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Annie scowled.“He’s dooming you, Sarah,andNikolett to a loveless, in-name-only marriage.”

“I know it sounds bad, but—” Colum started.

“No but about it.Itisbad,” Annie interjected.“The point of the arranged marriages is to form strong trinities.Yours isn’t really a trinity at all.If I was Nikolett, I’d chop off Eric’s dick, fry it up in cornmeal, and feed it to him for breakfast.”

Xavier and Colum covered their cocks with their hands.

“He didn’t have a choice,” Colum protested again.

Annie knew she didn’t have all the information, understand all the intricacies of the Masters’ Admiralty, but from what Colum had said, it sounded like Eric had jumped on an opportunity.Satisfy the new requirement that the archivist be married to an admiral, make sure that while Colum was married, he didn’t have to actuallybe married, and lock the woman he loved into marriage with someone else because he had relationship PTSD.

And brother or not, Eric didn’t know Colum all that well if he thought what Colum wanted or needed was a sham marriage.

“Er…” Colum ran his hand through his hair, his obvious unease making the curls an even more chaotic mess.“I think I’m making Eric sound bad, when…”

“When?”Annie crossed her arms.

He fell silent.“‘He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.’”

Annie raised one eyebrow.“So you agree with me, Gandalf?”

“I should have said that to him, but…” Colum shrugged.“He’s hurting.He has been for a long time.We both… Neither one of us is good at talking about things that matter.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Xavier countered.“You’ve opened up to us.”

“That’s because you two are…different,” Colum admitted.“I don’t know why, but you are.”

Annie smiled.“I feel the same way, but, Colum, I think you need to talk to Eric about this marriage.”

Colum’s expression was the definition of glum.“And say what?I agreed to it.”

Annie reached over, cupping Colum’s cheek.“Talk to Eric,” she repeated, hating the idea of Colum being trapped in a loveless marriage, when he deserved so much more.

He deserved things like happiness, companionship, love.

If only she—and Xavier—could be the ones to give them to him.

ChapterEleven

Franco: I think I know how to fix Eric and Nikolett.

Colum: You do?

Franco: Good dick.

Colum: …

Colum: What?

Franco: That’s what fixed Juliette and Devon.

Colum: Is this conversation a way for you to compliment your own dick?

Xavier leaned back, tired and vaguely wondering if he needed glasses because his eyes hurt.

“Alright there?”Colum asked from his spot at the small dining table.

“Would you want to fuck me if I was wearing glasses?”Xavier asked.