Page 131 of Hollow Court
The crowd was nearly as enthralled as I was, cheering her on until she and Gwyn were the last two dancers on the floor, easily keeping up with the fiddler.
When the music finally ended, a round of applause went out, and both the ladies and the villagers who had participated in the dance rushed to congratulate them.
“It would seem that your little plan here is working,” a drawling voice sounded beside me, making my skin crawl.
“Tavish,” I greeted, without looking away from Galina. “I’m not sure whatplanyou’re referring to, but yes, it does seem to be working, doesn’t it?”
“It’s a shame it won’t last,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes, wondering where he was going with this.
“I heard she isn’t long for this kingdom. Her uncle is planning to drag her back, isn’t he? In fact, I heard that she was never really yours to begin with.”
“Galina isn’t going anywhere,” I said darkly.
Something sinister danced in his eyes as he looked from me and back to Galina, her cheeks flushed and her skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat.
His tone morphed into something seedier. “I think I’ll offer to escort her back myself. I’m sure we could use the time in the carriage to—”
In a single swift move, my sword was out of its sheath and at his throat.
“Let me make something very clear,” I gritted out, distantly aware that the crowd around us had fallen silent. “You will not touch Galina. No one will touch Galina without her express permission, and if a single hair on her perfect head is harmed, I will make it my personal mission to ensure that person no longer has the necessary appendages to touch anything ever again.”
I pressed the blade further into his skin until a thin red line appeared.
“You might think thatThe Viperis everywhere, but let me assure you, so am I.” I still wasn’t sure if The Viper was Tavish, or merely someone he worked with.
But I was absolutely sure that I was finished letting people threaten Galina, regardless of who we were to each other.
The blood drained from Tavish’s face. When he spoke, I realized it wasn’t merely my threat that had him scared.
“What do you know about The Viper?” he breathed.
“I know enough,” I lied.
Tavish huffed out a humorless laugh, his dark eyes flitting nervously around the crowd.
“No, you don’t,” he hissed in an undertone. “If you did, you would know enough to be a hell of a lot more afraid than you are.”
I opened my mouth to question him further, but a delicate hand on my arm alerted me to Galina’s presence at my side. She positioned herself so that I could see her face, her eyes pleading with me to stop.
Several heartbeats passed before I lowered my sword.
There was no more music or dancing. No more games happening around us. All eyes were on the three of us, and I wondered if I had just ruined everything, rising to the bait he had so carefully laid out in front of me.
Gwyn was next to us then, along with Gal and Uncle Finn. The latter stepped between myself and my least favorite pseudo-relative, putting a hand on each of our shoulders.
“The sparring contest was hours ago, My Lairds, and I’m afraid I’ve already won. Best save this for next time then?” His tone was no-nonsense, every inch the captain of the guard in this moment.
“Of course, Uncle. Just a bit of fun,” I said, sheathing my sword.
Tavish raised his eyebrows.
“Well, I’m not sure I’m as much fun as the youth these days,” he said, getting his dig in for the sake of our onlookers. “But understandable, all the same.”
Lina trailed her fingers down my arm until she could curl them around mine, which was just as well since it kept me from punching him in the face.
“Well, we’ll have a different sort of fun, now. My Laird has promised me the next dance, after all. Unless you’ve changed your mind,” she added with a coy smile.