Princess Faith, The Royal Dungeons
I missed this. I missed Thor. God, it had only been a couple of hours, but I was frantic. Desperate to come. He felt so good. This felt so good. The connection was intense. I didn’t care if it was because of my Ardor and his awakening. I’d felt nothing like it. Knew I never would again.
I held onto his shoulders as I rode him, used him for my own pleasure. But he wasn’t suffering. I watched him as he realized what I’d done. It was a slow process because I was circling my hips, rubbing my clit against him as he did so.
“Why?” he breathed, his hands going to my hips, squeezing.
His dark gray-blue eyes held mine with an intensity I couldn’t break.
“I believe you.”
He breathed raggedly once, twice, then his hand slid around to my front so his thumb played over my clit. My eyes fell closed.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and I did as he wished. Held his gaze.
“Come, mate. Come now.”
I did, for I loved to obey him. Silly, really, since I held all the control. I’d been able to use him for my Ardor. He’d offered and I’d gladly taken. But then I accepted what I’d already known. My heart, my head finally synced. Thor was innocent. I knew it. Felt it. Believed it. Breathed it.
And so I’d released him. Given him the obvious proof that I trusted him. It was the two of us now against the world. Everyone—including Trinity—believed him guilty. Thor had believed I’d been the traitor, and he’d saved me anyway. Vowed to protect me from Lord Wyse and that horrible Optimus unit, no matter the cost.
He was honorable, and he was mine, willing to risk defying everyone to keep me when he thought I was nothing. A servant. He would fight for me now, as well. Fight for us. So I would, too. I’d take a leap of faith. I’d love him.
Love burst through me like there had been a dam holding it back. And with it, heightened senses. Every touch meant more. Every kiss. Every shift of my hips and his, either one of us loving the other. I’d never experienced anything like this. Like him.
Pleasure flooded me. Swamped me, all but drowned me, but I had an anchor in Thor. I couldn’t fall because he was there to catch me. Hold me. Keep me together as my body fell apart, as my Ardor took in his very essence and eased the hunger consuming me, as I found the most blissful pleasure.
I cried out, milked him. I felt him thicken, lengthen impossibly further within me as he came. His hands tightened on my hips as he thrust up one time. Filling me. Emptying his balls with his seed and giving it all to me.
“Mate,” he growled.
I was panting, sweating, trying to catch my breath.
“Again,” he demanded.
I nodded, definitely not done. His cock didn’t flag inside me, and when he began to rock his hips, I knew he was instantly ready to fuck some more. His seed slipped between us, coated our skin. My body was still soaring, so close to another peak that I cried out, on the edge within moments. Shuddering. Begging.
“Yes. Please. More.”
His hands came up, tugged down the bodice of my dress, exposed my breasts to him. “Where is that fancy, sexy as fuck, undergarment?”
“I came bare,” I breathed as he latched on to one nipple. My hands went into his hair, tangled, as I arched my back and offered more, rubbed my clit against him. Spread my knees so that my body opened wider. I wanted more. Everything he could give me. And more still. There would never be enough.
He groaned as he switched to the other nipple, so neglected. I rolled my hips and slowly fucked him as he didn’t let up. The pleasure of his mouth sent pulses of heat to my pussy. I held on with a soft groan, holding back, riding the edge all over again. I wanted this to last forever.
When his teeth grazed my nipple, then gently bit down, I came again, startling me. It wasn’t powerful like the last one, but the heat spread through me, like a thick syrup. Warmth and pleasure seeped into my bones, and I moaned his name.
“Must we continue this here? I much prefer to tuck you beneath me on a more sumptuous mattress.”
His words reminded me of our surroundings. I was a princess. If I wanted Thor to be free of this dungeon and in my bed, no one could stop me.
“My rooms. Yes. Now.”
“We must separate, mate.”
“No. Never again. Everyone is against us. You are a Jax. I am a Herakles. We are star-crossed lovers.” I thought of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but knew we would not die for our love.
“The world be damned. We will go to your rooms, but unless you wish me to carry you through the palace with your legs about my waist, cock buried deep for everyone to witness, I will have to pull out.”
“I don’t care,” I said, lifting and circling my hips, ready to come once more. God, would the pleasure ever stop?
“You do, mate. What we share is private. Just for us. I wish to keep your cries of pleasure just for me. I want no one else to see what you look like as you find your pleasure, as my seed fills you up. As your Ardor is soothed.”
“One more then. I want to come once more, then we’ll go to my rooms.”
With my breasts bare, his hands settled on my hips once more. He brought his legs up, knees bent so I was cradled between him and his thighs.
“My mate, my princess. As you wish, but know this, we won’t be leaving your bed until your Ardor is gone. If we are to fight the world together, then I will set you free.”
Thor, The Royal Palace
It took two days to end Faith’s Ardor. I wasn’t complaining. Hell, no. Two days of keeping her naked, writhing, and alone together in her rooms. There was no doubt her sister knew what we were up to. I’d been expecting guards to burst through the doors at any time and drag me from her bed.
But when they came knocking, our visitors were Trinity and Leo, not armed guards. And Faith very firmly told her sister to “leave us alone”. After that, my beautiful mate ordered trays of food to be left in the hallway for us. Two days of sleeping, fucking, talking, bathing together in her luxurious private suite. Laughing. Loving. More fucking.
Kissing.
Touching.
If she hadn’t already owned my heart, she did now. I was fully and truly smitten. And delighted to discover that Faith was wickedly intelligent, and did not hesitate to challenge me at every turn. She loved to laugh, and loved to torment our visiting queen’s guards when they’d delivered our food, especially the brutish one named Nix. She teased him and laughed, but he handled it better than the rest of them. The young ones had stopped coming to our door, unable to cope with my mate’s determination to chat with them and ask for news. She was mischievous, like my father’s cats, full of a joy for life I’d never imagined could exist before I met her.
And I never wanted to lose her. And to that end, I kept no secrets. I told her everything I knew, everything I suspected, and everything I’d done over the last few weeks. She asked questions, a lot of them, but I answered them all.
And then I took her again. Fed her Ardor. Made her mine.
If the question was truly personal, or difficult to answer, I demanded an orgasm from her body as payment.
I didn’t have to worry about myself. Simply being inside her pussy was enough to drive me half mad with lust. No, I had to worry about the opposite—holding back—prolonging both our pleasure.
Being a princess had its benefits, and this luxurious suite of rooms was something even I’d never seen before. My family was wealthy, but the palace looked like something out of a children’s storybook. Art on every wall. Carpet so thick one could sleep on it without discomfort. Or fuck. Or both, as we had done many times since locking ourselves in this private oasis. We had conversations on that floor, with her lying atop me, my cock still inside her, neither of us willing to give up the physical connection.
In here there were no rules, no family members, no history or soldiers trying to kill us. Just Faith and me. Mates. Just us, learning about each other.
Faith told me of growing up on Earth, of her sisters, her father who was an Earthling and was still there. Of her interest in animals and her refusal to eat them. Of so many things. I, in turn, shared as well.
By the time the Ardor finally broke, we’d slept for hours to recover. I felt confident in our connection. That she was my mate. Truly mine.
And, in the end, she realized the truth; I knew there was a traitor within my parents’ home, but I had no idea who it was. Neither did she.
And though we agreed to return there once more, I refused to let her go posing as a servant. She was mine, and I would not have her waiting hand and foot on my father when we had dozens of others who could do the task. No, she was my mate and would be treated with respect and honor. Not as much as she might receive from others when they discovered she was a princess, but enough for now.
As for me, I held no other in higher regard. She’d traveled blindly halfway across the galaxy to save her mother. She’d left her sisters and managed to infiltrate my parents’ home in a matter of days, serving as closely to my father as one could expect. She was resourceful and clever, and I admired her courage. I was honored that my cock had chosen her, for my heart and mind agreed. Faith was perfect.
The instant she’d released the restraints she’d become mine. Her decision had been made, her fate sealed. I’d vowed then that we would fight the world together and I’d meant it. Even with her sister currently in charge of the entire planet, Trinity didn’t matter to me. Not in this. She had no power to change the way I felt about Faith, and no sway over what we did. Who we loved.
We would find the real traitor before Princess Trinity and her people could. No one in her circle of guards knew my house—or its servants—better than I did. She was a new arrival, and although I believed Nix, Leo and their queen’s guard had spies in every house, whoever they had implanted in my parents’ home had missed all the warning signs with Zel. And allowed the Jax name to be placed in danger. And that, I could not forgive.
I was innocent in this and Faith believed me, but no one else would. So far, Princess Trinity had downplayed the Jax family’s involvement in her kidnapping. But if I couldn’t give her answers, and soon, that would change.
The people were hungry for answers. And if we couldn’t give them the truth, they would manufacture their own theories, believe the lies our enemies might spread through the world. It would endanger not just my family, but Princess Trinity and Faith as well.
That I could not allow. Faith and I would work—together this time—to root out the mole once and for all. That was the first step to finding Queen Celene and clearing my family name, for I was convinced the traitor in my house would have information we needed to save the queen. Once the elder royal was found, Faith would be third in line to the throne. Which was better than second.
The further from the seat of power, the better, as far as I was concerned. She wanted a simple life, children, a family. She didn’t want the crown. It wasn’t her. And I did not want her to be the target of every power-hungry, crazed lunatic on Alera.
I wanted her happy, safe, and protected, and in my bed.
And as I helped Faith dress—no fancy dress this time, but simple clothing with the sexy-as-fuck underthings beneath that were only for me to see and know about, I felt contentment wash through me, a peace and completeness I’d never felt before. In the past, something inside me had been empty. Hungry. Looking at Faith, I let the heaviness of happiness melt me into something new, something softer in this moment, and pulled her into my arms. Not to fuck, but to hold her close, absorb the peace and satisfaction I felt whenever she was near.
Love. This was love. She would be my greatest source of strength for what was to come next. And my greatest weakness.
Reluctant, I let her go and waited as the S-Gen machine made clothes for me. I looked to Faith, who was eyeing me as if her Ardor had returned.
“I’m really going to miss seeing you naked all the time.”
I grinned. “It will all be beneath, my love. Just waiting for you.”
She sighed. “I wish… I wish we knew where my mom is. She’s been waiting to return to Alera with us all this time. Waiting to be queen. Once she does, we can just be simple princess and mate. Nothing more.”
I went over to her, my cock rising again just looking at her, brushed her long hair back from her face. If I had my way, she’d never wear it up again. “Simple princess and mate? I doubt we will ever be simple.”
Her head tilted into my palm and she rubbed her soft skin against me like one of my father’s Zebcats. Her eyes drifted closed for a moment before she looked up at me. I saw all the emotions I’d been feeling reflected there. Love. Peace. She was mine now. Truly mine. “Fine. Not simple. Danger-free. How about that?”
I smiled. “Yes, I will agree to that. No danger.” The S-Gen machine beeped, signaling my clothing was ready. I stepped away, for if I didn’t do so, we’d never get out of these rooms.
I dressed quickly in a warrior’s uniform with my family crest on the sleeves. I did not want to go before Princess Trinity and her mate, and her guards, looking like a pompous lord in silk and fluff. But I did not want to appear weak, either. I’d settled on the uniform reserved for the head of my family’s military forces. Each family kept their own standing armies. Mine was quite large, spread out over dozens of my family’s estates. As my father’s heir, I was, indeed, their commander.
Normally, I did not rub that fact in other lords’ or ladies’ faces. Today, I wanted to go before Faith’s sister with my power on display. I was not weak. Neither was my family. I would not beg. Faith was mine. My goal was to make sure Trinity’s mate, Leo, recognized what I said without words—that Faith was mine to protect, and I would die defending her.
She smiled as I tugged the hem of my sleeve into place and walked to me, taking my hand. “I always did have a thing for men in uniform.”
I grabbed her. Kissed her. Hard. “Not men, mate. Me.”
Her soft laughter made my heart feel like it had wings, flapping beneath my ribs, trying to escape. “Yes, Thor. Only you. You are named after a Nordic god, after all.”
That took me aback. Me? Named for a god? In no pantheon I’d ever heard of was there a god named Thordis. It was a family name, going back hundreds of years. “Perhaps it is because I am a god when I am between your thighs.”
I thought she would deny me the admission. Instead, her cheeks turned a delightful shade of pink and she bit her lower lip. The look she gave me made my cock roar to life. “True. You are.”
“Mate, stop looking at me in such a manner or we shall never leave this room.”
She laughed then, the sound wild and free. “My Ardor is over.”
I pulled her closer, making sure she could feel the hard length of my cock pressed between us. “What about my Ardor?”
“You don’t have an Ardor, Thor.”
I lowered my head and kissed her neck. “I beg to differ, mate. Tell my cock your lies.”
She held me tight, turning her head to the side to give me better access. It was a blatant invitation, and I was all too eager to accept it. “We must go speak to your sister. She may be content to allow you this time with me, but I promise you, her mate will not wait much longer.”
“He can kiss my ass.”
Lowering my hand, I squeezed her bottom, lifted her into my cock, tormenting myself. “No, mate. No one will have his lips on this body but me.”
Reluctantly, I let her go. The upper floor of the palace was much fancier than the dungeons below. While my parents’ mansion was ornate, gaudy even, the rooms were simply furnished, with clean lines and tasteful colors. The palace?
I could see that Lady Radella had put her own stamp upon the rooms. Much like the lady, everything I’d seen so far was bold. Bright colors. Orange and red next to vibrant blue or shining silver. There was no restful energy here, but a frantic need to express herself, like a beautiful, colorful bird locked in a cage.
If my mate asked, I would live here with her, but I longed to abandon both this palace and my apartment and find a home. Some place that belonged to both of us, with room for the children I hoped would someday come.
Someday, when we were danger-free.
Holding her hand in mine, we made our way down the hallway and found Princess Trinity and Leo in the royal salon. They were having their lunch in a small dining room, the table only seating eight, unlike the formal one below which could accommodate up to eighty. They looked up when we entered and after I offered a nod of respect, I noticed they weren’t alone. Nix sat across from Leo. The two men’s uniform coats were hooked over the back of their chairs and the princess was dressed in simple clothing, similar to Faith’s. I’d only seen Princess Trinity in formal wear and she looked quite different with her blonde hair pulled back at her nape in a tail and her face free of makeup.
“All better?” the princess—fuck, it was going to be hard to differentiate the sisters since they were both princesses—asked Faith, a knowing smile curling the corner of her mouth.
“Much.” Ignoring the glares of the males as if they did not exist, Faith walked to the table and sat next to Leo before I could offer her a chair. I remained standing behind her, still uncertain of our welcome as Faith reached and grabbed a small piece of fruit from a platter and popped it in her mouth. “How’s it hanging, Leo?”
Nix, who had been watching me as if I would slit Faith’s throat at any moment, blinked quickly and turned to stare at my mate. Clearly, he was not yet used to these new princesses from Earth.
“Do you refer to my cock, little sister? It is unhappy at the moment.”
Nix choked on his food. Trinity laughed. “Later, mate. We can not stay in bed all day and night.”
“Actually, we could.”
Trinity shook her head as Nix busied himself with his food. I’d never seen an assassin blush, but if I had to guess—
“Sorry about your blue balls, Leo. I’m sure Trin will take care of it for you later.”
Blue balls? Why would Leoron’s balls be blue? I assumed my mate referred to his testicles. And, if they were truly blue, how was my mate aware of this strange coloration?
Luckily, Leo spoke before I could torment myself with the answer to that question. “I fucked your sister until she screamed this morning. My balls are not blue.”
“Good to know. And thanks for all the food you had delivered. Marathon sex can really give you an appetite.”
Trinity lounged back in her chair in a very unroyal fashion. “You’re welcome. Is your Ardor over?”
“Done.” Faith patted the seat next to her and looked up at me for a moment. “Sit down, Thor.” Clearly, she didn’t seem bothered by her sister and the others knowing what we’d been up to these past two days. In fact, she was all but taunting everyone with it. I wasn’t bothered in the least that everyone knew we’d been fucking. As Faith had said, like rabbits, a furry animal from Earth who must go at it constantly. There would be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we were mates.
She turned back to her sister the moment I was seated. “So, what have we missed? Have you heard from my twin?”
“No. I have not. I thought we might try to get a hold of her today. I’m getting worried.”
Faith glanced from her sister to Nix, then back. Trinity met her gaze as I watched and nodded. “You can trust him.”
“You sure about that?” Faith turned to Nix. “No offense, but the last two times I saw you, you were trying to kill us, and then you dragged my mate off to prison.”
Nix had the good sense to look contrite. “My apologies, Your Highness. In the first instance, I was trying to save your life, not end it.”
She seemed fine with that. “And in the second?” Rage colored her voice. “I believe you owe Thor an apology. Like now.” Pure steel in her tone, and Nix actually sat back to study her, a look of surprise on his face.
“Faith—“ Trinity began.
Faith held up her hand, palm facing her sister. “Talk to the hand, Trin.” She didn’t even look at the princess, but stared at Nix. “Well?”
He bowed his chin to her, then looked me in the eye. “My apologies, Lord Jax. I was simply following orders and believed Princess Faith was in danger.”
Fuck me. I couldn’t believe it. “Apology accepted.”
Trinity sat back, her arms crossed, but she kept her mouth shut.
Sitting between the two sisters, Leo waited, taking his cue from his mate.
Good. These males should not underestimate my mate, nor her sister. They were beautiful, but I had learned that they were also highly intelligent and more stubborn than any male I’d ever encountered. And I had yet to meet Destiny, my mate’s twin. She had told me about Destiny during our time together, and about their escapades growing up.
Destiny sounded like the most volatile of the three sisters and I very much looked forward to meeting her.
Faith popped another piece of fruit into her mouth and patted me on the thigh. “Good, now that that’s settled, can we get ahold of Des? I’m worried. She’s in the viper’s pit.”
“While I know what she’s up to, generally, I don’t know where she is.” Leo looked at my mate, his brows raised in question.
“You don’t know?” Faith leaned back, pressing her back into me. Happy to respond, I pulled her—and her chair—closer to me and wrapped an arm around her.
Trinity shook her head. “I kept my vow to Mother and told no one of our plans.”
“Holy shit, Trin. Not even sharing with your mate. Wow. You are a hard-ass, rule follower, just like Dad.”
“Nothing new there,” Trinity said. “And Leo understands.”
I glanced at him and wasn’t so sure, but at least he was patient. Probably had to be with these ladies in charge.
Faith shook her head. “That’s… wow. Which is why you’ll be a better queen someday than I could ever be.” She rubbed my arm absently, petting me where it was wrapped around her waist. “I was supposed to get into the Jax house. Destiny was supposed to join the clerical order.”
“What?” Nix sat up straighter, concern on his brow. “The clerics? Leo, you knew about this?”
He nodded, but that didn’t seem to appease the guard.
“That is not acceptable.”
Trinity sipped her drink. “No shit, Sherlock. But we didn’t have a choice. Our mom was kidnapped from Earth by someone who knew where to look. Based on the politics of the time—when my biological father was murdered—she suspected the Jax house and the Clerics. The plan was to divide and conquer and all that.”
Nix shook his head, muttering to himself. “Insane. Females are insane. What were you thinking?”
“That we needed to save our mother,” Faith answered. She turned back to Trinity. “Do you know where Destiny is? Can we reach her?”
“Yes. The citadel will support us in this.”
Faith nodded, as if that made complete sense. Which, of course, it did not. The citadel was a building with some spires and pretty flowers on the outside. But I wasn’t going to argue. It was well-known lore that the royals believed the citadel to be more.
The rest of us humored them.
“Do it then,” Faith said. “I won’t feel right until I know she’s okay.”
Trinity nodded and rose from her seat. She walked to an empty screen along one wall and pressed her palm to the wall. The screen wavered for a moment, as if liquid waves flowed beneath the surface. There was no picture, but I distinctly heard a female’s whispered voice.
“Jesus! About fucking time. Just a sec.”
Faith chuckled. “Yep. That’s Destiny.”
Trinity turned from the still empty screen and met Faith’s gaze, smiling. “I’d say she’s fine, at least right now.”
“Thank god.”
Trinity sat back down and we all turned toward the screen as it flickered, then turned dark. Barely visible, Faith’s twin sister looked as if she were speaking into a small screen. “Trin? Faith? Can you hear me?”
Faith looked down at her palm, at the small scar I’d noticed there, and rubbed at it as if it ached. “Yes, we can hear you.”
Nix leaned forward, squinting at the screen as if trying to discover who the mysterious third princess might be. We could see her outline, hear her voice, but she was in a very dark room, her features obscured, as if the communication itself was protecting her identity.
“Leo? Is that you?”
“Yes, Destiny. I am very happy to see you are well.”
“I’m alive, if that’s what you mean,” she grumbled.
Nix shifted even farther forward. “It is dark, Your Highness.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Her tone of voice clearly indicated the opposite. “I don’t have a lot of time to ask who you are. What’s been going on there? Oh, and Trin? Fucking loved the dress. Can’t fight for shit in that thing, though, could you? What have I told you about that?”
Trinity leaned back into her seat with a sigh. “It was pretty, Destiny.”
“Cinderella style. What the fuck happened, anyway? How’d you let that guy Zel get the drop on you?”
“How do you know of these events?” Nix asked.
“I’m in the order, not dead. They do get the news feeds here.”
I knew Faith well, and recognized a bit of her in her twin sister. Enough to know that Destiny was, most likely, rolling her eyes at Nix at this very moment.
“We are fine, Des,” Faith called. “What about you? Any luck?”
“No. But there has been some buzzing lately about prisoner movements. I’m hoping I don’t have to try to seduce the answer out of one of these asshole clerics.”
“You shall do no such thing,” Nix ordered.
Destiny cleared her throat, her face becoming just distinct enough that we could see her eyes as she scowled at him. “Who are you, anyway? Trin, who is this guy?”
“I am a member of the queen’s guard, and loyal servant to Alera.”
Destiny moved back again—back from what, I had no idea. It was as if she held a small communication device in her hand. “Whatever.”
Nix stood, clearly bothered by the princess’s curt tone and blasé attitude.
Destiny ignored him. “Look, I have to go. They’re moving their prisoners around, and I heard they are transporting their high value assets in the next day or two. I’ll try to get in there. See who they’ve got. One of them could be Mom.”
“Be careful,” Faith said.
“Love you guys. Just in case—you know—”
“Don’t even say it, Des. Don’t. Just don’t.” Trinity stood as well. Faith’s fingertips dug into my arm and her breathing raced.
“Destiny, if you die, I swear to god, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you again.” That was my sweet-tempered, loving female.
Destiny tilted her head and I could practically see her mind working, calculating odds. “Keep your fingers crossed then.” A loud thumping noise sounded, as if someone knocked on a door behind the princess. “I gotta go. Like now. Love you.”
The screen went blank. Trinity sat back down, her head in her hands. Nix stared at the screen, as if he could force Destiny to return by strength of will alone.
“Shit,” Trinity said.
“She’s going to do something crazy,” Faith added.
Nix turned from the screen to stare at my mate. “Where is she?”
Faith shrugged, her small body moving against mine, and I was never more grateful to have her close. Safe. “I don’t know. Wherever the new recruits go for the clerics. Somewhere in the city.”
He turned to Trinity, who looked up at last and agreed. “We have no idea. That was part of the plan. If one of us got caught, the other two would have no information to give our enemies.”
“Fuck.” Nix sat, but his fingers drummed a steady beat on the tabletop as if he could not sit still.
“Well, the news is about to get even better.” Leo spoke, breaking the tense silence. “Thordis, I’m sorry to have to tell you, but your apartment has been ransacked.”
I glanced at Nix, who held up his hands. “It wasn’t me or anyone in the queen’s guard. In fact, quite the opposite. We were the ones who found it destroyed when we returned to have your doors repaired. Someone was searching for something.”
“Or someone,” Leo added, eyeing Faith.
She was about to put another piece of fruit in her mouth, but she froze. “Me? Who knew I was with Thor?”
Trinity shrugged. “Everyone in the queen’s guard. Me and Leo, of course. Lord and Lady Jax, I would assume, since they were the ones who’d had Faith sent off with the police in the first place.”
“I didn’t tell my parents anything. I’d been alone when I decided to go after you.” I put my hand on Faith’s shoulder. Squeezed. “No doubt Lord Wyse, or someone in the Optimus unit told them I dropped the charges and took you away from there.”
“You’re welcome to remain here. Obviously the palace is big enough for all of us.” Trinity looked at Faith, waiting for an answer. Not me, Faith.
I was offended—for a brief moment—then conceded that the princess was correct. Where Faith was, so would I be. If that was here, or in my parents’ home, as we’d discussed before leaving our rooms.
Faith looked to me. Smiled. “Actually, we’re going to stay at the Jax mansion.”
Princess Trinity frowned as I relaxed, content that my mate had not changed her mind and would remain by my side as we hunted for the traitor. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Lord Wyse already arrested you once.”
“Exactly, which is why we’re not staying here,” Faith countered. “And he doesn’t know I’m a princess. No one outside of this room knows the truth. We have to go back and catch the traitor.”
Trinity shook her head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Princess Trinity,” I began, but she held up her hand.
“I think, considering what you and my sister have been up to, you can all me Trinity. At least in private.”
I didn’t see a trace of her previous hostility and anger toward me. I had no idea what she and Faith had talked about while I was chained in their dungeon—or if they’d talked at all—but she seemed to have come to a decision not to hate me. Perhaps, if Faith believed in me, Trinity had decided to trust her sister’s judgment.
I offered a slight head nod of respect, then continued. “Trinity, as you’re well aware, the traitor in the Jax household has yet to be identified. Faith and I will return there… together, to discover who it is once and for all.”
“That is a dangerous proposition,” Leo commented.
“As Faith is my mate, I do not want her far from my side. I’m sure you understand, Captain. But as a Jax, it is crucial I clear my family’s name.”
“Thor’s my mate, Leo. You can relate to that. I believe in him and want him free from this. The traitor wants to harm our family, and his as well. We can only be together, in peace, once we learn the truth and free my mother.”
“But your safety, princess,” Nix said. He’d been quiet since Destiny had signed off. But all of the conversation had been a family discussion, which he was not a part of. His job was to see to the safety of the royals and that included my mate.
“I will keep her safe,” I vowed.
Leo stood, came over to me. He was slightly taller and definitely formidable. But I would stand up to him and anyone else who tried to separate me from my mate. “If anything happens to her, I will flay you alive.”
“If anything happens to Faith, Captain, I will already be dead.”
He eyed me, considered, then nodded.
“Very well. May your mission be successful.”
“And by all that is holy, Faith,” Trinity said, grinning. “Try to be quiet when you come. I mean, you want your in-laws hearing that?”
Leo put his hand to his chest. “I’m her in-law, as you Earth people call it. I heard it. I found it very inspirational.”
Trinity struck him on the shoulder, but she was smiling. “Shut-up, Leo. Seriously.”
Faith stood and I followed, made peace with the fact that I was mating a royal, a princess, and this would be my role in life. To be at her side. To go where she wandered. To protect her. Love her. Support her.
I was content.
Faith walked around the table and hugged her sister from behind, since Trinity was still seated at the table. Leo winked at Faith as we went by. The traitor was out there. It was time to find out who it was. Together.