Page 35 of Forsaking All Others

“And some pissant human thug would risk my wrath to gain her?”

“It would seem so.”

We both laugh.

“Well then, I’ll take great pleasure in demonstrating that ire when I get out of here. In the meantime I need some…” I’m about to say advice, but he jumps in before I can finish my sentence.

“I hope that’s sooner rather than later, Jag. You could not have come back into our lives at a better time.”

There’s an undertone of worry in his voice, and I can’t help but wonder if there’s something else Angie hadn’t told me that might have forced her into hupotasso. Something other than just not wanting to leave her children, or the threat of Asumpta.

“How so?” I grunt, clearing my throat and taking a drink while I await his answer.

“I could use a friend, one who has many eyes on the ground. A tracker, Jag.”

“For whom?” I frown.

“My little Sparrow.”

“She’s missing?” My eyebrows shoot to the roof. Surely Angie would have told me this.

‘Unless… more secrets. She’s fucking learning the royal game more quickly than I thought.’

“Not missing per se,” he sighs, “but she leaves often. We have no idea where she goes, when she’s returning, who she’s with…”

“Falcon,” I snort. Relieved that Angie hadn’t held back more information. “Suzume’s a grown woman.”

“Yes, and no,” he sighs, “as you know, she was forced into assuming the unenviable role of being my bastard. Angie and I have always tried to mitigate this by lavishing love and attention on her, but still…”

“But she’s still lesser,” I add for him.

“Yes,” he sighs. “You and I, and Wolf, we grew up in royal circles, went to the right schools, the right parties, made friends in our sphere. We three may have only met as soldiers, but our backgrounds were so similar that we were bound to bond. Suzume has none of that. She wasn’t permitted to attend the royal schools, she watched her brothers dress for balls she would never dance at, she was abjured by their friends and the sisters of their friends…”

“A bastard is always an outcast, always on the fringes,” I muse, “but you and Angie were aware of that when you made your decision to go down this path.”

“What fucking choice did we have?” Falcon snaps.

“None,” I reply quietly, “Eleanor and I looked at the problem of the templates from every angle and trouble-shot every solution. The one you took was the only path that could keep your daughter safe. And given her age, you had no recourse but to ensure she believed herself to be your bastard.”

“And yet,” he sighs, “it set her on a path of dissolution.”

“Things can’t be that bad,” I frown. “The last time I spoke to Lynx he said she was turning into a fine young woman.”

“Lynx,” Falcon mutters, “is her champion and confidante. Ever since she was a little child she’s adored him, and for his part, he thinks she can do no wrong.”

“And what wrong has she done that you despair so for her?” I ask quietly. “What aren’t you telling me, Falcon?”

“There’s much we need to discuss,” he says, his tone now clipped, businesslike, “and we will. When you return with your wife. It’s unpardonable of me to burden you with my worries until then.”

‘What the fuck is going on? Why the sudden change of tone? Has Angie walked into the room and he seeks to keep her in the dark over the fact that he’s sharing his worries with me? Or is there something else?’

“Falcon…”

“Just concentrate on finding a woman you can spend your life with, Jag. There will always be something we have to worry about and problems to solve, mine are the least of yours right now.”

“Indeed,” I murmur as the line goes dead.

A timid knock on the door reminds me that the make-up woman is still waiting.