Page 61 of By Mistake
"Sit down, Oresti, before you fall over."
He scowled."I'm fine."He sat anyway when she glared warningly."So what do you want to do?"
She sipped her tea from a delicate pink and white porcelain cup rimmed in gold."I want to put him in his place, of course."
"Stupid," Shimari said."He is dangerous, probably more so than any of us realizes.He has already murdered people.If you risk his freedom, and publicly humiliate him while doing it, he will murder more.Just kill him and have done, how many times must I say it?"
"I don't want him dead.I want him locked away, and I want others like him to think twice," Alina replied, exactly as Oresti had known she would."Leave this to me from this point on, Oresti.I will keep you apprised, but I want you back in the shadows for the moment.Tomorrow night, at the ball, we will arrest him while also raiding his homes for all the information we could ever need."
Shimari bristled, but Oresti grabbed his hand and squeezed.
Alina's brow rose, but she only said, "You look exhausted, Ori.Go to bed.I promise I have this handled, and all will be well."
"Fine, but for the record, I don't like it either.If you play with fire, eventually you will get burned, or worse, you will burn others.You are the crown princess, though, and by your orders I abide, Your Highness.Goodnight."
Back in his room, he dropped down onto the sofa in front of the fire with a groan."This is going to be a disaster."
Shimari vanished into the bedroom, but returned a moment later holding something—the necklace he'd found hidden away in a secret compartment.That seemed so long ago now, but it hadn't even been two weeks.
"What are you doing with that?"
"Wear it," Shimari said.He didn't wait for a reply, simply yanked Oresti to his feet—and then yanked and pulled at his clothes.
"Stop it!That's expensive!"Oresti said.
"Like you actually care," Shimari said impatiently, tossing the jacket and shirt aside like they were old rags.
"Andrus will care, and I don't like him mad at me," Oresti said petulantly.Also, he genuinely liked that shirt.It was soft, and the collar didn't rub the wrong way and make him feel like he was being strangled.
Shimari ignored him, entirely focused on securing the extravagant ruby choker around his neck.Bathed in firelight, the rubies were as vibrant and glowing as his eyes.Maybe that was why Sendrus had chosen them.What a sight that would be, Shimari in nothing but rubies that matched his eyes.
"If that's what you want, I'm sure we can do it some night.Though you'd have to buy an awful lot of rubies, Your Highness."
"Rubies for you, diamonds for Andrus that will make his gray eyes look silver, lying in my bed like concubines awaiting my every pleasure."He sighed happily."Andrus would call me a spoiled brat for days, and I would deserve it, and it would absolutely be worth it."
"How indulgent, darling.I'm impressed.Do I get to tie you up in ribbons in exchange?"
"Whatever you want, demon."He reached up to touch the choker, which felt both wrong and right.He rarely liked to have things tight around his neck, but the smoldering look in Shimari's eyes made the choker feel like fingers in his hair, hand gripping his hips tight, fangs hungry for a taste of blood."You like this."
"I like you wrapped in my power andsafe.Always running around investigating and saving people, doing reckless things because they areright.I cannot be in two places at once, not unless I'm wholly unfettered, and Andrus is the more vulnerable of you, so at least now you have some part of me to keep you safe.Draw that power without hesitation, Your Highness.It will be the difference between life and death."
Oresti nodded."I understand.I will."He retrieved the box the choker had been in, and pulled out the faded note."Can you read this?"
Shimari took the delicate piece of paper."It's a love note.To my beloved cat, from your mouse.That was what Sendrus and Kolik called each other.Come here."He kissed Shimari softly, deeply, lingering over the addictive flavor of him, magic and a hint of fresh blood, strange but somehow alluring.The heat of him, the too-sharp fingers in his hair and the fangs that couldn't help drawing blood.His voice was husky as he drew back."Come on, let's go to bed.I know you won't sleep, but you could linger awhile?"
"Of course."
In his room, Oresti washed and dressed for bed, then climbed beneath the warm blankets and against Andrus.Shimari sat sprawled on Andrus's other side, idly combing fingers through his hair, drawing soft, sleepy sighs and a whisper-faint smile."He would be lovely wearing only diamonds and silver.Though he'd be too shy to do it, at first."
"He'd be too distracted by you in only rubies to be bashful for long," Oresti said smugly, not bothering to open his eyes."When this is over, I'll get everything commissioned.Never had such fine motivation."He fell asleep to Shimari's soft chuckles, and a warm kiss to his brow.
Seventeen
Andrus had never been in a room with so many people at once.The closest he'd come was the extremely rare visit to a tavern, which was a third the size of the royal ballroom; and a bustling market day, which was outside and not at all the same sort of thing.
Nevermind there was so much about attending a royal ball he simply didn't know, so he would probably make at least a hundred humiliating mistakes tonight, and they would all reflect poorly on Oresti.Even he would only tolerate so much stupidity from one person, and—
"Breathe, pet, you are spiraling," Shimari said, appearing beside him from seemingly nowhere, and pushing a tall, narrow crystal glass into his hands.It was filled with a substance the palest possible pink in color and filled with delicate bubbles.
