Taming the Wild Beast of Alamina

Dinner ended without Zion securing his freedom.

If anything, the situation became worse.

The family moved from the dining room into the western salon, where the formal arrangement of the evening dissolved almost immediately. The fire burned low behind an ornate brass screen, warming the dark green room while snow pressed softly against the tall windows. Lamps had been dimmed along the walls, leaving the holiday lights in the adjoining garden visible through the glass.

Sirius abandoned his jacket over the back of an armchair and settled beside Ethan on one of the broad sofas. Ethan still wore the dark burgundy formal suit he had chosen for dinner, the fine fabric fitted elegantly through his waist, although he had already loosened the high collar at his throat.

Lucas had changed nothing except his location. He occupied the rug near the fire with one shoulder against Trevor’s knee, his pale shirt open at the throat now that nobody important remained to impress.

Dean considered that an excellent arrangement and copied it in a more dignified manner by taking the sofa beside Arion and immediately leaning against him.

Arion’s black formal jacket remained perfectly buttoned.

Sebastian stood near the windows with a fresh drink in hand, his dark navy suit immaculate despite several hours at the table. He had escaped most of the evening’s attention by being quiet, which Dean considered deeply unfair.

Zion apparently reached the same conclusion.

Serathine had barely taken her seat before he struck.

"If you are suddenly interested in arranging marriages," Zion said, "Sebastian is available."

Sebastian slowly turned from the window.

One dark brow rose.

Dean smiled into his glass.

Zion gestured toward him. "Twenty-nine, unmarried, heir to Fitzgeralt, socially functional when sufficiently motivated."

"That last part sounds speculative," Dean said.

Sebastian ignored him.

Serathine rested one elbow against the arm of her chair and regarded Zion with obvious amusement. "You are volunteering your cousin?"

"I am redirecting resources."

"Toward someone younger than you?" Sebastian asked.

Zion looked at him.

Sebastian took a measured sip of his drink. "Older candidates should be handled first."

Lucas laughed openly.

Zion stared at him in betrayal. "You are one year younger."

"Barely a few months, and therefore safely behind you in the queue."

"There is no queue."

"You created one when you attempted to put me in front."

Dean looked between them. "I support an age-based system."

Arion’s hand settled over his knee before he could contribute anything more destructive.

Serathine studied Sebastian now.

That made him visibly less entertained.

He lowered his glass.

"No."

She had not spoken.

Sebastian apparently knew her too.

"You are considerably more difficult than Zion," Serathine observed.

"Then you should appreciate the efficiency of leaving me alone."

"You dislike most people."

"I tolerate a reasonable number."

"Name three outside this room."

Sebastian’s expression remained perfectly controlled.

Dean waited.

So did everyone else.

Sebastian looked toward Serathine. "This feels less like matchmaking and more like an interrogation."

"For you, the distinction may be necessary."

Trevor hid a smile behind his glass.

Unlike Zion, Sebastian had never faced sustained pressure to marry. Fitzgeralt required an heir eventually, but the family line was broad enough that nobody had treated his personal life as an immediate political emergency.

His compatibility results had also discouraged enthusiasm.

Dean knew that part better than anyone in the room except Sebastian himself.

Serathine likely knew too.

She had spent decades collecting information without ever appearing to ask for it.

Her amber gaze remained on Sebastian for another moment before she dismissed the subject with surprising ease.

"You are not currently worth the effort."

Sebastian blinked.

Dean burst out laughing.

"That was cruel."

"It was practical." Serathine reached for the tea Ethan had placed near her. "Sebastian has spent years making himself inconvenient to approach. Zion merely complains after people approach him. Different problems."

Zion looked offended. "I can become inconvenient."

"You are crown prince. People will tolerate remarkable inconvenience for a crown."

"That is exactly why I do not want them."

The humor faded slightly from Serathine’s face.

She understood the problem beneath his resistance.

A potential spouse interested in Zion could be interested in the man, the future emperor, the title, the wealth, the influence, or any combination of them. Separating those motives would require far more than arranging introductions at formal dinners.

Ethan shifted closer to Sirius, one hand resting against his forearm.

"The council presented eleven names this month."

Zion looked at him. "Eleven?"

"Four were clearly political arrangements. Three families wanted ministries. One apparently believes marriage should settle an old territorial dispute."

"That is romantic."

"The remaining three are not objectionable," Ethan said. "Which does not mean you need to meet them."

That changed Zion’s expression.

He had expected pressure.

Instead, Ethan slid a thin folder across the low table.

"You should know who is being proposed in your name. Nothing more."

Zion leaned forward and took it.

Serathine watched him open the first page. "I will review them too."

Zion glanced up. "You are enjoying this."

"Immensely."

"You said you were protecting me from the council."

"I can do two things simultaneously."

Dean shifted against Arion, watching Zion move through the profiles.

The first produced no reaction.

The second earned a slight frown.

The third made him turn the page backward and read something again.

Dean noticed.

So did Serathine.

Neither commented.

Sebastian, still beside the windows, noticed everyone noticing and moved farther away from the entire situation.

Lucas pointed at him. "You cannot hide forever."

"I am not hiding."

"You moved toward the curtains."

"They are quieter than this family."

Trevor rested one hand on Lucas’s shoulder before he could pursue him.

Arion finally unbuttoned his jacket and leaned back, his attention moving briefly toward Dean.

Dean understood the question without words.

No, he had no intention of interfering. Not yet.

Zion closed the folder after several minutes.

"I will look through them."

Ethan nodded once, satisfied with that much.

"No meetings unless you request them."

"And Serathine does not ambush me at charity events."

Serathine’s expression became almost innocent.

Zion pointed at her. "That expression means nothing good."

"It means I respect your conditions."

Sirius finally laughed from beside Ethan. "No, it does not."

Serathine looked offended by the accusation.

Nobody believed that either.

Sebastian finished his drink and set the glass on the nearest table.

"I am going to bed before somebody remembers I am twenty-nine."

Zion looked up from the folder.

"Coward."

Sebastian adjusted one cuff.

"Older first."

Then he left.

Dean watched the door close behind him and decided Sebastian had chosen the only intelligent strategy available.

Unfortunately for Zion, crown princes rarely had the luxury of escape.