Page 90 of Gold Sector

“That severely limits who can guard her.” Only my brother and I possess the ability to control another’s ability to ash.

“I know.” He gives me a look. “And you’re obviously too occupied for the task.”

“I also don’t want the task.”

“And I do?” He sounds utterly miserable.

Yet I can’t help pointing out, “You’re the one suggesting we take on this burden.”

“Because it’s the right move.” He drops his hand back to the arm of the chair and meets my gaze. “Obsidian Sector is expanding, which means alliances are more important now than ever. Riordan is our strongest option outside of the surrounding wolf clans.”

I nod, agreeing with that assessment.

“And if Obsidian Sector has truly allied with the Djinn, it’s even more imperative that we solidify our partnership with Riordan.”

“How’s he planning to handle his father?” I ask, curious as to where Silver Sector—the territory his father leads—will fall in this arrangement. “Does Rio intend to inform Bronze of where the Omega Princess is headed?”

Onyx’s pupils flare at my choice of term for the Omega, but she is indeed a princess. Her father, Bronze, and her brother, Rio, are both Alpha Princes. That marks her as royal by blood.

“When I asked about Bronze, Rio said not to worry about the nuance and that he would handle the fallout.”

“Hmm,” I hum. “So long as he doesn’t disclose her location, then fine. But I don’t want to battle Bronze for custody of his little princess.”

“I’m more worried about his little princess escaping our protection and putting herself in harm’s way,” my brother mutters. “She’s going to be a nightmare.”

I smile. “Something tells me I’m going to enjoy watching you try to tame her.”

“Maybe Rio’s overexaggerating,” my brother says, ignoring my jibe. “It seems like something he would do.”

I don’t reply, mainly because it’s clear my brother isn’t paying attention to me at all now. He’s too busy sussing out the situation with Rio and his sister.

I leave him to his thoughts as I type a message to Rio.

You somehow convinced my brother that we should help you. I’mboth impressed and furious. The next time you want to know something about my sector, be Alpha enough to visit on your own to discover the truth. I look forward to punching you in the face when you arrive. We’ll talk after.

I’m about to hit Send as my brother says, “I’m going to need at least a week to prepare for her arrival. I want to… fortify a guest suite.”

My eyebrow inches upward. “Which guest suite?”

“The one attached to my room,” he replies, sounding tired already.

“You mean the second bedroom you use as an office?” I ask. He technically has a space on the opposite end of this floor, but he only uses it when hosting a meeting with one of our generals.

“Yeah.” He rubs a hand over his face. “I’ll just move everything up here and ask Savan to help me with some furniture for our new ward.”

“Oh, please call her that,” I murmur.

He rolls his eyes. “You’re enjoying this far too much. Maybe I should suggest that you babysit the brat instead?”

“Actually, on second thought, lead with that. I’m sure she’ll react beautifully to being called a brat,” I drawl.

My brother growls in response. “Just for that, I’m calling you Rumpelstiltskin the next time we address the court.”

I lift a shoulder in a partial shrug. “Do your worst, Silverstiltskin.”

With that, I add a final line to my missive—Onyx needs more time to make appropriate arrangements for your stay. Reach out to him to discuss further.

I carefully leave out the details about Rio bringing his sister, as I don’t want that in writing in case anyone intercepts the message. But Rio will understand the context of what I’m telling him.