Caillen started laughing, then had to quickly pretend to cough as Kyr glared at him. And she couldn’t help noticing the amused quirk to the corners of Safir’s mouth. A quirk he quickly hid before the others saw it.
Returning his attention to Zarya, Kyr curled his lip. “No wonder the air in here is stale.”
Nykyrian scoffed. “Little boy, don’t. Darling already cleaned your clock. I think you’ve had enough humiliation for one night. But if not… I am willing to hand you your other eye.”
Yeah, that comment didn’t go over particularly well. Part of her expected Kyr to go for Nykyrian’s throat. But apparently his common sense held sway over his suicidal tendencies.
“One day, Quiakides, we’re going to tangle again.”
Nykyrian quirked a humorless smile at him. “Oh you better hope not. Next time, I won’t be merciful.”
“Neither will I.” Kyr’s attention went past Nykyrian’s shoulder to where Maris stood. “Gods, you get more disgusting every time I see you. Have you had surgery yet to become a woman? Not that anyone could ever tell the difference.”
Maris tsked at him. “Oh, my brother… you always underestimated me. That’s all right, though. I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’m the only creature alive who has ever knocked Nykyrian unconscious. Instead of insulting me, you should have teamed up with me. Then you could have killed him and completed your assignment, and not have that ugly blemish on your record. That must really suck for you. But I wouldn’t know. My military record is flawlessly perfect.”
This time, Safir was the one possessed of a coughing fit.
Infuriated, Kyr responded to Maris in Phrixian.
Maris made an air kiss at him.
If looks could kill, Maris would be a stain on the wall. Kyr swept her entire group with a withering grimace. “I shall see all of you later.”
“We’re so looking forward to it,” Caillen called after him. “Fuck you very much, Commander. Have a good day.”
As soon as Kyr and crew were gone, Maris let out a low whistle. “Poor Saf. He’s going to get the dog end of every assignment for the next year or more.”
Zarya hated that for him. Unlike Kyr, Saf had seemed like a decent enough… assassin.
Pushing that thought out of her mind, she turned toward Nykyrian. “What exactly did you do to him?”
“I gouged out his eye.”
She’d known that, but…“Why?”
Kiara answered. “Nykyrian doesn’t like to be grabbed from behind. Luckily, I’m much shorter than what his muscle memory accounts for, and as a former dancer, I have exceptional reflexes.” She looked down at her stomach. “Well, not so much right now. But…”
Nykyrian gave his wife a droll stare. “I’ve never once harmed her. Kyr, on the other hand, came at me and made the mistake of being alone when he did it. Don’t come barking at my door unless you have a fierce bite.”
Before anyone could respond, one of the ladies came over and cleared her throat. “Now that the meeting is wrapping up, we’ll be sitting down for dinner in a few minutes.” She bowed to Caillen and Nykyrian. “We have prepared places for both of your highnesses and your wives.”
“Thank you,” they said in unison.
The hostess curtsied again, then left.
“Who was that?” Zarya asked Maris since he seemed to know everyone. And most importantly, he knew their secrets.
“That would be Lady Nylan.”
Zarya’s jaw dropped. “As in…”
Maris inclined his head. “Since the senator’s one of the oldest members of the CDS, she’s the delegate wife who’s been hosting the social part of all their meetings for decades.”
Meanwhile her husband…
Zarya didn’t want to think about that. She was too afraid of what she might do to the man. How could anyone be married to someone like that? I will never understand people.
Most of all, she’d never understand their cruelty.
Everyone began adjourning for the dining room.
Nykyrian, Kiara, Caillen, Desideria, and Kiara’s father went in first since they were considered guest dignitaries. Something that confused her.
“Why aren’t you considered a foreign dignitary?” she asked Maris.
“They don’t like me.”
She popped him playfully on the arm. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
She didn’t believe that until they started to enter the dining room. Lady Nylan met them at the door and pulled them aside.
Her gaze cold, Lady Nylan put on a false smile. “Because of the unexpected guests, we ran out of place settings. As a result, we’ve set a small table for the two of you, outside of the dining room. That is, if you don’t mind.”
Zarya loved when people said that, knowing they weren’t about to take a negative response. She felt like protesting just to rub the woman the wrong way, but the last thing she wanted to do was cause a scene and embarrass Darling any more than what had already been done to him.
“Of course, my lady,” Zarya said, proud of herself that she kept her disdain from showing.
“Please, follow me.” Funny how her tone completely disagreed with that formal civility.