Chapter Twelve
Back at the castle that evening, Treffon sent word that he was busy reviewing security procedures for the pack, but would see Violet in the morning.
She spent a restless night, tossing and turning and replaying scenes of their lovemaking in her head again and again.
There was a knock on the door, far too early, and then Treffon bustled in to her room.
She sat up, hiding a yawn behind her hand.
“Sometimes when people knock, they wait for the other person to say ‘come in’ before they barrel through the door,” she said reproachfully.
“Such people are not responsible for your safety. You did not answer quickly enough and I feared that you had come to harm.” Treffon smiled politely.
Violet kicked the covers off and gave an unladylike snort of disbelief.
“Or you just wanted to see me in my nightie.” She was wearing a lacy white nightgown that barely skimmed her thighs.
“That was an unexpected bonus.” Now his smile grew sensual, and his gaze roved over her body. She felt a rush of moisture between her thighs. Actually, it wasn’t so bad that he wanted to see her in her night-clothes, was it? She loved how sexy he made her feel.
“I came to offer to show you the grounds, but there is no hurry.” He raised his eyebrows. “We could take our time.”
She inclined her head towards the other side of the room, where Dorcas slept in a separate bed concealed by sweeping curtains.
“Ahem. I am sharing a room with my great-aunt.” And right now, she really wished she wasn’t.
“Oh, don’t mind me!” Dorcas yelled out from behind the curtains.
Violet gasped in outrage. “That’s it! You need to go,” she said to Treffon furiously. “I will meet you for breakfast after I get dressed. And you, Dorcas, you should be ashamed! You’re supposed to be a good influence on me!”
She thought she heard Dorcas mutter, “Good luck with that.”
Treffon left, laughing quietly. It wasn’t until after he’d left that she realized this was the first time she’d seen him really laughing; it was something of a miracle to get him even to crack a genuine smile.
After breakfast, she left Dorcas behind with strict instructions – which she was sure her great-aunt would ignore – not to cheat at cards.
Then she and Treffon climbed into a small mini-hovercraft, and they glided out to the far edge of the pack property.
Their craft set down next to what looked like a small village set among the twisting spiral trees. Rows of neat cabins built of the planet’s red-black wood were set amongst the curling tree trunks, with gravel paths running between them. There was a larger building, long and low with a sloped roof, that Violet guessed was a schoolhouse or town hall. But everything was eerily quiet, and when she peered in through the windows of the nearest little house, she saw that it was abandoned.
“What a beautiful little town! But where is everybody?”
“Nobody lives here. It is one of the places where we stage war games,” Treffon said. “However, do not be alarmed. I have instructed my men not to stage any surprise attacks while you are with me. Since you do not seem to enjoy that kind of training.”
Violet looked at him in astonishment. “Would they normally?”
“Of course. On my orders.”
“So you can’t even take a nice relaxing walk without someone jumping on you and trying to kill you?” She was appalled.
He looked confused. “A nice…walk? Where nothing happens? And you just walk?”
She gestured at the otherworldly village with its twisting trees hung with flowering vines. “It’s beautiful here! It should be enjoyed.”
“I suppose.” He didn’t look convinced.
“Here. Humor me. Sit down on the grass.” He complied, and she kneeled down next to him. “I’d tell you to close your eyes, but you’d probably suspect me of trying to murder you,” she said.
He laughed at that. “That is not a concern of mine.”
