BY THE time the sky was lightening to gray, there had been only two deaths. One of the nobles had passed, his body unable to take the poison and the cure. The other two were alive but weak.
Fortin was slumped in the chair, his body cooling.
Rodas leaned against a wall, pale but alive. He’d managed to eat some bread and milk, and his pulse was steady. The king was resting, his fate uncertain.
Nikko hadn’t slept, and his eyes were gritty.
No one spoke unless Nikko asked how they were. The room was as silent as though they were all dead. It was unnerving. He tried not to look at Rodas. Their affair was no longer hidden from the king, but no one else needed to know.
Had others noticed the longer-than-needed touch when he checked Rodas’s pulse? Or seen the relief on Nikko’s face when Rodas woke?
From the courtyard there was the sound of hooves and jangling as stable hands got the horses ready for the hunt. If fate was with them, they would get the first kill of the new year, and it would bring good fortune. An unsuccessful hunt was a bad omen. Nikko got up and peered out the window. His fingertips brushed Rodas’s hair, and Rodas leaned his head on Nikko’s thigh. Lanterns lit the snow-dusted courtyard. Nikko glanced up at the sky, his breath clouding the glass. The sky was clear of storm clouds.
The king usually led the hunt—or if not the king, his son. Nikko glanced at Fortin. He wouldn’t be leading anyone, not that he’d ever been much of a leader.
Rodas reached up and grasped Nikko’s hand. “Someone must lead the hunt.”
“You’re in no shape to be riding around the forest in the dregs of winter.” But if no one led the hunt, it would be a disaster, not just an ill omen.
“Help me up so I may see the king.” Rodas kept his hand raised toward Nikko.
“If you can’t get to your feet on your own, you can’t ride a horse.” He meant that as poison master and friend and lover.
Rodas pressed his lips together. Using the wall, he got to his feet, paused to catch his breath, and looked at Nikko. “I will tie myself to the saddle if I need to.”
Nikko had no doubt. He’d seen determination on Rodas’s face before, but he much preferred smiles and laughter. This was the man he rarely saw, the one who had gained the respect of men in battle.
Rodas made his way to the bedroom door and knocked. The king invited him in, and Rodas closed the door behind him.
Every ear strained to hear what was being said, but Nikko could only detect low murmurings. Tension wrapped around him, and all he could think about was that the king knew. He wasn’t sure how he was going to live without Rodas.
Eventually they were all summoned to the bedchamber.
“We were all poisoned last night by my son, who let greed get in the way of good sense. Take to your beds until the return of the hunters. Rodas will ride for me.” The king beckoned to his servant. “Tell the groomsmen of the change and don’t tarry. Dawn is upon us.”
The man took off at a trot.
The official lie was close enough to the truth. Nikko couldn’t risk glancing at Rodas, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Poison master, give my treasured nephew a tonic to get him through the day of hunting.” The king dismissed Nikko with a flick of his fingers.
Nikko bowed.
“Meet me in my chambers,” Rodas said. “I can’t hunt in last night’s clothes.”
“Make haste, poison master.” The king was still full of orders, even from his bed.
“I’ll return swiftly, sire.”
“Yes, you will.” The king nodded.
Nikko bowed and left the room.
What tonic could he make? He didn’t want to give Rodas anything more when his body was still trying to rid itself of not one but two poisons.
NIKKO KNEW where Rodas’s chambers in the palace were, even though he’d never visited him there. He knocked and waited.
The door was opened by a disheveled servant who looked as though he’d just woken. Rodas was as unkempt, half-dressed in something more appropriate for riding. Last night’s clothing would need washing or burning. The sour scent of sweat and poison made Nikko wrinkle his nose in distaste. Rodas had no idea how close he’d come to death, and it was probably not the time to tell him.
“What potion have you brought me?”
“Milk and honey and a little bread.” That was it.
Rodas raised an eyebrow. “Is that some miracle cure to give a man back his vitality?” For all his words and attempts at his usual humor, there was a thinness to his lips and a tightness around his eyes.
“Soothing for the stomach and for the soul. And since you won’t rest, I’ll give you restful food. No wine or brandy. You’re only to drink milk or a little mint tea for the next three days.”
“You know how to ruin today’s feast.”
Last night’s feast very nearly ended in disaster. It was only by chance that Nikko was walking around and not locked up. But there was still time for that. If Rodas fell off his horse that day, Nikko suspected he would taste his own poison.
“No meat. You may have bread and fruit.”
“Not even a slice of the fresh venison that I’m sure to catch.” There was an edge to his voice. Talking was taxing what little strength he had.
“A drop of its fat on bread, maybe, depending on how you are this afternoon.”
The manservant finished buttoning Rodas’s beautiful dark-blue riding coat and stepped back to make sure his master was happy. Rodas nodded.
“Some privacy while I eat my nursery food. Tell them I’m on my way.” He glanced at the window. It wasn’t full light, but the sun would be rising very soon.
The manservant left on his pointless errand.
Rodas picked up the sweetened milk and drank it. “You are serious about the food.”
“Deadly.”
“The king is deeply upset at the moment,” Rodas said as he ate.
“I can imagine. His son betrayed him.” And so had his nephew and poison master.
“He didn’t see it coming.”
“You did.”
“I suspected.” Rodas chewed and swallowed with a grimace. “I’ve never felt worse.”
There was no point trying to talk him out of going on the hunt when the king had all but ordered it. “Don’t overtax yourself. Your heart is delicate just now.”
“My heart has survived. I’m allowed to have an official lover as compensation for nearly dying at our gracious king’s pleasure and as a bribe to keep my mouth shut about what really happened. My bride-to-be will be informed of the situation, of course.”
Nikko couldn’t keep his face from betraying the sting of those words. Official lovers were never servants.
Rodas reached out and lifted Nikko’s chin. “It’s you I can claim before the court and any who care.”
Nikko’s heart all but stopped. Him? An official lover? That was a public commitment almost as serious as a marriage. Casting off an official lover required a payment, just like ending a marriage.
“And the king approves?”
“I couldn’t refuse something the king suggested.”
“You would want to refuse?” While Nikko lived at court, Rodas had his own estates to manage. Nikko had never asked what Rodas’s life there was like. He hadn’t wanted to know if there was another when Nikko kept to himself. The gossip around the palace never suggested Rodas had someone else, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have brief liaisons.
The silk pouch was warm against his skin. The emerald pin wasn’t a casual gift.
“No.” He placed a soft kiss on Nikko’s lips. “Not unless you want me to. I don’t want to trap you or make you unhappy.” He rested his forehead on Nikko’s. “Now I’m heir to the kingdom, my responsibilities will grow and change. I can’t slip away from marriage as I had hoped to do.”
“It’s you who has become trapped.”
“The kingdom needs me.” Rodas had never wanted the burden of ruling laid at his feet.
It did. It always had, but Rodas served the way he wanted, and his ability to do that had been taken away from him. “You will make a good king one day.”
“A king needs a poison master.” Shouts from the courtyard drew Rodas’s attention.
Nikko sighed. “And the hunt needs a leader.”
“I’ll be back.” Rodas kissed him, his lips sweet from the honey.
“And I’ll be waiting.” It was only after Rodas left that Nikko realized he’d never given the new heir to the throne a proper answer.
He pulled the emerald pin from its pouch. And he hadn’t thanked Rodas for the gift—the two snakes lovingly twined around each other. For so long he believed he couldn’t be loved, not the way other people were. All this time Rodas loved him, and he hadn’t believed it because he thought he was undeserving.
He wasn’t. He’d saved the king’s life, and in return, the king had offered him the new prince of the realm. A small part of him expected it to be a trick or a trap—that happiness and love would be snatched away as he reached for it. All life could be snatched away in a moment. He needed to grab hold and not let go.
He did deserve to be loved… and to love.