Chapter Two
CHAPTER TWO
“O NLY SOMEONE WHO has had every privilege served up to them since birth would be threatened by a simple offer of help.” A self-deprecating sound left her lips. “That you see me as a threat speaks volumes.”
Damn it, but she was right, again. Though it wasn’t her reach in the palace that threatened him as much as her composure, her conviction, that she belonged here.
In the seven years since he had left Thalassos, he had made a name for himself in the world. Built an adventure sports empire through nothing but his daring and sheer resolve to carve out his own destiny, separate from the crown and the royal family of Thalassos.
He thrust a hand through his hair, the restless energy that had always plagued him as a child clinging to him now. “You cannot blame me for resenting you for your closeness to my family.”
“And whose fault is that?” she retorted. “As for me, I’m as consequential as I’ve ever been, Your Highness.” She pushed off from the door, resignation coloring her every move. “Forgive me for my foolish naiveté in believing your mother and brother that there’s more to you than your reputation.”
For the first time since he’d heard of Adamos’s death, the haze of grief and rage that had clouded his head fractured.
When she tried to move past him—dismissing him as if she were the damned queen—he stepped into her path. “Tell me then.”
She regarded him with her cool gaze, as if he were an annoying fly. “No, you want to take out your powerlessness on me. Believe it or not, I’m so very…” her throat moved up and down in a hard swallow, “exhausted. I will not be your punching bag, Your Highness.”
Suddenly, he could see past his own emotional haze to the dark shadows under her eyes and the lines carved around her mouth. She’d just lost her fiancé and her entire future with it. If he couldn’t show her compassion, he could at least be civil, couldn’t he?
“No attacks or punches, Princess.” He raised his hands, palms facing out. “You’re right that I need someone to give me the status quo. Who better than the woman who’s trusted by my entire family? At least you’re not hiding under a mask anymore to approach me,” he said, curiosity a sudden flame inside him.
Color streaked her cheeks at his mention of that one forbidden evening but she didn’t let it stop her. “Everyone around the palace has an agenda for you, to push you toward their own ends. I’m, however, aware that you’ll respond to honesty better than anything else.”
Some wild thing in him calmed at her faith. Though he couldn’t help asking, “And how have you arrived at that?”
“Adamos spoke of you frequently as does the Queen. I have faith in their judgment.”
His heart gave a little spasm at the thought of Adamos talking about him even as he wondered if the knot of grief would ever loosen. “So you’re about to tell me that you’re pure as snow?”
“No. I’m admitting that I have an agenda too. One that’s least harmful to Thalassos and therefore you.”
Adonis searched her eyes, intrigued like he’d never been before. Suddenly, he could see why she had been his father’s choice for his favored son. Had Adamos known what he had had in this woman? Had he loved her? “You have successfully captured my full attention, Princess. Don’t hold out on me any longer.”
“The last thing either of us needs is the staff relaying our petty argument to my…to the crown council,” she said, catching herself at the last second.
“I see that you’re still a very…” when she raised a brow, he tempered his words, “obedient daughter.”
Her smile became richer, deeper, bringing out the burnished amber flecks in her eyes. “Oof, that was probably six months’ worth of diplomacy you just used up on me, huh?”
She looked so incandescently beautiful that he almost missed her neat sidestep.
“Are you afraid that your father will call you out on wasting your time with the useless prince? He must be cursing my brother for foiling his life’s work.”
“Not here please,” she whispered.
She grabbed his arm as if he was a recalcitrant child she didn’t trust to behave and tugged him. Her touch sent shock waves through him as she pulled him into a suite before she dropped his hand.
Adonis looked around the dimly lit suite and its ornate furniture. The air was thick with the scent of polished wood and old books and…a thread of lush roses he had smelled on her.
This was her…suite .
He blinked when the lights came on, the suite unlike any in the palace.
Books—old and dog-eared, some with new glossy covers, some falling apart at the spine, were strewn across every available surface. Along with piles of folders, maps of Thalassos, and little ceramic jars bursting with colorful pens.
A cozy window seat tucked into an arched alcove was also littered with books and chocolate wrappers and leather-bound journals. Stationery and sweets, it seemed, were her drugs of choice.
In the sterile perfection of the palace with its polished marble floors and winding staircases and imposing paintings of ancestors he’d rather not look at, her suite was a streak of brilliant sunshine. It seemed like the politics, power plays, and palace intrigue her father involved her in hadn’t erased all of her.
He kept his gaze pointedly away from the large, intricate four-poster bed that sat in the back recess of the large room. The last thing he needed in his head was an image of her and his brother in it. Not that the ghost of his perfect brother was ever going to be far behind amidst these walls.
“The palace team let you move in before you and Adamos married?” he said, walking toward the window seat. From here, there was a perfect view of the courtyard and the wing he’d once burned down, nearly trapping Adamos inside by accident. “How positively… scandalous.”
A dusting of pink streaked her honey-gold cheeks. She pursed her lips, her hands going to her updo with a sigh. Thick, light brown waves cascaded onto her shoulders in a silky shower. Her hand lingered at the back of her neck, the lush globes of her chest pushing out in a stretch.
Adonis looked away—five seconds too late, heat streaking through him. Did she have any idea how sensuous she looked?
She didn’t , he decided with a perverse anger.
Jemima had always been too busy honing her mind, her head buried in history and art, busy being trained at the finest finishing schools to be Queen, to have much use for her unconventional beauty.
“I moved in to be close to the Queen. Not… Adamos.” Her gaze shied away from his, making him wonder what she was hiding. “She personally requested me.”
He nodded and tucked his hands into his pockets. “Mama did always have a sweet spot for you. Good to see you’ve kept it well buttered.”
She frowned. “You promised to behave. And I thought you were smart enough to understand that I’m not your enemy.”
“You’re definitely not an ally.”
Her hands fisted by her side and she jerked into sudden motion. An angry flush spread up her neck. “I was foolish to think I could—”
“You could what?” he said, snagging an arm around her waist. Their legs tangled and her hands clutched his arm. The scent of her coiled around him.
Her shocked huff warmed the edges of his cold, frosted heart. He was aware that he was behaving disgracefully—like the very devil his father used to call him. But then, he’d always found it impossible to resist throwing himself against the barricaded armor of her propriety. Especially after she’d given him a forbidden taste of what lay beneath.
“Tell me.”
Her amber eyes held his. “I thought I could take control of my life for once. That I could be of use to you, to the crown, to the Queen. To Thalassos even. Instead of just being a pawn,” she added the last to herself, her lips curving down.
“And what does that mean? Is there a coup your dear papa is planning before my brother is cold in his grave?”
“No. But they’re going to pressure you into marriage and coronation per the original schedule. They know they have the Queen’s support.”
“What original schedule?”
“Adamos and I were to marry in three weeks, right before the coronation. The way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice. But with my help, you can twist this situation around to your advantage.”
His mind whirred, hitched on one word. “With your help? Pray, tell me, what does that entail?”
She pushed at his chest and he released her, almost reluctantly. A long breath left her. As if he were a wild beast that might turn on her any moment. “I’m your best bet at controlling the crown council, at ruling Thalassos with its well-being at heart.”
“You’re talking in riddles.”
“Your father’s dementia has been progressing rapidly. Getting worse each week. Only the Queen and Adamos and… I knew how bad it is. Now, with Adamos gone, if his condition gets out… Thalassos will plunge into political chaos. The talks for the renewal of the trade agreement are in bad shape. If you don’t agree to be crowned immediately…”
“Then what?” Adonis demanded.
She paled and licked her lower lip.
“Come, Princess. Who’s withholding trust now?”
“I trust that you want the best for Thalassos,” she said, granting him a conviction he wasn’t sure he deserved. “Adamos always spoke of how much you adore the kingdom.”
He didn’t bother to correct her or tell her that Adamos had tried to appeal to something in him that had long ago died. “Then what is it you don’t trust?”
“Your opinion of me,” she said, sighing. “But you’re the lesser evil so I must throw myself on your mercy.”
Despite the urgency of their discussion, his mouth twitched. “I would like to see that, Princess.”
She shook her head and started pacing around him. “If I tell you this…will you promise to at least consider my proposition?”
“Having you at my mercy begins to sound better and better.”
“Please, Your Highness. This is…my life I’m trusting you with.”
“You have my word,” he said. “And enough of that greeting.”
“My father and his cronies,” she said, stalling again, “not all of crown council though, have located some far-flung cousin of your father’s in the US. The man has a son who’s…barely fourteen. If you don’t fall in with their dictates, they plan to crown him King and rule Thalassos through him. The only option left is for you to be crowned immediately.”
“If I’m to be crowned…” he said, refusing to betray the tension that suddenly swamped him. He wasn’t sure he trusted her yet. But he could feel the noose tightening around his neck. “I need a wife.”
Something flashed in her eyes and was gone before he could pin it down. “And I’m your best candidate.”
“You want to marry me,” Adonis said, the words swimming through his veins like thick honey. “That’s what your agenda is all about.” For just a second, the prospect of finally unraveling all of Jemima was…intoxicating.
Until reality crashed into him, filling him with self-disgust. “My brother is hardly cold in the grave and you have already found a new way to reach your goal? Is there no end to your ambition, Princess?”
If he thought her dignity would crack at his direct attack, he’d have been disappointed. If anything, her spine straightened, her eyes flat with resolve. “I’ve spent the last five years learning the ins and outs of this kingdom’s politics. Learning who is to be trusted, who is playacting, and who has grudges they’re nurturing against the royal family. I have the kingdom and the crown’s best interests at heart. As for Adamos…”
His breath hung suspended in his throat as something danced in her eyes. “What about him?”
She hesitated, her hand going to her temple. “I… I don’t wish to sully his memory.”
“Contrary to popular opinion, I know that my brother wasn’t a saint. Adamos was a man with his own set of desires and flaws, despite my father calling him perfect.” Somehow, he kept his own bitterness out of his voice. “It’s a disservice to the man he was to turn him into some kind of god.”
Jemima’s head came up in a jerk. “I see now why Adamos loved you so much.” Something lingered in her words. Instead of probing, he waited.
“Clearly, you feel the same about him.” Her eyes swam with sudden tears. “I’m so sorry, Prince Adonis, for your loss.”
He nodded, feeling the chokehold of his grief loosen just a little bit. For the first time in days, he felt…seen. Understood. To hell with the kingdom and politics, he had lost a brother and his friend.
“If you want me to consider your proposition, nothing but the truth will do, Jemima,” he said, testing her name on his lips.
“I’m confiding in you only because I expect our partnership,” she said, without acknowledging his apology, as if she didn’t dare trust it, “to be at least courteous, Adonis. You will respect me, even if you despise me.”
Admiration filled him at the steely core she hid beneath the reserve and he gave her a swift nod. Realizing he had always respected her.
Turning toward the window seat, she gave him her profile. He had a feeling she didn’t want to meet his eyes for this part. “Adamos and I had a purely political, perfectly polite relationship. The palace media of course painted it as a fairy tale for the masses. He has—” grief and something else burned in her eyes “—he had barely even kissed me in five years of our engagement.” She roughly swiped at the lone tear that dared fall on her cheek. “Like you, your brother thought me a necessary nuisance, if not evil, that he should keep close. To appease my father and have his support, he agreed to the engagement. But he…never tried to learn who I was.”
The last she added almost to herself but Adonis heard it. And he heard the oceans-deep pain in it too.
“Jemima…”
She shook her head, forestalling him. “I no more want your pity than I deserve your disgust. My grief for your brother is…like any other Thalassan’s. Great, yes, but completely impersonal. Adamos would have been a good king and his loss…might fracture the very fabric of peace in Thalassos. And so,” she turned and met his eyes, hers clear of any emotion, “yes, I can easily swap one Vasilikos brother for another. And yes, I’m prepared to be Queen and help you rule Thalassos, outside of the crown council’s immense pressure. It’s all I know how to do. As for my loyalties, they were with my father when I was forced on this path. But the last few years, they have shifted toward Thalassos, and now to myself.”
“Why?” The question burst out of Adonis, his mind whirling on so much new information. He had not an inkling of doubt that she was telling the truth. In fact, Jemima was one of those rare people, especially among the palace, who wore truth like some kind of armor.
“Why what?” she said, bristling at his alleged disbelief.
He cupped her shoulder when she’d have turned away. “My brother was devoted to his duty, yes, and far too rigid and reserved to believe in love and passion but he…he must have developed some affection for you.”
She moved, to throw off his hand, and began piling up the books spread around on the window seat. “I believe his affections, and passions, were engaged elsewhere.”
Her answer stunned him, for he hadn’t expected one. Much less one ringing with absolute conviction. “What do you mean?”
“I heard…rumors.” Her cheeks flushed as she kneeled at the window, picking up chocolate wrappers and loose paper. “I confronted him.”
He went to his haunches to join her. “And?”
She stilled, her fingers twitching around the spines of well-worn books. “He admitted that he had a lover tucked away somewhere. And that he wouldn’t be giving her up anytime soon.” A broken smile danced across her face. “He even gave me the heir and spare speech and said that I was welcome to take a lover after we had both. As long as I was discreet, of course.” Laughter fell from her mouth, devoid of warmth. “Honestly, I don’t think he’d have given a damn even if I fell pregnant by another man. I…didn’t matter to him at all as a woman. Or as a person.”
“That doesn’t sound like my brother,” he bit out more to alleviate her pain than to defend his brother. “I mean, yes, Adamos isn’t emotional or hotheaded or…prone to fickle rages.” Like him. “But he isn’t, wasn’t cruel. He must have known how much he was hurting you.”
She shrugged. “I told you the truth as I know it. Whether you believe me or not is up to you.”
He shot to his feet and reached out a hand. She didn’t take it and got to her feet on her own.
Anger drummed through him at her small defiance, at his brother’s behavior, at all the secrets pulsing within the damned walls. The same straining tension that he had left behind once. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take this time either.
“What?” he said, when her gaze danced over his face. “What else is left, Jemima?”
She sighed and then seemed to come to some kind of decision. “Adamos…changed in the last year. He was always polite and reserved. But the last year, he was angry and…struggling. With what, I don’t know. He’d barely see your mother even. When I brought it up, begging him to seek help or advice, he snarled at me. For what it’s worth, I even asked him to reach out to you.”
“What did he say?” Adonis asked, eager for some small thread of light in the darkness that seemed to surround him from all sides.
“He said the last thing he could do is pull you back into this…pit of vipers. That after everything you went through to break away, you had earned your freedom.”
Finally, his knees gave way and Adonis half stumbled and half fell into the window seat. Leaning his head against the wall, he looked out into the courtyard, tears filling his eyes.
There was the palace wing he had once set fire to, then the highest parapet where he’d hidden after smashing some incestuous ancestor’s marble bust, and there was the room up in the most desolate wing of the palace in which he had been locked after he’d been caught debauching the wife of a crown council member when he’d been eighteen—and where Adamos had brought him food four times a day and kept him company.
Every time Adonis had enraged their father, Adamos had come to his rescue. Protected him from their father’s wrath, either by owning up to the mischief himself or by begging for leniency on Adonis’s behalf.
And then six years ago, during the mighty row between Adonis and his father, Adamos had tried his best to keep the peace. While he hadn’t been happy about Adonis’s decision to leave Thalassos, he hadn’t stopped him.
Now, he would never have a chance to tell his brother how much he had appreciated him, how much he had adored him for loving him just as he was. And he wished Adamos had reached out to him, had let him for once be the one to offer support.
Adonis blinked and darkness descended onto the courtyard, blurring and smudging all the memories fraught with ache and joy. Without his brother, there was only the former now.
When he left the past and came back to the present, Jemima was sitting at the opposite end of the window seat, her knees tucked up against her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her amber eyes held sympathy and regret and…something more. Like she saw his grief and his loss and despite their strange relationship, could hold space for it.
She silently extended him a bottle, the amber glass nothing against the color of her eyes.
He cocked an eyebrow and took it. When he took a sip, the smooth whiskey burned his throat and lit a fire in his empty stomach. It also loosened the band of tightness that had been constricting his chest for days.
He rubbed a hand over his mouth, and her gaze followed the movement before it skidded away.
“You drink whiskey incognito. What is this? Perfect Jemima’s dirty secret?”
“One of my two vices,” she said, reaching a hand between them for the bottle. With the sun fully set, the light in the room shifted, draping her in shadows and light.
“I didn’t know what Adamos had become in the last few years. I’m sorry that he treated you with—”
“ Don’t. My relationship with Adamos is not your burden. I made my peace with it a long time ago as I shall with ours, if we have one.”
“I don’t want to marry you,” he bit out. When she flinched at his abrupt tone, shame burned in his chest. Christos, was there any emotion that hadn’t touched him today? The innate fairness his mother had taught him reminded him that he was taking his frustration out on the wrong person. Whether she was as innocent as she claimed or not, Jemima Nasar owed him nothing. And yet, once again, she had seen his pain, his confusion and shown him kindness.
He clarified. “I don’t want to marry anyone.”
She snorted, spraying them both with the whiskey. “And you think I wish to marry you? You…you…think I wish to saddle myself with a man who’s so hauntingly beautiful that the world will make Beauty and the Beast memes of us? You think I wish to be trapped in marriage with a man who thinks I’m a grubby social climber? Who has never committed to a woman for more than a weekend?”
He laughed then and it was the first liberating emotion he’d felt in days. It burst free from deep in his stomach, burning up through his chest, filling his throat with a cleansing fire.
Jemima shot to her feet, her movements as ungainly as a duckling flapping in its mother’s wake. Hand on one hip, looking thoroughly un-queen-like, she rolled her eyes.
And that strict, schoolmarm expression set him off a little more.
He grinned up at her. “You’re something else, Ms. Nasar.”
“I can appreciate your ability to find humor in a horrible situation, Prince Adonis,” she said with a long sigh. “Except I have a feeling you’re laughing at me. As will the world when it learns of this…new partnership.”
“I’m laughing at us ,” Adonis corrected, wiping the combination of tears and whiskey from his mouth. “At how fate catches us all in the end. Although I must admit that only you could make me laugh at a time like this.”
“I can get a T-shirt made that says King’s Jester then,” she quipped, warmth filling her eyes. And just like that, Adonis could see the beauty in her, making her glow from inside.
Then there was the realization that he was thoroughly enjoying sparring with her. Just enjoying himself in the very place that he had always been so very unhappy.
He didn’t trust that this lightness she brought out in him would last forever but it would make the next few months at least interesting.
“I think you’ll be too busy keeping me in line and being my queen, ne ?” he said, accepting the inevitable.
A kingdom and a bride—that both should have been his brother’s. And yet, Adonis didn’t feel the bitterness he’d have thought he would. And he knew it was because of the woman staring at him with her eyes going impossibly wide in her face.
She stilled, like a deer caught in the sights of a predator. “You’re not joking?”
He shot to his feet and stared down at her. “No, I’m not. Whether I can actually rule Thalassos as my brother would have is a different matter. But I’m not a man who can’t admit to needing help. Especially when it’s offered in such a delightful package.”