Chapter 111: Flustered Encounter

The memory faded as the car continued along the road toward the palace. Tobias shifted slightly in his seat, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve before turning to look at his sister again. Sonia had not said a word since they left the residence, but her silence did nothing to ease his concern. Her hands remained clenched in her lap, and the rigid line of her shoulders suggested that she was still furious about their father’s refusal to entertain her proposal. Every now and then, she glanced toward the window with a look of such intense resentment that Tobias wondered whether she was rehearsing another argument in her head. He knew their father well enough to understand that Jonathan would expect her to behave herself once they arrived. The king and queen were not people he could afford to offend, and the royal palace was not a place where Sonia could throw a tantrum and expect everyone to accommodate her.

He stole another glance at her, taking in the stubborn set of her mouth and the restless movement of her fingers against her dress. He could not shake the feeling that she was capable of doing something irrational during the meeting, particularly if the conversation failed to go the way she wanted. Sonia had already demonstrated that she was willing to challenge their father over the matter, and there was no telling how she might react if the king refused to consider her demand. Tobias leaned back against the seat, his expression growing more troubled as he watched the palace grounds begin to appear in the distance. He had no desire to become entangled in his sister’s increasingly unreasonable behavior, but he was still an Ashcroft, and whatever she did would inevitably reflect on the rest of the family.

The only thing he could hope for now was that Sonia would keep her temper under control long enough for their father to conduct the meeting properly without bringing disgrace upon their family. If she decided to challenge the king or insult Basil in front of the royal family, there might be little Jonathan could do to repair the damage.

And Tobias had a sinking feeling that his sister had not yet begun to understand just how much she stood to lose. The palace finally came into view as the convoy approached the towering gates, its imposing walls and grand architecture rising above the surrounding grounds.

Sunlight glinted off the decorative goldwork adorning the entrance, while uniformed guards stood at attention on either side of the gates. The lead security vehicle slowed first, prompting the guards to move into position before the gates swung open to allow the convoy through. The four vehicles proceeded along the paved driveway in a neat formation, passing the manicured lawns and carefully maintained gardens before approaching the grand entrance. By the time the cars came to a stop, Sonia’s expression had grown even more sour, her fingers tightening in her lap as she stared through the window. She had hoped the journey might somehow end with her father changing his mind, but the sight of the palace only reminded her that she was about to sit through a meeting she had absolutely no desire to attend.

The drivers brought the vehicles to a stop in their designated positions, and the security personnel were quick to step out. One of the guards hurried toward Sonia’s car and opened the rear door, stepping aside to give the passengers room to alight. Sonia emerged first, gathering her composure as she straightened her dress and lifted her chin. She glanced toward the palace entrance with an expression that suggested she was doing the royal family a considerable favor by showing up at all. Without acknowledging the guard who had opened the door, she began walking toward the entrance, her heels clicking against the stone pavement.

Tobias watched her for a moment before releasing a quiet sigh and shaking his head. His sister had apparently decided that the best way to handle an uncomfortable situation was to make it clear to everyone around her that she was unhappy, regardless of how poorly that might reflect on their family.

He stepped out of the car, adjusting his jacket as he straightened, but his movement came to an abrupt halt when his gaze settled on the man standing near the palace entrance. At first, Tobias assumed the figure was simply another member of the royal security detail. Then he took in the man’s extraordinary height, and his attention caught on him with an intensity he couldn’t immediately explain.

The man had to be close to seven feet tall, perhaps even taller, with a broad frame that made the uniformed guards nearby appear considerably less imposing by comparison. His posture was relaxed, yet there was something unmistakably commanding about the way he stood, as though the entrance belonged to him and everyone else was merely permitted to pass through it. Tattoos covered his face, intricate dark patterns extending across his forehead, temples, cheeks, and jaw, creating a striking contrast against his skin. Rather than diminishing his appearance, the markings seemed to sharpen his features, emphasizing the strong line of his jaw and the intensity of his eyes. There was something almost unreal about him, an arresting combination of raw physical power and effortless confidence that made Tobias forget, for several seconds, that he was standing in the middle of the palace driveway.

The man Tobias had become so thoroughly distracted by was none other than Tractor, the leader of the Reaper’s Force. Tobias stared at him without blinking, his gaze moving over the sheer breadth of his shoulders before returning to the tattoos framing his face. He had never considered himself particularly susceptible to appearances, but there was something about Tractor that seemed to bypass every sensible thought in his head. The man’s size alone was enough to make Tobias acutely aware of the difference between them, and the realization sent an unexpected thrill through him. He imagined what it would feel like to stand directly in front of him, to have those enormous hands close around his waist and lift him effortlessly off the ground as though he weighed nothing.

His imagination went further before he could stop it, conjuring an image of Tractor leaning down toward him, that intimidating face hovering inches from his own while a deep voice murmured something against his ear. The thought was startling enough to make heat rush through his body, and when he became painfully aware of his own physical reaction, he pressed his thighs together in an attempt to regain control of himself.

It was useless. The more he tried to look away, the more his attention seemed to return to Tractor, who remained standing near the entrance with the same unbothered composure. Tobias swallowed, forcing himself to breathe normally while silently cursing his own imagination. He had come to the palace expecting an awkward family meeting, not to find himself losing the ability to think coherently because of a man whose tattoos alone would have intimidated most people into keeping their distance. He shifted his stance, hoping the movement would help conceal his predicament, then tried to arrange his expression into something approaching normal. Unfortunately, he was so occupied with trying to comport himself that he barely noticed his mother approaching from the vehicle behind him.

"Tobias, what are you standing there for?" Eleanor asked, looking at him with mild confusion. She glanced toward the entrance before returning her attention to her son. "Come along. We shouldn’t keep the royal family waiting." Her words finally broke through the haze clouding his thoughts, and Tobias jerked slightly before turning toward her.

He swallowed hard, nodded too quickly, and muttered something that might have been an acknowledgment. Then he started walking, although his steps came out awkwardly at first as he tried to keep his posture natural while concealing the evidence of his earlier distraction. He kept his gaze lowered for several paces, hoping his mother would attribute his strange behavior to nothing more than nervousness about the meeting.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist one last glance toward Tractor as he approached the entrance. The other man had already noticed him. Tractor’s attention had settled on Tobias some time ago, and the young man’s increasingly obvious attempts to pretend he hadn’t been staring were doing little to disguise what had happened.

Tractor was not the leader of the Reaper’s Force because he overlooked details in his surroundings. He was accustomed to observing people, reading their expressions, and noticing the smallest changes in their behavior, particularly when someone believed they were being subtle. Tobias’s reaction had been difficult to miss, from the fixed stare to the sudden stiffness in his posture and the awkward way he had begun walking. Tractor could only assume that whatever was going through the young man’s head had been considerably less innocent than the polite expression he was now trying to maintain.

The corner of Tractor’s mouth lifted into a slow, knowing smirk just as Tobias’s eyes met his. The effect was immediate. Tobias made a small, strangled sound that escaped him before he could stop it, then hurried toward the entrance with considerably more urgency than he had displayed a moment earlier. His sudden acceleration earned him a puzzled look from Sonia, who had already reached their parents and turned at the unexpected noise. She watched her brother scurry ahead of them, her eyebrows drawing together as she tried to understand what had gotten into him. For a moment, she seemed tempted to ask, but whatever curiosity she felt quickly faded. She had more important things to worry about than Tobias’s inexplicable behavior, and she certainly wasn’t going to waste time asking him questions when they were about to enter the palace for a meeting she already resented.

She turned away and continued walking beside her parents, her expression settling back into its familiar scowl. Jonathan and Eleanor followed without comment, although Eleanor briefly glanced toward Tobias as he disappeared through the entrance. Behind them, Tractor watched the young man retreat with an expression of quiet amusement.

He had encountered all sorts of reactions to his appearance over the years, ranging from apprehension to outright hostility, but Tobias’s particular combination of fascination and panic had been entertaining enough to hold his attention. He gave a low chuckle, shaking his head slightly as the last of the Ashcroft family disappeared inside. "Interesting," he murmured, the smirk lingering on his face.