“Thank you for sharing that with me. It’s an interesting bit of history I would never have garnered anywhere else in the world.”
“Not even Nyeusi?” He knew that Nyeusi was rich with cultural reverence for the blood they’d shed to ensure their freedom.
“I’ve not really spent much time on Nyeusi. My sister’s been married for less than six months. They’re still in the honeymoon phase. The last thing they need is me underfoot.”
He looked down at her, squeezing her hand to get her to meet his eye. “Do you always do that?” When she narrowed her gaze to silently ask him what he meant, he continued, “Do you always shrink yourself for your sister? Is that what she demands of you?”
Fire flashed in her eyes as she stared at him with sharp intention. “My sister loves me. You’ve known me for two days, basically. You don’t get to pass judgment on her or me.”
“You can deflect all you want, Treasure.” He held her attention with his steadfast gaze. “I’m not going to let this drop. Does Reigna demand this kind of allegiance from you?”
He cupped her chin, forcing her to keep her eyes on him. He was learning that Regina was a fighter, and she would more than likely keep fighting if she thought it would get her out of explaining.
“I’m not going anywhere, Treasure. Tell me the truth.”
The fight in her eyes retreated. She was slowly letting down her guard for him. It was a gift he would always handle with reverence.
“I don’t want you to think Reigna is purposely malicious to me. She’s not. My sister loves me, and I love her. In her head, I’m the little sister she needs to take care of, fuss over and protect. She doesn’t want me to be small. She just doesn’t want me to grow. Growing would mean I wouldn’t need her.”
“And you let her believe you do?” Although it was phrased as a question, he very much meant it as a statement.
“Yes,” she replied as she stepped away from him, walking through the room and stopping to take in each display. This was classic avoidance behavior. But he wasn’t about to let her get away with it.
When she was a few paces away from him, as if his proximity somehow made it hard to shape her thoughts, she said, “It’s my way of taking care of her.”
Understanding dawned. She wasn’t weak. She simply allowed her sister to believe that.
He laid gentle hands on her shoulders and leaned down with his lips touching the shell of her ear. It was intimate, her scent almost intoxicating. But this wasn’t about physicality. This was about his uncontrollable need to care for the woman who’d cared for him.
“Be careful, Treasure. If you keep shrinking yourself, eventually you’ll disappear. And that will just never do. You will be a queen in two days. The queens of Obsidian Island are just as fierce as its kings, if not more so. Court is not for the faint of heart. You’ll have to show them you can’t be run over.”
He saw the defiant spark in her eyes slightly letting loose the woman who had given and received pleasure like she was made explicitly for him. That was the woman he wanted to rule at his side. That was the woman who would be the mother of his children.
“I’m not worried, Treasure. I know you’ve got some teeth to you. I’ve felt them at work.”
Chapter Nine
Regina’s head was spinning. She rested in her bed, trying to catch her breath while she could, because tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow, she would marry Aléx and become queen of Obsidian Island. How was this even her life?
Aléx had asked her if she wanted the big fancy wedding every queen was supposed to crave. She’d declined immediately. It seemed out of place when she knew she wasn’t getting the whole deal. Those kinds of weddings were for people who were sloppy in love. That was not who she and Aléx were.
To expedite matters, she’d opted for a small ceremony in Aléx’s drawing room with just them and Aléx’s sister, Eliana. He’d informed her that they would eventually have a large observance that included her official coronation. For now, however, he would give her the small occasion, allowing her time to adjust to royal life before he presented her officially to the world.
An ache settled in her heart as she thought of both of Reigna’s weddings. In both the civil and formal ceremonies, Regina had been right by Reigna’s side. Despite the hurt her sister had heaped on her, Regina still wanted her here. Still wanted her support. Still wanted her love.
Her cell phone rang at that exact moment, and she didn’t even have to look at the screen to know who it was. Regina didn’t know if it was because they were twins or because they were just so close that they always seemed to sense when the other needed them.
Regina grabbed the phone, accepted the call and put the phone to her ear.
“What’s wrong with my sister?”
That question, formed in her sister’s sultry voice, was almost her undoing. It was the question they’d asked each other from the time since they’d learned to talk whenever they knew the other was hurting.
Before Regina could answer, Reigna spoke again. “Regina, I’m sorry that I hurt you. I was out of line, and I didn’t mean any of it. I’ve tried to give you space to process. But no one in the office has seen you in two days, and I’m afraid something has happened to you. Please tell me what’s going on.”
Quiet tears streamed down Regina’s cheeks. Keeping this secret from her sister was tying her in knots.
Her decision to keep what she and Aléx were planning a secret was selfish on so many levels. She’d done it partly to spite Reigna. Mostly, though, it was because she knew if she told Reigna the truth, her sister would go into protective mode. Regina would have to deal with Reigna’s emotions instead of figuring out if Aléx’s offer was the right thing for her.
