Perhaps I'll be your whore someday, too.
Aedion cursed under his breath as he stalked around his rooms. He'd left the dinner soon after the prince and his captain, but despite his urge to follow them, he forced himself back to his chamber. The moonlight flickered through his window, throwing his shadow across the walls as he paced. Those words. Those damned words. He'd actually let them leave his mouth. He scrubbed at his face with his hands. More than likely, they'd be brushed off as the flutter of an arrogant man used to having the upper hand. But that didn't stop him from worrying.
And it wasn't the reason he'd been up for hours pacing like the Wolf he was. It was how the prince had responded. No shock guised as curiosity, no disgust covered by a smirk. Just a parry to his words: If you're still alive by then.
Aedion growled at himself. The boy probably hadn't even noticed what his words sounded like. But the captain did. Even if he wasn't sure what about the exchange had bothered him, Captain Westfall knew. The Wolf had seen men like him before in the war camps and on the battlefield. He even had a few in the Bane. Men willing to pledge loyalty to another. Men willing to give up anything; their wealth, their status, their lives. He'd known about this bond between the captain and the prince for years, ever since they were young. Their bond ran almost as deep as the ancient blood oaths of the Fae and Terrasen. And because of it, the captain would be alert to every threat to his prince, even those in the disguise of an ally.
He threw himself into a chair, the pacing for once not helping. The fireplace was cold but Aedion didn't notice. He ran his hands through his hair and let loose a breath. He'd never expected to like the prince, let alone want to get to know him or be friendly. He'd never expected for the prince to ever be anything other than the son of the man who tore his homeland and his life to pieces. Never expected to think of him as anything other than an enemy. But something had shifted in the prince's blue eyes since the last time they'd seen each other. They seemed older, harder. And he'd surprised himself when he'd spent more than enough time during the dinner watching the prince, and he wasn't sure why he'd walked over to the two. But the last thing he'd expected was for His Highness, the renowned tomcat of the court, to give any indication of playing more than one game. But his words at the dinner had been one, if he'd known what he was saying. But if he had, Aedion couldn't help but find himself thinking about the prince in a new light. A new light that grew brighter as he learned about the prince's involvement with the King's Champion. If all the stories about her were true, than anyone who could handle a women such as that had to be more than a rover with a taste only for the glittering beauties of Adarlan's court. Someone like that had to look for something more than the pretty face. Aedion snorted. Even if the prince did end up that shallow, Aedion had never been told his face was an ugly one. So maybe they could have some fun, maybe he could thaw out the prince and introduce him to the other side of the game. But maybe, just maybe, if the prince truly ran deeper than his icy eyes and shadowed hair, when all this was said and done, the king dead and his queen returned, then maybe he would be worth some real effort. Maybe the Wolf would leave his pack.
Maybe Adarlan's Whore would pay off his debt.