Lore kissed the back of her hand. Pressing his lips to the warm satin of her skin had become a necessity, if only for a moment. “We’re headed to the castle. There are a couple hours to relax before the feast.”
Turning his attention to the large brothers across from them, Lore made his instructions clear. “We need answers, gentlemen, but first Kenna and I will have some time alone.”
“Nothing beats the need for indoor plumbing,” she stated solemnly.
Half smiles all around the car. The light moment was short as they pulled into the covered entrance.
The small group moved swiftly into the castle’s side entrance and down a wide hall until they came to a nondescript-looking door. The door swung open to reveal the regal-looking man who had objected to Kenna when they left the castle earlier. He was lounging on a sofa.
Kenna gasped and backed right into Thomas. He flashed around her, placing his body between her and whatever sent the shiver of horror through her.
The first advisor’s mouth thinned when he saw her.
“It’s Gregory,” Lore quickly murmured to Thomas. “Something about him.”
“Hello, Gregory,” Lore greeted the advisor smoothly while briskly leading Kenna across the room. Thomas kept pace with them, his body between Kenna and Gregory at all times.
Yuri entered and closed the door behind him. His eyes cut around as if waiting for someone to jump out.
“Your highness, we need to discuss some things,” Gregory greeted them, standing slowly as he watched the men subtly cater to the woman, reacting to her in a way he didn’t understand. “If you could spare a moment from your little actress friend, my lord.” His tone added no respect to his insulting phrasing.
“I’ll be with you shortly,” Lore bit out as he ushered Kenna and Thomas into his private rooms.
Repressing a frown, Gregory sat as the door closed behind Lore.
The door clicked shut and Kenna swung around to Lore, wrapping her arms around his neck as he gathered her body into him tightly. Thomas immediately moved to search the rooms. Checking every closet, the bathroom, behind the curtains, under furniture, anywhere an assailant could hide. From across the room he nodded an all clear to Lore.
“Why does he frighten me? I couldn’t control the initial reaction and I don’t even know who he is really. He is in your place while you’re out. So I guess he is…”
Lore placed his finger over her lips. “You don’t have to explain. I can feel his attitude. He doesn’t understand what’s happening and nobody is explaining my behavior to him. Gregory is concerned and he’s pinning his concern on you. I’ll handle him, but now you need the restroom. Right?”
Kenna nodded, the connection showed no irritation in Lore, just reassurance flowing from his soul in generous waves.
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone. Thomas will remain in the room. Are you all right with that?” he asked.
Kenna smiled. “I’ll be fine.” She felt his discomfort at leaving her with another male. “A few moments of peace will be good.” She tried to make it easier for him to take care of his responsibilities.
Looking down into her upturned face, Lore swallowed tightly. Kenna hadn’t been out of his possession for more than a short while since this morning. Small, beautiful, priceless, how had she become all that? By being a mystery and such a guileless woman. She was also a target and his responsibility. Whatever else was happening, she belonged to him. There was no question in his mind that these things were true.
Dark eyes cut to Thomas. “She is mine. Anything occurs she does not like, I’ll know immediately.” He knew the man was not a threat, but the primal part of Lore rebelled at leaving his woman in the care of anyone else.
Thomas smiled. “Her honor is forever above my own in all things.”
Forcibly removing his hands from Kenna’s body, Lore nodded once and turned swiftly to do his duty and be king. It was what he’d been fighting for all day, keeping her with him and fulfilling his responsibilities at the same time. Reminding himself that everything they were experiencing was larger than life, Lore gritted his teeth for less than a second as he stepped through the door.
Lore was seldom conflicted on any issue. His personality didn’t waste time with argument after he’d gathered all the available information. If he’d been wrong, he dealt with the consequences and moved on. Right now there was one issue he was particularly clear about and that was the lack of any inclination to tolerate nosy inquiry about Kenna.
Another change he’d not been aware of ’til closing the door behind him was that he knew her scent. For a moment it was startling. This was not how humans operated.
Her scent was not the heavy aroma of arousal that any male should be aware of. This was a light perfume that was Kenna. He could draw a deep breath and assure himself that she was safe in the next room. The implications of that physical change were correspondingly disturbing.
At her questioning look, Thomas smiled and pointed through the bedroom. Kenna headed straight for the door he indicated. Up to this point, her royal surroundings had made no impression, but in the bathroom, she came face-to-face with the opulence of the king’s private apartments. It wasn’t that the place dripped with gems and precious metals. It was the classic simplicity of his space.
His apartment felt right to Kenna. It didn’t intimidate or overwhelm. Everything settled around her calmly in simple comfort. The bathroom was masculine shades of cobalt blue, white with warm brown accents, large but not pretentious. When she wandered back into his bedroom, she took in the lush tones with appreciation this time.
The space Lore inhabited was decorated in rich creams, chocolate browns, muted gold and burgundy. His huge bed was obviously an antique with four heavily carved posts reaching to the high ceiling. Through an arched opening was the private sitting area, Thomas stood in front of the door to the living room and smiled at her more relaxed return.
The rest of the furnishings had been picked for comfort as well as timeless style. In the sitting space was a full-length sofa and matching easy chair. The end table was carelessly stacked with things he’d been reading. TV and stereo were both high quality but utilitarian, not the latest item as one might expect to see in a king’s apartment.
Kenna roamed around, trailing her hand over his possessions as if she could absorb knowledge of him through them. Almost nothing personal was in view. A very private man, he could not have others see what he valued. Interesting concept.
On his dresser was one photo of a lovely older couple. His parents, she assumed. Beside that was a smaller frame containing a Trident pin mounted on dark blue velvet. Nothing else adorned the long, gleaming surface.
She’d been wrong. There were the two things he valued most. The only reminders of the life he’d led before these two small countries had managed to extract themselves from the crumbling Soviet Union.
She knew what she’d read in news accounts of his being a third-generation American whose pregnant great-grandmother, the then queen, had escaped to the U.S. just prior to World War I. That generation’s king had died in suspicious circumstances and his widow had gone into hiding to protect her unborn child. After the war, there had been nothing for her to return to.
Raised in rural Pennsylvania, Lore never expected to regain the crown. He’d entered the U.S. Navy after college, intending to make it a career. According to the papers, they actually had to send a U.N. helicopter to get him off an aircraft carrier when it looked as though his identity would go public as rightful king.
When she reached his closet, she found where he put on the king. It was huge and meticulously ordered, filled with the fine clothes required in his position. She trailed her hand along the rows of suits. At the very back she found an armoire. Opening its doors, she discovered the American Lore.
Hurrying to the closet door, she peeked out at Thomas. “I’ll be out in a minute,” she called. He nodded.
Closing the door, she began removing the constricting dress of the period costume. Thank God early Middle Ages meant no buttons. Soon she had the heavy overdress and filmy underdress off. She dived into that lovely armoire. Finding a soft, well-worn sweatshirt, she slipped it on. Several turns of the sleeves and it was done. A bit more rummaging found her sweat pants with a drawstring. Heaven.
Emerging from the closet, she was a bit of an American waif. The clothes were way too big, but she’d made them fit by rolling up both sleeves and cuffs. Thomas’ eyebrows rose then he chuckled. “He will be very happy you made yourself at home, my lady.”
“Yeah, well. This is the girl he seems to have signed up for,” Kenna sighed. “If we’re going to have a serious discussion, he might as well see the real me.” Kenna plopped down on the couch. Her bare feet curled under her as she leaned into plush leather and let her head rest against the padded arm. Closing her eyes for just a moment felt so good.
Actual rest wasn’t possible. There was too much to think about, deal with. Looking into her reactions and responses proved confusing and scary. Not what she needed right now.
Quieting her emotions, she examined Lore’s. He was irritated, slightly insulted and surprisingly a little hurt. Whatever was transpiring between Lore and Gregory, it was not something he wanted to do. She could feel Lore’s possessive male drive and the physical hunger always in the background and realized he was defending her or wanted to defend her.
Gently she attempted to send him her support by pushing acceptance and self-deprecating humor at him on the low-level connection. She didn’t want to interrupt him with a telepathic message.
Immediately a surge of almost tactile need returned to her. It flowed over her as if his body covered her with intimate urgency. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her and he wanted her to rest. She felt him pull back desire, gentling it to soothing warmth. Kenna smiled to herself. His first response had been the honest one. The second was what he thought she needed.
Putting communication with Lore into the background of her mind was easy when she simply accepted it. She tried being still and quiet, waiting to see if what Yuri had said was true.
After about two minutes of absolute quiet, Kenna felt deep within her emerge faint whispers of others. Rigidly controlling her emotional response to this discovery, she waited in cautious wonder as the phenomenon surfaced. It came with gentle warmth.
Who knew this could have sensation? Then again, the connection with Lore could burn with a dangerous heat. It wasn’t hearing words or thoughts, it was more a knowing. Now that she’d experienced the connection to Lore, she recognized the knowledge of others in her consciousness. Some secret piece of her soul was slowly unfolding as she felt acknowledged by their presence.
It wasn’t just three of them either. There were more. She wasn’t sure how many. The three she’d met were definitely the most prominent, but behind them were others. Her connection to each of them seemed a single strand of silk, slender, tenuous, almost invisible, but very much present. Putting off the mind-bending panic this new knowledge demanded, Kenna guardedly investigated the three she knew.
Opening her eyes barely a slit to watch him, Kenna attempted to isolate Thomas’ connection. Unerringly it rose to the surface. She felt energy flowing around the knight as he remained alert to her location and yet not watching her personally. He was tired. The man had spent the day following terrorists, disarming a bomb and then winning a joust, events that would drain most men. He’d then taken up guarding her through the afternoon instead of recuperating.
The two brothers, Yuri and Thomas, were very large men but that’s where their similarity ended. Now that she’d discovered how to “feel” them, she could clearly see the different energy they operated on.
Interestingly, she could also feel how deeply Thomas took his oath to her. He was both exceedingly proud and very committed to the responsibilities he’d given himself. Kenna found that information fascinating, but there were so many things to explore. Trying to be careful with the new ability, Kenna suspected she was a bit clumsy handling it. She was picking up more information than felt polite so she moved away from the men.
Julianna was easy to discern. She was very busy doing something she considered critically important. The warm glow from Julianna’s soul felt parental as Kenna examined it, trying to be careful not to probe into reasons Julianna was concerned about her task. Then she realized Julianna knew Kenna was there. Julianna was sending her support without a pause in whatever it was she was doing. She was also trying to assist Kenna in fine tuning this form of acknowledging another. Julianna didn’t feel surprised or even concerned to find Kenna around the perimeter of her mind.
Kenna laughed out loud—it was that or scream. Thomas immediately focused on her with a question on his face.
“Get used to it, Thomas,” Kenna warned. “This connection thing is going to make me appear crazy.”
“Ah, you speak to him?” Thomas questioned politely.
“No, no. It’s this.” She sent Thomas a little push of dry amusement.
“Oh. I see.” Thomas smiled and nodded.
“There are more than just three of you,” Kenna accused as she fought the panic saying those words brought. “Who are they? Why do I feel them?”
“They are our people, just as you are, my lady. The ones who are not like the rest of the world,” Thomas explained carefully.
“Not like the rest of the world? What exactly does that mean?”
“You know I cannot lie to you, right? It would be useless and insulting.”
“Yes, it appears I’d know,” Kenna acknowledged.
“The reason I ask is to warn you. Do not ask questions you do not want answered yet. Take some time, my lady,” he cautioned with deep concern swirling around the words. “We whom you feel have known you exist, that is our legacy. From the time we were children we have concealed our differences. It seems you have not known any of this. You need to take a little time to assimilate the new information before piling on more. That you knew nothing of your birthright is wrong and we all feel your distress. There is no threat in our knowledge. We wish you only peace and rest.”
Her heart tightened and Lore immediately responded.
“Are you all right? Do you need me?”
Kenna sighed. She was not all right. She was probably a raving lunatic, but she needed to at least try to let Lore fulfill his responsibilities. Being the hysteric psychotic wasn’t attractive. If she had to be a psychotic, the least she could do was suck it up and be the best crazy person ever. She really couldn’t even fib in this form of communication so she compromised.
“I will be fine,”
was the thought she sent him.
“Relax,”
came back to her. The short command carried emotional input that was both soothing and arousing. He sent his concern, his curiosity and his frustration at being separated.
So this connection thing had expanded and now included unknown numbers of strangers. It was a mushroom cloud growing at an alarming rate. Cautioning herself to deal with this in small chunks, Kenna turned to Thomas and picked up the threads of that conversation.
“Do you speak to each other? Can you send thoughts?” she asked Thomas sharply.
“An adrenaline rush briefly enables this, usually between close blood relatives in an emergency,” he answered calmly. She could now feel him sending her reassurance and strength. Yuri and Julianna joined him. Their combined influence invaded her rising panic with calming reassurance, and yet that they could help her like this scared the shit out of her.
* * * * *
In the outer room, Lore abruptly stood. “I must go. We will finish this conversation later. We’ve covered the critical issues. Thank you for your attention to detail.” It was the king dismissing Gregory again. Smoothly, politely, but Lore inserted steel in his tone so there would be no mistake that the interview was over.
His connection with Kenna was clawing at him. She was terrified and trying to hide it from him. Knowing all that and being separated from her was intolerable. Watching Gregory’s face darken in a frown shot intense distaste through Lore. He needed to get to Kenna. Gregory was going to delay that.
“Lore!” Gregory abandoned royal titles in his frustration. “We have to talk about the woman. What do you think you’re doing with her?”
Lore had already turned to the bedroom door. He looked back over his shoulder at Gregory, his eyes were hard as he slowly turned to face Gregory again.
“The woman, as you call her, is none of your business, Gregory.” Lore’s voice dropped low and harsh.
Gregory could feel leashed animosity emanating from Lore as the king continued. This attitude was as confusing as the rest of the man’s behavior had been today. It was swiftly becoming insulting.
The low growl of Lore’s voice continued with its cutting commands. “What I think I am doing with her is even less your business. Refer to her in such fashion again and I will have to do something about it. Don’t force us to that.”
Lore took a pace toward Gregory. “I will not discuss her, Gregory. I will not tolerate interference with regard to her.” The pause burned with Lore’s enmity as he looked into the angry face of his closest advisor. “Yuri will show you out. In the future, please respect my privacy enough to stay out of my apartment while I am not present.” The words were carefully polite, but the inflections made them deadly threats.
Gregory’s lips thinned, but that was the only outward sign of his response. He turned to the outer door, which Yuri held open.
After the door closed, Lore lifted his eyes to Yuri’s grim face. “In the future, if there is anyone in this apartment without an invitation, besides Kenna or myself, they are to be removed with force. Clear?”
“Of course, your highness. I apologize for this intrusion. It will not happen again,” Yuri assured him.
Lore blew out a heavy breath in an effort to calm the ferocious, possessive anger and added in a tired voice, “Don’t bust someone over it. Things have changed dramatically since this morning. No one could have known.”
“Sir, she needs you. I will take care of these things,” Yuri responded quietly.