Page 37 of Cold Heir

“She’ll never allow it,” Julian assured. “For one, I don't get the impression she has much confidence in the staff since her return, probably for fear of retaliation.”

He was right about that. She was somewhat skittish, like a feral cat at times, and I'd seen the distrust in her eyes myself. If our goal was to make her feel safer, that would certainly do the opposite.

“Then perhaps—simply for our own piece of mind—we ought to still keep more eyes on her,” Levi suggested. “From a distance, of course, but they’ll be present nonetheless.”

I couldn’t have agreed with that more. When I nodded, Julian confirmed that he'd get on top of it. So, it was as good as done.

There was a long breadth of silence after, one in which all our thoughts seemed to be focused on the topic at hand.

“According to Percival, there’s a darker side to being bonded,” I revealed. “If one of us dies, wealldie.”

“Which means we can't kill him,” Julian clarified, bringing Levi up to speed on our latest revelation.

“Well,thatblows a bit.” Levi’s statement wreaked of disappointment.

I agreed; it did complicate things. Once we were finally able to go after him, there was the question of what to do with him next?

“We’ll have to be more vigilant ourselves,” Julian insisted. “If we agree to keep around-the-clock tabs on Corina's whereabouts, that should further ensure that nothing happens, should he decide to come for her.”

Again, I agreed with my Dynasty Brother, approving with a nod.

“I believe this is confirmation, an argument in favor of something I’ve been tossing around these past couple weeks,” Levi revealed. “Seeing as how I hadmorethan enough time to think.”

My gaze met his. “What was the thought?”

He hesitated a bit and I didn't miss it.

“Well, if I’m being completely honest, being apart from Corina at this point is one-hundred-percent out of the question. And in the spirit of full disclosure, this conclusion has nothing to do with our present concerns for her safety … and haseverythingto do with my own selfishness. A burning desire to be near her at all times,” he admitted, smirking a bit. “To put it plainly, I think it's time we reconsider our living arrangements. Having a majority of my belongings halfway around the world, and being mated to Corina, is a bit inconvenient. So, I think it would suit me better to establish myself, officially, in the Eastern Quadrant.”

What he proposed was both sobering and logical. This was a solution I, too, had assumed would eventually become necessary, but had yet to share the idea aloud.

Levi’s gaze shifted to Julian. “Thoughts?”

To my surprise, despite the gravity of our previous conversation, Julian’s expression was lighthearted. “You're always welcome here, brother.”

Levi was clearly grateful when he took a seat, but there was something else. “While I appreciate your hospitality, I had another option in mind. Taking up residence here while we wait for things to level off would do for now. But eventually, I think we ought to consider finding residence outside the grounds of your family’s estate.”

A moment of silence ensued while Julian thought to himself, seeming to consider it.

There was an underlying context, a variable none of us addressed, pertaining to the issue of our monarchy. It was possible that, in the near future, things could become so distorted that it would be difficult to pinpoint whereanyof us might eventually reside once the dust settled.

However, instead of addressing the elephant in the room, Julian’s gaze shifted back toward Levi, and he’d taken far less time to deliberate than expected.

“I'm in.”

Levi's face lit up again. “Perfect. Now we only need to bring Corina up to speed, get her on board.”

“I’m fairly certain we’d find it easy to talk her intoanyarrangement in which she’d still have access to her team,” I added.

“Which begs the question … how on Earth did such an unlikely alliance come about?” Levi inquired, referring to our dinner guests from earlier.

The confusion that marked his expression made me laugh a bit.

“Well, let’s just say there’s no faster way for two opposing groups to bond than working toward a common objective. And in this case, locating Corina just so happened to be our common goal.”

I could only imagine his surprise when Julian and I returned with a van full of humans to join us for a meal. There was a long answer to his question—one where I’d be forced to explain how we found Corina’s com, how her team took their time vetting Julian and I, making sure we were as worthy of their trust as we claimed. Yet, this was also asimpleanswer.

“I don’t suppose they’ve miraculously disclosed what mission it is they’ve organized to achieve?” he wanted to know next.

---