by Stock, L. J.
“Always my right hand man.” I laughed, picking up my pace to a slow jog.
“It's tradition, Cass, and protocol,” he called out to me as I sped up a little.
I laughed at the groan Rasmus emitted as I pushed myself back into a full run. The guard’s protocol was to always be at least five paces behind their ward and the main guard was always on the right. It was the one thing I loved to mess with when he brought up the dreaded P word. Rasmus had perfect form, but always scowled at me as I sped up or slowed down, messing up his pacing on purpose. Alexa and I had a blast teasing him when I passed over into the other dimension. After learning how much he hated the mall I had been using it as a punishment.
Following my path through the rest of the forest, I ended up back in the field that surrounded the palace. One look at Rasmus and he grinned at me in understanding, nodding to accept the challenge. Both of us took off without question, giving our sprint everything we had left. My feet pushed me forward with a burst of energy, momentarily making me feel like I was unbalanced until I leaned forward to add my arms to the momentum. The dark hair that had come loose from where I'd pulled it up trailed behind me as I made a jagged path through the grass, avoiding the small gathering of rocks that popped up in my path.
Rasmus was just as competitive as I was and he wasn't going to be left behind. He was a big guy with raw, unfettered power and a disconcerting grace. He may have been winded from the run, but he never turned down a challenge and he hated to lose. I could almost feel the power from his long strides as he leaned forward, his arms motoring as he blew past me.
Digging deeper, I forced myself forward as hard as I could, my legs turning to jelly under me, but he was too fast and his strides too long, and he beat me by at least a foot.
“How do you... drag ass behind me… when you can run like that?” I panted, walking off the ache in my thighs and shaking my hands in front of me in an effort to encourage more air into my lungs.
“I'm horrible at endurance running. You can maintain a pace for a long distance. Me, I only get spurts.” He wheezed, leaning against the walls of the palace.
I shook my head and continued walking out the aches in my muscles. I didn't have much in my schedule until the next morning when I left for Dullhurt where we'd conducted the tests, so I had allowed an afternoon meeting with Baron Sideris. After I'd released him from the cells and he'd saved my life, we'd formed an amicable friendship. He knew where my heart was and where my destiny had taken me, so he'd backed off with the flirting and accepted a role as acquaintance. Friend was never going to be an accurate description, but without the pressure of having to marry the guy, I actually didn't mind him. The same, however, couldn't be said for Damon. He loathed the baron, and it was safe to safe the baron didn’t particularly like Damon either, but it was an opinion he kept to himself.
“I need a shower,” Rasmus complained, plucking at his saturated tunic shirt with so much distaste I couldn't help but laugh at him. At least people expected my odd running clothes. Poor Rasmus was stuck in what was expected of him. At least I’d brought him a shower to use – it was the small things.
“So do I. How about we take a shower and I'll wait for you in my room?”
“I'm on duty, Cass. Not supposed to leave you alone, remember?”
“I like you, Ras, but not enough to take a shower with you.” I smirked.
“Good to know,” Damon said from behind me, making me jump as his arms circled my waist. His deep, resonating tone worked through my body enough to make my very bones react to him. His chin was only able to rest on my shoulder for a second before I was turning in his arms and pressing my lips against his. He pulled me closer to him, one of his hands moving to cradle my neck as he deepened the kiss. Since we'd discovered we could be together, we’d gravitated toward one another every chance we had and it never got old. Every kiss was different and held the excitement of that first stolen one we'd shared before the ball. Sadly, I'd learned quickly that this was all we could share.
Tradition was something upheld by the Princesses of Mortisali. As it had been decreed centuries before my existence, my wedding night would be the night I would let go of my maidenhood, and not a moment before. No deviations, no exceptions and certainly no bending the law to make it fit. Of course my sarcasm had come out to play during the talk that was given to me by my mother on behalf of the king. Not that it wasn't an awkward topic to begin with. My first words had been something along the lines of...
“Well, it's a good job I wasn't a promiscuous mental patient.” Promiscuity in patients with mental issues was an actual thing. It was a diagnosed illness, too. I’d seen what happened between these patients and male orderlies by accident on one of my night wanderings, but that was a story for another day and not for my mother’s ears ever. Mom hadn’t seen the humor in my statement, but I often wondered what would have happened if I'd been with someone before this fate of mine had all come to light. It was pure chance that I'd held on to my virginity. Chance and a very loud and violent soundtrack that wouldn't stimulate anyone's libido.
“Ahem,” Rasmus said from somewhere behind me, reminding me that we weren't alone. He was very subtle, but when he had nowhere to divert his attention, he'd give us a small nudge to break us apart. I dropped slowly back onto my flat feet, my calves burning as my hand waved an apology to Rasmus. My eyes, however, were all for Damon.
“Hi.” I grinned at him like an idiot.
“You could certainly say that,” Damon mused, his eyes lingering on mine for a moment. Taking my hand, he finally broke the eye contact to look at Rasmus behind me. “I see she worked you out today, Ras. You look ready to fall over.”
“Yeah, and I blame you,” Ras said, the last word lost in the mirth of his laugh, his large arm swinging out, his balled fist coming against Damon’s shoulder playfully. “If you'd stop getting her all riled up like that, she wouldn't have to run it out.”
“What exactly are you insinuating?” I teased, giving him the most innocent face I could muster. I wasn’t kidding anyone, and the look I got in response told me as much.
“You really want me to go there?” Rasmus challenged, crossing his big arms across his broad chest and leaning against the wall as he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Please do. I assure you, you will be the first to blush.”
“I’ve been around you too long to fall for that now.”
“Okay, children,” Damon interceded, pulling me into his side and wrapping his arms around my waist, his lips resting against the top of my head affectionately. Even as sweaty as I was, I didn’t fight it. These moments were still too few and far between, and I wasn’t going to see him for at least a few days after today. “Ras, you can go take a shower. Aric will watch over her.”
“Thanks, but you have to be in the vicinity with them or you're coming with me.”
“I'll be with them. Believe me, it's a lot more appealing than seeing you in the shower.”
“Works for me.” Ras laughed, slapping Damon's shoulder again as he pushed off the wall and headed around the outside of the palace toward the castra. “I'll be there in about twenty minutes. By the Gods, behave yourselves.”
“Never.” I called after him. All I got in response was a shake of his broad shoulders, which told me he was laughing.
“How do the two of you get anything done?” Damon drawled, tugging on one of the loose strands of hair around my face. It still shook me to see him openly look at me with reverence as though I was a rare jewel. It was like my insides spilled out the moment I felt his heated glance find even the barest hint of flesh.
“What do you mean?” I asked, grinning conspiratorially and brushing past him. I led the way to the entrance where I knew my private secretary would be waiting for me patiently. He'd been appointed to me after my father had started giving me more responsibilities in the palace and the government. Evander was amazing. He could find me anywhere and had the ability to know what I needed without me having to a
sk for it. He'd been assistant to the king's personal secretary for almost ten years and he was really good at his job.
“I mean with the constant bickering. I can't see how the two of you have time to do anything in a professional capacity.”
“We're professional when we need to be, and he's always on high alert no matter what kind of antagonism is going on. He's the only person aside from you that I trust with my life. I know the other guards are capable, too, but they don't know me as well as you two do.”
“He's the only other person I trust to guard you.” Damon laughed, kissing the top of my head. “Just don't tell him I said as much.”
“Tell Rasmus that you paid him a compliment?” I asked with a snort. “I wouldn't do that to you. I know how competitive you are with him in all things R.C.”
Damon reached for the door with a half-smile on his lips. He didn't have a response to that. He'd always been competitive and it didn't matter who he was up against. It was in his DNA. He’d been like that when we'd been together in childhood.
“I'm not competitive. I—” he said, cutting off when he revealed Evander standing to attention behind the door. “Never mind.”
“Sorry, Damon, I didn’t mean the interruption,” Evander said, bowing deeply. “I believe Aric was looking for you. He said you evaded him once again.”
“Damon!” I admonished, unable to hide my laugh. Nudging him in the ribs, I shook my head in disbelief. It was a game he played, even if no one else thought it was particularly funny, and one he’d once given me hell over.
“What? I've got to keep the guy on his toes. Rasmus would have found you already.”
I rolled my eyes and looked back to Evander who was watching us with a polite and patient smile. I returned it, knowing that the sooner our first interaction was over, the faster I could get back to Damon and my day.
“What do you have for me, Evander?” I asked, taking some of the thick parchment papers from his hands and looking through them. We were still trying to build my staff up at the request of the king. Evander’s job was to conduct the initial interviews and paperwork and then bring them to me so I could go through and approve them, or conduct more interviews if I felt it was necessary.
“These are four ladies in waiting that seem qualified for the job. Two of them have combat training because they're vis liberi. The other two were ladies in waiting to the former queen. When she...” He coughed and rerouted his train of thought. “They were then employed by one of the duchesses.”
“Why have they suddenly become available again?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow as I scanned the ink on the paper.
“The duchess is, if you will excuse my speculation, a very jealous lady. Her husband the duke has given her every reason to be, but all the same she’s replaced anyone younger than her with older women.”
“How scandalous,” I teased, offering him a smile. “Set up a meeting with the four of them, and I'll ask Melody to sit in with me. She's been with me since the beginning and her input will be essential. She knows what's needed. She's also been training with Aric and I think it's part of the job requirement now.”
“I will set up an interview for when you return from your trip to Dullhurt, milady.”
“Excellent. I'm going to take a shower. If the baron shows up could you see him to my study?”
“It would be my pleasure, Your Highness.”
I handed the papers back to him with a smile. “Oh, and if you see Aric again, please inform him that Damon is with me in my chambers. If Rasmus catches a glimpse of him, Damon here may just have some more explaining to do.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.”
Evander took off down the great hall with small, quick steps, his head down as he scribbled something down on the sheets of paper I'd handed back to him. He was a nice guy, efficient, too, but the way he walked sometimes reminded me of a mouse scurrying away. In a cute kind of way, not the insidious creepy way that was often associated with that visual. His quick exit also meant Damon and I were alone again. For now anyway.
“Killjoy,” Damon muttered, keeping pace with me as we headed toward the huge ornately curving staircase at the far end of the hall. “I was enjoying the morning without a shadow.”
“Don't be such a baby. What was it you used to say to me? It’s your responsibility to maintain your safety? Anyway, I don't want Aric to get in hot water for losing you, again.”
Damon smiled and kissed me on the temple as he pulled me into his side as we continued on our route. We walked in companionable silence for a while. It was nice just being alone with him. We didn't get to do this nearly enough. Privacy was non-existent when you were part of the monarchy. There was always someone around, some pair of eyes watching or ears listening.
I left Damon relaxing on my chaise lounge in the main chamber of my bedroom as Melody and I disappeared into my bathroom so I could take a shower and change. Showers weren't normally part of this dimension, especially not outside of the palace, but it hadn't stopped me from bringing over a couple of detachable shower heads from my previous home to make our lives easier. Baths were enjoyable on occasion, but also cumbersome. In order to get things done, I needed to be able to get a quick shower and move on. It was a blessing that the palace had running water, because none of the villages did.
“The baron has arrived,” Melody sang in her lilting voice as she pushed me down in front of the vanity we'd had placed in the cavernous bathroom. “He seems to be under the impression that you're going riding with him. I’m adaptable, so I'm going to put your hair up and you can try one of your riding outfits I designed. That way I can make any changes needed before we leave tomorrow.”
“Excellent. Is Damon...”
Melody laughed once. “Aric caught up with him, and he left to change when Rasmus came back. He appears to be going on the ride with you.”
I watched Melody through the mirror. Her green eyes were filled with humor as she worked my dark hair into a complex braid on the back of my head. She and I both knew why Damon had decided he needed to escort me on the ride. I would be perfectly safe with Rasmus and the baron, but Damon's aversion to Baron Sideris made him more protective and watchful. He didn’t trust the man as far as he could throw him. He’d seen too many sides of him to ever be complacent in his presence. Even though Damon knew the story behind my forgiveness, he still wasn't comfortable with me spending time with Sideris.
I was an enabler of this behavior, simply because I was greedy when it came to spending time with Damon, but that didn’t mean it didn’t become exasperating on occasion.
“Like I've said before, it's not you he doesn't trust,” Melody said and laughed, her finger running over the small creases in my brow.
“I know that. It's the baron who gets under his skin,” I finished for her. “He's really not all that bad.”
“That's a matter of opinion,” she said, snorting from behind my hair.
I rolled my eyes in response. I was the only one who saw through that bitter shell of the baron's, and I often believed that was by design. He still projected his arrogance at regular intervals when he was in my company, but I would call him out on it. I had no patience for his games anymore. We'd developed an association that included a lot of banter and he seemed to like it that way. Considering the amusement our differences afforded me, I wasn't complaining either. Not too much anyway.
Unfortunately, Damon coming along on the ride with us meant that the calm afternoon I had anticipated had been shattered. It wasn’t a hardship spending time with Damon, so I did the only thing I could do. I prepared myself for the inevitable tension that would follow us for the afternoon, and hope it served to amuse.
Chapter Two
“Princess Cassandra,” the baron called out joyfully as I entered my private study. He approached me with his regal and pompous gait before lifting and kissing my right hand where the ring with the royal crest was sat on my finger. This was yet another formality that had been dumped in my lap
after I’d officially become the princess, and I wasn't exactly pleased about it, but tried to be gracious nonetheless. Unfortunately, the baron took liberties with these kinds of things. He breathed me in and left his lips on my finger for longer than was polite, forcing me to tug my limb away from him in a well-practiced move. When he saw an opportunity, he took it, and my only positive thought on that was that he was consistent.
“Baron Sideris,” I replied, wiping my hand on the back of my skirts. “It’s pleasant to see you as always. I'm sorry I wasn't more prepared for your arrival. I was unaware we were going riding so I had to adjust my attire. I'll also have to send a message to the stables to prepare my horse.”
I canted my head to the side in a polite nod of recognition, taking a few steps back from him as I moved to the door that joined my study to Evander's office, but found myself brought to a halt by the baron's clammy hand closing around my wrist. Rasmus’ growl of warning came from the corner of room where he was hovering out of sight and close to the wall. I would have shaken my head in dismissal but it was futile. No one on staff or in my group of acquaintances particularly liked the baron, and them being defensive when he got too close was par for the course most days.
Like the privileged aristocrat he was, the baron ignored the subtle first warning of my personal guard and gave me his bright, prideful smile, a spark of goading challenge making him risk yet another step closer to me. He was teasing me, but I was the only one who understood that and it made the tension rise when he first arrived. The baron tested his limits with the people around me while they went into full protective mode just waiting for the opportunity to take him down a peg or two, again.
“There’s no need, milady. I’ve brought you a gift.”
“A gift?” I asked, slipping my arm from his grip for the second time and giving him a pointed look. I wasn’t sure how many more times I would have to give him the talk about respecting boundaries before I gave up on him as everyone else had. I didn’t enjoy being a pawn in his games and discouraged it every chance I got. “To what do I owe the pleasure of a gift?”