Why did Emmeric react that way when he saw her? Could it be there was more to his story than what he had told them? Zane wouldn’t blame him if that was the case. He’d do the same thing. Uther wouldn’t care what Emmeric had done to survive, though. If he found the soldier had consorted with the enemy in any capacity, then it would be a death sentence. Zane found himself wanting to protect Emmeric from the emperor. He’d ask him privately why he reacted the way he did before they reached Athusia.
He had been hoping this task would have taken longer, but maybe his father would leave him alone for a while after he delivered the girl.
Zane steeled himself against the guilt threatening to overtake him. He was fully aware of the immoral acts his father performed behind closed doors. And he was delivering this slip of a woman directly to him, without even questioningwhy.
Survival came at any cost.
Chapter 17
Emmeric
Chilly autumn air wrapped around them as they rode through the night. Iyana had been sitting as straight as humanly possible in an attempt to keep space between her and Emmeric. Eventually she began to flag, her body relaxing into his, then jerking back away. Eventually she fell asleep slumped against his chest, sheer exhaustion dragging her under. He kept his arms bracketed around her tightly to keep her from falling. Her body was so warm against his, her lavender-coconut scent surrounding him, and he fought the urge to curl into her. But something told him she wouldn’t appreciate waking up being cuddled by a man she loathed. And he needed to keep up appearances for Zane.
Speaking of Zane… While Iyana was sleeping, Emmeric and Talon dropped off the back of the group so they wouldn’t be overheard. Still, they whispered as a precaution.
“You wanna tell me what’s going on between you and Zane?” he asked.
“Nothing,” said Talon, still looking straight ahead. The burgeoning dawn let Emmeric see Talon’s left eyelid twitch—his tell.
“You can’t lie to me, Tal,” he said. “Seriously, you’ve made him smileandlaugh. I’ve never seen him do either of those things in the past ten years.”
Talon sighed. “We flirted a bit the other night.”
Emmeric’s eyebrows shot up. “Theprinceflirted with you? The prince we’ve only ever seen with women?”
Tal shrugged. “Doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t like men, too.” He sighed. “I don’t know, man, but I feel bad for him.”
“Feel bad for him?” Emmeric parroted.
“He’s lonely, Em,” said Talon, gesturing towards Zane. “I asked him the other night, and he hasnobodyto talk to. About anything. He needs a friend.” Emmeric still couldn’t grasp the concept of Talon beingfriendswith the crown prince. “I mean, we’ve seen his life. His dad is a jackass, and if he’s not out of the city, then he’s in his room by himself. The women have never lingered. And I—I’ve noticed in the past there are times, when his father is in an especially foul mood, Zane won’t leave his room for days after an audience. And when he does he’s more guarded, and doesn’t train. I think Uther beats him, Em.”
That was a lot. Emmeric felt bad for never noticing the pattern, but he was there to guard the door and collect his paycheck, not to protect the prince from his own father. Leave it to Tal to observe every detail of the prince’s life, and piece together an entirely different man from the one presented on the outside.
“He seemed to lighten up a lot last night before…” Emmeric nodded towards Iyana, still asleep in front of him. She was drooling slightly; it was adorable.
“What are we going to do about this?” Talon asked.
Emmeric deflated. “I have no ideas. I don’t think I can get her out of here without Zane catching all of us. I’m hoping he’ll come get her.”
“That man with her,” Talon said, “that was…” He left the end of the sentence unspoken.
Emmeric nodded, glancing again at Iyana. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep, instead of the murderous little hell-cat she became whenever he was around. One side of his lips quirked up.
“Old man,” Talon chastised. “You have to stop.”
“Stop what?”
“This,” Tal said, waving his hand between him and Iyana. “For a woman who supposedly means nothing to you, you sure look like you want to wrap her in your arms and never let go. You’re going to get the both of you in trouble. Not to mention, she may never forgive you for kidnapping her.”
“I know, Iknow,” said Emmeric. He tilted his head back and groaned. “She’s in my head, Tal. And I can’t get her out.”
A few hours later, when the sun had risen fully, Emmeric shook Iyana gently to wake her up. Except she didn’t wake up gently, instead flailing, catching Emmericin the gut with an elbow, and almost falling off the horse. He caught her before she toppled over with one arm, the other hand pressed against his bruised ribs.
“What the fuck,” he wheezed.
She sneered at him. “Maybe you deserved it.”
“Maybe next time I’ll let you fall.” He cocked his head, and they stared each other down—Iyana twisted sideways so she could glare at him properly. Neither one wanting to relent first. Emmeric finally gave in. “We’re giving the horses a rest. I thought you might want to walk around a bit.”
