Chapter 22
Argos
If Argos had his way, he would remove Theora from the colony completely and take her home—it was much easier to hunt down prey when he wasn’t worried about someone else’s safety.
He didn’t believe Theora would be out of danger no matter where they were kept.
Still, it would’ve been useful if security had moved their room, in case the assassin was aware of where they were staying.
As soon as they were inside, he locked the door and sat Theora on the couch.
Now that they were shut away, she seemed particularly weary, not protesting him handling her, saying nothing as he went about examining the room.
The only time she moved was when he went from the open-concept living area and kitchen to the large bedroom, following him in without a word and sitting on the bed to wait.
Killers, danger, the threat of death—he had dealt with those all his life. It was Theora’s silence that unnerved him more than anything.
“You’re safe,” said Argos.
That seemed to be enough. Theora breathed in relief, removing her jewelry to place it on the bed’s side table. “You can shower first.”
“I don’t want you out of my sight,” he said, shutting the door of the closet.
“I’ll wait right here, on the bed,” she said, a tremor in her voice that instantly made him want to protect her.
Argos locked the bedroom door—and the closet while he was at it. “The bathroom door stays open,” he said.
Theora nodded.
He took only two minutes, but by the time he emerged, Theora had already changed into plush loungewear. She stood in front of the doorway, holding a pair of Argos-sized sweatpants out in front of her.
“Not too wet?” she asked, grinning slightly.
Argos looked down at the towel wrapped around his waist, suddenly recalling the night she’d brought him home. But he was too focused on his job now to worry about whether or not a towel was too soaked to function. “Would you prefer me without it?”
She cleared her throat, holding the sweatpants out to him again.
They were in a serious predicament, but there was something so adorably sexy about the way she blushed over that one small comment.
Still, he put the pants on, while Theora quickly grabbed a fresh undergarment and her robe and went into the bathroom.
He caught the door before she could shut it. She jolted, causing her to drop the clothing she held, and his stomach twisted—he hated the idea of scaring her at a time like this. Worse yet, she didn’t chastise him for it. She was trembling. She was…not herself.
He picked up the clothes from the cold tile, hung them on the towel rack for her. Then he leaned over and rubbed the back of her neck, gently. That seemed to settle her a bit, but Sovereign…he wanted to do more for her. More than kill for her. He wanted to comfort her.
His other hand found her cheek, and his breath nearly caught as she leaned into it. He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead before he could stop himself. His body wanted more, but this was hardly the time.
He still had a job to do.
“This door stays open,” he said, which had been the whole point of catching it. That one simple act was never supposed to lead to…feelings.
She nodded, and he left her in the bathroom alone.
Get over it, Argos. You don’t get to keep her…
When Theora was finished showering, she exited without a word and lay down on her side of the bed on top of the covers. The two of them were quiet for a moment, before she broke the silence. “We’re stuck in this room for the time being. What do you think we should do?”
Argos choked on a laugh. “I could go hunt down a certain Vespulan.”
“Not funny.”
Not kidding.
Theora groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening. Lasius is supposed to be the most secure colony there is. Everyone does peace negotiations here and there’s never been a problem. I just wish I knew what went wrong.”
Argos chewed on his lip. “I know you probably don’t want to consider this, but I’m pretty sure Apollo had something to do with it.”
“Of course not,” she snapped, immediately sitting up. “He would never hurt me. How could you even suggest that?”
“We can’t rule anyone out.”
“It’s not him. How could it be? He doesn’t even attend the peace talk sessions.”
Argos sighed. “He was in the Vespulan wing.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“My nose doesn’t lie.” Theora still looked stubbornly unhappy with his response. Fine. She didn’t have to believe him for him to know what he needed to do. “What about Venita?”
Theora looked at him as if he’d gone mad. “If she wanted me dead, there were plenty of ways to do it back in our own colony. Besides, she’s been trying to get me to marry Apollo all week.”
“Maybe the Vespulans are working alongside the host colony. There’s no other way they could’ve planted a ringblitz at a table that’s supposed to be monitored without someone on the inside.”
Theora stared at him for a moment, a sick expression on her face. “Well…I suppose your paranoia has protected us so far.”
“It’s not paranoia if I’m always right.”
Theora let out a breath of laughter. It was nice to see her relax, at least a little. “Okay, let’s not get a big head over it.”
“No big head required,” he said with a smirk. “I’m always right.”
Whatever Theora needed to hear to make her trust him, he would say. Because the truth was, Lasius didn’t seem to have anything to gain by killing Theora. A ringblitz seemed far too subtle and sophisticated a tool to have been Pyre’s idea alone. That was a diplomat’s tool of choice.
And he knew what he’d smelled in the Vespulan wing.
But he’d deal with that after she went to sleep. For now, he headed toward the living room. “Come.”
Argos heard when Theora begrudgingly got up to follow him. She sat in a large armchair, as if waiting for Argos to tell her what was next.
She really was out of sorts, waiting on information like this.
She was an incredibly hands-on queen—if she wasn’t involved in things that went on in Aranea, she was at least well informed.
Argos imagined it must be difficult, being forced to live in the dark when she was so very used to being in control.
But then, the Sovereign gave everyone challenges meant to grow their humility…meant for them to learn some sort of valuable lesson.
Watching Theora sulk in the giant armchair, he suddenly realized she was so much more to him than a mission to complete.
“What happened to your wife?” she asked suddenly.
“Izzi,” Argos corrected. “You’re my wife now.”
“Don’t make jokes right now, Argos.”
“I swear I’m not.” The couch was there, but Argos opted for the floor instead, digging his fingers into the thick carpet.
“The convoy, the assassination that began the war…” He paused, unsure if he should go on.
He’d been assigned to protect the queen, to protect Theora…
and he hadn’t. He hadn’t been the only guard there, but still.
He’d failed. “We were assigned to it. But the landmines…”
“No need to continue.” Theora’s brows lowered. “We all lost someone that day, didn’t we?”
He nodded, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Theora’s compassion for him was…beyond beautiful.
“Do you still miss her?” she asked, a tentative thing despite her even tone to conceal it. “Izzi?”
Argos was quiet for a moment. No one had ever asked him that before, because…well, Warriors just didn’t ask that sort of thing. Mourning just wasn’t done. Honoring the dead meant allowing them to rest, moving on quickly.
Perhaps he did miss Izzi, in certain ways. But he had never really thought too much about missing her, other than to plot revenge. “She got the better half of our parting, to be honest. It would be selfish to miss her now.”
Theora’s brows lowered in concern. “I think it’s okay to miss someone you loved, Argos.”
Argos felt a spark of fondness at this stern queen’s concern for him. He shook his head. “If she were away, yes. But she’s resting with the Sovereign now. Why would I want her here, when she’s happier where she is?”
“I never thought about it that way. That’s very…sweet.” Despite her words, Theora seemed to squirm in her seat. “How long were you two together?”
“It would’ve been a decade now.”
“Sovereign,” she swore, then paused to truly take in what he’d just said. “Wait, you were fifteen? That’s not even legal.”
“Come on, Theora,” he said, “you know Warrior marriages have nothing to do with legality. Anyway, it wasn’t even sexual for the first seven years.
I was a target my first day in the barracks.
She claimed me out of mercy. People don’t mess with you as much when you belong to a more seasoned Warrior. ”
Theora tucked her sweatshirt closer, as if he’d said something salacious. “So you…you weren’t in love with each other?”
“Not at first. Not for a long time, honestly. But love can grow out of trust, if you’re open to it.” His gaze shot to her as she scoffed, a slight rumble in his chest. “Is that funny to you?”
“Not funny, just…” she said, averting her gaze from him. “Rather romantic, for a fearsome Warrior.”
Argos smirked. “Romantic? I think that’s what you Dociles call a political marriage.”
“I suppose it is.”
It was a relief to see Theora smile a bit, to get her mind away from the anxiety of the assassination attempt.
“So,” she went on, with that newfound enjoyment. “Being married for so long…that’s how you learned to…”
“To please a woman?” Argos smirked. “Yes.”
“Oh.”
Argos could smell her skin warming into a blush. Fuck, it made him want to take her right there on the freshly vacuumed carpet. Her voice was intoxicating enough without the memory of her moans plaguing him. He rubbed his nose, an attempt to draw out any remnants of Theora left on his fingers.
But the less he thought about how it felt to please her, the better.
After all, he wasn’t allowed to keep her after this week.
“Did you see?” he said, getting up quickly. “Someone brought lollipops.”
Theora rolled her eyes. “Sovereign, Argos.”