Page 35 of Obsidian Throne
I clamped his lower lip between my teeth, returning his fury with plenty of my own as I wrapped my legs firmly around his hips. He groaned, moving his mouth over to my neck.
“A sadist?” He growled in my ear. “I think masochist might be closer to the truth, considering my choice in bride and what an enormous pain in the arse she is.”
He bit my neck hard enough to leave a mark, which I was sure was intentional. I let out a gasp.
“Whereas my choice in husband is just an enormous arse,” I breathed, though my voice was less steady than I wanted it to be.
Evander’s lips returned to claim mine, and for all his talk of needing to get downstairs, he didn’t seem in any particular hurry to do that now.
* * *
I still didn’t accompany Evander to his ever-important lunch. In fact, we didn’t get any more talking at all accomplished.
Once he went downstairs, I asked Kirill to escort me to Taras and Mila’s rooms. He looked at me uncertainly for a moment before nodding.
I stormed through the halls until he raised his eyebrows, then I forced myself to walk more slowly.
“I take it the council room meeting did not go well,” he observed gently.
“Well, I don’t call himLord Aaliofor nothing,” I muttered.
Kirill chuckled under his breath, reminding me of when he had been the closest thing to an ally I had in Clan Bear, when Evander first took me.
“Can I ask you something?”
He nodded, curiosity sparking in his dark eyes.
I looked up at him. “Seeing the way everyone defers to Evander, I’m curious why you were willing to supply me with that nickname.”
He laughed again, more loudly this time. “Because I hadn’t seen anyone even tempt Van into a smile in such a long time. It was worth it to see his reaction.” In a more serious tone, he added, “And I knew he wouldn’t be upset, not truly.”
“Nor did he punish me for it, even as his prisoner,” I mused aloud. “So, it’s only his wife who can’t speak up in front of others.”
The words were more bitter than I intended them to be, and Kirill shot me a sympathetic glance.
“For what it’s worth, I’m not sure he ever actually thought of you as his prisoner.” Kirill grinned then. “Unless I’ve been willfully oblivious to the endearments he gives the rest of them.”
I flushed then, realizing that all of the soldiers and literally everyone else knew he was calling medarling. We arrived at Mila’s rooms before I could respond to that, though.
“You won’t…” I trailed off, not sure if it was acceptable for me to ask Kirill not to tell his lord what I said.
“Oh, you couldn’t pay me to bring this up to Van.” He gave me another of his easy smiles, and I returned it this time, even if my own was strained.
Then I turned to knock on Mila’s door.
“Do you have any vodka?” I asked without preamble when she answered.
“Obviously,” she replied, stepping back to allow me entry.
She didn’t ask what happened, which didn’t surprise me. Even if her husband hadn’t been in the council room, Mila seemed to have a way of knowing everything that went on.
She poured two sizable glasses, adding a large, round ice cube to both before sitting down in one of the chairs and gesturing for me to sit in the other. Her gaze traveled to my neck with a smirk, and I bit back a curse.
I knew thataaliohad left a mark.
No wonder Kirill had hesitated before walking me down the hall. He probably wanted to tell me to don a scarf and then decided I was angry enough already, or at least that the halls in the family wing were empty enough for it not to matter.
“It looks like your day wasn’t all bad, at least,” she commented.