“Don’t talk in riddles,” Johan snapped at her.

“I understood her,” Mars stated calmly. What was not calm was when he finished, “And do not ever address my queen in that tone again.”

Johan looked so angry, he could do something very foolish, like charge his much larger and much younger son-in-law.

“Johan, everyone’s tempers are frayed after today’s events. Please, my dearest, let us go to bed,” Vanka begged.

“I’ll not be going anywhere until I’m assured I’ll have my treasure,” Johan said to his wife, but he did it scowling at Mars.

“Please, my love, please—” she kept trying.

“This conversation is moot. I’ll not be paying that treasure and I’ll not be saying it again that I won’t,” Mars returned.

Johan looked to his daughter with such hate, Mars immediately shifted her mostly behind him just as his gut seized.

Bloody hell.

Where did that come from?

Johan then looked up to him and whispered viciously, “Oh, you’ll pay it.”

“Johan,” Vanka pleaded, now tugging on his arm in what appeared to be an effort to drag him away.

Mars shifted abruptly and looked down at his queen.

“Go to our chambers, amore,” he ordered.

Silence blinked up at him. “But, Mars, I’m all—”

“I need you to go.”

“Yes, Silence, go,” Vanka encouraged, sounding desperate, even frantic.

Fuck.

Johan came around to their sides. “No, my dearest daughter,” he said with sham adoration in his voice, “please stay.”

Silence looked to her father, her head tipping to the side, her brows inching together.

Mars put a gentle hand to her cheek and forced her gaze back to his.

“Please, my wife, I beg of you, go to our chambers,” he urged.

“Ha!” Johan hooted. “I made you beg. There it is. I bloody made you beg.”

Mars shifted only his eyes to the side without moving his head.

Johan’s gleeful expression faltered, and he took a step back.

“Mars,” Silence called uncertainly.

He looked again to his wife.

“Go.”

“What’s happening?”

“Later,” he bit out, trying to go gently, and unfortunately not quite succeeding. “Now, please, my Silence, go.”

She studied him a long moment before nodding.

She looked to her father, to her mother who was again at her sire’s side, and then to Mars.

“I’ll meet you in our chambers,” she said tremulously.

“I won’t be long,” he promised.

She nodded again, rolled up on her toes, Mars bent down, and she touched her lips to his.

She then lifted those long, Dellish skirts of hers and dashed away from him and up the steps.

He turned to his wife’s parents and Johan was already opening his mouth.

“You won’t speak until I give you leave to do so,” he commanded.

“I’ll speak when I bloody—”

Vanka emitted a strangled scream as Mars wrapped his hand around Johan’s throat and squeezed.

He then bent his face to Johan’s.

“You…won’t…speak until I give you leave,” he repeated.

When Johan’s face started to get red, Mars released him and walked around the both of them.