Although he didn’t follow them, Crow was careful to keep Penelope and Cedric within sight when he walked away from the center of the ballroom. He knew he couldn’t do anything to stop her former suitor from talking to her, but he was too protective to give them total privacy. At the very least, he wanted to be able to keep the exchange in the corner of his eye, so he could make sure the male knight didn’t try anything if he thought they weren’t being watched.

“Hey, Collin,” Wayne’s voice drew his attention as the nobleman took notice of his arrival. He had rosy skin and a broad grin on his face just like everyone else who’d been drinking excessively. The alcohol even seemed to have made him forget about his hidden prejudices against the viceroy. There was no hint of hesitation about speaking to a former thief, and his smile reached all the way to his eyes.

Robyn and Percival turned away from their companion to look at Crow as well. All three were well-dressed for the occasion, with brightly colored surcoats in shades of red, gold, and blue. The burly knight had tied his hair back in a thick braid as well. “It’s about time you stopped by to see us,” Robyn pitched in with a smirk. He looked even drunker than the others. “I was starting to think you were having too much fun with the ladies to remember you invited men too.”

“They approached me first,” the viceroy shrugged, dragging his fingers through his hair. The shoulder-length waves were starting to fall in his face after all the dancing he had been doing with Penelope and the others. “If you wanted my attention so badly, you should have done the same.” As he spoke, he made sure to keep Penelope and Cedric in his peripheral vision, refusing to get so caught up in the conversation that he might lose track of them.

“And do what, ask you for a dance?” Wayne snickered.

“I might have said yes,” Crow winked at him jokingly.

“Please,” Robyn laughed. “You wouldn’t pick his ugly mug over the gorgeous broads we saw you with. That would have been a waste of a dance, right Percy?” He nudged the knight expectantly with his elbow.

In the language of his people, Percival grunted.

“It doesn’t make a difference,” Crow said carelessly. “I’m still not looking to court anyone. Like I said, I just spent time with them first because they asked me to.”

“I don’t understand you, Collin,” Robyn exhaled, the alcohol on his breath permeating the air around them. “You’ve got women throwing themselves at you, and you’re still going to turn your nose up to their offers?”

“He likes the rewards without the commitment, remember?” Wayne pointed out sagely. “There was that noblewoman last week who he—”

“I told you, that was just gossip,” Crow interrupted, already knowing the other man was referring to Elizabeth. The topic had come up during one of their conversations three days ago, and the viceroy had insisted that it was all a lie. At the time, he hadn’t been sure if they believed him or not, but now he knew they still thought he’d slept with the woman. He opened his mouth to try to convince them again but then froze when something else caught his attention that made his mind go blank: In the edge of his vision, he saw Cedric pin Penelope against the wall and move in for a kiss.

Losing all interest in the three men in front of him, he felt a flash of anger that made his heart pound in his chest and a tint of red color his face. Her former suitor had crossed a line this time.

“Are you alright?” Percival knitted his brows, noticing the change in the viceroy’s expression.

Crow only acknowledged the question with a fleeting glance before his green eyes returned to the scene that had captured his focus. He was torn between staying put to keep his involvement with Penelope a secret and marching over to sock Cedric in the jaw. The former was technically the smarter choice, but when he saw the other man forcibly lock lips with the woman he loved, all reason flew out the window. He took a step toward them.

“Collin!” This time it was Preston’s urgent voice that made him pause. Staying put at the edge of the room, the attendant had witnessed the exchange between the two knights as well as the viceroy’s aggressive reaction and had rushed over to stop him from doing something he would regret. “I have a message for you from the king,” he lied, his concerned eyes flicking to the other noblemen before returning to his master’s face. “It’s confidential though, so I need you to come with me to hear it.”

He fidgeted nervously as he waited for Crow’s response. It was obvious that there wasn’t much he could do to stop the viceroy if he chose to ignore the fake message. He didn’t have the authority to make him go anywhere, and being far smaller than the sinewy former thief, he couldn’t use force either. Regardless, the servant reached for his forearm and gave him a tug, “Come on, Collin. You need to hear it [i]now[/i].”

Crow’s gaze lingered on the knights for a moment longer before, slowly, he regained his senses enough to realize the boy was right. If he caused a scene now, the party would fall apart, and there was no way anyone would be willing to listen to Penelope’s speech. “Fine,” he growled through gritted teeth, tearing his eyes away from her and Cedric to follow his attendant away from the baffled nobles, who stared after them with dumbfounded looks.

“I’m going to kill that bastard,” he snarled under his breath as they walked, still trembling with barely restrained fury.

“You can’t,” Preston shook his head, keeping one hand on the viceroy’s arm in a futile effort to make sure he wouldn’t turn around and go after the knight. “He doesn’t know you’re with her, remember? He just thinks he kissed an unattached woman. It wasn’t as malicious as I’m sure you’re making it up to be.”

“I don’t care. I know Penelope wouldn’t have consented to let him kiss her, but he did it anyway. He’s a viper, and I’m not going to let him walk away from this without consequences.” He peered over his shoulder to cast an icy glare at Cedric, only to see that the two knights had parted ways. Abruptly, he stopped walking, nearly causing Preston to stumble since the boy had been gripping his arm so tightly. Though he was furious with her former suitor, he was also concerned about making sure she was alright.

“I’m going to talk to her,” he announced in a low voice, pulling his limb out of the attendant’s grasp.

“Collin, don’t,” Preston warned, wide-eyed as he tried to catch hold of his wrist one more time. “At least wait until you’ve cooled off first. You’re not thinking straight.”

“I’m thinking just fine,” Crow muttered.

Ignoring his horrified attendant’s efforts to stop him, he made his way along the edge of the room until he reached Penelope’s side. All concern about public appearances faded to the back of his head, replaced with a hatred for the man who’d been bold enough to kiss her and a protectiveness for the unwilling participant on the receiving end. Too incensed for words, he rested his hand on her back.