“Check that piece of shit.”
Seth nodded toward the prone form of his former manservant as he pulled his love into his lap and cradled her close. She was shivering, and the warm wetness against his skin told him she was crying. He rubbed his hand across her back, the motion soothing as he rocked her gently. “If he’s still breathing, get that wound dressed and take him to the brig. We’ll be having a chat later.”
He didn’t bother to keep the bitterness out of his voice. His arms tightened reflexively around Jaida as he realized how close he’d come to losing her.
He’d pulled underhand tricks and cut off her access to any support network, thinking that if she had nowhere to run, she’d give in and turn to him. She hadn’t. Under that alluring, feminine appearance, she had a backbone of steel. Rather than turn to him, she’d led him on a merry chase until Severnas Three.
A chase that could have been avoided if he’d stayed that morning and spoken to her himself. But no, he’d been too eager to prove himself to the council, sure he’d had that day’s debate and his opponent nailed.
All the time he hadn’t seen what a snake in the grass Warin was.
A small part of his mind tried to be rational and tell him that there was no way he could have known. Until today Seth had considered Warin to be a stalwart of his household, dependable, obedient, loyal. The kind of servant any noble would think themselves lucky to have around.
He snorted. Bitterness welled up and threatened to choke him. The trust he’d had in the man had been the reason he’d given him the most important duty he’d ever entrusted a servant with…to tell the woman he loved he wanted to marry her.
Idiot, idiot, idiot. What kind of man left someone else to tell a woman that? No, not just a woman. His woman
One of the troopers leaned over and pressed two fingers into Warin’s throat. Within a second he nodded. “He’s got a pulse. Okay, you and you, get him out of here. Get him checked out with medical then cart him off to a cell. Do not take your eyes off him; do not leave him alone. He’s an Imperial prisoner and will be treated as such.”
“Hear that sweetheart?” Seth brushed his lips against Jaida’s brow as the troopers filed out. He ignored their curious looks. This was his and Jaida’s business and no one else’s.
Shivers still racked her body. She refused to look, shaking her head when he tried to lift her chin. Seth suspected her eyes were squeezed closed. He pulled her chin up with gentle force. Reveling in the tender moment, he pressed a kiss onto each closed lid and then against the up-turned button of her nose.
Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks and then slowly rose. Her silver and sapphire eyes were dark with pain, worry, and something else. Seth blinked, unsure at the emotion he was seeing reflected.
“He’s not dead, sweetheart. It’s okay, you didn’t kill him.”
Her lips compressed, anger flaring to replace the emotion he wasn’t sure he’d seen and didn’t want to name in case he was deluding himself. “I didn’t?”
She shook her head. “Damn it, I wanted to. I wanted to knock his freaking head clean off!”
Amusement hit him hard and fast; that was his Jaida all over. Shivering with emotion one moment, and then ferocious as a tiger the next.
“I think you gave it a good shot. He’ll be waking up with a headache, that’s for sure.” Seth tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Already dark bruises were forming on her throat and her eyes were red with blood from burst vessels. He gritted his teeth. When he got down to the brig, Warin would get a damn sight worse than a headache.
“My little warrioress,” he murmured, knowing his face was soft with emotion and not caring. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. For everything.”
A frown graced her brow and she searched his eyes for a long moment.
“Everything…everything? Or just everything?”
The forlorn note in her voice plucked at his heartstrings again. He’d wanted to give her the universe, but he’d ended up crushing her instead.
“Everything everything.”
Smoothing his hands down her arms, he pushed her away from him and stood. Sitting on a medical room floor was no place to have this conversation.
He knew what he had to do now. He’d chased her and she’d run, slipping through his fingers like a will-o’-the-wisp.
What was the old saying? If you loved something, let it go. If it returned to you, it was yours to keep…
He had to let her go.
“I love you, always have. Always will. Whatever Warin told you…it was a lie. I left my betrothal bracelet for you, not red silks.”
She didn’t move, didn’t answer, and Seth’s heart sank.
“I’m going to get a medic to come check you out,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll arrange rooms for you aboard until we can get you back to your family.” Seth paused at the door, his head bowed as his heart cracked in his chest.
“For what it’s worth, I really am sorry.”
Weariness pulled at Seth’s body as he entered his chambers later that day. Contrary to popular belief, being a prince wasn’t all wild parties, Herboriav champagne, and caviar. Mostly it was just plain hard work…at least it was for Seth.
Since the incident in the medical bay, he’d managed first to get himself released, which was not an easy task when your Chief Medical Officer was a woman like Sedj Idirianna. Arranging to have Jaida checked hadn’t been a problem. As soon as the medical staff had heard what had happened, several of the doctors—all male, Seth noted with irritation—headed toward the room she’d been ushered into.
Ignoring the pile up and subsequent argument at the door, Seth had marshaled the troopers who had come to his aid, found some clothes because there was no way he was wandering around in a medical gown with his ass hanging out, and set about finding out why the last five years had happened.
Several hours later, most of them spent dealing with the particular brand of insanity that was his former manservant, Seth was ready to crack.
Hearing the man’s fantasizes and delusions, all built around signals from Seth himself, ones he didn’t remember giving or that had been twisted to mean something else, had left him feeling sick.
Some of the things Warin had spewed as the interrogators had done their work chilled him to the core—violent capture and rape fantasies that had turned Seth’s stomach, especially since they were centered on him. Jaida had had a lucky escape. If she hadn’t run when she had, who knew what lengths Warin would have gone to.
Seth shucked his tunic off as soon as he got through the door. The rest of his clothes hit the deck as he headed through to the bathing room. Jaida.
What was he going to do about her? Pain, love, and longing wrapped around his heart.
He loved her, but after what he’d done, there was no way he could ask for anything. Not after his recent conversation with her father. On the surface, it had been polite and restrained. Duke Lianl had requested Seth return Jaida to her family and give them some privacy so they could tend to her after her ordeal. In other words, “Give her back, and fuck the hell off.”
Seth didn’t blame him. He’d have done the same if he were in the Duke’s situation, especially now that the truth was out. Hell, if she’d been his daughter, he’d have hunted down anyone who had hurt her and had them hung, drawn, and bloody quartered.
All he could do was take her home and back off. Perhaps in time, she would reappear at court and he’d be able to see her, even if only from a distance. His heart protested, but Seth ignored it, stuffing the ache into a box deep inside and locking it. Maybe one day, she and her family would let him apologize.
The door to the bathing chamber slid open for him. He stripped off his pants and pulled the band from his hair, then shook out the braid. The lights were on. He went cold, his combat instincts kicking in as he stepped away from the door.
Water sloshed slightly, as though someone was moving in it. Seth’s eyes narrowed, his attention focused on the small pool in the middle of the room.
With the columns around it swathed in gauze, he couldn’t get a clear look, but someone was in there. A very female someone, if those curves were any indication.
Hope warred with excitement for a second. He could almost believe it was Jaida waiting for him in the water. Then the water swirled and she moved out of sight behind one of the columns. His hope took a nose-dive. It couldn’t be her…could it?
“I don’t know who you are or what you want but you’ve got ten seconds to get that pretty little ass out of my bathwater before I call in the guard.” He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into her line of sight.
The water sheeted from her body as she stood, wrapping itself lovingly around every curve and hollow. Seth had never wanted to be water so much in his entire life. A droplet broke away and trailed around her nipple. Her sapphire and silver eyes were sultry as she raised an eyebrow.
“You want me to leave? Okay…if you’re sure.”
She started to turn and raised her foot to the first step. Seth was spellbound for a moment, watching the delectable curve of her ass as she moved.
“No! Don’t go.” He reached out as though to stop her, even though she was on the other side of the room.
She looked over her bare shoulder. Her hair cascaded down her back in a mass of wet curls. Seth swallowed as the towel around his waist tented abruptly. Lady, he was harder than a green youth presented with his first woman.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect it to be you. N-not like that anyway.”
Hell, I didn’t expect you to come near me, period. If anything the next time he saw her, he expected it to be when he was taking her home. Certainly not in his bath. Or naked.
Do something, you fucking idiot.
His instincts gave him a kick up the ass as he stood there looking at her in awe. He remembered every inch of her body after that night in the shuttle.
But here she was, after everything he’d done, waiting for him.
If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours.
She’d come back. The realization galvanized him into action. Three steps later, he was in the pool, the water grabbing at the towel around his waist as he waded toward her. Less than two paces from her, he paused as indecision hit him. She hadn’t moved, just stood on her step like the maiden goddess herself.
She wasn’t a maiden though. He knew that for a fact. She was his woman. Triumph and tenderness surged through him as he closed the gap between them. He caught her wrist, his touch gentle but firm.
“Please, don’t go.”
He pulled her toward him, the pressure on her wrist light enough that she could break away if she wanted. He was done being demanding and dominant. She came to him, stepping down and back into the water. Her eyes were dark, wary. All he wanted to do was take that look away and make it all better.
“Why?” She tilted her head back and looked him in the eye. Somehow, even though she was as naked as the day she was born and physically no match for him, she was the one controlling this situation. This was it, his chance to explain and put everything right. Seth opened his mouth, ready to pour out the speech he’d been preparing all day, just in case.
Nothing came out.
Instead he swept her up into his arms, claiming her lips in a torrent of passion he didn’t know he was capable of. He opened her soft lips with a single sweep of his tongue, demanding an access she immediately granted.
Groaning deep in his chest, he plunged his tongue into the warm sweetness of her mouth.
The kiss wasn’t a gentle one. No, instead he plundered, demanding her response as he pulled her closer, so close they seemed more like one conjoined being.
Desire and need swirled through him, making him lightheaded. His instincts roared at him to take her. His cock was as hard as an iron bar, balls drawn up tight to his body. Lady, he wanted to fuck her…spread those pretty little legs and drive his prick balls deep into her soft body.
No, not fuck her. The very thought had him recoiling. His kiss gentled as he felt her fingers smoothing across his cheekbones and the soft brush of her tongue against his as she kissed him back. He wanted to love her and make love to her. For the rest of his life.
He broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes. “Why? Because I love you. Always have. And I’ll go on loving you even if you walk out that door right now.”
Water sloshed as he dropped to his knees in front of her. It swirled around his chest, wetting the trailing strands of his hair as he looked up.
“Jaida, you are my world…my stars…my entire universe, and I am so, so sorry.”
He chuckled wryly and shoved a shaking hand through his hair. He just couldn’t afford to get this wrong. “I’m a fucking idiot…please, let me make it up to you?”
Her melodious chuckle filled the room, and unbelievably she reached for him. Her hands were soft as she stroked the strands of hair off his face. Her tense expression was gone. Happiness and something else softened her face.
Seth held his breath in hope. Could it be love?
“I’ve always loved your hair.” Her voice was soft as she tucked stray strands behind his ear. “You have more silver in it than before.”
He nodded as she moved closer to him. Still on his knees in the warm water, he opened his arms. In a graceful movement, she pressed into his embrace. Something inside Seth’s heart cracked and a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through his chest.
“You are an idiot. I’m glad you realize that.” Her lips hovered a hairsbreadth from his. “But you’re my idiot. And yes, I plan on making you pay. For years and years…until death do us part, I figure.”
Seth blinked, hiding his surprise before he realized he didn’t have to. Not with Jaida. He smiled slowly and stood, gathering her into his arms. He started to stride from the water, the only woman he’d ever loved in his arms.
“So…” she carried on, her arms looped around his shoulders as he mounted the steps and started to head toward his…their bedroom. Because there was no way she was sleeping apart from him. Ever again. “…where is it?” “Where’s what?”
“You owe me a proposal, dumb ass.”
Seth laughed out loud as he pushed the curtains on the bed aside and laid her out across the satin sheets. Instantly he was by her side, stretching out beside her. His hand splayed over her soft stomach and slid up to flirt with the curve at the underside of her bust. Her eyelids fluttered downwards for a second, her breathing compromised. He smiled slyly.