Chapter 164: Car keys and uneasiness

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Car keys and uneasiness

"C’mon, Nero," Cassian said, following Nero through the room with Layle and Jax smiling behind him. "You know, as the next king, you should be more... generous."

"Cassian, you are asking for two expensive cars." Nero stopped searching for Sebastian through the room and turned toward them.

Cassian spread his hands as though the request had been deliberately misunderstood.

"We’re asking to borrow them."

"Both."

"For comparison."

Layle took a slow drink from his glass and nodded with enough seriousness to make the lie worse.

Behind them, Jax smiled.

Nero looked at his younger brother.

There it was.

The source of the entire problem.

Jax had been eyeing the new car since Dax presented it as a wedding gift, and Nero had not even found the time to drive it himself. The second car was older, though old meant very little when it had been maintained by the Crown Prince’s household and customized repeatedly over the years.

Nero folded his arms across his chest.

His clothes were considerably less ceremonial tonight than the previous day, though nobody looking at him would have called them understated. A long black coat fell almost to his knees, fitted sharply through the shoulders and waist, with antique-gold embroidery running in narrow patterns along the cuffs, collar, and front edges. Black trousers and his usual purple-soled shoes completed the look. His white-blond hair had been secured low at the back, leaving most of its length loose behind him.

"You recruited Cassian and Layle because I already told you not to touch the new one."

Jax’s smile widened.

"I recruited experienced drivers."

Cassian glanced at him. "That is a generous description."

Layle lifted one shoulder.

"We survived this long."

Nero stared at all three of them.

Around them, the evening reception continued without concern for the attempted theft of royal property. Music moved softly through the ballroom, warm light reflected across pale stone and glass, and clusters of relatives, diplomats, and invited friends filled the adjoining reception rooms. The second evening was less formal than the wedding day, though apparently no less crowded.

Sebastian was somewhere beyond this room.

Nero knew that because he was not inside it.

At two meters and thirty centimeters, Nero’s view of most gatherings existed several heads above everyone else’s, and Sebastian was nearly two meters himself. Dark Fitzgeralt green combined with black shoulder-length hair should have made him immediately visible.

Nero had checked the ballroom twice before Cassian intercepted him.

No Sebastian.

He had spent most of the day separated from his husband by schedules, guests, meetings, and a ridiculous number of people who apparently believed newly married men did not need to see one another.

He was done with it.

Nero looked at Jax again.

"Go to Idris."

All three men paused.

Jax blinked. "For the keys?"

"For the vehicle access and documentation. After that, find Hale."

Cassian’s eyebrows rose.

"You’re actually letting us?"

"If Hale approves the route and security."

Jax looked delighted.

Layle studied Nero for another second before glancing toward the surrounding reception.

"You’re getting rid of us."

"Yes."

Cassian laughed.

At least they understood quickly.

Jax was already turning toward the corridor.

"We’ll bring them back."

Nero’s expression sharpened.

"Exactly as you found them."

Cassian put an arm around Jax’s shoulders and began steering him away.

"No promises."

Nero took one step after them.

Cassian immediately corrected himself.

"Perfect condition."

"Better."

Layle followed, laughing under his breath.

Nero watched the three disappear through the western doors and decided Hale could deal with whatever idiocy followed.

His attention returned to the more important absence.

He scanned the ballroom once more from habit rather than necessity.

Sebastian had left the room.

Nero crossed toward the nearest opening into the adjoining reception gallery, acknowledging congratulations without slowing. A pair of ambassadors moved aside for him, followed by several Sahan nobles whose conversation died as the Crown Prince passed.

Something had been bothering him since late afternoon.

The feeling remained vague enough to irritate him.

Hale had reported no security problems. Roberta had checked Sebastian earlier. His glands were stable, the cramping had not returned, and there had been no abnormal pheromonal fluctuations. Every entrance was monitored, every guest accounted for, and the royal wing was under enough protection to withstand considerably more than a wedding party.

Still, Nero’s instincts refused to settle.

He wanted Sebastian close.

He wanted the public portion of the evening finished.

Most of all, he wanted the private part to begin before anyone found another reason to separate them.

The collar was waiting in their rooms.

White, silver, and deep purple, with diamonds and moonstones worked finely enough through the design that Sebastian might take several seconds before realizing exactly how expensive it was.

Nero intended to enjoy those several seconds.

The vows mattered more than anything in front of him.

Nero reached the garden gallery and immediately saw Melanie near one of the arched openings.

She was alone.

"Where is Sebastian?"

Melanie looked up from her tablet.

"He stepped onto the eastern terrace about ten minutes ago. Lord Garreth caught him on the way there, so he may still be suffering through Palatine military politics."

That sounded like Sebastian.

Nero crossed the gallery.

The eastern terrace was partially enclosed for November, transparent panels protecting it from the cold while leaving the palace gardens visible beyond them. Smaller groups had gathered there throughout the evening, away from the ballroom music and denser reception crowd.

Sebastian stood near the far stone balustrade.

Easy to find now.

The dark-green suit fitted closely through his shoulders and waist, black and restrained silver detailing sharpening the formal cut. His black hair rested loose against the collar while he listened to an older Palatine officer who was evidently determined to finish a story before surrendering him.

Sebastian looked toward Nero before Nero reached them.

The slight tension around his eyes eased.

Nero felt his own chest loosen in answer.

He waited for the officer to finish, accepted the man’s congratulations with practiced courtesy, and placed his hand against Sebastian’s lower back the moment they were alone.

Sebastian looked sideways at him.

"You were looking for me."

"I checked the ballroom."

"And immediately concluded I had escaped."

"You are almost two meters tall, my moon. You do not disappear into crowds."

Sebastian’s mouth curved.

"Useful."

"Usually."

Nero’s fingers pressed lightly into the green fabric.

Sebastian studied him more closely.

"You’re tense."

"I want to leave early."

"For the vows?"

"And your gift."

That earned him a knowing look.

"The obscenely expensive collar."

Nero raised a brow. "How do you know? You haven’t seen it."

"I know you."

Nero almost smiled, but the uneasy pressure beneath his ribs tightened again.

Sebastian caught the change.

His hand settled against Nero’s chest, fingers spreading over the gold embroidery.

"What is it?"

Nero glanced through the terrace toward the reception rooms.

Everything remained normal.

"I don’t know."

Sebastian’s expression sharpened at the admission.

Nero rarely lacked an explanation for his own instincts.

"Then let’s leave now."