“Talk to me,” I said.
She was quiet for a moment, her confusion adding a tartness to the thickness of her concern. “About?”
“Anything,” I said, and then she wiggled that ass of hers. I groaned again.
She stilled, then looked over her shoulder with a raised brow.
My eyes narrowed on her. “You’re not talking.”
She settled back against me. Seconds ticked by. My eyelids were starting to feel like they carried the weight of iron, and my thoughts were getting a little hazy—
“I saw Vikter,” Poppy announced.
My eyes snapped open in surprise. Damn, if that didn’t clear away the remnants of my blade-sharp hunger. Using my arm around her waist, I rolled her so she was on her back. “Come again?”
“I saw him at Mount Lotho,” she elaborated, turning her head toward me.
“Really?” Damn. “How is he?”
“Good,” she said as I tasted her bittersweet emotions. “He was just like he was before. Nothing about him was different. I think he lives there.”
“With theFates?”
Poppy rolled onto her side to face me. Her shaky breath teased the skin of my chest. “Yeah. They seem to be used to one another. He was the very firstviktor. Like all the others were modeled after him.”
I frowned. “How old is he?”
She laughed. “He has to beold.” She paused and idly traced her fingertips across my biceps. “He knew we got married.”
“I’m sure he had great things to say about that.”
Her lips curled into a smile against my skin. “He said he knew you loved me.”
“He always was observant,” I remarked, remembering my interactions with the grouchy bastard. The only thing we even remotely saw eye to eye on was Poppy’s safety. And even then, we weren’t always on the same page. “I’m glad you got to see him.”
“Me, too. It’s not so hard now to picture him instead of seeing him… Instead of only being able to see him as he wasthe last time I saw him.” She shifted, brushing against my semi-aroused erection. “He apologized.”
I willed my dick to behave itself. “For what?”
“For not intervening when it came to the Duke.”
The mention of that fucker was the quickest way to get my dick under control. “Good.”
She pulled back and lifted her head. “Cas—”
“The Duke’s time ran out the moment I discovered what he was doing to you.” I could hear the coldness in my tone as I looked down at her. “Vikter did nothing to stop him.”
“He couldn’t,” Poppy argued. “Even if he wasn’t aviktor,” she continued, “he wouldn’t have been able to do much. He would’ve ended up reassigned or worse if he said anything.”
The muscle along my jaw flexed as I ordered myself to keep my fucking mouth shut. This was something we fundamentally disagreed on, and neither of us would be able to change the other’s mind.
“I know it’s hard to understand, but I don’t blame him. I never did,” she told me. “If I hadn’t had him, I wouldn’t be here.”
“You would’ve made it.” My gaze returned to hers. “With or without training, you would’ve survived.”
“I wasn’t talking about that.” She swallowed. “After Ian left, all I had was Tawny, Vikter, and then Rylan.”
My gaze moved away from her. It wasn’t from remorse—I’d have that guard slaughtered all over again to clear my path to her—but it was guilt because his death had hurt her.
