“I hope I’m not about to get fired,” I muttered. As I had no doubt Jessica would steal my blanket and do whatever necessary to get me on the move, I gave up fighting her and lurched upright.
My back creaked and protested, and I sucked in a breath as a hiss.
“Back hurt?”
“You could say that.”
“You scraped the bench when you fell. You hit your head, too, but the doctors don’t think you did any actual damage. No headache?”
I shook my head, which informed me nothing was all right from the neck down. “I think I’d prefer a headache over the aching back.”
Jessica scooted back on the bed and poked at my back. Then she hissed in sympathy. “You’re knotted to hell. No wonder. Scratch what I said about a shower. Get dressed, and while you’re doing that, I’ll go mug someone for some swimming trunks for you. We’ll hit the hot tub. That’ll help more than anything. I could use a soak, too. And I’ll talk the kitchen into sending us something to nibble on.”
While uncertain, I nodded and did as she asked, and as soon as Jessica determined I’d cooperate with her plans, she swept out of the room. Without her holding the entirety of my attention, I took a moment to explore, amazed at how a room could seem so cozy yet opulent at the same time. Even the dressers oozed luxury, decorated with ornate wood carvings of running horses. The bathroom, which featured a mosaic of a bucking bronco, could fit half my apartment.
I wanted to wear a suit, but there was no sign of a dress shirt or slacks anywhere in the room, leaving me with the choice of running around in my underwear or wearing jeans and another plaid shirt. I was dusting off my hat, which had seen an unfortunate amount of wear and tear, when Jessica strolled into the room. She held up a pair of swimming trunks like a trophy. “I have succeeded in my mission.”
It occurred to me I’d just gotten dressed to have to change again. “Where is the hot tub?”
“An unfortunately long walk away; it’s on the other side of the building near the gardens. There’s a changing room. There’s actually a full sauna there, but I was sternly told that you could go into the hot tub and only the hot tub, and you can only stay in the hot tub for thirty minutes. Your doctors are dictators.”
“I have doctors? As in more than one?”
“For this you do. I lost count of the number of damned specialists Dad called in. Talent flares can cause a lot of problems, and your reaction was a little extreme. He was worried you might’ve damaged your heart. Heart attacks can happen with empaths of all stripes. You’re fine, but a lot of people were poking at you while you were sleeping. I tried to stop them, but I was told to sit down and behave myself because I’m having a bit of a flare, too.”
“You’re the reason it’s storming?”
Her face turned bright red, which I took as an affirmation.
“Why are you flaring, Jessica? Are you all right?”
“You fainted, and I panicked. I want to say it’s not my fault, but it really is. I panicked and lost control. Dad’s right. I’m a storm-called hooligan sometimes, and Mom and Dad are mad because they’re cleaning up my mess because when I flare, everything goes to hell in a hand basket until whatever is making me flares settles down, I’m stuck because I suck at being a waveweaver.”
Apparently, Princess Jessica of Texas had as many issues as I did. “Yet you can go to Galveston every year and diffuse hurricanes on your whim.”
“I’m worse than a one-trick pony. This isn’t quite a hurricane, but the only reason Mom and Dad didn’t slap suppressors on me is because we really need the rain. So they’re diffusing the storm and spreading the storm system as much as they can. The farmers will like me after tomorrow, but nobody likes me today because it’s supposed to be sunny for the auction but we’re wading through mud instead.”
“Suppressors? What are those?”
“They prevent the wearer from using their talent. They’re usually tuned to the wearer, but very few empaths have suppressors made. They don’t need them usually. Me? I’ve got a travel set I keep in my purse, a set that stays at home, and every ranch I visit often has a set. Same with my parents. Our talent is too strong, so if we flare, we pop on a suppressor and wait until our talent settles out. But we needed the rain, and it takes a lot of power to summon a storm during the dry season.”
Despite her calm, confident tone, I worried. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I mean, once the flare ends, I’m going to be next in line for a long nap, and I get crankier than a disturbed rattler if anyone bothers me, but it’s not an issue. I’ll be fine within twenty-four hours of the flare ending, unless it sustains for more than a week. That’s when I have problems. Mom can go three days without hardly needing more than a nap afterwards. Dad’s getting older, so any flare tires him out, but he’s still good at buffering against hurricanes, and that’s what we’re here for.”
“Is that why the king and queen married? Because of their talents?”
Jessica shrugged. “Basically, but there are no waveweaver men with my strength in our generation. I’m a freak. Dad gave up trying to find me a matching waveweaver by the time I turned eighteen. Honestly, that’s how I dodged an arranged marriage; once I turned eighteen, he couldn’t force a marriage on me, and I refused the rest of the offerings.”
A suspicion crept in, and I narrowed my eyes. “Are you sure he didn’t do that on purpose?”
Jessica blinked, and then her eyes widened. “What? Why would you say that?”
“If he really wanted to make sure you got married, he would’ve arranged the marriage the last day you were seventeen and had the papers signed before you turned eighteen. Then it would stick, wouldn’t it?”
Her brows furrowed. “I don’t actually know, but I know who does.” Jessica sat on the bed and pulled out her phone. I joined her, contemplated flopping to resume my nap, but decided I’d miss something interesting if I indulged. She dialed a number. “Mom? I have a theoretical question for you. If Dad had decided to arrange my marriage when I was seventeen but not quite eighteen, would the agreement have stuck if the marriage date was after I’d turned eighteen?”
Jessica’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You know that rule about not killing my father? Can it be overturned for an hour or two? I’d really like to murder my father today. No? Come on, Mom. Why not? Just because you like him doesn’t mean I should continually have to suffer through his bullshit. That bastard tricked me! I think that’s deserving of a swift death.”
Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. Then again, was there anything quite as entertaining as a front row seat to Jessica preparing to wage war on the king? Exposure to her had done something to me, something that made me far too interested in what would happen next. All I had to do was stay out of the line of fire.
“Yes, Pat’s awake. He seems fine. I’m taking him down to the hot tub for a soak because his back’s bothering him, then I’ll take him to the stable. I already asked the kitchen to bring him something to eat there. No, he’s not swimming, Mom. He’ll be soaking. Eating while soaking is perfectly acceptable. It’s not like he’ll be unsupervised. He’s not going to drown while I’m with him. Really. Seriously, Mom? I’m not going to assault him in the hot tub. I also didn’t assault him to wake him up. I poked his shoulder. That’s it. Why are you convinced I’m going to assault him?”
I suspected her deciding to kiss me in front of everyone had something to do with the queen’s opinion, but I wisely kept my mouth shut.
Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. “Next you’re going to tell me Dad kept throwing the absolute worst royals the world has to offer at me just so I’d get desperate and pick someone I liked. We all know that’s not going to fly with the political goonies, and the only reason Pat’s going to be accepted is because I’ll ride my horse right into their chamber and start taking heads if they don’t give me what I want. No, I don’t care if that’s illegal or a hostile takeover. I’m not a broodmare up for sale!”
T
he sneaking suspicion the king had schemed to force Jessica’s hand was taking root, and once again, I recognized when it wouldn’t benefit me to say a word.
Jessica twisted around to glare at me, and I raised a brow at her unamused expression. “He’s looking tired with a hint of smug. Why?”
I looked smug? Well, if her father had been trying to force Jessica’s hand, ultimately goading her into picking me, I had a list of reasons to be smug a mile long. “More that my back hurts, less that I’m tired, but if you want to talk to your mother for a while longer, I could take a nap.”
“I’m hanging up on you now, Mom. He’s threatening to take another nap.” She did as threatened, which made me laugh. “Why do you look so damned smug?”
“I’m not smug. I’m somewhat amused and a little suspicious of your father.”
“I’m a lot suspicious of my father. He’s scheming something.”
“Your marriage, obviously.”
“That’s too obvious.”
“Seems to me like the fastest way to get you to marry someone is to tell you that you can’t or shouldn’t.”
Jessica huffed, crossed her arms over her chest, and huffed again. “You might be right. That bastard told me I shouldn’t marry you last night because you’re an unknown!”
“At least he isn’t threatening to deport me or execute me.”
“I told him I’d fry his ass if he even thought about it.”
“Is that why there’s a rule against killing your father in place?”
“Maybe.”
“Your mother must feel like she’s in the middle of a war zone. Do I even want to know what she thinks about me?”
“She thinks you’re handsome, and she has a list of horses she’d like you to take pictures with for the next horse sale. Dad’s not good with the horses or the cameras. I mean, he can ride a horse. Obviously. He’s a Texan. He couldn’t rule a bunch of horse-crazed Texans without being able to ride, but he’s no match for you. That makes him mad.”
“Jealous,” I countered. “That makes him jealous.”
“Mad, jealous—same deal.”
“Not really.”
“Explain.”
I realized I’d taken a step right into trouble. Then again, she’d been the one to propose to me first. Twice. I could take a few risks. She’d already embarrassed herself for the cause more than once. “In your father’s shoes, I’d be pretty jealous over it.”
“Why? You’re young enough to be their son! Also obvious, since you’re my age.”
“But she thinks I’d look better with her horses than him. That’s got to sting his pride a little.”
“Everything stings his pride.”
“If he were mad, I’d probably be on my way to my execution right now. You said he took care of finding specialists because I’m an idiot who didn’t get enough sleep?”
“That did confuse me,” she admitted. “Dad isn’t the kind usually.”
“If he were mad, do you really think he’d do that?”
“No. Absolutely not. Good point. Dad doesn’t like doing things for people he’s mad at. Damn, Pat. Have you been taking psychology courses when no one has been looking?”
I laughed. “No. I just watch the news and what he does when he’s mad at other kingdoms. Helping them isn’t on his typical agenda. That’s your mother’s thing. Yours, too, I reckon.”
“You’ve really been following politics?”
I nodded. “On my phone during breaks and downtime. It seemed if you were serious, I needed to figure out what I was getting myself into. I was mostly looking at the international politics, but I caught some of the more local as well.”
“You’re definitely a great deal more handsome than my father. He’s lucky looks had nothing to do with his status as a royal, or they’d punt him for looking too damned boring.”
“Should I ask how I compare?”
“You wouldn’t have to work very hard to get me out of my clothes. Mother suggested I be blunt with you, as you seem so damned polite. Her words, mind you.”
“I see your mother approves.”
“My mother’s a smart woman, recognizes when a war has been lost, and doesn’t want me to keep trying to blow the kingdom down. Dad’s in denial.”
I couldn’t blame the king. I was still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea of being the subject of Jessica’s affections. “Of what?”
“My willingness to commit public acts of sexual assault to prove a point. That’s only the start of it.”
“What point were you trying to prove, anyway?”
“I wasn’t letting him decide anything about my love life, mostly.”
“I think you got that point across. Everyone probably thinks we have quite the love life now.”
Jessica laughed. “Not at all. I completely shocked you. I should’ve given you more warning, but your expression was priceless.”
Damn. I couldn’t tell if that was a good or a bad thing. “I’m afraid to ask.”
“Mom said if I’d stuck around for a few more seconds, I would’ve gotten quite the surprise.”
“I think she meant active participant,” I muttered under my breath.
She laughed. “That is what she meant, but she was trying to be diplomatic about it. I’ll try to give you better warning next time so you can be an active participant in any public displays we wish to engage in.”
“There’s going to be a next time?”
“Obviously. This was just the opening volley. I was trying to ease you into the idea, but it turns out I’m really bad at this. In my mother’s words, it’s possible you’re too much of a gentleman to do anything with me until I get you to actually marry me.”
I had no idea what she had in mind, but considering how interested she seemed in the chase, I’d indulge her. After I escaped her clutches, not that I wanted to, I’d have to go ask my mother and father for advice. The absurdity of my situation made me laugh. “I can’t say she’s wrong. I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m a prude, but I won’t take advantage.”
“Well, I’m taking advantage, and we’re starting in the hot tub. Go ahead and put up a fight if you want, Mr. Laycal, but I will ultimately get my way, even if I have to get rough and marry you first. But I think I can break through your gentlemanly defenses with enough work.”
I had no idea how to live up to her expectations, but I’d do my best.
Chapter Twenty-One
Morning Glory and Baby competed for attention, ramming me against the arena wall. Despite a soak—and a nap—in the hot tub, I remained sore and bruised. By the time the horses were finished with me, I’d be even more sore and bruised. I’d pay the price without complaint, doing my best to convince both animals I wasn’t about to fall over dead on them.
Jessica watched, and she laughed. If Jessica was the only one watching, I would’ve been a lot happier, but we’d gotten an audience, and my co-workers only made up some of the crowd. Elana and Mr. Hemmington dared to join Jessica, careful to keep out of Baby’s kicking range.
“You keep surprising me, Mr. Laycal,” Mr. Hemmington announced. “I admit, I’m not used to being surprised so frequently.”
Of course not. Our society was a well-oiled machine where nobody was supposed to climb the ranks because one was born a certain way. Then someone like me came along, who fell between the cracks, consistent inability masking potential ability. I still wasn’t sure what I thought about having a stronger horse empathy talent than I’d grown up believing. As Morning Glory was less likely to go after anyone interrupting her owner’s attention, I stroked Baby’s nose. “I’m surprised Baby is behaving so well with so many people around.”
“He’s between you and any potential threats, so he’s fine. It’s only if someone gets too close that he’ll have a problem. He’s gotten used to me, so he won’t do anything to me, and everyone else is keeping back. Everyone knows to keep their distance,” Jessica replied, and her smile brightened her eyes. “A few felt like they
wanted to prove you hadn’t done anything special and got a taste of what Baby’s capable of. More amusingly, one of them thought he could handle your Morning Glory.”
I straightened, and fury sliced through me. “Excuse me? Who tried to do what to my filly?”
“She’s fine, Pat. He was the only one who got hurt, and he should’ve known better than to handle another man’s horse without permission. He didn’t believe you were a horse empath and they’re your bonded horses. Once she was done educating, I educated him again and sent him packing off the ranch.”
“How did she educate him?”
“She broke free of his hold on her halter and kicked him a couple of times. His medical bills are his problem because he wasn’t on the authorized list to handle your horses. That’s how it works around here. We’re not responsible for blatant stupidity.” Jessica shrugged. “I shocked him for daring to touch your horse without permission. Then I lassoed his foot, harnessed Baby to prove I could, and had Baby drag the bastard right to the gate. We had a good time.”
I rewarded Baby with a hearty pat to his shoulder before taking a moment to praise my filly as well. “Anything else I should know?”
“The trial against the guy who hurt Baby was supposed to start in two days, but the bastard ran. Everybody knows you’re the reason his actions were uncovered, so there’s a possibility he might try to do something to you—or to Baby. I want to move Baby and Morning Glory to the royal stables until this guy is caught and tried. That’s going to make a mess of your schedule, though. It gets even more interesting.”
The way Jessica emphasized interesting led me to believe I wouldn’t like what she had to say next. “What happened?”
“His uncle is the owner of the company that made the tainted olive oils and other food products.”
My brows shot up. “Does his family have a severe issue with ethics?”
“I’m guessing so. Anyway, I’ll have Baby and Morning Glory moved to the royal stables for now. That’ll make sure they’re safe. It should only be for a week or two. News has already spread about the animal abuse case, so I don’t think he’ll be on the loose for long. But still, I don’t want to take any chances with your horses.”
Storm Called Page 23