Page 131 of Onyx Cage: Volume II
Iiro’s eyes flickered irritably to his younger brother, and he straightened to his full height.
“Of course.” A mocking smile tilted his lips. “Though, given the girl’s penchant for idiocy, I should hardly be surprised if something befalls her of her own accord. Shame, though it would be,” he tacked on.
Korhonan stiffened, and even Iiro’s wife pursed her lips.
But I had eyes only for him. Everything in me went still, and I let him see the cold, empty, ruthless part of me that had been slowly taking over before Rowan burst her way into my life.
“Speaking of idiocy,” I said in a deadly casual tone. “It’s awfully bold of you to show up in that crown when I hearthat there are still two signatures missing from your coronation docket.”
It was a reminder of why he couldn’t openly stop mine and Rowan’s wedding and risk losing what support he had. A reminder that threatening the heir to the single largest clan in Socair while his reign was not yet secure was, well,idiocy.
“An oversight that will be corrected shortly,” he said tersely.
“No doubt,” I said, my tone implying the opposite.
Finally, I stepped back to usher our party inside, bracing myself for another week of these political games and reminding myself that this was nothing unexpected.
I knew he would try to find an underhanded way to stop this wedding. That’s why we were taking these precautions to begin with. Our plan would be enough.
It would have to be.
Because I might have told Rowan there was nothing I wouldn’t do for the safety of my clan, but if something happened to her...I would raze this entire kingdom to the ground to get her back.
And I would start with Iiro.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
The day of our wedding was already not going well, in large part due to my father.
He seemed to be especially lucid today, which at least boded well for Ava’s frequent attempts to sway him away from allowing this alliance. But it also meant that he was in the mood to issue edicts.
So instead of focusing on preparing for my wedding, I was headed to deal with that. I supposed it provided a nice distraction from obsessing over whether Rowan would arrive safe and on time.
I had barely walked into his sitting rooms when my stepmother intercepted me.
“Mairi,” I said the name mockingly now that we both knew it wasn’t true.
“Stepson.” Her insistence on calling me that was just another way for her to assert control, to try to remind me of the power she once held over me. “Your father isn’t up to visitors just now,” she said.
I moved to step around her. “I’m certain he’s always up to seeing his son.”
Sick bastard that he was, he did hold me in some affectionate regard, or at least his legacy.
“I hear there was an Unclanned attack on one of the caravans today,” she remarked casually, a familiar cruel glint in her eye.
My blood froze in my veins, and I forcibly reminded myself that Rowan was with skilled men who would die to keep her safe. That she was a fighter in her own right. That Ava had always been a liar, and I refused to give her the reaction she wanted.
“I would be worried if I didn’t know how terrified you were of your beloved family coming after you,” I said evenly.
She scoffed, but there was fear behind her eyes. “You can’t think that threat is effective, when they all know where I am.”
“They’ve always known where you are,” I informed her with a shrug. “What they were lacking was information that only someone in Bear could give them.”
A cold smile stretched across my face, and she took a step backward. Then she lifted her chin.
“Information can be so dangerous in the wrong hands,” she said softly. “For instance, I wonder what your father would say if he knew you had forged his signature on the marriage contract.”
My father’s pride and refusal to admit his memory failed him made it a reasonable gamble to sign off on things on his behalf, but I used that sparingly, since generally it was easier to actually get him to sign.