Page 30 of Obsidian Throne
“And if not, there will be war,” I finished for him.
He nodded tersely.
“How would that work, with your father supporting him?” I asked.
Evander’s features went tight, but it was Taras who responded.
“It’s an unlikely outcome, given the odds, because…Bear would have no choice but to fight for Iiro.”
My jaw dropped, and Mila clenched her fork tighter in her fingers, the last bit of her noodles dangling from the prongs.
Silence descended on the table the way a blizzard hits, unexpected and impenetrable.
I stared at my plate and forced myself to take another bite of the stroganoff, knowing how important it was not to waste food here, even if it tasted like ash in my mouth now.
Evander’s hand came to rest on mine, but it was Mila who broke through the hush.
“All right,” she said in a deceptively light tone. “I hereby ban further discussion of politics this evening. We need…a night in the sauna. Perhaps my husband can win another butt imprint contest.”
“One can dream,” Taras intoned, and a small smile tilted my lips, in spite of myself.
She was right. We did need this.
And somehow, I suspected there would be more than enough talk of politics and war in the weeks to come.
An hour later, we found ourselves venturing out toward the sauna. One of them, anyway.
The estate apparently housed several, but of course, this one was reserved for the immediate Stenvall family.
It was nonetheless a large building, and since we had sent word ahead, there was already smoke coming from the small, stone chimney.
We walked around to the entrance just this side of the river, passing several guards who were stationed around it until we came to the small divided changing area.
Thank the stars for small mercies.
As much as I tried to be less prudish than I was, going through the act of taking off my clothes in front of my friend’s new husband felt wildly uncomfortable. Mila and I quickly disrobed, neatly lying our dresses on the given tables.
Finally, I took off my dagger and sheath, tucking them underneath my dress.
When we got into the steamy room, Taras and Evander were holding two ales each. They held the extras out to us, and we settled on the bench across from them.
I wasn’t complaining about that, since it gave me a spectacular and unobstructed view of Evander’s perfect, muscled body. My eyes lingered on the way he casually balanced his mug on his thigh, drifting up to his perfectly sculpted abdominals and finally to the smug expression that somehow made him infinitely sexier.
This time I didn’t have to worry about what others thought of my appreciative glances in his direction, because he was mine. Besides, Mila wouldn’t judge since she was doing the same thing with Taras.
Unlike dinner, our time in the sauna was spent laughing and talking. It was nice to leave the ominous feeling behind for a while, soaking in this feeling of friendship and the life we could have here if things ever calmed down.
I got up to pour more water over the stones, releasing a fresh wave of steam, but instead of going back to my seat, strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me in the opposite direction.
Through the steam, I watched as Taras moved to sit next to Mila before turning my attention back to Evander. He pulled me down next to him, refusing to release the arm he had around me.
I wasn’t about to argue with him. We stayed for another ten minutes that way, continuing to talk and laugh as Taras and Mila shared stories about their wedding and the awkward dance she’d had to endure with one of Sir Heikkinen’s sons.
Apparently, the much younger grandson of Duke of Eagle had confessed his love for her and had forced her into three uncomfortable dances before Taras and the boy’s father had to order him away.
I laughed hard at that. Despite the awkwardness of our wedding, at least no one had done that with me.
We were all more than relieved when Evander suggested it was time to rinse off in the water. I had been distracted with the story but even more so with the slow, tantalizing circles Evander’s thumb was drawing on my thigh, the way my breath hitched each time he repeated the pattern. I hadn’t realized how long we had been in the sauna, or that my lungs were desperate for fresh air.