Still, Dilys didn’t want to be the kind of man who put himself and his wants and needs before all others. That wasn’t how his father had been. That wasn’t the sort of son his mother had raised.
“Or maybe there is no bond between me and any of the Seasons,” he speculated. “Maybe the reason their laughter powers me more strongly than it does you is because something in their bloodline is particularly well-attuned to something in mine.” He liked that explanation better that the possibility that he was being territorial over a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. Regardless, he needed to know what sort of connection had been formed and who had initiated it. If one of the sisters had forged an emotional tie to him, he needed to pursue it. On the other hand, if he’d inadvertently forged a territorial claim on Summer Coruscate, he needed to undo it so she would be free to explore her interest in Ryll. Whatever the case, Dilys should be able to determine the source of the connection simply by talking to the Seasons and taking each princess’s hand.
He clapped Ari and Ryll on the shoulders. “You two go on back and finish your breakfast.” They’d already filled and consumed three plates of food each, which meant they had a good two or three plates left to go. He started down the hall that led to the terrace from which the laughter of the Seasons was emanating.
“Where are you going?” Ari asked.
Dilys turned around, summoning a grin as he continued walking backward towards his destination. “To find out just how good an impression I made last night.”
Summer and her sisters were still laughing when they stepped through the door that led from the terrace back into the palace. The instant Gabriella crossed the threshold, her “Dilys sensors” started to ping. Her laughter died in her throat. She began looking frantically for a quick escape route, but it was already too late. The tall, devastatingly handsome Sealord had caught sight of them and was heading their way with purpose.
Gabriella took a quick step back behind her sisters as Dilys Merimydion stopped before them and swept a deep, graceful bow.
“Myerialannas. MyerialannaAutumn.” Turning to Autumn, he graced her with a dazzling smile, took her hand, and bent over to press a kiss on the backs of her fingers. “Thank you so much for the pleasure of your company last evening.” Dilys released Autumn’s hand and turned to take Spring’s. “MyerialannaSpring.” Another bow. Another kiss delivered to the backs of Spring’s slender fingers. From another man, the hand kissing might have seemed contrived or overdone. Not with Dilys Merimydion. Like everything else about him, his gesture came across as charming, sincere, and self-assured. “And thank you for your company as well. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion and look forward to an opportunity to continue it. AndMyerialannaSummer...”
As those golden eyes turned their focus upon her, Gabriella shrank back and dropped her gaze, doing her best to appear nervous, uncomfortable, and a little afraid. It wasn’t difficult. Shewasnervous and uncomfortable, and she was alotafraid.
She clenched her hands together so tightly all the blood left her fingers.
“...We did not have the chance to get to know one another a little better,” he was saying. “But I hope that shall soon change?” He reached out a hand in invitation.
She flinched and stepped back, unclenching her hands only long enough to thrust them behind her back. Touching him right now—or ever again, for that matter!—would be a very bad idea. The monster that her shared laughter with her sisters had put to sleep was rousing once more. And it wanted Dilys Merimydion. It wanted him more than it had ever wanted anything. She didn’t dare lay claim to the smallest part of him—not even by so simple and innocent an intimacy as a touch of hands. Because if she did, she would never let him go.
“Ah,” he said. A wash of strong emotions stung her raw senses. Remorse. Guilt. Piercing shame. All his.
She realized that he had interpreted her flinch as something more along the lines of a battered woman shrinking back from a threatening blow. He saw her as fragile—the shy, sheltered rose everyone believed her to be. He thought he’d hurt her tender, defenseless heart with his earlier incautious words, and he despised himself for it.
She should have jumped on that belief and played it up for all it was worth. Instead, she found herself overcome by an instant and overwhelming desire to soothe him and set his mind at ease. Only with great effort did she manage to keep from throwing aside the powerful weapon he’d unwittingly given her. Playing the fragile, wounded flower gave her the perfect excuse to avoid him.
“Forgive me,MyerialannaAutumn,” he said quietly, “but might I have a moment to speak privately with andMyerialannasSpring and Summer?”
Before Autumn could answer, Spring said coolly, “There is nothing you need to say to us, Sealord Merimydion, that requires greater privacy than this. Besides, Autumn already knows what occurred this morning.”
“Ah,” he said again. But rather than squirming in embarrassment as some men might, Dilys nodded and said, “So be it.MyerialannaSpring,MyerialannaSummer, to my shame, you both overheard a conversation that should not have taken place. My cousins were trying to get a rise out of me overMyerialannaSummer’s marked preference for their company last night, and to my shame, they succeeded. My poorly chosen words were naught but a crude shield for my own wounded pride. I came here to court three of Mystral’s most admired and desirable princesses: the Seasons of Summerlea. I led my men to war and stood against a risen god for that honor. To be clear: the opportunity to spend time in the company of any of Your Royal Highnesses is a priceless gift, one I do not intend to squander. I apologize sincerely for any wound my prideful foolishness may have caused, and I beg you both, most humbly, for your forgiveness. If you would, please, I would start anew.”
She could feel his gaze upon her like a physical touch. Every word he spoke rang with sincerity, and the sound of his voice set her senses aflame. The low, melodious cadence was like a drug to her, gorgeous, deep, velvety. She wanted to sink into the sound and wrap it around her. She wanted to lay naked in the sun and have him whisper that seductive magic across her skin. Every cell in her body ached to believe him, to forgive him, to begin anew, to—wait!
Was he...Persuadingher?
She nearly started out of her shoes. Holy Halla!He was!Since coming to adulthood, she’d never met another person—not even the most gifted of her Seahaven relatives—who could actually Persuadeher.But if the Calbernans possessed a strong enough gift to influence her mind, it would explain why they had sensed the strong push of Persuasion she’d used on Dilys last night.
Well, this put a whole different spin on everything.Calbernans possessed the gift of Persuasion.No wonder people everywhere (especially women) found them so charming, so impossible to resist. No wonder they’d been willing to fight a war for the chance to wed their prince to one of the Seasons of Summerlea. Somehow they must have found out about the strong Persuasive gifts that ran through Seahaven’s royal family—a gift her mother’s family worked hard to keep secret, for obvious reasons. Most likely, her father had revealed the information himself as a way to convince the Calbernan mercenaries to support his efforts to retake Summerlea, though obviously he hadn’t mentioned which of his daughters possessed the magic.
Maybe this was the secret ulterior motive Spring had been obsessing about. This courtship wasn’t about claiming a bride with weather magic to help with Calberna’s shipping industry. Dilys Merimydion and his men were seeking to strengthen their own ability to influence and control minds!
The dirty sneaks!
Of course, the fact thatshehad been using her gift to influence and control minds all her life was completely beside the point. She’d never done it for personal gain. If anything, she’d used it to keep herself from being a danger to others.
Obviously Summer wasn’t the only one feeling Dilys’s Persuasion. Spring was actually smiling at Calberna’s prince as she accepted his apology with an uncharacteristic warmth. “Thank you, Sealord. That was a most gracious apology.”
Silence fell... stretched out. Still smiling pleasantly, Spring stepped back and deliberately trod upon Summer’s slipper-clad toes. The sharp pain in her toe snapped Summer to full attention.
“Yes, thank you,” she muttered. She lifted her gaze as far as Dilys’s nose before the peripheral gleam of those golden eyes sent the blood thundering through her veins. Her gaze skittered away. Considering what had happened to her yesterday, the first time she’d met Dilys Merimydion’s gaze, it was possible the Calbernans could Persuade with their eyes as well as their voices. She wasn’t going to risk it. “Most gracious of you.”
Another silence stretched out, then the Sealord cleared his throat and said, “I invite the three of you to join me aboard theKrackenthis evening for dinner and a sail down the fjord to watch the sunset at sea. There are storms out in the western Varyan, so it should be spectacular.”
Autumn and Spring both accepted the invitation, but Summer shook her head. Refusing him took effort. The seductive lure of his Persuasion curled around every word he spoke, making it nearly impossible to deny him. She’d had a lifetime of learning how to deny herself, though, so she managed. “It sounds lovely, but I’m afraid I must decline. I teach at the queen’s new school in town, and I am quite behind on preparing the lessons for next week.”
