She loves me.
She’d said it. He wasn’t letting her take it back. He wished he knew what was going through her mind. One minute she’d been trying to protect him, the next trying to get away.
Sass and her assassin husband reached him first. “You can’t seem to stay out of trouble, can you?” she teased.
“It’s not me. I’m very laid-back and mellow.” Beside him, Jamaeh snorted.
“Your friend seems to have a different opinion. Care to introduce us?”
Zaxe wrapped his arm around Jamaeh and pulled her against him, not just because he needed her there, but to better protect her if tensions escalated. “This is Jamaeh Jerman. Jamaeh, this is my sister, Sass.”
“Sister?” The skepticism in her voice made him want to grin. Sass was slender, her skin pale. She couldn’t look more different.
“By choice,” he reminded her.
Jamaeh held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.” She glanced at the big man beside Sass and quickly released her.
Sass patted her husband’s chest. “Don’t mind Spear. He likes being mysterious.” The big man said nothing as he panned the crowd. Zaxe had no doubt he’d already noted the positions of all the guards and anyone else he deemed a threat. Spear was an elite Gravasian assassin.
Then Delphi pushed by them and put her arms around Zaxe. “Are you really okay?”
Warmth spread through him. He bent down and kissed the top of his sister’s head. “I’m fine. You should meet our relatives.”
She gave a snort. “Not sure I want to, but I do want to meet this lady.”
Jamaeh stared curiously at his sister. “Jamaeh, this is Delphi and her husband Ivar el Gravaso.”
“You must be very special to have caught Zaxe’s attention.” Delphi tilted her head to one side and studied her.
She shook her head. “I’ll leave you to your family reunion.”
“No.” Keeping his hand wrapped around hers, he tugged her along as they approached Lomar and his entourage. “This is our murderous uncle, Lomar, and his useless son, Samar.” Jamaeh was digging her short nails into his skin. Warning him to watch himself? Likely, but there was no need to pull any punches now that he had backup.
“I am Lomar Zaxurus, ruler of the Northern Territory. Greetings to the princes of Gravas. Welcome to Zaxus.”
“Huh.” Delphi put her hands on her hips and glared. “No welcome for me. Just for my husband. Don’t think much of women around here, do they?” The crowd stirred, some muttering in anger, others uncomfortable with the spotlight being shone on their society.
“It is customary to address the males in a group first. Greetings, niece. This is my son, your cousin, Samar.” The younger man stepped forward and gave a short bow. His bravado had vanished, leaving him uncertain.
Ivar nodded at both. “Greetings from my father, King Agman of Gravas. My wife has been most concerned about her brother and his welcome here. I assured her he could take care of himself, but you understand how women are. They worry.” That earned him a solid elbow in the ribs from Delphi.
Lomar frowned at her. Samar’s jaw dropped. Ivar rubbed his side and continued. “My lovely wife remembers little from her early years, so I decided to do some research.”
That was news to Zaxe. As a former long-range scout for Gravas, Ivar was used to uncovering secrets. “I’ve cultivated contacts across the galaxy. It’s amazing what you can uncover if you have the right resources.”
Lomar was sweating heavily, his breathing labored. “It is hot in the afternoon sun. We should retire to the palace for food and drink.”
Ivar kept talking over him, his voice carrying easily. “I found a member of the assassin squad still alive.” He put his arm around Delphi’s shoulders and met Zaxe’s eyes. “Seems he was paid by a man who told him where and when his targets would be.”
“That has nothing to do with me.” Lomar signaled to the guards and began to stalk off. A woman began to wail in grief, many picking up the chant. Men made angry gestures, held back only by the presence of Lomar’s guards.
The confirmation was like a blast to the solar plexus, without a battlesuit. It was one thing to suspect, another to have solid proof. And if Ivar said it was true, it was. Gravasians were meticulous about such things. All the blood drained from his face, leaving him lightheaded. The voices around him became one loud noise. A buzzing rang in his ears.
“Lean on me.” Jamaeh had her arm around him, taking some of his weight. Her face was tight with concern.
“I was right.”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
The past was gone, unable to be rewritten. The future was right in front of him. Reality snapped back into place. “Stay with me.” It would be easy to lose her in this crowd if fighting broke out.
“As long as you need me,” she promised.
That would be forever. Jamaeh was as vital to him as air. She was his heart, one he’d thought damaged beyond repair.
“Lomar Zaxurus.” Zaxe’s voice cracked like a whip. “You are guilty of crimes against my family. Come and face justice.” This was going to be done here and now. The guards neither stopped Zaxe nor protected Lomar. In the last few seconds, his power had vanished. It was one thing for Zaxe to accuse him. Quite another for a prince of Gravas.
The crowd herded Lomar and Samar back to the circle, closing ranks and giving them no other option.
Bitterness coated Zaxe’s tongue. “I told you what had happened. I fought all comers, even when the challenge was stacked against me, even when Lomar cheated.” The only sound was a braying mulkey in the distance. “I showed you the mark of my birth, told you my name. Still, you believed Lomar over me. But one word from an outsider and you suddenly believe.”
Jamaeh’s hand on his back was the only thing grounding him. He wanted to scoop her up and take her away from all this. “You deserve a leader like Lomar.”
Unease rippled through the crowd. “You are Dagmar’s son. You are Navar Zaxurus, our leader,” someone shouted. The roar grew loud, but petered out when they got no reaction from him.
“They will never accept you,” Lomar told him, a mercenary gleam in his eyes. He’d thought he’d won, thought he’d walk away from here alive. No matter what happened, Zaxe would have justice for his parents.
“You must stay,” an elderly man called out.
“Must I? If I did, would you accept the woman I choose as mine?” He locked his arm around Jamaeh, hating the tension that quivered through her. She stood proud and pale, her unique hair and eyes marking her as different. “I will have no other.”
She sagged against him, her mouth slack and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He lowered his voice. “I will have no other,” he whispered, this time for her ears only. With that, he kissed her, claiming her in front of all of Badwa.
She stiffened in his arms. Had he made a mistake? Had she meant it when she’d said she’d loved him? His stomach dropped and he loosened his grip. Before he could release her, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back with a passion that almost brought him to his knees. Bodies aligned, he crushed her against him.
“You might want to keep that for later.” The deep male voice held only the slightest hint of amusement. When he managed to pull his lips from Jamaeh’s, Spear tilted his head toward Lomar, whose face was red with anger.
Jamaeh made a sound of embarrassment and found something interesting on the ground to stare at.
It was time to end this. “I will give you the choice to die honorably in combat.” It was more than his uncle deserved, but it would help quell the anger of those in the crowd who supported Lomar.
“I am an old man. Where is the fairness in that?”
The argument would hold no sway this time. He started toward Lomar, but Delphi stepped in front of him and pressed a hand to his chest. “Let me.”
It went against every fiber of his being to allow his sister to put herself in danger, yet she’d done so her entire life, neith
er of them having a choice. It was as much her fight as his.
“Do you think I can’t take out an old man?”
He bit his tongue and shook his head. If he disparaged her skills, she’d make him pay.
“Good answer. Watch him,” she told Jamaeh.
“If you are too cowardly to fight Zaxe in combat, then face me.” Delphi slid two knives from hidden sheaths in her pants. What had looked like decorative metal circles were in reality finger grips for her blades.
“If I hurt you, your husband will kill me.”
He couldn’t let her do this. Delphi had trained as an assassin, as he had, but beneath her tough outer core was a soft heart. This would hurt her. “Delphi,” he began.
A blast struck Lomar in the center of his forehead. He toppled back. All eyes were on the big dark figure holding the blaster. “By order of the king of Gravas, I have killed the traitor Lomar. It is done.” Spear had killed Lomar. It was a brilliant solution. As an assassin of Gravas and a prince, no one would dare gainsay him for fear of bringing the wrath of Gravas down upon them.
It was anticlimactic and left Zaxe with a sick sensation inside. Zaxus had brought him nothing but pain and death. A soft brush of a hand against his chest brought a ray of light into the darkness. For as much as it had taken, his journey had brought him here and given him Jamaeh.
“Do you want to leave here?” he asked.
Her mouth dropped. “You can’t be serious. This is your birthright.”
“Money I have plenty of and can make more.” Whenever he’d been on assignments, he’d managed to find ways to gather resources, knowing his sisters and he would need the cushion if they somehow managed to escape Artemis’s clutches. It was easy to steal from crooks and thieves and invest. “Power means nothing to me. I want you to be happy. Nothing means more to me.” He found Esau on the edge of the crowd and waved him over. Her brother was pale but steady when he joined them. “Stay or go?” Zaxe asked. “It’s up to you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Stay or go. It’s up to you.
The few simple words echoed in her head. This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? To get away from here, to make a new and better life?
It was on the tip of her tongue to agree when she focused on the crowd. There were so many faces she recognized. Some had berated her, put her down, or tormented her. But others had been kind, offering a smile and a helping hand. All of them were watching and waiting, fearful for their futures. It permeated the crowd, burning her nostrils.
What would become of them if Zaxe did not assume the role of leadership?
“What of Samar?”
Zaxe frowned at the young man who was on his knees by his father’s body, silently weeping. Giving a sigh, Zaxe nodded. He took her hand, keeping her beside him. And honestly, she was happy to be there. She was unsettled, not sure which way was up or down anymore. All she knew was she needed to be with Zaxe.
“Samar, I’m sorry for your loss, but he could not escape justice.” The honest regret touched something deep inside her. He understood what it was like to lose a parent, as did she.
“What will happen to me?” Stripped of his bravado, Samar appeared young. Had he had any more choice than she’d had in how he’d turned out? His mother had passed during childbirth, leaving him with only Lomar to raise him. He’d had no male role model. Still, he was a bully who was used to taking, not working for what he wanted. Her sympathy only went so far.
“You are banished. Take your father’s horse and the purse from his pocket. Make what you will of yourself. Know that if you ever plot against me or show up in the Northern Territory again, I will bring the full force of all I have down on you and all who plot with you.” The promise rang out. It was both fair and generous.
Samar scrambled for the money, mounted the horse, and headed out into the desert. His survival and future were up to himself.
“What have you decided?” he asked her.
Jamaeh was very aware of his family listening and watching their every word and move, not to mention the population of Badwa. She had no doubt word was rippling back, even to those blocking the streets far from where they stood.
Esau gave her a nod. He would support her choice. Leaving would be easy, would be the best thing for her, but whether he knew it or not, Zaxe needed to assume his birthright.
“I’ll give it a year.” That seemed fair.
He tilted his head to one side and cupped her face in his large hands. Those same hands had fought and killed all those who had come against him, but they were always gentle with her. “A year?”
“Assume leadership for a galactic year. If in that time, the people accept you, accept us, we’ll stay. If not, we’ll leave them to their own devices. One of the leaders from the other territories will send their armies or sons to claim it.”
He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, sending a rush of pleasure pulsing through her. “Are you sure?”
It took her a second to remember what it was he was talking about. “Yes. You need this.” She gripped his wrists and squeezed. “It’s what your parents would have wanted.” There was no doubt of it in her heart.
He closed his eyes, huffed out a breath, and nodded.
Delphi and her husband joined them. “You’re staying?”
Zaxe nodded. “We’re giving it a year.”
We. The word had a lovely ring to it.
Delphi glanced at Ivar, who nodded. “We can hang around for a while, if that’s okay?” She gazed toward the city. “I’d like to see more of the place where I was born.”
And having his sister close would be good for him. Jamaeh offered her a smile, the two of them connected by their love of Zaxe. And she did love him. No matter that she’d said it far sooner than she’d thought she ever would and under intense circumstances.
Zaxe held up his hands for silence. “I will stay.” Before the cheer grew too loud, he silenced them. “For a year. If you accept me, if you accept Jamaeh as my wife, we will stay. If at the end of the year you find you cannot, I will leave and you will have to face whatever consequences arise.” Fear and hope, tears and laughter mixed with jubilant cheers.
Shocked silent, all Jamaeh could do was stare. Did he just announce we are getting married?
The captain of the guards chose that moment to approach them. “My lord, if you’re ready, I’ll guide you to the palace.”
“What is your name, captain? After all we’ve been through together, I should know it.”
The captain gave a brisk nod. “Captain Gera Radar, my lord.”
“Call me Zaxe.” He turned to speak to his sister, missing the flash of surprise in the captain’s eyes, followed by a quick burst of pleasure. Zaxe would win the people over simply by being himself. She was the only thing that might hold him back. “Are you ready?” he asked her. “Delphi and Ivar are coming with us, along with a contingency of Gravasian guards. My sisters worry. Sass and her husband will join us later.”
She nodded, still too numb to speak. She was also grateful for the guards. Not everyone would be pleased by the transition. “Esau?” This affected his life, too. He needed to have a say.
Her brother nodded. “Lead the way.” They followed the guard toward the palace and a new life.
Hours later, nerves danced in her stomach. The palace was massive compared to her home. The rooms were open and airy, the walls the color of the stone they’d been carved from. Acres of tile spread across the floors. Greenery abounded, giving the air a fresh feeling, in spite of the heat. A pool sat in the center of a square courtyard, surrounded by flowering plants that perfumed the air. It was absolutely perfect.
She was totally out of her element. I don’t belong here. Everything was too grand, nothing out of place. Except me. Clean and refreshed from a bath and a light meal, she sat on a stone bench, letting her fingers trail in the water that shimmered like diamonds. She was the only discordant note in the garden. She’d dressed in men’s pants, but wore a vibrant green t
unic, having refused the dresses brought to her, much to the chagrin of the maid who’d served her.
“I was told I’d find you here.”
Her heart gave a sharp jump and began to thunder as Zaxe came toward her. He’d bathed, too. No longer covered in dirt and blood, he wore pristine white pants and a shirt, but she caught the edge of his battlesuit beneath and his boots adorned his feet.
“How are you doing?” She held out her hands, putting her own unease aside. This was a huge life change for Zaxe.
He caught her fingers in his and brought them to his lips, pressing a kiss against each knuckle. Her heart banged against her ribcage. The romantic gesture made her want to sigh. “I don’t know.”
Alarmed, she tugged him down beside her. “We can still leave. We don’t have to stay.” She kept her voice low, aware of guards lingering around the entrances.
“You would give this all up?” He gestured to the opulent surroundings.
“Can’t miss what I never had. I don’t need fancy surroundings to be happy, just a home.”
“And someone to share it with?” His eyes were darker than midnight, entrancing her. The deep tones of his voice sank into her bones.
“Yes.”
“Did you mean it when you said you loved me?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips and nodded. “You called me your wife. Did you mean it?”
He smoothed his hand over her braids, pushing them behind her shoulder. “I don’t know what the future will bring, but I want you beside me, sharing it. Will you take me as I am?” He swallowed, his throat rippling.
Nothing scared Zaxe, but he was nervous. Everything inside her calmed. “You are so many things. You’re an assassin.”
His jaw tightened.
“A ruler.”
His lips firmed.
“But most of all you’re a man. My man. Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Zaxe's Rule (Assassins of Gravas Book 4) Page 18