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“She is not a bargaining chip, brother Dulgar. She is our highest intermediary, chosen leader of a significant chunk of those belonging to our race. She is also mywife.That element of our negotiation should be a sign of good faith, nothing more. Certainly not a commodity existing for your personal pleasure… or as anything that gives you license to treat her like a whore while directly in my presence.”

There was a silence after he spoke.

Dulgar smiled at Revik then, clicking softly.

He plucked one of the long-stemmed glasses off the table, raising it to his lips.

“They warned me not to anger you.” He smiled after he’d taken a drink of the blue liquid. “Nor to underestimate your ability to change demeanor on a dime. Still, to hear classical Prexci from your lips… it is a treat, brother. Truly. Who is it that you trained under, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Revik frowned, glancing at me.

He moved his body closer to mine incrementally.

“Is that strictly relevant?” Revik asked.

“Simply being friendly, brother.”

“I studied under Menlim of Purestred.” Revik’s voice grew cold. “He was very… exacting. Particularly when it came to me.”

The seer nodded, no expression on his face.

Even so, I caught his glance at Revik’s upper body, specifically at the pale white scar that showed around his neck through the open collar.

Watching Dulgar’s face, I found myself wondering if maybe he was baiting Revik more than I’d realized. Clearly, he wasn’t above asking questions he already knew the answers to. I wondered what else he knew about the history of the Sword and how he’d been trained.

Studying those gold eyes, I found myself thinking he knew a lot.

When Revik didn’t offer any additional information, Dulgar waved away his own question.

“I do not mean to pry into old memories, brother.” His voice reverted back to sweetness and light. “Nor did I mean to offend you by how I spoke of your wife. We deal often in flesh trade here. I confess, it has perhaps altered my ability to speak on such matters as tactfully as I should. Particularly where bonded mates are concerned.”

His eyes flickered to me, holding another pulse of heat.

“And yes, I confess there is a personal interest. One you very correctly chastise me for, my brother, although I’m afraid your rebuke does not alter the sentiment.” He gave Revik a look, his gold eyes expressionless. “I do not think I mentioned this detail in our initial discussion, but I had been slotted once, to meet your wife. While she was still a resident of our fair City in Beijing.”

Feeling Revik’s muscles tense, I laid a cautioning hand on his thigh. I let light leave my fingers and slide into hisaleimiand skin.

Revik didn’t relax, but I felt him acquiesce.

Dulgar’s eyes dropped to my hand on Revik’s thigh, even as he smiled.

“…I felt somewhat cheated, as you can imagine,” he added, lifting his eyes back to Revik’s. “When you went to retrieve your wife in person, you did so before she and I were scheduled to meet. It was quite a disappointment for me. By then, word of her talents had reached far beyond our humble city of Macau.”

Dulgar smiled. His gold eyes shifted back to my face. I felt another whisper of his light around mine, but not nearly as strongly as I felt Revik’s anger.

“I am assured she would have been well worth the price I paid,” Dulgar added. “Which, it must be said, was no small sum. In fact, I was told she was significantly undervalued by the Lao Hu during her time there.”

I felt Revik about to speak and tightened my fingers on his leg.

He’s baiting you,I reminded him softly.

Revik’s jaw hardened, and I found myself making a strategic decision, if only to pull us off this line of talk. Clearing my throat, I leaned forward, shifting my voice to a lower tenor.

“My husband is correct.” I smiled, using the same version of Prexci Revik had used. I kept my voice slightly husky, and smiled as I spoke, addressing Dulgar alone. “We are not at that point in our discussions yet, brother Dulgar. Further, this type of vulgar, psychological sparring is a waste of both of our time. My husband is far too intelligent to fall prey to such a heavy-handed means of throwing him off-balance.”

I massaged his thigh deliberately, using my light.

I felt Revik react involuntarily, even as he fought to pull back his own light. With my other hand, I made a more diplomatic gesture towards Dulgar, one that held enough light that I felt even more male seers staring in my direction.