The Most Powerful of Kings

by Jackie Ashenden

  ‘An interesting theory, but you’re wrong.’ He sat forward again, glancing down at the screen so he wouldn’t have to look at her face, wouldn’t feel the tug of curiosity that pulled at him, making him want to ask her more about how the nuns had treated her, why she’d felt so lonely, and more about the ways in which she’d been disobedient.

  You could get her to be disobedient. Very disobedient...

  ‘My daughter gets plenty of attention,’ he went on, shoving that particular thought aside. ‘She has many people who give her nothing but attention day in and day out. She’s—’

  ‘I believe she needs attention from you.’

  Adonis blinked at his computer screen. This was the second time in as many days that she’d interrupted him.

  Then what she’d actually said penetrated.

  Attention from him.

  You can’t give it.

  No. At least not the kind of attention he thought Anna probably meant. He was not that kind of father. He was a king first and foremost, and everything else came second. Even his daughter. Already, he’d noticed that Ione was too much like he had been as a child. Wild and rowdy and demanding, her emotions all over the place, and he knew where that led. He had to make sure she didn’t make the same mistakes he had.

  Attention wouldn’t cure that, only discipline could.

  Adonis pushed his chair back and stood up, staring down at the little nun on the other side of his desk, knowing he was being deliberately intimidating and not caring. He would not have his decisions questioned, and certainly not by her. If she needed a lesson in respect, he would deliver one.

  Her eyes widened as he stood, but she didn’t lower her gaze. Didn’t lower that insolent little chin either. She stood her ground, watching him as he stalked around the side of his desk, coming over to her and staring down at her from his far greater height.

  ‘I suggest, Sister Anna, that you remember your place.’ He didn’t bother to soften his voice this time. ‘If I wanted your opinions on how I parent my child then I would ask for them. But I do not. Seeing as how you are a childless, sheltered nun, I fail to see why you would think your opinions should matter to anyone at all.’

  A dull flush crept over her cheeks, her lovely mouth hardening, the pulse at the base of her throat beating fast. He thought she might turn around and run away weeping, since that had been his late wife’s response when he’d had occasion to lay down the law. Sophia had never been able to handle his coldness.

  But Anna didn’t burst into tears or run away. It was likely he’d hurt her, and if so then good, because she had to understand who she was dealing with. But he was also sure that the spark of pure silver that lit up in her gaze wasn’t only hurt. It was temper as well.

  Dangerous.

  No, it wasn’t dangerous. He wasn’t in the gym now; this was his office and he was in perfect control of himself, regardless of their chemistry.

  She opened her mouth as if to speak, then shut it again, her hands at her sides and clenched into fists. It was clear that she was struggling with her temper. Taking a deep breath, the fabric of her dress pulling tight across those lovely breasts, she said, ‘I’m not questioning your parenting decisions, and I’m sorry if it came across as if I were. But you wanted me to report every evening on the progress Ione is making and so here I am, giving you a report.’

  Interesting that she’d managed to keep herself under control. Perversely, it made him want to push her harder, to test her mettle. She smelled of lavender, a prosaic, homey kind of scent, with something a little sweeter and muskier beneath it, and he found he didn’t have it in him to step away just yet.

  ‘A report is a factual account of the day’s events, not your very under-qualified opinion,’ he said implacably, watching the temper ebbing and flowing across her pretty face.

  The spark in her eyes glowed hotter. ‘I’m well aware of my lack of qualifications. You don’t need to remind me. But I only want to do what’s right for your daughter.’

  She should back down, she really should. There could be no good outcome from standing up to him like this.

  But you like it.

  A part of him did. A part of him liked how she didn’t back away, fascinated by the stubborn lift of her chin and the spark in her eyes.

  He’d once felt things the way she did, deeply and passionately. But it was so long ago now, he barely remembered it.

  ‘I know what’s right for my daughter.’ He held her gaze. ‘Because I’m her father. You’re a person she spent a couple of hours with and that’s all.’

  The flush in her cheeks became scarlet. ‘You wanted me to help her and that’s exactly what I’m doing. It’s not my fault you don’t like what I’m telling you.’

  He shouldn’t get any closer, but somehow he’d taken another step forward anyway, close enough to feel the heat her curvy little body was throwing out, see the lighter flecks in her eyes, making it seem as if they were shimmering.

  Was she deliberately inciting him? It certainly felt like it. He’d told her to give him some respect twice now, and yet here she was, still talking back, having not listened to a thing he said. She hadn’t learned her lesson. She hadn’t learned it at all.

  Why do you care whether she learns it or not? Isn’t your control supposed to be perfect?

  It was. But his patience wasn’t limitless and everyone had a line. And she was innocent. She wouldn’t understand what this kind of pushing did to a man like him. The man behind the king.

  He hadn’t thought of that man for a long, long time. He thought he’d crushed the remaining shreds of him the day Xerxes had been banished from Axios, the last vestiges of the selfish, out-of-control child he’d once been, who hadn’t listened to what his father was trying to teach him. The rebellious teenager whose refusal to learn had got his brother hurt.

  There shouldn’t have been anything left of that man at all now.

  Apparently, though, he was wrong. The man wasn’t as dead as he’d first thought. He was still there and hungry for what he couldn’t ever allow himself to have.

  A pretty, sweet, innocent woman.

  Then again, she wasn’t so sweet, was she? She had a bite to her and he liked that. He liked that far too much.

  ‘You’d better be careful what you say to me,’ he murmured. ‘I like a fight, little nun. And if you challenge me, I will answer it.’

  Her jaw tightened. She looked furious. ‘I’m just trying to—’

  But Adonis had had enough. He lifted a hand and laid his finger across that pretty mouth. ‘The hole you’re in is getting deeper by the second. I suggest you stop digging.’

  Her lips were soft against his skin and very warm, and her eyes had widened. It was a mistake to touch her and he knew that, but she wasn’t listening to him and he had to get her to stop somehow.

  Better a finger over her lips than his own mouth, which was what he wanted to put there.

  Shock flickered over her face, the pulse at the base of her throat beating even faster.

  He took his finger away, the warmth of her mouth lingering on his skin. ‘Have you finished?’

  ‘Yes.’ Her voice was thick and slightly unsteady.

  ‘Then you may go.’

  Her throat moved and for a second she stared at him as if she’d never seen him before in her entire life. Then she turned abruptly and walked to the door, flung it open, and went out.

  And he was not disappointed about that. Not disappointed at all.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ANNA PULLED THE ice-blue dress over her head again and smoothed it down once more. Then she took a breath and tried to calm herself. Her heartbeat was thumping loudly in her ears and the nervous flutter in her gut that happened whenever she thought of the king was fluttering even harder.

  She didn’t want to check her appearance in the mirror, because she wasn’t su
pposed to care what she looked like. It wasn’t supposed to matter that she was wearing the same dress for the second night in a row. Her clothing was unimportant.

  What was important was that the afternoon she’d spent with Ione had gone well—or, at least, nothing had ended up being broken. She’d asked Ione to take her on a tour of the palace, chatting to the little girl as they went, and it soon became obvious that Ione worshipped her father. It was all ‘Papa said this’ and ‘Papa said that’. But it was also plain that Papa was always very busy and didn’t spend much time with his daughter.

  Anna understood—a king was very busy. But she did wonder why it was that he couldn’t take a couple of moments out of his day to chat to her, hug her, give her some praise, because it was clear that Ione was crying out for it.

  She was a bright, sparky, emotional kid who was plainly lonely. And Anna knew how that felt. How it was possible to be surrounded by people all the time and yet still feel as if you were on your own.

  It didn’t help that after a bit of investigation, Anna discovered that the little girl had no friends her own age. Puzzled, she’d questioned the nanny about it, and the nanny had explained that the lack of friends was a security issue. Ione was the king’s only heir and he protected her zealously.

  The thought of Ione’s loneliness made Anna’s own heart sore and it cemented her decision to do what she could to help the little girl.

  She thought about taking Ione into Itheus for ice cream, but after looking at the list of things she wasn’t permitted to do, Anna soon realised that the princess wasn’t allowed out of the palace without a contingent of guards in attendance, which severely limited her plans.

  In fact, there seemed to be many things Ione wasn’t permitted to do and Anna couldn’t help wondering if those rules were all really necessary. She was such a sparky, intelligent kid and it was likely some of her behavioural issues weren’t all to do with loneliness, but had a bit of boredom mixed in there as well.

  Anna touched her hair nervously. Given how the king had reacted the night before, she was reluctant to bring these issues to his attention, but if she didn’t speak up for Ione, then who would?

  ‘I know what’s right for Ione. I’m her father. You’re a person she spent a couple of hours with, nothing more...’

  A flare of volatile anger licked up inside her, but she fought it down. She couldn’t lose her temper again the way she had the day before. She couldn’t let the king get to her, no matter how rude or dismissive he was. She’d overstepped the mark and badly and he’d...

  The memory of his finger on her mouth washed over her, the heat of his skin like a brand, and even now, nearly a whole day later, she could still feel the imprint of it against her lips. She’d never been touched by a man before anywhere, let alone on her mouth, and, since she had no idea how to handle it, she’d solved the issue by not thinking about it at all.

  Except she couldn’t help but think of it now, of him standing so close, towering like a mountain over her. She’d never been that close to a man before either and maybe she should have been afraid, because he’d made her suddenly aware of how much bigger he was than her and how much more powerful. Yet it hadn’t been fear that had gripped her but anger. She’d been furious at him for dismissing her and what she had to say as if it didn’t matter. As if he hadn’t been the one to order her to report to him every night on his daughter’s progress.

  She might have been the one insisting on staying in Axios, but he’d wanted her to help with his daughter’s behaviour and so she would. It was important. And spending more time with Ione only made her realise just how important.

  The king had certain...thoughts about his role as a father, clearly, which being a king exacerbated. He certainly didn’t like being told he was neglectful—which she hadn’t meant at all—but she seemed to have hit a nerve when she’d mentioned that perhaps what Ione needed was his attention.

  She’d have to go carefully and stay calm if she was going to tackle this.

  And definitely do not think about him touching your mouth.

  No, most especially not that.

  The guard knocked on schedule and Anna gave her dress one last smooth down before following him along the echoing palace corridors to the king’s office once again.

  This time the king was in a meeting and Anna had to wait in the corridor outside until finally a group of people came out of the room, talking amongst themselves.

  The king was standing in the middle of the room, looking down at a piece of paper he held in one hand and frowning at it. He wore plain, dark grey suit trousers and a dark blue shirt open at the neck, and again the sleeves were rolled up.

  His roughly handsome blunt features were set in their usual granite lines, betraying absolutely nothing, and his posture was imposing, those broad shoulders giving no sign of weariness. Yet...she couldn’t shake the impression that he was...tired somehow.

  Perhaps she didn’t need to bring her thoughts about Ione to him tonight. Perhaps she should just give him what he’d requested—a factual account of events—and leave it at that.

  ‘Enter,’ he said, not looking up as she came into the room.

  The guard closed the door and silence descended as the king continued to read whatever was on that piece of paper.

  Anna looked around, noticing that on the low table near the couch some refreshments had been laid out. Cheeses and olives and various different breads. A bottle of white wine, condensation beading the green glass, was standing next to the food, along with some glasses. It all looked untouched; obviously the meeting had been a serious one with no time for relaxation.

  Without thinking, she went over to the coffee table, poured out a glass of the wine and came over to where he stood.

  ‘Here,’ she said, holding out the glass to him. ‘You look like you could do with this.’

  He looked up, surprise crossing his features as he glanced at the wine in her hand then back at her again. For a second she thought he might refuse, but then he reached for the glass and took it from her. ‘Thank you.’ His blue gaze was customarily sharp and cold, and she felt again the burn of his touch on her lips, sensitising her mouth and making her breath catch.

  No, she shouldn’t be thinking of that. Shouldn’t be thinking about what he’d meant when he’d told her how he liked a fight. How if she challenged him he’d accept it. What would it mean to fight him? She didn’t imagine he meant actual fighting and, given that there had been something flickering in the depths of his icy blue gaze, he’d probably meant...

  You know what it means.

  Heat stole through her and her skin prickled. She shouldn’t be thinking about this, about any of this. She was here for Ione, first of all, and to do her duty to the Reverend Mother, second. She couldn’t allow herself to be sidetracked by inappropriate thoughts.

  ‘What was that for?’ the king asked.

  ‘The wine?’ She lifted a shoulder. ‘You looked like you needed it.’

  His gaze narrowed, but he didn’t say anything else, raising the glass to his lips and taking a sip. ‘Your report, please.’

  It looked as if he was in no mood for chit-chat, which was fine. It was probably a good idea not to spend too much time in his company anyway.

  Anna straightened and gave him a brief rundown on what she and Ione had done. ‘Nothing got broken today at least,’ she said as she finished up. ‘And tomorrow I’d like to take her into Itheus for some ice cream and maybe a visit to a playground.’

  ‘I see.’ The king looked down at his paper again, sipping absently at his glass of wine.

  Anna briefly tossed up whether to mention she wanted to take Ione without her usual phalanx of guards or whether to tackle that issue tomorrow. Then again, if she wanted to take Ione without the guards, she’d need the king’s approval and she might not be able to get it in time if she waited. She might as well ask
him now, while he was here.

  ‘I was thinking,’ she began hesitantly, ‘that it would be good to take her without a guard detail. Or at least not one so large.’

  The king didn’t even look up. ‘No.’

  Anna was conscious of the kick of her temper and firmed her grip on it. ‘It wouldn’t be for long,’ she tried again. ‘Just for an hour—’

  ‘What part of no don’t you understand?’ He looked up from his paper, an icy glitter in his eyes. ‘Ione will go nowhere without her guards.’

  Last night his curt dismissal had irritated her unreasonably. Tonight though, for some reason, it didn’t annoy her quite as much and she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because she sensed that there was something deeper going on here. He was tired, she knew that, and she could also sense his distraction. He clearly had a lot on his mind.

  He was so hard and so powerful and so cold, and it was easy to assume that as a king he was somehow superhuman. He certainly looked it. Yet he wasn’t. He was just a man, just a human being as she was.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ she asked before she could think better of it.

  Surprise flickered across his features and then was gone. ‘No. What makes you say that?’

  ‘You just look...tired.’

  He said nothing for a moment, then abruptly turned and went over to his desk, putting the wine and the paper he’d been holding down on it. ‘It’s none of your concern. Is that all?’

  His posture was very tense and she had the strangest impulse to go over to him and put a hand on his back, to ease the stiffness from him. It was very odd to feel such sympathy for him. Especially considering how arrogant and autocratic he was towards her.

  Clasping her hands together instead, she said, ‘No, not quite all. I didn’t mean to take Ione without any guards at all. Perhaps just Hesta and one other. And the rest could—’

  ‘Why?’ he interrupted yet again, turning and pinning her in place with his cold blue stare. ‘What is this insistence on taking her out of the palace?’