Chewing my last mouthful of the étouffée carefully, I studied him. I believed that was the first time I had ever heard him speak his queen’s name since her death.
“Lord Pippin, I have no hobbies. I have no use for hobbies. And you know all of this already. I have done nothing but prepare for the throne since the day I was shuffled off to live with Grandfather. There has been nothing since, and there will be nothing after.”
The red faded from his eyes. “You do not know what it is to lose that which you love.”
I could feel the anger in my very veins, and he must have seen it in my eyes. He took a shocked step backward. Watching his retreat, I growled, “You made the choice, Pippin. You chose to be king. You chose Marcielle. And you—”
I swallowed. So long ago, and I was still angry.
“Gwen, it couldn’t be.”
Working my jaw, I managed to keep the ‘pissed off’ under control. “You decided it couldn’t be. And you left me in the bed, alone and didn’t even bother to let me know why you even left. I had to hear it from Adelie.”
This was refreshing, finally telling the truth.
My hurt. My anger.
It was all there in my eyes as I stared him down.
“I am sorry. Truly. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Well, you did.” I rubbed at my forehead, my shoulders tightening in stress. “You were half the reason I chose to take my early Rest.”
“I was?” Honestly shocked, he blinked a few times.
My voice was barely above a vicious, angry whisper. “You abandoned me, Pippin. After my father had done that, and my grandfather was killed, and my grandmother died of a broken heart. I had no one but you. You kept me a secret and then left. I needed a break. From everything.”
“I’ve said I was sorry. I won’t do it again.” His jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared…unrepentant. “It was for the crown, Gwen. You’re no different than me. Don’t pretend you are.”
I let the anger go like blood running down a drain. Because, no, I wasn’t any different than him. Except maybe I would have told my lover what the fuck had happened. I growled a little under my breath and flicked him one last glare. He was still an asshole—an asshole I still cared for.
Being a friend was a pain in the ass.
He surprised me, changing the topic.
His head tipped to the side; his beautiful eyes considered my features slowly. “You know, you look like your mother.”
My shoulders stiffened, and my breath caught in my chest. I plastered a smile on my face, teasing, “How would you know? You were born fifty years after me. My mother died when I was seven.”
“Have you never been in his rooms?” A brow rose. “In your father’s rooms?”
I cleared my throat and set my spoon in my bowl. “Not since I was seven. Why would I have any interest in going into his apartments?”
“He has her portrait hanging in his parlor. There is a single hair clasp sitting in front of it. The simple hair clasp is worn and tired.” A deep contemplative sigh escaped the youngest overlord’s lips. “We live on long after those we pledge to love are ripped from us.”
Honest words tumbled out of my mouth without a filter as I rubbed my forehead. “I was a child. I lost my mother. I didn’t know what was going on. He sent me away and became king after her last breath.”
His nose twitched.
I analyzed my old lover, but I couldn’t understand the expression he wore. As he ducked his head down to scratch at his head absently, I added, “For centuries, I held the belief that her death was my fault and that’s why I was sent away. That’s why he rejected me. My grandfather was appalled at what I thought—no one blamed me for Alaine’s death. I wasn’t even on the same fucking continent.” I leaned forward and pushed the bowl at him. “Cato let a child believe she had killed her mother. I get the mating. I get the love and losing part of who you are. But I was a child. That’s why I’ll have his balls bronzed for breaking the law.”
Lord Pippin jerked his head up.
I mentally slapped myself.
I didn’t want to share what I had on Cato.
Narrowing his eyes, he didn’t break our stare. “There was no law broken by shipping you off to your grandfather’s. What are you talking about?”
I turned around from him, grumbling, “It was a sham.”
“Excuse me?”
Spinning back, I stuck my finger in the overlord’s face. I had my own set of brass balls at this point. “It was all a sham. The trial that Cato gave me was bullshit. It was a smoke screen. He has something going on that he’s not letting us in on. He used me to take care of his business, dirty business. And he’s breaking the rules. So I will have his head and his balls.”
“What rules?” he questioned simply.
Though Lord Pippin’s glare was intense, and I didn’t really want to reveal what I had on Cato, I also knew, as the overlords, they needed to know about broken laws.
“When I was at Ginter’s house, the vampire we killed was newly made. She smelled fresh, clean like she still had a lot of human in her. And with everything else that went on there, it is my best guess that she was Cato’s creation. You can’t go against the Council, even if you are on the Council!”
“Do you have proof that she was Cato’s?”
“No.”
“Of course, you don’t.”
“She withheld her memories. You know that only the strongest can do that. How could she be newly turned and be able to do that, unless she was made by the oldest of us? Someone on the Council. Since it was Cato’s devious plan, it’s a damn good bet that he turned her.”
“Speculation.”
I slammed my hand on the counter, cracking it. “Doubt it all you want. I know he’s up to something. He wants to rule the humans too, you know?”
Lord Pippin out and out laughed at me. “Humans? Who would want to rule the humans? They’re our food, Gwynnore. Food. You don’t rule food. You hunt it, you herd it. You don’t rule it.”
My temper was running too hot—again—at that point. I had to get away from him before I did something extra stupid. Leaning in, I let my eyes spark red. “Cato is up to something. His machinations have always been a problem, and you know it. You had to deal with him as your king at one point. You and Lord Otto. He’s a sneaky dick. Mark my words, he’s up to something.”
I turned on my heel and stormed through the levels of the stronghold, but I didn’t head to my apartments. I was too hotheaded to lock myself in. Instead, I chose to climb the stairs to the peak of the mountain. I pushed the too-heavy door open and stepped outside.