Page 163 of Onyx Cage: Volume II
“You insult the men by allowing her to spar with them,” my father said the second Rowan stepped away.
Samu must have gone tattling. Fortunately, lying to my father or twisting the truth to stay his hand was as easy as breathing these days.
I gave a long-suffering sigh. “There are only a handful of ways to keep her mouth shut, Father, and fewer still that are appropriate for public places. The men will get over it if the heir to their Dukedom decrees it.”
A misdirect on Rowan, and a play at his pride. My stomach twisted at the necessary lie, but I would rather him think I hold no respect for my wife than that she poses a threat to him.
He gave a dark chuckle, just as I knew he would. “Very well. I’ll tell Samu it’s with my approval. Have you made any headway?”
He meant on my plan to destroy the Lochlannians from the inside out.
A plan that began and ended with Rowan, as far as he was concerned.
I made up a few things until his mind trailed off again, which fortunately, didn’t take long. Then I left him in his semi-lucid state, celebrating with a glass of chilled vodka as he congratulated himself on the success of his son.
A bitter taste filled my mouth as I headed out to the hall where Kirill was standing. His usually easy expression was pinched in concern.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, and he tilted his head toward the intersecting hall.
Before I could take another step, Ava’s gray-headed figure angrily rounded the corner, giving both of us a wide berth.
For once, she didn’t stop to make some scathing remark or a threat that she could no longer substantiate. I groaned internally, already suspecting what might have accounted for my stepmother’s mood and her unusual silence.
Sure enough, standing in the other hall was my wife. With a look, I dismissed Kirill for the night. He gladly obliged, leaving me to face whatever had just happened with Rowan.
There was an icy calm on her face, a tight set to her shoulders that reminded me of the rare occasions when I had seen an unexpectedly ruthless side of her.
When she noticed me approaching, her light-green eyes snapped up to mine, and her expression turned just a hair too innocent.
“Lemmikki,” I began. “Do you care to explain what happened?”
I didn’t need to gesture to where Mairi--or Ava--had stormed off. Rowan’s gaze followed the length of the hall anyway.
“Nothing much,” she claimed. “We were merely discussing the many Socairan delicacies I have yet to be subjected to.”
I shot her a disbelieving look, sighing. “Didn’t we discuss not provoking violent sociopaths for the time being?”
Rowan shrugged one slim shoulder, giving me a sideways glance. “I feel like an explanation is an awful lot to ask from a...what was it you said? A passing diversion?”
Storms.I knew I would pay for that one. At least she hadn’t heard what I said to my father after she left.
I opened my mouth to explain when she shook her head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“You really don’t have to concern yourself with offending my delicate sensibilities every time we have to play this game,” she said. “I know this situation is...tenuous enough to navigate.”
Unexpected relief coursed through me. I hadn’t realized how much I needed her to understand that until she did.
Then a trace of mischief entered her gaze. “Besides, it’s only fair since I told the entire Lochlannian Court I was only using you for your very capable hands.”
Amusement and desire warred in my mind until the latter won out, my mind wandering to the way her body felt in my apparentlyvery capablehands. It must have shown on my face, because her smirk turned into something far more wicked, and she let out a low laugh to accompany it.
For all that I had told her it would be frowned upon to be openly affectionate, I couldn’t look away from her in that moment. Her face. Her lips. Any of her.
I had meant what I told her in the cabin about marriage being an inevitability. It had always been assumed that someday, I would marry for the benefit of my clan…but I had never expected to find someone who was prepared for the challenges that being married to me presented.
Yet here she was.
All five feet of her, with her wildly intoxicating wit, her fierce, stubborn bravery, and her wonderfully clever mind, all wrapped in this gorgeous shell that was uniquelyRowan.