Warrior Prince (8 page)

He nodded. "I'll meet you in the library after dinner. Have you told him?"

I stood and headed for the door. "I'm seeing him now."

"Does she know you're doing this?"

Surprised, I turned back. "No. She can't."

A shadow briefly fell over his eyes, followed by contemplation.

"What's she like?"

Guarded but honest. Self-protective yet recklessly brave. Maddeningly provocative with an iron will and discipline. Instinctive emotion and analytical intellect.

A beautiful strength as deadly as a blade's edge.

I smiled. "She's different."

THIRTEEN

"Difficulty breathing, accelerated heart rate." Ewan continued his report. "All symptoms pointed to a panic attack."

Learning about Naida's past in the hospital's windowless elemental wing would've been suffocating. She didn't like feeling constrained.

"Nexa confirmed the nightmares started about three months ago," Garreth added. "She didn't believe they were visions."

Which meant she wasn't getting much sleep.

At the start of every school year, gardinels closely monitored potential recruits for elite selection in November. I'd hoped to return by then, but everything took longer than I anticipated.

Garreth had kept me updated on her progress, but it wasn't the same.

I should've been here. "Has she lost control of her Virtue in training?"

"Not yet. But when she chased after that Aquidae in the Trident…" Ewan gave a small shudder. "I've never experienced that kind of pull."

Occasionally, there were ondines who couldn't handle the full power of their Virtue. It usually resulted from an inability to accept and effectively incorporate magic into their lives.

Naida had struggled with it and now her daughter was, too.

My chest tightened. We had to figure out the source of the imbalance.

The door opened.

"Why are you always in my office?" Gabe strode in with an impressive scowl. "Don't you have a better meeting place?"

Ewan shrugged."Nope."

Along with Adrian, Garreth and Ewan formed my inner circle. Since they taught in the elite program and were assigned to Kendra and her friends, it was easier to meet at the Training Center than at the Governing House.

Gabe dropped a pile of folders on his desk. "Where's Adrian?"

"With Chloe." He looked more stressed than usual. "What happened?"

He sat behind his desk and gave a deep exhale. "Julian just got back. The nix group he infiltrated turned out to be Ian's."

"What?" Ewan straightened. "Did he find out what they're up to?"

"Not exactly." Gabe frowned. "Ian's story seems to check out. They're not working with Aquidae."

He sounded terribly disappointed.

"Nixes lie," Garreth said gruffly.

"He's right." Ewan crossed his arms. "And there's something about him I don't trust."

Gabe shot me a pointed look. "I don't like that he's still here. Come on, Tristan. The Royal Gardens?"

"It's not your call to make," I said calmly. "Ian stays."

Ewan shifted, uncomfortable. "Your Highness. He's a nix."

Rhian and I viewed Ian in the same way. Our protection extended to whoever was important to Kendra.

"Until I say otherwise, he is considered a guest of myself and the Governor."

"But —"

"Leave it."

Gabe frowned at my tone, but it effectively ended the discussion. Ian wasn't the one I was worried about.

I'd given her space since I returned. It was time to close the distance.

"Where is the
sondaleur
?"

"Headed for the woods behind the Academy," Ewan said. "Do you want me to find her?"

I shook my head. "Check in with her at curfew."

I already knew where she was.

Jasmine and rose entwined with the salt of the ocean. It was a scent that had haunted my nights for six months.

She stood along the shore of the cove, body tiny before the expanse of the ocean that stretched before her.

The waters roiled, the underlying power strong enough to pull anyone down into its depths.

"I prefer the winter seas."

"Your Highness?"

She didn't face me. I wondered how often she came here while I was gone.

"The ocean comes alive during the cold months. It's different from the calm of the summer waters."

Hands were shoved deep into her pockets, tension radiating off her set shoulders. It'd always been so easy to read the moods that clung to her like gossamer filaments.

Now it was loneliness. Sadness bolstered by defiance.

A surge of tender empathy swept through me. The hospital visit must've been difficult.

"You've changed," I said softly.

"That's what happens when time passes."

I needed her to look at me. "Kendra."

The tiniest shiver in her shoulders, and then she turned.

It was the difference between a gardinel just out of training, and one who'd gained real life experience.

Wild beauty had matured. There was a little less softness, a little more hardness around the edges.

But those fascinating green pools remained the same.

I fell into those expressive eyes, into the dark, complex depths that called to me the same way water did.
 

And for one brief moment, I glimpsed the raw vulnerability from that day six months ago.

Then the walls slammed down. Expression hardened into the mask she needed.

And the fact that she now used it with me made my chest hurt.

"Things are different now, Your Highness."

FOURTEEN

Frustration boiled under my skin.

Julian took care of it
.

He may've taken care of the immediate problem, but he hadn't taken care of her. Just remembering that deadened look in her eyes made me want to find the First Lieutenant and knock sense into him.

Light trickled through the partially open door. I took a deep breath and brought my emotions under control before stepping in. I didn't want to worry her further.

"Is she all right?"

"You should get some rest," I said.

"Is it so bad you can't bear to tell me?"

I poured myself a scotch and joined her on the sofa. "She's not doing well. There was a great deal of Aquidae blood on her tonight."

She exhaled. "I see."

For the first time, the Governor's indomitable spirit appeared severely weakened.

Since the attack on Marcella, Rhian's elegant face had aged another twenty years. Lines deepened around her eyes and mouth, streaks of gray coloring her once raven hair.

Her own scars of war.

"You must think I'm a terrible grandmother."

I frowned. "Of course not."

"I have not been able to protect my family."

"It's war. Not you."

The Shadow had taken both her daughters and now targeted her granddaughter.

There was no way to ease that kind of grief.

"I found several old photos of Eleri and me taken during one of your visits."

Mother and I used to stay at the Governing House several time a year. Eric was busy training and Dax hadn't been born yet.

Sometimes my father joined us, especially when he had royal matters to attend to.

"Did you enjoy your time here?"

I glanced down at the amber liquid. "They are some of my fondest memories."

Much as I loved my kingdom, I enjoyed spending time away.

Perhaps my desire to stay in Haverleau began from that far back.

"Your father called yesterday to rail about your presence here."

Damn it. "I apologize. He can be —"

"Ancelin is a stubborn ass," Rhian huffed. "Don't let him bully you into doing what he wants."

My mouth quirked. "Never."

"Eleri used to complain about how hard-headed he was. He's just gotten worse over the years. Your father is a good man. But he hasn't been fair to you."

I took another long swallow, unwilling to answer.

Her hand suddenly touched my arm. "She worried about you."

The nostalgic warmth in Rhian's voice reminded me of how my mother used to wait for me at the palace entrance.

It didn't matter how late it was or how long I was gone.

She'd stand there, tall and elegant, sparkling eyes hinting at mischief, and welcome me home.

And when I returned after the unimaginable, she was there.

Waiting since the day I set out after him.

I passed her the pedaillon.

I'd polished and cleaned it until it shone. Not a trace of demonic blood remained.

She stared, silent tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Mother."

I didn't know what else to say.

She looked up, tracks of moisture glistening on soft cheeks.

"Oh, Tristan. I'm not crying for Eric. I'm crying for you."

The tears had lasted a long time.

"I know," I said quietly.

"You have the same kind of strength."

Surprised, I glanced up at her.

"It's the strength of the ocean, born of fluid resilience and the ability to ebb and flow over time." She paused. "You're the one that will believe when Kendra will not."

It was a startling statement.

"After I'm gone, it will be you, Nexa, and Augustin," she continued. "But you are the only one on the Council. The one who can protect her and see this through to the end."

I met her eyes. "I would give my life to save hers."

"I know. But that's not what I'm asking." She sighed. "One must never lose hope, Prince Belicoux. And I ask you to make sure she never loses it, too."

Silence fell.

And I knew what the unspoken words were.

Before it's too late.

FIFTEEN

She led the way, back slightly bent, arm loosely gripping her blade. Ian and Aubrey followed her into the trees along the western border.

The thick night and restless wind swallowed them.

I called Garreth. "They're in."

There was nothing left to do but wait.

"You know you have no right."

"Never said I did," I said calmly. "Didn't you want to say anything before she went in?"

Air shifted, carrying the scent I first caught when I stepped out of the car.

The First Lieutenant came forward to stand beside me. "I'm sure you said everything she needed to hear."

He made it sound as if I were the most boring person in the world.

"Better than saying nothing while she's in trouble."

"You don't know her," he countered.

"And you do?"

Most men ran at the tone I used. But Julian crossed his arms and gave me a challenging look.

"You left for six months, Your Highness."

"Yes." He had no understanding of what I did. "There were issues that needed —"

"I'm sure. But don't expect everything to be the same as it was when you left. She doesn't trust you any more."

I ignored the doubt those words ignited. "The
sondaleur
and I work together. We couldn't do that if there was no trust."

He laughed. "You're such a hypocrite."

I concentrated on keeping my hands by my side. My nerves were already on edge and this asshole was pushing every button.

"What do you mean?"

Don't test me.

"The Warrior Prince always talking about duty and responsibility." He stepped closer. "And yet you're risking the future of the one person who can end this war."

"There are different kinds of dangers, Lieutenant. You only see one kind and in doing so, you risked her well-being."

"I was the one who was here for her."

"Were you?" I made sure he saw the accusation in my eyes. "Did you really help her? Because all I see is a selfish ass who used her."

"What did you just say to—"

"Admit it. You need her, Julian." Anger uncoiled fast, writhing like a snake in my gut. "The
sondaleur
and the demillir with a Virtue. All those distractions, adrenaline rushes, risk-taking never quite takes it away. But she eases it, doesn't she?"

For one moment, I thought he'd hit me.

But then he reverted to his usual cool mask. "Nothing wrong with need, Your Highness."

I struggled to resist knocking that smirk right off his face.

"As long as it's balanced." Crossing my arms kept them in check. "You need her. But you don't know what she needs. You can't give to her the way she can to you."

I knew Julian cared about her and I wasn't so much of a bastard that I couldn't appreciate that. But he placed Kendra at risk and that was something I couldn't accept.

"I might not live up to your standards, Your Highness. But at least I can give her a life. A future. You can't even give her something as basic as that."

"That's true," I murmured. "But there is one thing I can give."

I remembered how she shone in that San Aurelio club. Every part of her bursting with vibrance, straining for freedom and independence in a limited world.

"I'm willing to let her go so she can find what she needs for her life. I want her to choose for herself." I turned away from him. "Have you ever given her a choice? Or have you always demanded what you need from her?"

I didn't have to see his face to know the answer. I'd seen it at Cafe Riviere a few weeks ago.

SUVs pulled up behind my car. Gardinels and chevaliers poured out, taking up their assigned positions.

Julian lowered his voice, but not its intensity. "You're going to lose her."

"I never had her to begin with." I stepped away. "None of us own her, Julian. Not me, not you. Not a prophecy, elementals, or this war. She belongs to herself."

I joined my men, focusing on the logistics of what lay ahead.

A ring of selkies and demillirs circled the area, all connected and unified in purpose.

For Gabe and Marcella. For Lyle, Drogo, Romilly, and Bran.

For Haverleau's children and the ondine brave enough to walk in first.

But despite everything I did to treat this as a normal mission, I couldn't.

This was her.