Still, I didn’t know what he’d need with me specifically. There were many veterans of that war. Though the bit about being “discreet” had piqued my curiosity even more.
The prince drew a long breath and looked at Kel. Inadvertently, my gaze followed his and I took in all of Kel’s glorious manliness.
The untrustworthy, deserting cad was brutishly handsome. The lustrous deep brown of his skin denoted his non-Pearlian heritage. His father — Drako — had been full Usovi, but Kel’s mother had been a Pearlian woman, which meant Kel didn’t share Drako’s ebony complexion. He was tall and hung like a prized stallion…
Did I say ‘hung’? I meant built.
He was built like a prized stallion, with massive rolling shoulders and heavy slabs of muscle for a chest. Even after a year, he was stillextremelyfit, his shirt falling over his form,not bulging over his belly like I had secretly hoped it might. It looked like the semi-retirement of working for the crown hadn’t softened him yet.
He kept his head shaved — a custom of the Usovi — and had deep, dark eyes. A rigid nose and full lips over a strong chin anchored his look as all man and all warrior.
Seeing him again flared my rage, even as my core clenched with heated moisture. My body’s betrayal made me hate him all the more.
“Captain Drakoson has recommended you for a special mission,” the prince said.
I barely heard him, my confused emotions billowing to almost unmanageable levels. I dragged my attention back to the prince, which wasn’t easy, but once I did, I managed to calm myself.
“Did he?” I was more than a little stunned by this.
“It’s not something any of his…mencan do,” the prince said, and instantly I understood.
“Ah, yes.” I nodded. “Go on.”
As a woman warrior, I was a rare breed. The only one with any real experience and skill in the city… perhaps in the entire kingdom. Usually it meant I missed out on opportunities, most employers preferring a swordsman over a swordswoman, but in this case, apparently it was a boon. A rare instance indeed. I still didn’t know what the prince wanted, but things were quickly being narrowed down.
As my mind worked to figure out what it could be, the prince grew a bit awkward and hesitant. He cleared his throat.
“I… ah… have need of a guard, for a woman…friendof mine.”
“With all respect Your Highness, it’s probably best if you tell her everything,” Kel said. His deep voice sent a shock of remembrance through me. I recalled how he’d whispered in my ear as we’d lain exhausted in each other’s arms, his thick, pulsingcock still heavy inside me after a moment of passion, stolen from the night.
Clenching my jaw, I dispelled those thoughts and listened.
The prince cleared his throat again. This time he was slightly more forthright. “You may have heard I’ve taken a mistress.”
I had, but only in passing. I didn’t really follow the lives of the royals.
He sighed heavily. “I…” He licked his lips and decided not to say whatever that had been. Instead he drew a breath and started again.
“My mother has forbidden me to see the woman.”
I didn’t blame the queen. Prince Victor was a married man with three children, one of whom — Princess Anastasia — was nearly a grown woman herself at fourteen. And his wife, Princess Kira, was from Ossara and any infidelity could hinder our relations with that neighboring nation. It was quite the scandal that Victor had taken up with some unknown woman at a palace ball.
The prince squared his shoulders. “But I am a grown man and I will do as I wish. I love Veora and she loves me. And though it might damn me, I will see her again!” The vehemence with which he said this startled me. He must truly love this woman, even if that made him a cheating bastard like Kel. Not that I would say anything to the prince.
He continued, “Yet I am under constant scrutiny and I cannot leave the palace without guards and a procession most days. I was lucky to make it here with just Captain Drakoson today, and that required special planning. Hence, I cannot sneak out to go to her.”
The pieces were falling into place.
“So,” the prince said, resuming a more neutral tone, “I require someone who is discreet and capable to escort and protect my beloved and sneak her into the palace to be withme. I will give you all the information you need to get past the guards at the servant’s gate, but you will not be able to carry any weapons, nothing larger than a dagger. Kelric assures me you are more than capable at unarmed combat. As well, I will let you know of secret passages within the palace you can use to get her to my rooms. I will be entrusting you not only with royal secrets but the life of my beloved. So… can you do this for me, Tisera Halvensdaughter?”
Could I? Yes.
Would I?
Helping an immoral prince and his lover on the word of my bastard ex-lover? I didn’t know.
The real question was: did I have a choice?
