Aiden left the Archducal palace at mid-morning, alone.
He had given Catherine and Sabrina their instructions over breakfast in the sunlit solar that overlooked the dragon gardens. Both women wore the new colors of the house—deep crimson trimmed with gold—and both carried the quiet, satisfied glow of women who had been thoroughly claimed the night before.
"You will rule in my absence," he told them, voice low but absolute. "All matters of the Draconic House pass through you until I return. The cardinals I sent will answer to you directly. Use them. Break anyone who resists."
Catherine's blue eyes gleamed with ambition. "We will hold the leash tight, my love."
Sabrina inclined her dark head, a small, dangerous smile playing on her lips. "And if Bane causes trouble?"
Aiden's golden gaze hardened. "Remind him what happens to men who forget their place."
