WAIT FOR LOVE (Lovemark #4)

17. Olivander-1

17

Olivander

Dori, Amara, and I remained at the library until dusk began, when it became time to light more lamps in order to keep reading the scrolls. I didn’t want to expend all the energy it would take to fire up a few dozen candles when we’d only have to snuff them out all in a short time anyway when curfew set in, so we merely left at that point to return to the castle.

No one had found anything new of interest anyway, not since Dori had learned a new word that no one could say unless they were using it in a sentence as a pronoun determiner—a fact that both women decided was quite intriguing.

Amara started out the front door of the library, leaving first, so I took that opportunity to steal a second alone with the earthling.

“Hey,” I whispered, grasping Dori’s arm and making her pause and look up at me with raised brows. “I need to speak with you a moment.”

“Okay, sure.” Hugging her tomato plant to her side with one arm, she glanced after the other departing woman and then turned back to me. “What’s up?”

“Don’t leave me alone with her,” I commanded seriously, keeping my voice low. “Okay?”

Her eyebrows shot sky-high. “You mean Amara? Why not?”

Really? I widened my eyes incredulously. Because why did she not already know the reason?

“Because it’s not appropriate,” I bit out, all too uncomfortable with even saying this aloud.

She made a confused face. “But, uh, I’m alone with you right now. How is that any different?”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Because you’re not trying to seduce me.” When she narrowed her eyes, I sighed. “Have you honestly not noticed the way she constantly flirts and makes physical, intimate advances against my person?”

Dori blinked at me a moment before her face darkened into a scowl. And then she punched me in the stomach. Not all that lightly, either.

I huffed out a surprised breath and gasped, “What the hell?”

“Wow,” she muttered, rubbing her knuckles to her side as if she’d hurt them. “Thanks a lot, asshole.”

Still coughing over the punch, I held onto my diaphragm and bent at the waist, trying to regain my air before glancing up and demanding, “Explain.”

“Because,” she muttered petulantly, still frowning at me. “Right after I came through the portal and first met you, I came on to you hard, buddy. I only gave up on trying to get your attention because you made it pretty obvious you weren’t interested. Except now I learn that you must not have even noticed my attempts, since you’re standing right there, saying, ‘you’re not trying to seduce me.’ I mean, wow. That makes me feel so special.”

I shook my head, confused. “What do you mean? You didn’t—”

“Yeah. I did,” she cut in harshly. “And more overtly than Amara ever has, too. But apparently, I wasn’t even appealing enough to hit your radar of worry the way Amara does, so guess what, honey? I don’t think it’s her you’re worried about at all. I think it’s you. You don’t trust yourself around her.”

I sniffed out my incredulous disbelief and frowned at the woman in front of me before easing a step back. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Oh, really?” She crossed her arms over her chest and snickered at me. “I bet I could strip down naked right now and drape myself across this table in offering and you’d only yawn and toss some clothes at me, telling me to cover up. But if she did that…”

My eyes flared just thinking about the possibility. Bare porcelain flesh, so soft it begged to be petted, while long slender limbs opened, inviting me between them. I swallowed thickly, and Dori lifted her eyebrows knowingly before she nodded.

“Mm-hmm,” she murmured, watching me more closely than I preferred. “That’s what I thought.”

Ignoring the stirring in my gut, I leaned closer and hissed, “You’re wrong.”

“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes and slugged me in the arm. “Why don’t you just admit that you’re attracted to her already?”

“Because I’m not.”

“Lying does not become you, Olivander. I thought you were supposed to be an honest, up-front, noble kind of guy.”

I pinched my lips closed and scowled at her. But I could never admit how much my mysterious new assistant captivated me. It would be the ultimate betrayal to—

“If you’re worried about Unity,” Dori came right out and said her name.

I lifted a finger, and my gaze flared with warning. “Don’t.”

Behind me, the door came open, and I could feel Amara peering in at us with concern even before she said, “Is everything okay in here?”

“It’s fine,” I growled, still glaring at the earthling.

Dori sniffed at me, then brushed past, roughly bumping against my shoulder as she went. “Yeah, it’s fine,” she echoed, striding toward the other woman so she could hook their arms together. “Let’s walk together, shall we? Vander’s in too much of a grumpy mood to talk to right now.”

She shot me a dark look before dragging Amara out the door. Amara met my gaze worriedly before she was forced to turn and stride off with Dori. And in her eyes, I also spotted hurt and confusion.

Which made my gut burn with regret. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, but I absolutely could not get any closer to her. Because Dori had been right. It was me I didn’t trust around the newcomer.

Keeping a dozen paces behind them, I sulkily followed the women through the village and waning daylight until we reached the castle, where I took the lead and escorted the ladies inside through the secret tunnel since we definitely couldn’t go through the front gates now that their identities needed to be kept secret because of the stir they’d caused in town earlier.

And we managed to get them to my bedchamber without being spotted by anyone.

But I had just shut the door behind me and dropped into a chair to rub tired hands over my face, thinking I needed to order us a meal to the room because I was starving, when a knock came on my door.

Jesus. What the f**k was wrong now?

Both women froze and glanced toward me. I stood immediately and pointed toward the changing screen. “Out of sight. Now,” I whispered, grateful when they followed my advice and immediately hid together behind the screen.

I waited another moment to catch my breath, then strode to the door, only to find another one of the king’s guards waiting to speak to me.

Summoned two evenings in a row?

This couldn’t be good.

“Yes?” I asked, keeping my voice calm.

“My lord.” The soldier bowed respectfully. “The king wishes for you to sup with him in the great dining hall.”

I blinked. “Tonight?” But we didn’t have any guests coming to entertain. Not that I knew of. Why did he want me in the dining hall?

The guard nodded. “Right now, my lord. It was a—a last-minute decision, I believe.”

My brows furrowed. “Will I be the only person in attendance? Besides my father, of course.”

“The crown prince and his family have also been invited, my lord.”

Okay, that only confused me even more. The king never had the entire family eat with him.

But I couldn’t rightly refuse, so I nodded and began to step into the hall, speaking up so the women could hear me as I left. “Alright, then. I guess I’m ready to go down now. Could you do me a favor and have a plate for supper sent up to my room, anyway? Just set it outside my door.” I sent the guard a tight smile. “I rarely get a chance to actually eat at family meals.”

He bowed again, a flicker of sympathy lighting his eyes. “Yes, my lord. Of course.”

Knowing I had the ladies taken care of, I shut the door behind me and followed my escort to the dining hall, where the king—along with my brother, sister-in-law, and their three children—were already seated.

Erick and Ianna had made sure to seat their family so there was at least one parent next to each child with the heir, seven-year-old Ashe on Erick’s right, then their youngest daughter, five-year-old Ipsy, between her mother and father, and finally ten-year-old Ulyssa at the other end, beside Ianna.

It was depressing how well Erick and Ianna knew they’d need to be close at hand to soothe uneasy nerves in case the king frightened them.

But the children didn’t seem unsettled yet, thank goodness. Little Ipsy even sat up brightly and sent me a toothy grin, waving when she spotted me. I winked and grinned back, making sure my smile was wide enough to show off my dimple, since she loved to poke her finger into my cheek and ask me why I had a hole there every time I smiled at her.

She let out a giggle and bounced happily in her seat, which drew the attention of the king.

“Olivander!” he barked, scowling deeply between me and the child, which caused Ipsy to widen her eyes in fright and then burrow her face against Ianna’s side to hide. “What the hell took you so long? We’ve been waiting.”

“Apologies, Your Majesty.” I bowed to him before casting an apologetic cringe toward my brother, silently begging his forgiveness as well, since I’d obviously made him and his family sit in here with our father waiting on me for so long.

He merely rolled his eyes, telling me it was nothing, even as he comfortingly patted his son’s hand that was lying on the table, trembling.

“I was at the library,” I explained to the king. “Studying. But if I’d known you’d need me for dinner, I would’ve returned to the palace sooner.”

My father grumbled out a reply I couldn’t understand until he pointed to my empty chair and boomed, “Well, sit already.”

“Of course.”

I seated myself next to Ashe, who sent me a relieved glance, as if he were grateful to be sandwiched between his father and uncle for this meal. Wanting to offer him more reassurances, I affectionately ruffled his hair, and he briefly leaned into my side before straightening again.

At the other end of the table, the king lifted a hand and then twitched it in order. “Begin.”

Servants immediately swarmed in to attend to us.

I smiled a vague thanks to the maid who set the first course on my plate. She bowed nervously and backed away. Everyone then dutifully waited until the king had picked up his spoon first and dipped it into his soup before they too followed suit.

It was a tedious, exhausting affair, and I could hardly wait for it to be over.

No one spoke until halfway through the meal when the king slopped brown gravy on his chin, and Ulyssa blurted out a laugh in response. The king glared at her, which made the ten-year-old’s face blanch to a sheet white.

The king wiped his chin with a cloth, then decided to use his bread, instead of a spoon, to mop up the last of his gravy as he muttered, “Ungrateful little heathens. You can tell they came from the loins of a damn washerwoman.”

Anger infused Erick’s face with a red sheen. “I’ll ask you nicely not to talk down to my wife again, please.” He managed to keep his voice calm, despite the fact that everyone knew he wanted to strangle the king with his bare hands.

And the king seemed to feel the same as he glared back. “I don’t recall talking to her at all.”

He hadn’t said a word to Ianna in all the years she’d been married to my brother, not since the day he’d had her murdered and Erick had merely brought her back to life with true love’s kiss.

Ianna reached past Ipsy to set a silent hand on top of Erick’s, and he exhaled roughly, forcing himself to calm down and not engage further with our father.

Knowing the moment needed a diversion, I asked, “Have you received any reports back from Xavier yet? Is he faring well with the crown, over there in Lowden?”

The king narrowed his eyes my way. “He’s faring well enough,” he answered evasively. “Which reminds me... I have something to ask you, son.”