Page 92 of Heir to His Court

I leaned against his chest, staring up at him. “It's a Court dinner. Of course I'm drunk. There is no other acceptable method to endure such torture.”

“Damnit, Rinne. Fine.” Numair swung me up into his arms and ran.

I snuggled my head against his shoulder. “It’s a good thing the feud is ove. If we were attacked right now, we'd be fucked. I can't fight drunk. Lose my edge.”

I was, unfortunately, both a happy drunk and a morose drunk, but usually happy unless the reason for drinking involved someone's death.

“Numair. You're going the wrong way.” I wasn'tthatdrunk.

“I'm not,” he said with a deep sigh. “I'm getting you out of here.”

I sobered. Fast. Panic will do that. “Put me down. Are you fucking insane? You're kidnapping the Prince's bonded?”

“I have allies. What's happening to you is wrong. We aren't in the old realm, we can't remain entrenched in their feudal traditions.”

Realms. I stared up at the still naive male whose years of fighting next to me in a blood feud that defined tradition made those words a hypocrisy. I abandoned English for Everennesse, controlling the sloshy edges of drunk Aerinne voice. Time to sober up.

“Numair. Halt. Put me down.”

His hold tightened.

Right.

I slammed my fist into his jaw and launched out of his arms to the sound of his cursing.

When we faced each other, he glared at me in exasperation. “Rinne! What's wrong with you?”

“The question, chevalier, is what is wrong with you?” Raniel's chill slipped into my voice. His chill, and Muriel’s dangerous hauteur. “I neither require nor desire a rescue.”

He stared at me. “He already has you, doesn't he?”

I would have rolled my eyes, but I didn't trust Numair’s temper. “I am his bonded, chevalier. Of course he has me.”

“How can you accept this? Why aren't you burning the castle down around his ears?”

He sounded so forlorn, so. . .boyish in that moment, that I set aside the edge of my anger. We were of a same age, but his responsibility had always been tome. Mine was to theHouse. A responsibility growing more complex the more I learned, and remembered. I didn’t want to leave my companions behind, but. . .I was understanding there would come a time I’d have no choice if they couldn’t evolve with me.

I sighed, running a hand over my face.The long game.“There are no benefits in open defiance at this time. I don'tthink there will be benefits to open defiance in the future, even if we are canny. Numair. . .we've spent time among humans. But we're not human. We can’t think like them.”

“You'll sacrifice yourself on the altar of an Old One? Because he's powerful?”

I ignored the venom in that final word. “What is it we want to change, Numair? What do we want?”

He was silent for a moment. “Safety.”

“And there is no safety bowing to Renaud? He could have crushed us, Numair. He held back, and Old Ones never hold back.” Unless they wanted something you must give, willingly, without being manipulated into the giving. “He was patient—”

“Because he wanted to fuck you.”

“He could have taken every last Faronne head and fucked me on the pile of their corpses and no one could have done anything about it. Try again.”

Numair winced. “He killed Lord Maryonne.”

“He did. Even if we hadn't spent the last decades killing members of his House, and Houses loyal to him, even if I hadn't slit the throat of his son, that vengeance would still be mine. Mine, and Danon's. We are the only two except perhaps my father, who have the right to extract it on her behalf. Not you, Numair.”

“Aerinne, I'm sworn to protect you.” He stepped forward, hands fists at his sides. “Why won't you let me protect you?”

I gentled my voice. “You're trying to protect me from the wrong things. My. . .issues with Renaud. . .they aren't quite what you think. We will work through them.”

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