The Assassin

by Trudie Collins

  “I never thought of that,” Brin admitted. He had been too concerned about Sam to think about himself.

  “I did not think you had,” Brianna said, but not unkindly. “My suggestion is that you go with Tor when he leaves. The child can stay here. I will take good care of her. She can get to know her brothers while you are away.”

  “No,” Brin replied. He did not need to think about the suggestion. He knew he could not bring himself to do as she asked. “I can hardly bear to be around her here, knowing that she is no longer mine. I would not be able to cope seeing her every day and I can hardly expect her and Dean to keep away from each other indefinitely.”

  “Then make her yours again.”

  The statement shocked Brin. Since their parting, he had never allowed himself any hope that he could be with her again and he did not understand what his wife was suggesting. “And leave her once the assassin has been eliminated? I do not think so.”

  Brianna laughed. “Oh husband of mine, I do love you, but you can be really dense sometimes. When it is safe to return, bring Sam back here with you. Move her into your family home and make her your concubine. Many rulers in the past have had them. Our people will accept her in that position, especially now that you have provided them with a couple of heirs.”

  “But what about you?” he asked her, knowing there was more to come.

  “Well, personally I do not think it will be safe leaving me on my own in the palace,” she replied with mock sincerity. “Maybe you should instruct one of the Home Guard to stay in our guest room.”

  Brin smiled at her. “I take it you have someone in mind.”

  She blushed before answering. “I am sure Nisse would not object to the assignment.”

  “Nisse,” he said in surprise, dropping his glass and spilling the contents all over the floor. “How long have you two been...?” He found himself unable to finish the sentence.

  “We started seeing each other just before you returned.”

  “Why did you not tell me? I would never have allowed the marriage to be arranged if I had known you were not available.”

  “And that is exactly why I did not tell you. The state you were in, you needed me to be your wife. Nobody else would have been so understanding. I will make a good Queen and you will make an excellent King. Together we will rule our people well. Us loving other people will not stop that.”

  Ignoring the mess on the floor, Brin stood up and walked over to his wife. Taking her hand in his, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I do love you, you know and Nisse had better do everything in his power to keep you happy or he will have me to answer to.”

  “I know,” Brianna replied. “I like Sam and I think she will be good for you. Do whatever it takes to make it work.”

  “Thank you,” Brin said, kissed her once more then went alone to his room.

  Early the next morning he went searching for Nisse. If he was going to leave his family for a while, he wanted to be certain they would be well looked after. He was surprised to find him in his house, eating breakfast alone. The door was open so he walked in without knocking.

  “Not eating with your men this morning I see,” he said, making his friend jump. Nisse spent very little time in his own house, preferring to mingle with the men under him.

  “I have a few days off,” Nisse replied. “Care to join me?”

  “Sure,” Brin said, taking a seat and helping himself to some grapes. “There is something I want to talk to you about.”

  “Sam?” Nisse asked.

  “No. I am here to discuss the fact that you want to sleep with my wife.”

  Nisse started to choke, much to Brin’s amusement. Once Nisse was able to breathe again, Brin continued. “I have decided to go away for a while. If Tor is right, then someone is going to try to kill me and I would prefer to be as far away from here as possible when that happens. I will travel with Tor until this person has been found and dealt with.”

  Nisse did not move, uncertain where this was leading. “I need someone to look after my family while I am away,” Brin continued, “so I would appreciate it if you would move into my suite until I return.”

  “And when you do return?” Nisse asked, feeling he was being set up for something.

  “If I can talk her into it, Sam will be moving into my house so I will be spending most nights there. Brianna says she would feel safer if someone was around at night so you may want to make the move more permanent.”

  “Are you giving me permission to be her lover?” Nisse asked, wanting to be sure he was not misunderstanding.

  Brin did not answer. He picked some more grapes from the bowl, stood up and walked towards the door. Just before he reached it, he stopped and turned around. “One more thing,” he said in a perfectly calm voice. “If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

  “If the situation arises where you feel that is necessary,” Nisse replied, “I will let you.” The two friends smiled at each other, then Brin left Nisse in peace to finish his breakfast.

  “One down, four to go,” he said to himself as he headed back towards the palace where all of the visitors were staying. He had not felt this happy for a long time and he could not stop himself from whistling as he walked.

  The next stop was the King and Queen. He would need permission to leave the elven city and he wanted his aunt and uncle’s approval for what he was planning before speaking with Sam. He found them alone in their suite and proceeded to tell them everything.

  “How could you be so cruel to Brianna?” Fay asked once he had finished speaking, horrified by Brin’s proposal.

  “It was her idea,” he informed her. He had been expecting her reaction and was not upset by it.

  “The suggestion has merit,” the King said approvingly. “Throughout our history, the Kings have married Queens for convenience with both parties having lovers on the side. I just got lucky with you,” he added, giving his wife a sly look. Despite their many years of marriage, he still had the power to make her blush.

  “Then I have your permission?” Brin asked.

  The King nodded his head. “You do.”

  “But are you sure this is what you really want?” Fay asked Brin with concern.

  “No,” he replied solemnly. “I want Sam to be my wife, but that is not possible, so this is the next best thing.”

  “When will you leave?” the King asked.

  “Seth and Dal are due to arrive with the wagon and Hawk’s coffin late this evening so we should be leaving tomorrow morning, assuming Tor will have me of course.”

  Brin’s next port of call was to the aforementioned Prince; all of his plans would fall to pieces if he did not accept that Brin joining him was a good idea.

  “Come in,” Tor called out in response to the knock on his door. He was surprised when Brin entered and took a seat. He was even more surprised when the elf announced that he would be going with him when he left the city. When Brin explained his reasoning, however, Tor was forced to agree that it was the logical thing to do.

  “What about Sam?’ the Prince asked.

  “She will be coming with us. I do not see much point in leaving her here.” This was not what Tor meant and Brin knew it, but he could not help toying with his friend.

  “I meant will you be able to cope seeing her with Dean,” Tor clarified.

  “I know what you meant,” Brin confirmed. “But I am hoping that the situation is soon going to change.” Despite asking, Tor received no explanation as to what Brin was talking about and the elf soon excused himself, saying he had two more people to see.

  Brin went in search of Dean next and was pleased to find him alone in the room that had been assigned to him.

  “She is with her daughter somewhere,” Dean said when Brin asked after Sam. The elf noticed that Kat was referred to as ‘her’ daughter rather than ‘our’ daughter and could not help smiling. Though he was not her biological father, Dean had brought her up since her birth and Brin had been worried that the
man would see his role as more than what it truly was.

  “Good. I wanted to speak to you alone.”

  “You’ve made your decision then.” He looked at Brin closely, trying to find some indication as to what that decision was in his face or demeanour, but the elf was unreadable. Dean wanted to shout at him, to tell him he had changed his mind and that he should keep away from Sam, but he knew it would be the wrong thing to do. Instead he patiently waited for Brin to deliver the verdict, ignoring the sense of dread that began in his stomach and worked its way up to his throat until it was almost choking him.

  “Sam will not be staying here,” Brin announced, almost wincing when he heard Dean’s audible sigh of relief. “I will be coming with you instead.”

  Dean looked at him sharply. Brin’s first sentence had taken him by surprise; the second stunned him. Then the implications of what he had said began to set in. “You are going to take her away from me,” he said. There was no hostility in his voice, just an undertone of defeat.

  “If I have your permission, yes. I will travel with you until this assassin is found, then I will bring her back here to be my concubine. We will live together in my house, along with our daughter.”

  “But Sam said your people would never accept her. What has changed?” Dean asked in confusion.

  “I have provided them with heirs,” Brin replied.

  “You could have done that anyway. Sam would have understood.”

  Brin stared at Dean coldly. “You may be able to cheat on Sam, but that is one thing I could never do.”

  “Okay,” Dean said after a moment’s hesitation. “I will do nothing to stop you.” Brin had been prepared for an argument. He was not worried that their disagreement would become physical, but he had not been expecting Dean to give up so easily.

  “Why are you being so reasonable?” he could not help asking.

  “She will never love me the way she does you. All I want is for her to be happy and I know that with you she will be. But there is one thing I have to ask of you. Please keep away from each other while I am around. I don’t think I will be able to cope seeing you together.”

  “Do not get ahead of yourself. She has not yet agreed to my proposal.”

  “She will and we both know it.”

  “Thank you,” Brin said sincerely. “I know from experience how difficult this is for you. If there was any way to make it easier I would.”

  “I think you should leave now. I wish to be alone for a while.” Dean was being rude, but he didn’t care. If he did not get the elf out of the room soon he would do something he would regret. Not wishing to cause the man any more distress, Brin did as requested. Dean quietly closed the door behind him, then punched the wall in frustration.

  The last person Brin needed to see was Sam, so he headed to the nursery, in case she was there with Kat. There was no sign of anyone in his suite and he was about to depart when he caught sight of himself in a mirror. He was dressed, as he usually was these days, in clothing his aunt and uncle felt more appropriate for a member of the royal family, instead of his common travelling clothes. He could not deny that they were right; he did look like Prince Brin, instead of the Brin that Sam had fallen in love with. And that was the problem. Unlike Dean, Brin was not confident that Sam would agree to his proposal and wished to play every winning card he had, so he went to his room to get changed.

  He was about to choose an outfit that he knew Sam liked him in when he caught sight of the clothing that had been made for him for Tallon and Selene’s wedding. He had not personally witnessed Sam’s reaction when she had first seen him wearing those clothes, but he had been told by Ria that she had been almost drooling.

  Remembering that she liked the wet look, he dampened down and brushed back his hair before going in search of Sam. The first person he found was Ria, who couldn’t stop herself commenting on how good he looked. She informed him that his quarry had just departed to put Kat to bed for a while, so Brin thanked her and started to make his way towards Sam’s room, but Ria called him back.

  “What happened between you and Dean?” she asked. “I have never seen anyone look so miserable.”

  “I presume you are not talking about me,” he said, though he knew that she wasn’t. He hadn’t felt so happy in a long time and it must have shown on his face. Ria shook her head. “Have you asked Dean?”

  “I tried, but he refused to talk to me.”

  “Then I will respect his wishes and do the same.”

  Ria was not happy with this response and called Brin a number of unpleasant names as he walked away from her.

  He soon found himself outside Sam’s room and he could hear her voice coming from inside as she tried to persuade their daughter that she needed a nap, but he did not go in. Instead he withdrew a short distance down the corridor to wait, casually leaning against a pillar where she would not notice him unless she turned her head to look in his direction. A short while later the door to her room opened then closed and he listened as her footsteps approached. He waited until she had just passed him before speaking.

  “How is our daughter?”

  “Jesus Christ,” Sam exclaimed, spinning around to face him. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  “Sorry,” he said, not meaning it. He could easily read her and her reaction to seeing him was even better than he had been hoping for. He could not keep the smile from his face. The change of clothes had definitely been a good idea.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said, though she seemed to be having trouble breathing. It may have been because of her fright, but Brin did not think so. “Kat is fine, though she does not see why she should have to rest. She is afraid she will miss out on something. She has been exploring all morning and will become very grumpy if she gets too tired.” Sam knew she was rambling, but could not help it.

  Brin stepped towards her and was amused to see her take an involuntary step away. “We need to talk,” he informed her.

  “What about?” Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure he must be able to hear it and she could not stop herself trembling. Hating herself for her reaction to having him close to her, she tried to put more distance between them, but found herself unable to move.

  “Tor and the others are leaving tomorrow and I need your permission to join them.”

  “What?’ she asked in confusion. This had been the last thing she had been expecting to hear.

  “Tor and the others are leaving tomorrow,” he repeated, “and if an assassin is really out to kill everyone who has taken part in the quest then it will be safer for me and my people if I go with you.”

  Sam stared at him. “Are you serious?” He nodded his head. He knew he was toying with her, but was enjoying it too much to stop. “Do you honestly think that you will be able to cope seeing me and Dean together. You cannot expect us to stay apart for ever,” was what she said. What she thought was ‘how will I be able to control myself if he is travelling with us?’

  He moved closer and took her in his arms. She made no attempt to stop him. “I do not think that is going to be a problem,” he whispered, then kissed her passionately. She tried to push him away, but her actions lacked conviction, and therefore strength, so were futile and she soon gave up and kissed him back.

  “This is wrong,” she gasped when he released her.

  “Come with me. I have a lot to explain,” he said and, taking her by the hand, led her to his suite and into his bedroom. He sat her on the bed and proceeded to tell her his plans for her once the assassin had been found and the threat eliminated. He paced as he spoke, unwilling to witness her reaction to his words. He did not see the look of joy that momentarily passed across her face, only to be replaced by one of deep sadness. When he finished speaking and turned to look at her, tears were streaming down her face.

  “I am with Dean now,” she said quietly. “I can’t...”

  Brin grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her once more, preventing her from finishing her sentence
.

  She tried again. “This won’t...” Again he kissed her. “We cannot...” For a third time he stopped her speaking.

  “Are you planning on doing that every time I start to say something you don’t want to hear?” she asked.

  “The thought had crossed my mind,” he admitted and looked at her in a way that made her heart race even faster.

  “Then what incentive do I have to agree to your proposal?” Her resistance was wearing down and they both knew it. Her mind raced through all of the pros and cons of his suggestion, but kept returning to two facts: she would be with the man she loved more than life itself and Kat would be with her father.

  “I can keep this up as long as I need to. I have nothing better to do for the next few hours,” Brin lied. He had a mountain of things he needed to get done if he was to leave the next day, but at that moment none of them mattered; all he cared about was getting Sam to agree to be his concubine. He gave her one more kiss, long, slow and seductive. “I really need an answer,” he told her when he eventually pulled away.

  Sam looked at him, expecting to see him oozing with confidence, but he wasn’t. He had never been an arrogant man and she was pleased to see that had not changed. He seemed nervous, as though he was scared that he would fail to win her over. Her eyes met his and all thoughts of Dean fled from her mind. Suddenly nothing else mattered except Brin. “Yes,” she whispered so quietly he almost didn’t hear her.

  The next thing she knew he was kneeling in front of her and taking her in his arms. “Thank you,” he said, just managing to get the words out before he became too overcome with emotion to speak.

  When he had recovered, he sat on the bed next to her and gently stroked her face. “I love you so much,” he told her. “I do not think I would have survived you leaving me a second time.” He pulled her closer and started to kiss her neck. Desire burned within her, stronger than anything she had ever felt before.

  “I can’t,” she stammered as he started to unbutton her blouse. “Not here.”

  He paused, pulling away so he could look at her, confusion written across his face. Then he realised what the issue was and smiled. “This is my bed, where I sleep.” he explained. “I have never had a woman in it.”