The next time George Louis wanted to talk to David in private, he sent an official summons to the house. He was also fully dressed, much to David’s relief, when he entered the private study of his guest rooms at Deva Castle. George Louis was seated behind the heavy desk, writing on some document. He didn’t even look up when David entered.

“You’re making a mistake with deLande,” George Louis said by way of greeting. “She doesn’t want you any more than you want her.”

“That’s kind of the point “ David gave back.

That seemed to surprise George Louis. He finally looked up from his writing and leaned back in his chair, to look David up and down with a frown. “So you knew that she isn't interested in men when you got into this?”

“Yes,” David said.

“Are you really going to marry her?”

“Why do you even care?” David sighed.

“She won't make you happy.”

“Happy?” David laughed grimly. “This isn't about happiness. You threatened to have her killed, you can have me killed whenever you want to – don't tell me I'd take you down as well, like Lester didn’t try,” David added. “This isn't about happy, it’s about survival.”

“I won’t,” George Louis said, and he obviously made an effort to sound sincere. “I won’t have you killed. And I’m pretty sure the Inquisition has other worries right now.”

“And you think that'll make me trust you? Your word? Just like that?”

“Then tell me what you want,” George Louis said.

“I'd like my friends back,” David said, already tired of this conversation. How long would it take for the duke to let this rest?

“There is nothing you can do, George. You can't bring them back, and I can't just forget what happened and trust you again. I’m not seventeen anymore.”

“I could see to it that your little werewolf brother gets more than some food and a roof above his head.”

“I know you can,” David replied with exaggerated patience. “And if you were a decent human being, the kind of man I might trust, you would do that because it's the right thing to do. Not because you want me in your bed.”

He waited, but there was no reaction. George Louis just stared at him.

“Is your whole family going to support Desmarais, or just you?” he finally asked.

David smiled grimly. So there was the ulterior motive. “I’m not saying I won’t support you,” he said.

“You haven't so far.”

“What, the werewolves? Make them a decent offer and we shall see.”

“I can’t offer them riches.”

“Respect would do for a start. That’s free. Treat them like humans you want something from, not monsters. Throw in food, and whenever necessary, clothes. Shoes are popular with the ones more human. A few copper pennies each week, hell, they don’t even want silver. The more wolfish ones might prefer territories away from people, with a hut for new moon and a basement for full moon. They aren't asking that much, really.”

“They are not human,” George Louis pointed out.

“Cursed humans, through no fault of their own. And yes, I do realize that you don’t care for the sick, the poor, or the disabled, either, so I don’t expect you to help the werewolves out of kindness any more than them.”

“I’m not the salvation effort,” George Louis replied.

“But you are dependent on their help,” David pointed out. “So act accordingly, or watch Duke Desmarais take the crown.”

“You don’t care anymore.”

“I don’t care,” David confirmed. “It’s my brother’s future on the line here, don’t expect me to help you just for a little sex.”

“Excuse me,” George Louis growled, looking annoyed for the first time. “I am not offering just a little sex.”

David shrugged.

“Screw you,” George Louis huffed and flicked his pen across the desk.

“Was that all you needed, Your Highness?”

“So this is how it’s going to be now?” George Louis asked. “I’m “Your Highness” to you now, and nothing more?”

“That is your title now. Considering how many bodies you had to walk over to get it, I’d have thought hearing it would give you more pleasure.”

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David was surprised how easy it was to stand here and keep his distance, how satisfying this passive-aggressiveness felt. Ten long years he’d run away from George Louis because he’d been scared, scared that the duke would throw him to the wolves just like Lester and Clarence, and scared that he wouldn’t be able to handle the storm of emotions that came with facing his old lover. But there was little left to handle. Time had taken the edge of the fear and rage, and the passion and love he had once felt. All that was left now was a low simmering anger, which David suspected had more to do with the contents of Nathan’s last letter than anything else that had happened between them.

And why was George Louis even worried about his allegiance? He wasn’t even a baron yet. And from what Desmarais had said a couple of nights ago, they had already made a deal?

The duke was still staring at him, so David waited, a little curious what else this was about.

“Fine,” George Louis finally said. “Be that way. You and deLande will continue your search for sane werewolves soon?”

“That was the plan, yes.”

“In that case, you should know that Duke Desmarais and I are going to close down your ‘open market’. All werewolves you catch in the future go straight to the railway, until we can finish the lines to Mannin, Silverford, and Deeshire.”

“You haven’t even started on those last two.”

“No, we have not. However, they will be vital to transport iron, coal, silver, and other materials needed for the war effort.”

David just nodded. He could see the point, but he could also feel his heart sink a little. Without an open market and nobles fighting to hire them, there was very little hope that circumstances would improve for Greg and his kind any time soon.

“Fenn will protect the White Torrent’s spring area,” George Louis continued. “That should keep the heartlands safe.”

And the other nobles happy, David added in his head.

“We’re also going to offer convicts a choice between a bite and the rope, so we won’t have to rely solely on you finding more werewolves,” George Louis continued.

David forced himself not to grimace because the duke was still watching his every move. He didn’t like it, but they had known it would come to this.

“This should also give Prof. Audenne and his colleagues something to study. But we will of course still need you and deLande to find more – let’s call them elder werewolves.”

When David remained silent, George Louis frowned. “Tell me what you think.”

For a second, David was tempted to tell him exactly what he thought of all this, but he stopped himself. “I think you need to be careful with the convicts,” he said instead. “Force them to build the railway, if you have to, but giving a known murderer the power of a werewolf doesn’t strike me as a good idea.”

“We’ll take it under advice,” George Louis promised. “Anything else?”

“I will not go back to hunting sane werewolves,” David said.

George Louis raised his eyebrows. “That is good to hear? Why would I want you to hunt the sane ones?”

“Because I will not lie to them, either, and if you do not start treating them better, they might well refuse to aid your war effort.”

“How very short-sighted of you. I offer them life. What will the Valoise do with them?”

“Nothing,” David replied calmly. “The Valoise cannot go where most of the elder werewolves live. And what you offer them is not life. What you offer is slavery.”

To his surprise, George Louis sighed. “And what would you have me do, David? Your brother and his kind are scary. People fear them, and not without reason. Do you think they would trust a king who instead of protecting them from the monsters, treats the monsters like nobility? Do you really think a bunch of pamphlets will be enough to alleviate that fear?”

“Your nobles are no longer scared,” David pointed out. “Because they’ve seen the monster up close. I’m not expecting miracles from you. I’m not asking you to give each werewolf a house in the city, or their own farm, even though you did promise land to everybody who helped build the railway line up to Mannin. Like I said, respect will be a start. You could at least regulate hunters, that would make Lane’s and my job easier and raise the chances that we bring in an elder werewolf alive. Because right now? If they come out of hiding, like Fenn did, there’s still a huge risk that somebody will just shoot them for the gold the pelt fetches.”

“But if I regulate hunters like you say, who will protect the people from the mad ones? Or on full moon?”

“I’m not saying make it totally illegal to hunt,” David said. “Just make sure that a living werewolf is worth more than a dead one. And full moon would be less of an issue if only every town and village created a safe place for them to spend the night.”

“I already doubled the price for living werewolves.”

David rubbed his forehead wearily. “No, you didn’t. Look: There are three ways to earn money off a dead werewolf. First is the basic rate that the Empire pays for any dead werewolf, sometimes called the general warrant. That’s the one you doubled. Second, there’s the gold the pelt and the claws fetch, which together with the basic rate is still more than you pay. Third, there can be individual bounties placed onto a specific werewolf’s head. Those are either put up by people who’ve been harmed by this one werewolf, or by the Church. And the bounties the Church put up went through the roof after Eoforwic. They offered four to five times, easily, of what you are paying. People might still tried to get those.”

“I didn’t realize that,” George Louis admitted. “But these bounties people put up, surely they only get placed on mad werewolves?”

“No,” David sighed. “Mad werewolves usually get higher bounties faster, yes, but the Church doesn’t give a damn either way. And as long as towns and villages don’t provide safe spaces, it’s perfectly possible for a sane one to attack and kill someone on full moon. Or for a starving one to kill livestock any other night, which is often enough, here in the heartlands, for people to put money on their head.”

He thought about the issue for a moment. “You could pass a law that hunters have to bring in their prey alive, and give the werewolves a proper trial. And anyone who still shoots a werewolf for the pelt or claws will be punished by getting bitten himself. That should discourage people from trying to win bounties, until you can put a stop to that everywhere.”

“I can do that,” George Louis agreed. “That way we would have instant replacement for any werewolf killed wrongfully.”

“You will also need werewolves guarding the coast,” David reminded him. “For when the Valoise land. If you have them all protecting the railway, there’ll be hell to pay when the Roi Solei sends his answer to what happened here.”

“I suppose you’ll want Greg to be amongst those.”

David frowned. “Greg’s loyal to one of your butty gangs, as I said already. I doubt he’ll leave them.”

Also, why would he want Greg to be fighting at the front line?

“I see,” George Louis said, and made a note. “Anything else I should be aware of?”

“You might want to consider running your plans by my father while I’m gone,” David said.

“I shall do so,” George Louis promised, which just made David suspicious.

Apparently, he was dismissed now.