Vick laughed, as if the princely request carried no weight at all. “I’m sure youwereabout to have a word. Among other things.”
My skin tightened. There was something wrong about the way he was talking. As if to an overbearing parent, not royalty. And whileIfelt entitled to direct my impudence at the prince—I’d married him, after all—outrage scorched my throat when Vick did it.
Which probably didn’t make much sense, but whatever. I’d never claimed to be rational.
Ky’s look turned flinty. “What I do with my wife is none of your concern.”
“Oh, but it is. We had a deal, or don’t you remember?”
I stiffened. A deal? What deal?
Ky glowered. “It would be difficult to forget.”
“Good. See that you don’t.” Vick sheathed his blade with effortless competence. Clearly, he could do some damage with that thing, if he wanted to. “Oh, and Ky?”
“What?” The word came out as a hiss.
“Next time, kill the damn dog. Because if you don’t, someone else will.” Vick flashed a cold smile and melted back into the underbrush.
Ky stared after him.
“What the hell was that?” I said.
“I...” His voice shook with barely contained emotion.
My heart writhed against my ribs. I’d never imagined anything could hold the power to throw him so off-balance, but he looked like he’d just swallowed spoiled milk.
“I’m starting to dislike that man,” he said. “Intensely.”
“You’re not the only one. But what was he talking about? What deal?”
Ky stabbed his fingers against his eyelids and exhaled.
“Don’t think for a second you’re getting out of explaining this,” I warned.
“No, I know, I just...” He made a sound of frustration. “If you absolutely must know, Vick and I made an agreement, before coming here.”
I frowned. “What agreement?”
“We agreed that once I died, or...more accurately, once everyonethoughtI’d died...everything of mine would go to him.”
I blinked. “What? Why?”
“Well. I neededsomekind of successor. And choosing him made sense when my intent was to marry, get my fill, and walk out into a nightmare. But all this waiting has made him antsy. I think he’s starting to suspect I might not leave at all. That you and I might...”
I waited, but he didn’t continue. “What? We might what?”
“Have something.” He met my eyes. “Something that might entice me to stay.”
A pained squeak came out of me. I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I focused on the last part. “But...what exactly is he so impatient for? Money?”
“No.” His eyes shone with something I couldn’t name. “He wants to succeed me.”
I blinked. I didn’t know much about royal titles and inheritances, but I grasped the basics, at least. “But...it doesn’t work that way. He can’t become a prince just because you say so.”
“No, not that. It’s...” He trailed off, chewing at his lip. “He wants to lead the liberators.”
My heartbeat ground to a halt. “What?”
