the wrong room for that look on your face.”

I snarl. “What have you gotten out of Liora?”

Ronan pauses, then shakes his head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“She hasn't even spoken to me… or anyone else, from what I can tell.”

The words dig under my skin. If she’s not talking to him, then she’s holding it all in, letting it rot until it festers into more of the fury I saw in her eyes today. Fiona is feeding that fire somehow. I can feel it.

Before I can ask anything more, a knock sounds at the door. A guard enters, bowing.

“Your Majesty, Beta Ronan, Lord Dante has arrived.” I bare my teeth. “We've escorted him to the east wing to the rooms near Queen Cara and her husband, as you ordered.”

“Good.” My jaw clenches. “Have him escorted to the main hall when he's ready."

"It will be done, Your Majesty." The guard bows and departs.

Ronan watches me, expression unreadable. "Something else I should  know about Dante?"

I shake my head. I don't have much of an answer for why the thought of him here rubs me the wrong way. Soon, Ronan is dressed, and we walk down together.

The ballroom hall hums with voices when we arrive. The scent of wine, roasted meat, and too many foreign scents crowd together and irritate me further. The courtesans of Caldara drift around between the clusters of visitors, whispering and laughing too loudly. Nobles mingle with them, some circling like predators, others puffed up like they already own the place.

I stalk through the crowd, offering curt nods, empty pleasantries, keeping my wolf leashed tight. He's pissed off because every man in this hall is here for Fiona, and she’s not even in the room yet.

It's not much longer before Dante strides in looking fresh from travel than prepared for a banquet.

The noise dulls for me, my focus narrowing. He’s broader now than when we’d crossed blades years ago and nearly my equal in height. His shoulders are squared, his stride easy, as if this is his hall instead of mine. He's younger—closer to Fiona’s age—with the sharp features and careless confidence of a man who’s never lost a battle.

My wolf snarls at him and watches him like I'm preparing for battle. I watch the way heads turn as he enters, the way women’s gazes linger, courtesans giggling behind their hands. It reminds me of the first ball I attended before my father's death. His presence is very similar to mine, and there isn't a heap of resentment between Caldara and his homeland.

I wonder if Fiona will react to him as these others do. Would she smile at him or give the same fiery defiance she gave me? Would she prefer him to me?

The thought curdles my blood, and I force myself to look away, jaw locked tight.

I shouldn’t be thinking about any of that. It doesn't matter. He's just a lord, subject to a man who can barely look me in the eye. Even though he's here for Fiona, he doesn't have the wealth or resources to make it worth my while.

The hall quiets, and I can feel Fiona before I turn to look at her. She wears the grey gown I chose, simple yet elegant, cut to show the proud line of her shoulders and the narrowness of her waist. She holds herself with icy composure, chin tilted high, as if she isn’t a prisoner here but a queen already seated on her throne.

But it’s not Fiona who stills Ronan and me both.

It’s Liora. She walks just behind Fiona, clad in a deep blue gown, trimmed in gold embroidery. The threads shimmer like firelight as she moves, echoing the shine of her hair and the warm tone of her skin. I can hear Ronan stop breathing. I turn to look at him and find his lips parted, his hand flexing at his side as if he means to step forward. I almost laugh. Ronan and Liora have been sleeping together for at least a few months. To see him knocked flat just because she's wearing a new dress is something.

I turn my gaze back to the pair as they enter. I open my mouth to tease him a bit, but the words die when Fiona’s expression changes.

Her eyes brighten with excitement as she spies some and starts dragging Liora quickly through the crowd.