Emery snorted. “Explains quite a bit. He always brought me exactly what I wanted before I’d said anything. Even before I knew he was a Guardian, I swore he had some sort of premonition. I even joked that he could read minds.” He smiled. “Of course, I hadn’t actually believed he could do it.”
They continued down the hallway and stopped in front of Megan’s room. Two soldiers, both adorned in orange tunics and capes of the Perception Rol’dan, bowed as they approached.
“Report, soldier,” Emery said.
“Lieutenant Connelly entered a short while ago. I heard them speaking, but all is silent now. By the sound of Lady Megan’s breathing, I believe she is now sleeping.”
“Very good,” Emery replied. “You are both dismissed for the remainder of the night.”
The men eyed Emery but said nothing. They bowed once and did as they were told.
Nolan waited until they were gone, and then he summoned his Shay of Empathy, speaking directly to Emery’s mind. “You know what they’re thinking, don’t you?”
Emery frowned. “They’re suspicious.”
“They believe you and Megan are …” He paused. “… intimate.”
Emery’s eyes widened briefly before he scowled. He spoke out loud, irritation in his voice. “Don’t be absurd.”
Nolan pointed to his temple. “Remember? I read their minds.”
Emery cursed under his breath. Then Nolan heard jumbled thoughts with words such as “dungeon” and “horse mucking” pass through Emery’s mind.
“Can you blame them?” Nolan said. “After having Alcandor, what else would they expect? You’re the king, and you’re visiting a young woman’s chamber at night.”
Emery clenched his teeth. “They are Perception Rol’dan. All they need to do is listen; they’d hear that nothing is going on.”
“Eavesdrop on their king?” Nolan said. “They’ve been in the Rol’dan long enough not to be that stupid. Besides, you probably told them to mind their own business.”
Emery sighed, and his shoulders relaxed slightly. “Yes, of course. They were only following my instructions.”
As Emery reached for the latch, Nolan caught his arm. “Why are you going to Megan’s room?” he asked.
Emery hesitated. “Let me show you instead.”
He slowly pushed open the door into Megan’s darkened chambers. The only light flickered from the hearth, the fire chasing away the coolness of the corridor outside the room. Nolan rubbed his arms, allowing the heat to soak into his flesh. Emery brought a finger to his lips.
Kat sat next to the bed, her head drooped on her chest in sleep. Nolan motioned toward Kat and summoned his Empathy. “What is she doing here?” he asked Emery with his mind.
Emery pursed his lips and answered, “More than likely, Megan didn’t want to be alone. Her dreams have been terrible.”
“What is she dreaming about?”
“Don’t know. She doesn’t tell anyone. However, I’ve been coming here after dark and using my Empathy to calm her.”
“And she’s okay with this?”
Guilt oozed from Emery before he spoke. “She doesn’t know.”
Nolan held back a snort of amusement. Megan wouldn’t want to be dependent on any man. No wonder Emery had kept it from her.
“What else could I do?” Emery added. “She wakes screaming and can’t eat. In the evening, she calms enough to take a bite or two, then it happens all over again.”
“So how long have you been doing this?”
“Three days now.”
“And it’s helping?”
Emery sighed. “To an extent. She’s more rested, but she still isn’t eating well.”
Nolan eyed Emery, noting the dark circles under his eyes. “You can’t keep this up,” he said. “You have a kingdom to run. Let me have a try. You need sleep.”
Nolan felt Emery’s conflicting emotions; Emery thought he needed to be the one protecting Megan, not Nolan. However, he was exhausted, and the idea of sleep appealed to him.
“All right,” Emery said. “I’ll be by the fire, in case you need me.”
Emery would rest better in his own bed, but Nolan wouldn’t fight him on where he should sleep. Emery’s tension relaxed as he collapsed into a plush chair. His eyes pulled closed, and he covered a yawn. “Thanks, friend,” he whispered.
Nolan waited until Emery slept before he situated himself on a wooden chair next to Megan’s bed. She lay on her side with her eyes closed. A subtle furrow between her brows was the only indication of her nightmare.
Nolan took a deep breath, preparing for what would be a long night. He summoned his Shay of Empathy and dipped into Megan’s mind. Right away her apprehension met him. He pushed against it, telling her with his mind that “all was well.” Her emotions relaxed, but then the apprehension grew again. This would be a battle.
As the night progressed with the war between fear and contentment, Nolan wondered if he was helping at all. Starting to feel his travels, his healing of Maska, and the long day, his muscles ached—and he still hadn’t showered and changed.
He rolled his shoulders, reminding himself that Emery needed sleep more. He focused on Megan. Whatever her dreams were, he couldn’t take them away, only soothe the emotions they evoked. It made him wonder: What exactly was she dreaming?
He withdrew his Shay and glanced over at Emery. His breathing had slowed in deep sleep. Kat adjusted in the nearby chair, sleeping as well. Megan’s frown lines increased.
Could he read her thoughts? Did he dare? If he knew more, he could better direct her emotions. He searched his powers, once again grasping the Guardian side. He focused on Megan and slowly, gently, dipped into her mind. This time, instead of her emotions, a scene opened; he peered through her eyes.
He lay on a bed, but not the one Megan currently slept on. Ornate tapestries and paintings hung on the walls. He pushed into a soft blanket—silk maybe, and the sound of his own fear-tainted breathing filled his ears. He tugged with his arm, but it wouldn’t move. His wrist—Megan’s wrist—pulled against a rope. He followed the binding to an ornate post of a four-poster bed and wrenched against it. Her secured limbs ached. It was then he noticed she was unclothed.
Nolan drew back from the vision, mortified he’d witnessed this part of her dream. But a movement from the corner of Megan’s eyes made him hesitate. King Alcandor strode toward her and climbed onto the bed.
Nolan yanked out of her mind abruptly. The shame enwrapping her still lingered in his emotions. The fire snapped and popped with its gentle serenade in Megan’s room. Both Emery and Kat still slept. No one else, apart from Nolan, realized the torment Megan faced: memories of her night with King Alcandor.
Megan whimpered and shifted on the bed, tossing her head to one side.
Nolan strengthened his resolve, but this time only entered her mind with his Empathy Shay. He would soothe her, not enter her mind. Instead of covering her emotions and bandaging them like wounds, Nolan wished he could take them away. However, Empathy didn’t work that way.
Then an idea came to him. What if he absorbed her emotions? His Healing absorbed wounds; why couldn’t he do the same for emotions? He continued to calm with his Empathy, then he brought up his Healing at the same time.
Abruptly her emotions intensified inside him. Nolan’s hands trembled as fear leeched into him. He wanted to pull away, but as she relaxed into her mattress, it encouraged him to continue. Then her emotions changed; the fear mutated into something else. Not until it was too late did he realize Alcandor had taken over her mind.
Desire transferred to Nolan and sensations invaded his body. It only took a moment for him to absorb her emotions completely. He yanked away, but the orchestra in his body remained.
He closed his eyes and gripped the sides of the chair; the wood cracked in his iron hold. He leaned his head back, and as he tried to control it, a long moan escaped his lips.
A hand touched his shoulder.
Nolan’s eyes snapped
open.
Kat looked at him, confusion and concern in her eyes. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
Without thinking, Nolan jumped up, grabbed her face, and kissed her hard and deep. She backed up, butting against the wall.
Something fell off the side table with a crash. He didn’t care. He needed to sate this desire. He dug his fingers into her hair and down her neck; he pushed her shirt off her shoulders, caressing her smooth, silk-like skin. With a quick yank, he ripped open the front of her tunic and, all at once, the lust left him, and the reality of the moment came into view.
Megan and Emery were awake, gawking.
Kat eyed him, both confusion and excitement emanating from her. Her ripped tunic hung open, only half covering her heaving chest. The white scar shone visibly between her breasts, the same place where he’d stabbed her a few short months before.
“What are you doing?” Megan asked. Her eyes went to Emery, then to the strange scene before her.
Nolan took a step away from Kat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
The door burst open, and the two guards lunged in, swords drawn. Confusion washed across them with the scene. Kat pulled the ruined tunic together and held it with her fist.
“Get out!” Megan yelled.
The guards gawked at Emery. He nodded.
Megan hugged the blanket to her chin as the guards departed, and then, with a trembling voice, asked, “Anyone want to explain what’s going on in here?”
“I’d like an explanation myself,” Emery said, eyeing Nolan.
“I’d like to know why Nolan and Kat found my room, of all places, to hold their rendezvous. But I really want to know why you are here.” She stared at Emery expectantly.
Emery opened his mouth to protest, but stopped, resignation spilling from him. “I’ve been coming here to soothe your dreams.”
Megan stared, then her brows furrowed. “How many nights?”
“This would be the fourth.”
“That would explain …” Realization washed over her face. Then her jaw hardened, and she jabbed her thumb in Nolan’s direction. “And what about him?”
“Nolan came to help.” Emery crossed his arms. “Or he was supposed to.”
“I-I … ” Nolan stammered. “Was just trying something different.” He choked. That hadn’t come out so well.
“He wasn’t himself,” Kat cut in.
All eyes—except for Kat’s—locked on him. But what could he say without embarrassing Megan? He dipped into portions of her memory he shouldn’t have. “I’m sorry,” Nolan said. “I told Emery I’d take over for him, but the darkness and seeing Kat sleeping there … I lost control.”
Kat’s gaze snapped up, meeting his.
Emery scowled. “Nolan, if I might speak to you privately.”
He motioned for the door, and Nolan followed, leaving the girls alone. As soon as they were outside the room, Emery’s mind prodded his.
“Well?” Emery said. “What happened?”
Nolan hesitated. “I used my Guardian powers and dipped into Megan’s head. I saw her dream.”
Emery’s anger left abruptly. “So you know what it is?”
Nolan nodded but didn’t answer.
“Come on, friend. I need to know.”
Nolan swallowed before answering. “She’s dreaming about her night with Alcandor.”
Emery’s face paled. Emery, of all people, could sympathize. “And what else? You aren’t telling me everything.”
“I … um … ” He hesitated. “I used both Empathy and Healing to absorb her emotions.”
“You can do that?” Emery’s face paled a second time. “Which is why you attacked Kat. No wonder Megan can’t rest. It’s taken me years to get over those memories.”
Nolan didn’t say anything, but he knew Emery still hadn’t gotten over it.
“No amount of soothing will get her past this,” Emery added. “We need to give her some time.”
“And I doubt she’ll be letting you sneak into her room anymore.”
Emery ran a hand through his hair. “No. Probably not.”
Nolan summoned his Perception, listening to the girls in the room. They whispered, gossiping. Nolan yanked back his power.
Emery eyed him. “So what’s happening in there?”
“They’re talking about us.”
Emery leaned in, curiosity lacing his emotions. “And?”
“Do you really want to know?”
Emery shuddered. “You’re right. It’s better we don’t.”
Even so, they didn’t move from their place in the hall. Feet shifting. Hands wringing. Their arms twitched with nervous tension.
Finally, Emery spoke. “Go ahead. Maybe we can do something to help?”
Nolan snorted. “Haven’t we done enough?”
They both forced a nervous laugh. But curiosity took over, and Nolan again directed his Perception into Megan’s room. He tuned out the crackling fireplace. They weren’t talking anymore, thank Brim. Steady breathing signified Megan’s peaceful slumber as well as the stress-free beating of her heart.
“Megan’s asleep.”
Emery released a long sigh. “Maybe she can get some rest tonight.”
Nolan directed his Perception farther and heard Kat. She, unfortunately, didn’t sleep. Her heart beat quickly, excitedly. Apparently, she hadn’t quite recovered from their little Alcandor-induced fling.
As Nolan pulled back, he caught another sound. He focused on something softer and quicker. It was almost inaudible, like a whisper. His stomach dropped, and he felt the blood leave his face.
“What is it?” Emery asked.
Nolan focused in once more, hearing the unmistakable sound. Clarity filled his mind. The tiredness. Her inability to eat. Part of him was relieved; at least she wasn’t sick or dying. But the truth opened a whole new problem, one without an easy answer.
“Nolan. For Brim’s sake, what’s wrong?”
Nolan hesitated and ran a hand over his chin. “Megan is with child.”
Chapter Eight
NOLAN STOOD IN THE THRONE ROOM waiting for the others. He’d slept little; Megan’s vision haunted him too much to concentrate on anything else. The bed. Alcandor. The ropes cutting into his wrists—no, her wrists. It had all seemed so vivid and real. And even though he’d caught only a glimpse of what she’d endured with Alcandor, it still made him shiver.
He shifted his weight and straightened his freshly washed tunic. Cracking his knuckles, he stared at the open doorway. What was taking everyone so long? The topic of this meeting, Megan and her new problem, opened Nolan’s mind to endless possibilities. Could Alcandor father a child? And if so, what did that mean for Nolan? Could he have a future with a wife? Did Nolan dare consider a normal life? Not that he was normal, but at least he could cling to a glimmer of possibility. There was far too much he still didn’t know, far too many unanswered questions. He wouldn’t let his hopes rise until he knew more.
He’d turned down Megan just a few months ago, using his inability to have children as one of many excuses to end their budding relationship. In the end, it was best; Megan and Emery cared for each other, far more than either wanted to admit, even to themselves.
Malik and Sanawen entered, both splendid in their Guardian forms. Malik towered over any human, a monster of a man with cropped, golden waves hanging down the sides of his face. He had no facial hair, with well-defined jawbones and cheeks. And like all Guardians, white light glowed around him. Even in his human form, women thought he was handsome. At least that’s what the awestruck village girls had said.
Sanawen, the only female Guardian, had silver locks waving down the length of her back. Both she and Malik were dressed in armor: massive plate-covered chests; shining, light-infused bracers; and intricately decorated greaves covering their legs. They stood, side by side, examining Nolan.
“Master Nolan,” Malik said with a subtle nod. “How was your journey?”
Oh, I nearly died
. And the townspeople were too afraid of me to even listen to reason. He sighed. “It was fine.”
Malik raised a single brow.
After a few moments, Kael arrived in his freshly pressed uniform consisting of a golden tunic, waist-length cape, leather jerkin, and knee-high boots fastened with a row of shiny brass buttons. He caught Nolan’s eyes, concern and tension lacing his emotions. “I hope this meeting isn’t about the rumors.”
“Rumors? What rumors?”
Kael scowled. “It’s hard to keep secrets in a place such as this, dear brother. Too many nosy Perception Rol’dan.”
Nolan wanted to ask more, but he hesitated when Emery entered with his aqua cloak flowing behind. He didn’t join them; instead, he walked past into an open door at the far side of the throne room. “Come on,” he said as he disappeared through the door.
The Guardians followed without comment. Kael, on the other hand, inhaled sharply, his posture stiffening.
“What’s wrong?” Nolan asked.
“Nothing,” Kael snapped. The lie reeked so thickly from him, Nolan hardly needed Empathy to feel it.
As soon as Nolan entered the room, he understood in horrific clarity. The ornate tapestries. The four-poster bed. It was straight from Megan’s dream. They stood in Alcandor’s bedchamber.
It’s where Alcandor had violated Megan, and Emery, and even Kael. It explained the reaction from his brother and why Emery had a trail of sweat running down his face and chin.
Emery’s hand shook as he pointed toward the door. “Close it.”
Malik obeyed.
“Why bring us in here?” Kael asked, his voice lowered, his teeth clenched.
Emery swiped his arm across his cheek. “The room’s walls are coated with Guardian steel. It’s the only place we can speak freely. It blocks all noise, including conversations Perception are able to hear.” His eyes glowed lightly, the purple light of his Empathy illuminating. “I’m sorry to bring you here, but it’s necessary.”
Emery’s soothing passed over them. Kael’s tense shoulders relaxed, but only slightly; his heartbeat slowed, and he released a slow sigh. His Empathy had helped everyone, except himself.
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