Chapter 20 #2
She reached up to finger the stubble on his cheek. “I love you. I thought I was going to die, and I realized that I’d never said it to you. If I don’t survive this, I wanted you to know how I feel.”
Xaydin was humbled by her words and the earnestness in her tone. She meant what she said.
Cupping her cheek, he leaned closer to her. “I love you, too.” Then he kissed her.
She growled against his lips as she balled her fists in his hair.
Right then, Xaydin wanted to be inside her again. But he wasn’t that selfish. Pulling back, he smiled at her. “You need to rest.”
She whimpered. “Now I know how you felt when I teased you!”
“Exactly… Except I weigh a lot more than you do, and you’re too injured.” He gently brushed the hair back from her forehead and kissed it. “I have the room warded. Sleep in peace. We are just downstairs and within earshot.” With those words spoken, he left her alone with her thoughts.
Thoughts that drifted heavily as she thought about everything that had happened. It was a lot to come to terms with, especially since she could never go home.
Even though it hadn’t been much of a home, it was where she’d grown up.
Everything familiar was there. Everyone she’d ever known.
Now…
She felt empty and vacuous. Lost.
Where do I go from here?
She thought about Xaydin and her mood lifted. He loved her. She could build a better home with real friends who cared about her and each other.
Suddenly, the world wasn’t quite as scary. Daunting, but not as terrifying as it used to be.
But the one thing she knew about Meara, the queen never gave up. Right now, she wanted them dead. That was a threat that would never go away.
“Well, that was fun.” Ronan signaled their server that they needed five tankards. “What’s next? Pulling my entrails out through my nose? The old flaming poker up my ass? Or should we just stick to the good old iron maiden?”
“Given that it’s Meara, I’d say all that plus a good gelding or two.” Xaydin sighed. “I really want that bitch’s throat.”
“Your mother-in-law, you mean? Shouldn’t you be a bit kinder?”
He glared at Candara. “Don’t even.”
Ronan cleared his throat. “Aren’t we all ignoring the obvious?”
“That is?” Masakage asked.
“That Gisela’s the daughter of Cratus… Hello? Shouldn’t we let Dash know he has a sister?”
Xaydin really wanted to ignore Ronan’s question, but he couldn’t. None of them could.
Masakage took his tankard from their server. “Knowing Dash, he’ll be thrilled to welcome her in. Especially after Renata’s death.”
How he wished that were true. But as decent as Dash was, there was one important bit to this that they couldn’t overlook, and he waited until the server left them before he spoke. “She’s the daughter of Meara. Given how much he hates her… I don’t know if we should tell him.”
Ronan took a deep drink. “Doesn’t that make her an heiress?”
Xaydin frowned as he considered that. “If not for…what…three, four brothers? Anyone know how many kids Meara has?”
“No idea.” Ronan sighed. “But Ferox might already be dead.”
“Either way, Gisela doesn’t want to rule. She’d probably slap me if I even suggested it to her. From what she’s told me, she profanes all politics.”
“Can’t say I blame her.” Ronan looked up, then scowled as his gaze focused on something behind Xaydin’s back.
Xaydin turned to see what had caught his attention, then he fell silent, too. It was Mischief coming toward them with a tall, muscular man who dwarfed her in size.
More than that, his dark features were eerily similar to hers. They even had on matching brown leather armor. Distinctive in its own right by the leaf-like scaly appearance.
Brother? Maybe a cousin.
Whatever he was, he looked enough like her that they could easily be related. Right down to the gold star and streaks drawn over his face. Until now, Xaydin had assumed those were random patterns the Marauders liked to use.
Now, it appeared they might have more meaning than that. This looked more like some form of heraldry or family design.
Mischief didn’t speak until they stood by Ronan’s side, facing Xaydin. “My brother, Evar.”
Xaydin wasn’t sure which of them was most stunned by her declaration. All the years they’d known her, she’d never once mentioned her family.
Not a single word.
They’d figured that she must have some, and that, like all the rest of them, she was the bastard child of a monarch.
It was what Meara had required as hostages to keep the peace of the kingdoms. A royal child and the child of one high-ranking noble from every king or queen had been sent to her for her so-called protection.
It sickened him to even think about it.
The Marauders had sent Mischief and a red-headed boy who’d died the first month of captivity. He couldn’t even recall that poor soul’s name now. Only how scared the boy had been and how sick he’d become within days of entering Meara’s court.
Since Mischief had never mentioned her parents, everyone had assumed the dead boy to be a prince and her the daughter of a noble. Which made sense as most of the royal children hadn’t been hearty enough to endure Meara’s torture.
Only the Outlaws, and they had banded together to make sure they could stand against the bitch queen.
But the bearing of her brother was as regal as any royal Xaydin had met.
He rose to his feet slowly. “Pleased to meet you, Highness.”
Instead of correcting him, Evar inclined his head imperiously. “My sister tells me that you’re hunting me.”
They all exchanged puzzled glances.
“Pardon?” Masakage asked.
“I’m the one Marstyn left his kingdom for.”
That was unexpected. Not that Xaydin cared who or what Marstyn loved, he was just a little surprised by it. “I take it that you’re here to tell us to go away and leave you alone.”
“In a manner of speaking. But I know Mardyth won’t stop until he drags Marstyn home. Neither of us wants that. What I was hoping for is a meeting where we may discuss the matter with the king.”
Clearing his throat, Ronan looked down at his tankard.
Xaydin didn’t need to read his mind to know what thoughts lurked there. Mardyth wasn’t the most reasonable of creatures.
“I’d rather not be a hostage again. But I have to say that of all the places I’ve been held, I rather did enjoy Mardyth’s palace.”
He rolled his eyes at Masakage. “You want me to set it up?”
Evar nodded. “He won’t listen to us or even return any message I’ve sent.”
That made sense to Xaydin. “I take it that you don’t want to go to his kingdom.”
Evar gave Xaydin a droll stare. “Rather not, as I’m sure I wouldn’t come back. At least not alive.”
He was right about that. “I’ll see what I can do,” Xaydin promised.
“Thank you.”
When Mischief started to leave with her brother, Xaydin called her back.
She hesitated at first, then excused herself from her brother to return to their table. “What?”
“Take a seat.” Xaydin indicated the one beside Ronan.
“Do I have a choice?” she asked.
“Not at the moment.”
Sighing heavily, she pulled the chair out and sat down, then waved at the server to bring another tankard. “Yes, I’m a princess. No, I don’t want to talk about it. What else is on your mind?”
“So, so many things.” Xaydin held his tankard in his hand as he tried to sort through what little any of them knew about her.
Except for possibly Ronan. The two of them had always been close.
“Did you know?” he asked him.
Ronan shook his head. “I had suspicions, but she didn’t speak about it and I never asked. Always assumed she’d tell me what she wanted me to know, and if she didn’t mention it, it wasn’t any of my business.”
She reached over and covered his hand with hers. “Thank you.”
“I’m always on your side. You know that.”
Arching a brow, Xaydin exchanged an I-told-you-so smirk with Masakage.
Like I didn’t know, Masakage said in his mind.
True. Everyone knew Ronan loved Mischief. The only question was if she loved him back. She’d never given any real clues about her feelings other than to claim she had no feelings whatsoever.
Which they’d known was bullshit. But she did do a better job of hiding them than anyone else he’d ever met.
Xaydin took a drink. “We respect your right to withhold. However, how are we supposed to help your brother?”
“I have no idea. I told him this wasn’t something he should do. But he’s older, so he never listens to me.” She cocked her head. “Kind of like you, X.”
“Don’t take it personally. I don’t listen to anyone.”
Ronan choked. “So not true. Have you not noticed you give total deference to Lady Gisela?”
“Princess Gisela,” he corrected. “And you won’t speak of her unless it’s to lavish praise upon her glorious being.”
They all laughed at him.
Until they realized he wasn’t kidding.
“Nice to know you still have no sense of humor.” Candara set her empty tankard down. “I’ll work up a spell so that Mardyth can come ashore. But it probably won’t last long. Maybe half an hour.”
“That should be adequate. Any longer and he might kill my brother. The gods know I’m tempted to do it after ten minutes in his oafish company. No idea what Marstyn sees in him.”
“I’ll go talk to the king.” Ronan pushed himself back from the table.
“Why you?” Mischief asked.
“Only one who can become a fish. Well, except for Gisela.”
“No,” Xaydin said firmly. “She doesn’t like the water. And…” he glanced at Mischief, according to Mardyth, your brother is a nereid. Is there something else you’d like to confide?”
She actually blushed. “A lot of Marauders are nereids. But I don’t like being in the sea. Just on it.”
“Noted.” Ronan put his coin on the table for his drink. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Without another word, Mischief got up and went after him.
Xaydin shook his head. “I really wish they’d find their peace.”
“They will.” Masakage put one of his coins on the table. “But it won’t be easy.”
“Hate your coins.” Xaydin picked it up to study it. It was three swords piercing a heart. “Looks like they won’t make it.”
“Bleeding and broken hearts heal. No one knows that better than you.”
Xaydin hated that his brother was right about that and he prayed Masakage was right when it came to Ronan and Mischief. If two beings ever born deserved happiness, it was the two of them.
“You got a coin to tell me how this mess with King Mardyth will end?”
“I do, but I don’t want to pull one.”
Really? That had to be a first. “Why not?”
“Because I’m terrified of the answer. There are some things that no one needs to see in advance.”
That made his stomach cramp. “Thanks, alley rat.”
“Demon.”
Normally, they’d play this game a bit longer, but Xaydin wasn’t in the mood.
He needed to make peace with a sea king who was determined to war, avoid his own brother who wanted him dead, find a lunatic queen out to kill them and get a contract to Dash before Meara reclaimed it.
At the moment, he was hating his life.
Except for one part of it. A part he hoped would heal and survive the mother who wanted her dead.