Shades of Truth (The Summerlynn Secrets)

by C. L. Stockton

  “Would you really give me one?”

  “I would do much more if it would ease your mind.”

  The cloak of his presence settled around my shoulders. If I remained pressed against him for much longer, I would be lulled into agreeing with whatever he said and there were things that must be settled.

  “I think it best I return home.” I needed time to think, time to decide what I wanted from life, and when he was around, he was what I wanted most.

  Without even looking, I knew my answer wasn’t popular.

  “Sweetheart, you are still deeply in shock over your father’s death. Stay with me until the world rights itself.”

  “I need perspective on what has happened and I can’t do that when you crowd me.” Feeling my attention catch on his repeated declarations I must stay, I frowned. What was going on? It shouldn’t matter if I went home.

  “I am the one crowding you? You’re the one who threw herself at me.”

  I shoved away, his arm falling from my shoulders. I pointed my finger at him. “Tell me what is going on or else I leave in the morning.”

  “You are not going anywhere tomorrow morning.” Looking unruffled and as cool as ever, he negligently sprawled against the corner of the sofa, leaving only his knees near me.

  “I do what I please and go where I want and you cannot stop me.” I added those last words deliberately.

  “I can.”

  “You can’t.”

  “Sweetheart, I’m a prince. People do what I say.”

  “Only because you threaten them with death.”

  “I haven’t done that since the days I believed in Santa Claus.”

  “Do you have any friends?”

  “A few.” A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

  “I’ve only met one, so that makes one friend.”

  “Should I be touched you care enough to count my friends?”

  “I would be more concerned at only having one friend.”

  He laughed. “If I threatened you with death, would it make a difference?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No.”

  “Then I won’t.”

  Sensing the softening of his mood, I pressed, “Why am I here?”

  “Why do you think you’re here?”

  “Because you enjoy ruining my life.” My words were sharp and I watched to see if they’d provoke a reaction.

  “Nice try.” He paused. “You are here because I am going to marry you.”

  The words dropped like stones on the surface of a pond. A tiny ripple before a straight plunge to the bottom.

  Suddenly I was angrier than I’d been since my father died. How dare he ask me to marry him when I couldn’t even trust him to tell me his real name? No matter how tempting the offer, and it was extremely tempting, I could not marry him.

  Besides, my father stood between us, had always blocked us. I could hardly step forward into a new life not knowing what might spring out at me later. No. I would have to settle the pendant business and then decide about the man.

  Furthermore, Colton didn’t love me. Yes, there was a heavy physical attraction between us, but that could not be confused with love. I would never marry without love.

  So if he didn’t love me, there must be another reason he proposed. Perhaps to prolong my stay at the palace because there was some other reason I couldn’t leave. If I agreed he would suggest a private engagement, which would then drag on until whatever needed to happen happened, and, when it was safe for me to leave, it would be broken off and I would be sent home with a nice ring, a few memories, and nothing else.

  Something was going on.

  “The proper response is, ‘Yes, Sorin, I am very pleased to marry you,’” he suggested. “Then you kiss me.”

  I ignored his comment. “Did your father put you up to this?”

  “What?” Genuine surprise crossed his features. I was happy to see he was still capable of an expression other than cold hauteur.

  My eyes narrowed. “Answer the question.”

  “No, my father did not demand I propose to you.” He frowned. “It is my father’s sincere wish you disappear entirely from my life as soon as possible.”

  I hadn’t thought the king and I could agree on anything. “If it wasn’t a direct order, why did you propose?”

  A half smile conquered his lips as he answered. “The answer is fairly obvious. I am actually mildly offended you haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “I don’t see why you’re so surprised. I haven’t figured anything out this entire journey.” Suddenly tired, I flopped back against the sofa. “This changes nothing. I am going home.”

  “Is that a no?”

  “Yes.” I couldn’t tell if he were relieved as his face was carefully blank.

  “May I ask why?”

  “You may not.”

  “And if I insist?” A glimmer of a smile touched his full mouth, signaling the return of real emotion.

  “Insist all you want. It will get you precisely nowhere.”

  “So I must accept your rejection quietly and speak no more of it?”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “And you know nothing of men. Right. Come here, then.” He sat up, extending a hand toward me.

  I looked at his hand. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Of course it’s not which is precisely why you’ll do it.” He wiggled his fingers.

  Instead of taking his hand, I stood, knowing if I did not take this opportunity and leave, bad things would happen for my heart. Though I suppose the damage had already been done.

  “You asked why I proposed. Come here and I will tell you.”

  “I already know the answer.” Or suspected it was part of a plot to keep me here, in the palace, for as yet undiscovered reasons.

  “Do you now? Yet your answer remains no?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you do not know why I proposed.” His smile was slow. “I will simply have to show you.”

  With a quick movement, he snagged my hand, pulling me against him as he stood. Going from not touching at all to touching from chest to thigh scrambled my brain. His smell filtered into my lungs, his warmth reminding me how chilly a low cut gown could be at night and as for his body, yes, that accelerated my heart beat.

  I could not resist him.

  His eyes were half closed, his head bending toward me and I could do nothing but tilt my face towards his and close my own eyes as his mouth touched mine. What was obviously meant to be a gentle kiss rapidly spiraled out of control as I tightened my grip on his lapels and kissed him back.

  Breathing hard, Sorin lifted his head, breaking the kiss. Eyes wide, I stared at him. Why of all people was it this man I wanted?

  He ran a hand through my hair. “I should be locked up for seeking to prolong my exposure to you.”

  “I would be happy to put you in the dungeon. It will make it easier for me to leave.” My dress rustled as I shifted my weight.

  “Why leave? There is nothing for you.” This time his finger trailed down my jawline.

  “I miss my family. I want to go home.” It was true, if not the entire truth. I backed away, his arms falling from my waist.

  “Then by all means, go for a visit. I would never keep you from those you love.” Tiredly, he rotated his shoulders. “I only hesitate to send you because once you leave, I doubt you’ll come back.”

  Had my eyes given it away? My mouth? “I won’t.”

  “And if I asked you to stay?”

  “Your marriage proposal failed. What makes you think anything else will change my mind?”

  For a long moment, we stared at each other. His gaze was a swirl of emotion, regret among them. Finally, he spoke. “When will you leave?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  A ghost of a smile curved his lips. “Not quite that soon.” At my sour look, he explained, “It will take a few days to work out the details of your departure and I will need to see duties are completed in my ab
sence.”

  “This isn’t an invitation.” I didn’t want a long drawn out goodbye. A simple handshake was about all I could handle before I clung and begged him not to let me go with things in disarray.

  “Did you really expect me to allow you to go traipsing across the countryside without me?”

  Yes. That’s exactly what I’d thought. “Assign a couple guards and I won’t be alone.”

  “Absolutely not.” We regarded each other stubbornly. “When you leave this palace, you do so with me or not at all.”

  “You leave all the time.”

  “I’m a prince.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Life’s not fair.” A corner of his mouth quirked in amusement at our infantile argument. “I would not be so quick to leave.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I have heard this before. No, do not tell me. You have discovered something interesting and only I hold the key to unlocking the true mystery.”

  “Then you are not even the least bit curious about your pendant? I see you do not wear it.” Again, his eyes lingered on my décolletage where it was obvious I wore no jewelry.

  I snorted. “It certainly does not make me a Tallon.” I nearly bit my tongue off. I’d revealed I knew far more about my father than I was supposed to. Fabulous.

  His eyes narrowed. “Who told you about the Tallons? Your father?”

  “No. Sabean explained about the pendant and what it meant since you were too busy with your meetings to bother.”

  “Sabean? Sabean told you about the Tallons? “Suddenly he jumped to his feet. “Of course!” With one smooth movement he pulled me straight into his arms for a hard kiss. When he lifted his head, we were both breathless. I couldn’t help but wish he’d proposed with half this emotion. My answer would have been very different.

  Raising a hand to the side of my face, Colton put me away from him. “Forgive me, but I must speak to my father at once.” He was gone before I could react. I sat staring at where he’d been, musing over all that transpired between us. Had he really proposed marriage and had I really refused?

  I must be crazy.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After a night spent tossing and turning over what I’d said that sent Colton running from the room, I finally dragged myself out of bed around nine the next morning. This was not going to be my day. I still hadn’t decided where I wanted to be—the island or the location on the map—and Colton had put together some pieces with information I’d provided.

  It was very irritating to watch as things became clear for someone else. Yes, I knew Colton had much more information than I, but surely I had enough clues to at least understand why the mention of Sabean sent him off on some wild fancy. What did she have to do with my father?

  My father. For the past week, I’d thought he was dead. Colton wouldn’t tell me my father might be alive if he didn’t have solid evidence. Why had I been so quick to quiet him? Then he’d proposed marriage, effectively burying any thought of my father. Is that why he’d proposed? To distract me from thoughts of my father?

  If my father was alive, everything changed.

  I was tempted to go directly to him, no matter he appeared to be involved in some very dangerous and perhaps dishonest work. If I went to him, would I be tainted with the same brush? It appeared I already was, but I could at least hang onto the pretense of innocence as long as I separated myself from him. Going straight to him would declare my allegiance.

  The marriage proposal also lingered in my mind. I didn’t understand why Colton proposed. I revisited my earlier theory of the proposal as a way to make me stay here. What would happen if I left? The world would not stop turning. He would find some other woman to play with and I would be able to get on with my life in peace although I had a sneaking suspicion everything would feel wrong once Colton was no longer part of my life.

  As I saw it, I had two options. I could remain here, in close proximity to Colton, and allow him to further twine himself around my heart, confuse my thoughts and turn me around until I didn’t know where to find the sky. Or I could gather what was left of my heart and find my own future, something I couldn’t do as long as doubts about my father lingered.

  That meant discovering what the pendant and map meant. I felt they were connected, but wasn’t quite certain how. At least the map provided a starting point. If I could ever decipher what it represented. Slight problem, that.

  Crossing to the closet, I found the borrowed overcoat from the night I arrived. From the pocket I withdrew the pendant. It looked pretty much as I remembered, the sunlight etching the symbol on the front. I fingered the circle in the middle.

  I palmed the book in the other pocket. The map wasn’t really a viable option as I didn’t even know where to start. I’d found maps in one of the libraries and an afternoon spent poring over them hadn’t netted anything. It would help if the map had actual cities and names instead of bumps and lines. Were those meant to be mountains and streams? If I ever found the author of the map, I’d smack him.

  Since Sabean said the holder of the pendant had to have the book, it was safe to conjecture the pendant must be brought to the x on the map. Unfortunately, that x could be in Africa for all I knew.

  So that meant I should go to the island. It was a better option than chasing an x around the globe. Lord Liberty told me if I had questions, I should go to the island. I certainly had questions, more so than I could handle. I wanted to know if my father lived and where he was and why his work was so dangerous to the Norths.

  Then there was that comment about the twin. A twin in itself was nothing to be alarmed about, so why would Liberty mention one? The edges of my conscious pricked, and I knew there was something I was missing.

  I took a further step back from the problem. The pendant was a threat to King Richard and the royal family, and then it was mentioned in almost the same breath as a twin. Why would a twin be a threat to Goran? Add that to the fact my father, supposedly a member of the Tallons, a group sworn to protect the North family, was working in opposition to the same family he was sworn to protect.

  But where did Treeman and his group of men fit in? Colton had met with my father and then spent more time negotiating with Treeman, refusing to escape while we’d been held captive. Then there’d been that entire bizarre conversation with Sabean, where she claimed my father was not a traitor. And how did Sabean know about my father being a Tallon?

  Then I remembered something else Sabean said. She mentioned she’d only seen one pendant before mine, and that had been ages ago…

  Sabean was a North. And, to make matters even more interesting, she was the missing twin, probably Richard’s, going by her age. Then I realized why her existence was so very dangerous. Sabean might be King Richard’s older sister, meaning she was the rightful ruler of Goran.

  No wonder Colton was dead set against my father, why he’d been sent to meet with him before the attack on Sal de Mar. That must mean my father, as a Tallon, was protecting Sabean. His letter mentioned something about the house being ready for her. What if the house meant the monarchy? Had he been scheming to replace King Richard with Sabean?

  I’d hate my father, too, if I was a North.

  I must speak with Colton, even though he already knew Sabean was his long lost aunt. After our conversation last night and him haring off after my mention of her name, he knew. I was the slow one.

  Which meant I had a definitive reason for seeking Colton out an hour later, a reason not related to how gorgeous he was, or how smart or fearless or funny. No. This meeting would be strictly business.

  My resolve lasted until I saw him outside the breakfast room. Looking unfairly gorgeous in a perfectly tailored blue shirt and brown riding breeches, Colton scrambled all my previously planned words with a warm grin. I gaped at him a moment, willing my heart to slow.

  Holding the door open, he indicated I should precede him into the breakfast room. I nearly did, until I remembered I needed to speak with him about…wha
t was it again? The twin! Yes, I thought with relief, I did still possess my brain.

  “May I speak with you? Privately?” I nodded toward the hallway.

  His blue eyes narrowed. “Dare I hope you’ve had a change of heart?”

  “It’s not about that.” With relief, I heard him follow me down the hallway. Not certain which door led where, I thought it best to remain in the hallway and speak quietly.

  “You are obviously not going to have your wicked way with me.” Leaning against the wall, his tone was lazy. “Disappointing.”

  I looked at him, confused. “Why do you say that?”

  “Well, to begin with, you would have chosen an empty room with a bit of privacy.” He smiled. “Although the hallway has interesting possibilities.”

  “I said I wanted to talk to you.”

  “One does not need words to talk.” His smile smoothly inserted itself beneath my ribs and into my heart.

  “Oh no.” I wagged my finger at him.

  “Oh no what?”

  “You are not going to be charming this morning. I cannot think when you smile like that.”

  “That is the first thing of interest you’ve said so far.” His amusement sat lightly upon his cheeks, lending appealing warmth to his features. “Tell me more about how you feel when I smile at you.” Colton took a step toward me, bringing the smell of expensive spicy cologne with him.

  I held up a hand. “Stop crowding me.”

  “We cannot conduct a private conversation in a hallway if we are yards apart.” His tone was entirely reasonable, which is why I hated it. How dare he have a handle on reason when my own fled down the hallway the minute I saw him? “Besides, this is hardly close. If I were to stand here, yes, this is close.”

  Not quite touching, but near enough, we stood face to face. Though a good five inches taller, the distance between our faces was not far enough to miss the tiny creases mirth made around his mouth, or the stray eyebrow hair at odds to the rest of the golden hairs. I wanted to correct that tiny imperfection, then run my finger around his eye, across his cheekbone to the straight nose and finally, to the finely textured skin of his mouth.

  Instead I did none of those things. I lowered my head, turning my face toward the side before I foolishly kissed him. I would not be distracted by the strength of his body or the attractive way his lower lip nudged forward in the suggestion of a pout.