Turning her head, she met his gaze, his golden eyes shimmering with emotion. “Althea is King Consort Evanar’s youngest sister.”
His face blanched. “She’s a royal?”
“She is, however, she loves her job and prefers to be treated with the respect that she earns, not just that of which her name evokes.”
“So, Queen Rivka is her niece.” Davin’s voice was quiet, the puzzle pieces in his head starting to click into place.
“Yes.” Alex shrugged, as if the rest were obvious.
“That still doesn’t explain how she knows you on such a personal level, Alex, or why she thought you knew where Queen Rivka was.” He let his words hang in the air between them, waiting patiently for her to respond. Alex didn’t know how to answer. She wasn’t ready to disclose this part of herself to him yet. She knew, deep in her gut, that she could trust him with her life, yet this, this was hers to keep. At least for now. She needed to find Rivka first. Demand the answers that she needed.
“Davin, I-”
A knock sounded on the door, before a novice stuck her head in.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” She said cheerily as she glided into the room, her arms laden with supplies. “Miss Morrows sent me in here to get you all prepped for your stitches.” Her gaze landed on Davin, not deterred by his sudden stiffness or the fact that he had moved closer to Alex, his hand resting on the bed beside her head. “I am sorry, sir, but you will have to wait elsewhere while we stitch her up.”
Davin’s face lit with defiance. Sensing the oncoming argument, Alex reached up and grasped his hand. “It is ok, Davin. I trust them. Go find something to eat, ok?”
He looked down at their joined hands, just a moment, before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “We aren’t finished here.” He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before straightening and heading towards the door.
Alex could only stare as he went. Her forehead tingledwhere his lips had just been. Davin turned, his heated gaze slamming into hers. “Save that look, princess–One day soon, you'll reveal every part of yourself to me, and when that day comes, you’ll regret not trusting me sooner.” He didn’t wait for her response, pulling the door closed quietly behind him.
Alex flopped back on the bed, flustered. The novice moved to her side, lips lifted in a dreamy smile. “That man is a beautiful specimen.” Her eyes met Alex’s as she winked. “If you aren’t interested, I certainly am.”
Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly, her jealousy flaring before she felt a bubble of laughter rise in her throat. The woman was baiting her. “Gods, he is, isn’t he?” Her laughter echoed around the room, melting off some of the tension she had been holding for the past few weeks. “Arrogant bastard knows it though.”
The novice joined in, their laughter sounding out of place in the somber atmosphere of the Med Center. Neither cared. They both needed it. Wiping her eyes, the novice straightened. “Let’s get this done. Althea will have my head if you’re not ready when she returns, and I can’t afford another demerit. Besides, the faster you are stitched up, the faster you and Mr. Gorgeous can get home.”
“Oh, we aren’t..I mean..it’s not...” Alex stammered, tripping over her words in a hurry to deny that they were a couple, but she couldn’t quite get the words out. The novice just smiled a knowing smile and began her prep, ignoring the blush staining Alex’s face.By Sindu, that man is going to be the death of me.
Chapter Forty
Prince At Sea
Tristan
The waves crashed against the bow of The Emerald of Rune, the green and gold of the sails, making the water spray appear discolored. Tristan stood at the railing, his stance wide for balance, looking out over the endless expanse of water. They had been sailing for seven days straight. The Morrows lay ahead, just over the horizon somewhere, and they should make port in Gleann by morning.
Tristan hadn’t been too surprised when his mother had barely acknowledged his request to travel to the Morrows. She didn’t care what he did, as long as he provided an heir, and that was something that had never interested him. He knew any daughter he produced would be molded into her image, to rule as she saw fit. He never could stomach the idea of that happening.
They had never been close, him and her, but she was stillhis mother. His flesh and blood. Tristan had always been closer with his father; Gods rest his soul. Fredrick Morris had been a kind man who always found the good in everything. Tristan had inherited his green eyes, his build, and his softness, if his mother was to be believed. Fredrick could make anyone feel at ease around him; his laughter infectious. Tristan had never truly known what his father had seen in his mother; they were so ill suited for one another. Her cruelty and hatred clashed against his kindness and optimism.
Tristan was young when his father passed on, and he was forbidden to speak of him again after his death. He had never been told how he died, though he had asked many times. It was as if he had never existed at all. Life had just gone on.
The twins were nothing like Fredrick, in appearance or demeanor. Tristan often wondered if they were truly his to begin with. No, they had taken after their mother, their cruelty almost surpassing hers at times. Though they were several years younger than him, Tristan had never felt any brotherly love towards them, only obligation. He had been cleaning up their messes since they learned to walk.
He still had not gathered any evidence to dispel Erik’s claims of killing Alexandria. Tristan’s gut told him that Erik truly believed his claim. Their mother had been indulgent with the twins since their return, allowing them to throw lavish soirees, entertaining every whim they fancied. Meanwhile, she had Luther fueling the fire of their supposed attack in Varon, spreading rumors in just the right way, so that they weren’t traced directly back to her.
The growing unrest between the provinces was becoming dangerous, toeing the line of war. Rivka and Ellis' sudden disappearance had created a huge rift. She was so beloved that the provinces were all placing blame on one another, demanding that she be returned safely. To make matters worse,with Alexandria no longer leading the Recovery Battalions, the attacks and plundering had increased tenfold.
Tristan had to find Rivka. And Ellis. He just hoped that he wasn’t too late, that he would get to be there when his child took their first breath. It was his own doing that put him in this spot. He had ensured the information on their whereabouts was withheld from him.
His thoughts drifted back to the last conversation he had with Ellis, in his sitting room, the morning after the Treaty Ball. Ellis had been so angry with him, and he didn’t blame him one bit. He was disgusted with himself. He should have known that his mother was scheming again. However, he had never considered that she was capable of such vile and despicable deceit. He recognized he was as much of a victim in this as Rivka, but he blamed himself, nonetheless.
The argument with his mother and Luther, where they had confessed to drugging them to force them into sex, had changed something in him. He had been livid with her. The pulsing anger that had built inside him barrelled alongside his incessant self loathing, eroding the false security of the Rune name. It had been his breaking point. His line in the sand. He was done with Vivian, mother or not. He wanted nothing more to do with Rune, but he had to be smart, to play her game just right. Tristan would not let her win this time. He hadn’t quite figured out her long game yet, but he would, and when he did, he would do whatever it took to stop her.
Tristan would forever remember the look on Ellis’ face when he burst into his room that morning, ramming him into the wall. Tristan had let him. Had wanted to feel the bite of pain from Ellis’ fist, slamming into his face. He deserved no less for the harm his family had caused, the harmhehad caused. It devastated him to see such hatred shimmering in Ellis’ eyes, to know that it was him it was directed toward. Tristan had heldon to the hope that as they grew into adulthood, they might regain the friendship they had lost as teenagers, but it seemed as if fate had yet again intervened, destroying any chance of reconciliation. Too much lay between them. Ellis was a good man. Funny, yet level headed. It was why Rivka chose him as her king consort. Hopefully, they will all be able to do this parenting thing together. That is, if they allowed him to be a part of their lives at all. He couldn’t fathom that thought.
