I turned back to Noc, declaring, “That’s utterly preposterous.”
“Tell me you haven’t touched on all of those, babe. Say it right to my face,” he dared.
“I haven’t,” I retorted.
His lips quirked. “Think on it and repeat that.”
“This is a ridiculous exercise, Noc,” I announced instead of “thinking on it.”
This earned me a half smile and a muttered, “Right, maybe you’re still in the anger stage.”
“Weren’t you going to go to the library and get a book?” I reminded him.
His brows went up. “Is that an invitation to come back and read with you?”
“Absolutely not. However, Frey had the rail taken out of the door so I can’t bar it against you, so you, and everyone else in the palace, are free to come and go as you wish, something you, and everyone else in the palace, feel free to do. What I wish is that you’d go, and if it’s simply to find a book, this would not be unwelcome.”
He released my knee and sat back. “Don’t be pissed at Frey for that, sugarlips. I asked him to do that so you wouldn’t get up to anything stupid.”
“I’ve never been stupid a single day in my life,” I rejoined.
“I bet that’s true,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving mine.
I drew in breath through my nose then stated, “As you seem determined to spend time in my presence, and you and Frey seem to have a good deal of accord, it would be prudent on my part to make you useful. Thus, prior to my brother arriving at the Winter Palace, I’d like you to request of Frey that I’m allowed to see my parents in jail.”
He did an odd blink where he closed his eyes, lifted his brows keeping his eyes closed, then opened his eyes only to share his were filled with disbelief.
“Say what?” he queried just as oddly as the elongated blink.
“I’d like you to request of Frey that I’m allowed to see my parents in jail, doing this prior to Kristian and his family arriving here,” I repeated.
“I heard you, babe, I’m just wondering if you’ve lost your mind in the last two minutes.”
I found this offensive and foolishly straightened my back, controlled the wince that move should have caused and pierced him with a glare.
“I fail to see how desiring a visit with my parents is losing my mind.”
“Frannie, you never have to see them again.”
I carefully straightened my shoulders as I felt my mouth purse.
Then through it, I declared, “A barter, kind sir, my entire chest of Hawkvale gold if you never call me Frannie again. And while I’m mentioning that, my entire chest of Korwahkian jewels and the furs if you never call me sugarlips again.”
A light hit his eyes I was coming to know so I braced for what was next.
“Seein’ as tickin’ you off makes you cuter and funnier, no matter how killer a deal that is, I gotta say no.”
“I was being quite honest,” I lied. Even if the danger no longer lurked, I was absolutely not giving him chests of gold and jewels for the favor of not calling me names I loathed.
Perhaps a fur and a jewel and several coins (that’s how much I loathed those names for the truth was, I didn’t even wish to part with that).
But not all of them.
“Liar,” he returned.
I waved a hand in front of me and moved us back to the pertinent subject, but did it getting a cut in because I was, well…me. Or at least a shadow of me. But there was still that.
“I see. So I request you not call me these names. You decline. I request you speak to Frey in my stead to procure a visit with my parents. You decline that as well. This meaning you’re not only annoying, you’re also not useful.”
He leaned again toward me, reaching out one hand to touch my knee before he asked carefully, “If you don’t have to see them again, after all they’ve done to you, your brother, why on earth would you see them again, sweetheart?”
“Because I’m still standing.”
He sat back in his chair and studied me.
But as he did so, a smile I’d never seen on him curved his mouth.
It was filled with viciousness and glee.
It was astonishing.
And mouthwatering.
“I’ll talk to Frey for you,” he agreed.
“I’d be most obliged.”
He leaned forward again and declared, “Just so you know, you aren’t going alone.”
I wasn’t?
“Whyever not?’ I queried.
“Because I’ll be with you.”
“Why?” That word came higher pitched.
“You’re sharp as a tack but slow to pick up a few things, so I’ll explain again,” he started and promptly finished. “You no longer have to go it alone.”
“I’m not being slow, Noc,” I returned. “I want to go it alone and I’ll explain that further. I don’t want you with me.”
“I give a shit about you,” he stated suddenly sharply, speaking in a way he’d never spoken to me, something which made me fall silent. “You don’t know how to cope with that and I get it, babe. I absolutely do. And you can take all the time you need to wake up and see what’s happening around you. Through that, I’m gonna stick with it, and in case you haven’t noticed, so are Frey and Finnie. In other words, Frannie, buckle up. You don’t get with the program, it’s gonna be a wild ride.”
There was much I understood in his speech.
There was also much I didn’t.
“I do believe I understand the word shit,” I retorted. “And it means excrement.”