The heavy glass pane of the second-floor study window did nothing to cool the heat rising under Adrian's skin.
Standing in the shadows of the frame, his knuckles white where his hand rested against the sill, Adrian glared down into the garden.
Below, Thoris was seated on the stone fountain edge, laughing at something Kael was saying. The stranger was sitting far too close, his knee practically brushing against Thoris's thigh, gesturing wildly as he recounted some old story from their days on the northern borders.
Every time Thoris smiled—that soft, radiant smile Adrian considered exclusively his—Adrian's chest constricted with a hot, possessive fury and he didn't care that a silver-feathered hawk had just brought news of Elyria and Vikra's impending arrival. He didn't care about the Iron Steppes. All he could focus on was the way Kael's eyes lingered on Thoris, and how Thoris hadn't put a single inch of distance between them.
"If you stare any harder, you're going to set the garden on fire,"
Caelen's voice dryly broke the silence from the couch behind him.
But Adrian didn't turn around.
"Who gave him permission to sit that close to my husband?"
"They're just talking, Dad. And besides father really needs to have a life beside being cooped up in here with you all the time. He needs some friends and hobbies to keep him busy."
"So let him be, it also gives us some break of seeing you two all over each other in every second."
Caelen sighed, crossing his arms. He nudged little five-year-old Seli, who was sitting on the rug playing with wooden toy knights.
"Tell Papa his face looks funny."
Seli looked up, his big, bright eyes shifting from his wooden soldiers to his father's rigid back. Clutches of golden hair fell into Seli's face—a miniature image of Thoris. The little boy giggled, holding up a wooden horse.
"Daddy looks like a grumpy bear!"
Seli declared cheerfully, his sweet, young voice bouncing off the high ceiling. "Daddy, go give Papa a hug! You're extra grumpy without him!"
"Your brother is right, Seli. Perhaps Thoris needs some space every once in a while,"
Adrian muttered, though his gaze never left the glass.
Down below, Kael reached out, his hand casually coming down on Thoris's shoulder to pat him.
That was the absolute limit.
"Or so I thought.."
Adrian turned on his heel, his cloak sweeping behind him as he marched toward the study door.
"Caelen, watch your little brother. I'm going to remind our guest whose estate he's standing on."
"Oh, great,"
Caelen groaned, grabbing Seli by his small waist and lifting the little boy up before he could run after his father. "Here comes a disaster. Seli, cover your eyes, we're going to go hide in the pantry."
"No! I want to see Daddy fight the mountain man!"
Seli squeaked, kicking his little boots in the air as Caelen hauled him away.
Meanwhile, Adrian practically tore down the grand staircase, his slippers echoing off the marble. And his jealousy wasn't just burning—it was a roaring wildfire, and he was about to make it very clear to Kael that Thoris belonged to him, by body and soul and name as well.
The garden gates banged open against the stone wall, snapping the peaceful quiet of the courtyard.
Adrian marched out onto the gravel path, his eyes locked onto Kael like a predator stalking prey. He didn't care about propriety, and he certainly didn't care about the guest's lingering gaze. His heavily pregnant form gave his posture an imposing, unstoppable momentum—eight months of carrying their child had only amplified his flare for the dramatic, along with his wildly unpredictable, razor-thin temper.
Before Thoris could even open his mouth to speak, Adrian had already reached out, grabbing Thoris by the waist and yanking him firmly against his side. His small, soft hand clamped over Thoris's hip, his fingers digging possessively into the fabric of his robe as he pulled him flush against his body.
"That's far enough,"
Adrian growled, glaring down at Kael with pure, unadulterated venom.
"You two have caught up. You have reminisced. Now you can take your leave. My husband is really occupied."
Kael blinked, completely caught off guard by the sheer, suffocating intensity of Adrian's possessiveness. He raised his hands slowly in a gesture of peace, but before he could speak, Thoris let out a long, heavy sigh as he gently placed a hand on Adrian's chest, trying to push him back just enough to breathe.
"Adrian, stop this. You're being completely absurd to our guest right now,"
Thoris said, his voice soft, calm, and entirely reasonable. He looked toward Kael with an apologetic, polite smile. "Please excuse us for a moment, Kael. Adrian is just... fatigued today."
Then, Thoris turned back to Adrian, offering a gentle, accommodating look as he softly murmured,
"Sweetheart, why don't you go back inside and rest? Give us just a few minutes to finish our conversation, and then I will be right up to be with you."
To anyone else, it was a kind, considerate attempt to de-escalate a scene.
But to Adrian, it was a declaration of war.
Every word of warmth in Thoris's tone was completely swallowed by the request itself.
'Excuse us? Go back inside? Rest?'
In Adrian's dramatic, pregnancy-brain-fueled logic, Thoris hadn't just asked for a moment of privacy—he had actively dismissed him and he was kicking him out of his own garden just to be alone with a man who had the audacity to put a hand on his shoulder.
Adrian's hand slipped off Thoris's hip as if he had been burned. His jaw clenched so tight a muscle twitched in his cheek, his blue eyes were wide with incredulous, deeply offended shock.
"I should excuse myself?"
Adrian whispered, his voice dangerously low, dripping with wounded dramatic flair.
"You want me to... excuse you? To leave you alone with him?"
"Adrian, that's not what I—"
"No, no! Message received loud and clear, my Lord,"
Adrian interrupted, stepping back with a sharp, sweeping wave of his arm that nearly knocked over a nearby potted fern.
"I wouldn't want to interrupt such a precious reunion with my absurd presence!"
Without waiting for another word, Adrian spun around, his long velvet cloak billowing violently behind him as he marched toward the estate doors with heavy, furious strides.
"Adrian!" Thoris called out, taking a step after him.
"Stay there!" Adrian shouted over his shoulder without breaking stride, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Enjoy your little talk! Take all afternoon! In fact, take the whole night and don't even think of coming back in here!"
*BANG!*
The estate's doors slammed shut with enough force to shake the stained-glass windows above the archway.
In the second-floor hallway, Caelen stood holding little Seli, watching his father storm past like a dark thunderstorm. Seli peeked over Caelen's shoulder, his little eyes wide as he watched Adrian march straight toward the master suite.
"Is Daddy going to cry?"
Seli whispered softly.
"No, Seli," Caelen said with a grim, knowing wince, slowly backing away from the hallway.
"Papa is just going to be in absolute hell the second that guest leaves."
Down in the garden, Kael cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at Thoris, whose head was currently resting in his hand as a massive, exhausted headache began to form behind his eyes.
"So..."
Kael offered weakly.
"Should I... come back another time? I understand that it is particularly my fault for showing up unannounced."
Thoris slowly looked up toward the second-floor window where the curtains had just been violently yanked shut. A long, resigned breath escaped his lips.
"Yes, Kael," Thoris murmured, rubbing his temples.
"I strongly suggest you leave now before my husband decides to tear down the estate with you inside."
*****