I trembled with excitement as Reece walked me down to security. The patrol captain in McKaireth had notified my family and was allowing them temporary use of a tablet. As soon as Mal made the connection, I’d be speaking with them!
A mingle, Reece called it, and it wouldn’t be for long. Fifteen minutes was all Morry would agree to. She’d also made it painfully clear she wouldn’t abide moping afterward or an ounce of backsliding in my speech. I huddled in front of the security screen and prepared to make the most of it.
It astonished me that Reece had been able to talk her into it. Listening to them debate the matter, I’d come to the unsettling conclusion that his coercive ability was a force beyond my reckoning. Joshua had said the commander was capable of exerting a powerful influence over me. Now, I understood exactly what that meant.
But my worries were cast aside the instant my family popped up on the screen. We all yammered at the same time, not knowing what to say and saying it anyway. There was a slight delay in our responses, and Mal had to step in several times to straighten us out. It didn’t matter. Hearing their voices, seeing their faces, was all I wanted.
When Mal said my time was running out, I made a desperate attempt not to cry. But I almost did when Kenzy, who didn’t understand the technology, pressed his sweet little hand against the screen to touch me. I bit my lip hard, waving goodbye. I was still waving long after the transparent glass had gone dark. Reece had to forcibly peel me from the seat.
He turned to Mal and extended his hand. “Thank you for making a special trip in and enabling the advanced encryption. No one knows the Mingle software like you do. Your effort is most appreciated.”
“Any time.” Mal shook the commander’s hand and turned to me with a compassionate smile. “Now that the default coordinates are plugged in, we’ll be ready for the next session. Just say the word.”
I almost hugged him. My heart was overflowing, and it took all my control to make it to the elevator before the tears came. They were good tears, ones I laughed through while babbling nonstop in Essly fashion. Reece pressed my palms together, looking baffled that I could laugh, cry, and talk at the same time.
“Pull yourself together,” he ordered, his voice stern.
“Don’t worry,” I sniffled. “I won’t wreck the building, I promise. I’m too pleased to be destructive.”
“Well, you need to calm down before we reach the apartment. Morry will never agree to another mingle if you arrive in such a state.”
I wiped away the tears as we exited the elevator and started down the hall. Before we reached the apartment entrance, I gave in to impulse and took his hand. He stopped, looking down at me with unreadable eyes. What did he see, this giant of a man, in the tearful, flushed girl clutching his fingers?
“Thank you, Reece. I mean it.” The words were plain, but they felt huge, swollen with every ounce of gratitude in my brimming heart. He’d held up his end of the bargain. “I’ll never forget this.”
He squeezed my hand. “Are you happy, Butterfly?”
I remembered my speech. “Yes.”
“Then so am I.” His blue eyes gleamed above his lopsided smile. I smiled back, and the tiger chuffed her approval. “Goodnight, Willow. Pleasant dreams.”
Gem nearly tackled me when I stepped through the door. Ignoring Morry’s sharp look, she dragged me to my bedroom and demanded every detail. I couldn’t stop talking about it, and she listened until my voice grew hoarse.
“You look so happy, Will,” she said, using my childhood nickname. We’d changed into pajamas and snuggled up on my bed with mugs of chocolate. “I only wish your friend Tem could have been on the other end.”
“There wasn’t time to notify him. Or Garron, who was out on patrol. But this was very sudden. Mal said that we’ll be better prepared next time.”
“So there will be a next time?”
“I hope so. Reece asked for mingles at regular intervals, but it all depends on my behavior.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure you’re an angel.”
I made a face. “Good luck with that.”
She laughed. “I’m just glad to see you smiling. You’ve been rather tense lately. I was starting to worry.”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” I admitted. “But seeing my family heals my heart, Gem. Morry thinks my past will hold me back. She doesn’t understand how much I need it to survive what’s ahead.”
“Maybe you should tell her.”
“She doesn’t listen to me,” I complained, wondering how I’d ever be able to follow Joshua’s advice where Morry was concerned. “She barely listened to Reece this evening. I still can’t believe he managed to convince her.”
“Well, I can.” Gem gave me a suggestive glance over her mug.
I blinked at the abrupt change in her tone. “Meaning?”
“Meaning, it doesn’t surprise me that he pushed so hard. He seems quite attached to you, if you don’t mind my saying.”
“I do mind. He’s just doing his job.”
“Forgive me if I see things a bit differently.”
“Gem, you have the wrong idea.”
“Maybe. I haven’t known him long.” She paused for a sip of cocoa. “But I watched him with Morrigan, and he’s not the same with you.”
“Likely he’s worse. I’m not exactly submissive.”
“No, you’re not. And I like that about you. I imagine he does, too.”
“It doesn’t matter what he likes. I’m to marry Thess.” I did my best impression of Morry’s accent. “End of discussion.”
“All right.” She grinned at my mockery. “But mark my words, girl. Reece didn’t work this hard to impress Morrigan. Your opinion matters to him.”
Her final comment echoed inside my head for days. No amount of studying, swimming, or sparring could remove it from my thoughts. It made no sense. Morrigan had been groomed for perfection. She’d been elegant and cultured. Reece had said so himself.
He’d also compared me to a mouthy tavern wench. I was certain he thought me raw and unrefined, a rebellious little brat from the Outlying Lands. I might be the Roanoke heiress, but I was far from the star-studded version Morrigan had been molded into. Why would he care about my opinion?
The question continued to nag as the countdown to my introduction with Thess dwindled. It didn’t help that a package arrived for me a few days before the meeting. Mal brought it up from the security floor.
“From the House of Tiernam,” he told Morry. “It’s been scanned. Shouldn’t be a problem.”
She hovered over me as I opened it. Inside was a digital card like the one attached to Hart’s teddy bear. Thinking of you until we meet, it read. There was also a velvety box small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. I lifted the lid and gasped in surprise. A circle of blue jewels, attached to a golden chain, lay nestled inside.
“W-what on earth?” I stammered. Essly had predicted that Thess might try and make a good impression. Well, he was certainly trying.
Morry grinned from ear to ear. “Those are sapphires, Willow. Very hard to come by. This is a remarkable gift.”
“I suppose so.” I wracked my brain for something classy to say. Nothing came.
“We should draft a thank-you message,” she went on. “I can help you with that. And you’ll certainly have to wear it to the introduction, though it will clash with your outfit.”
I glared at the pendant. “What if I don’t want to wear it?”
She stiffened. “Then you’ll greatly offend the House of Tiernam. So unless you wish to make things difficult from the start, you’d better have that necklace clasped around your neck during the introduction. Go put it in your room.”
I meekly obeyed, knowing the continuation of my mingles depended on it. But I snapped the box shut and threw it into the top dresser drawer with a scowl.
Gem had followed me. “You don’t like it?”
I faced her with my hands on my hips. “Did you know we have an annual festival in McKaireth? One to celebrate Midsummer’s Day?”
“Noooo,” she said slowly.
“And every year there’s a contest. Several, actually, but the one I’m talking about involves pigs. Local farmers bring their best stock, and the elders pick a winner. The finest pig in the village.”
“Will, I don’t see what this has to do with your gift from Thess.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “The winner gets a lovely ribbon to wear around its neck. It’s a prize pig, Gem. A trophy, nothing more.”
“Oh.” She caught on. “I don’t think that’s quite what he meant.”
“Well, I do. The House of Tiernam is only interested in my DNA and what they’ll gain from it. They care about nothing else. Thess doesn’t even know me, which makes that”—I swung my hand at the drawer—“a stupid ribbon around my neck!”
“I’m sorry.” The fact that she didn’t argue with me spoke volumes. Muttering under my breath, I stormed into the dressing room to change for my swim lesson.
My anger didn’t abate with time, nor could I discuss any of my feelings with Morry without risking a ban on the mingles. The appointed hour drew closer, and my stomach felt sick each time I thought of it. On the day before the introduction, I was a nervous wreck. Aubry scolded me for my lack of focus, and the other instructors had their hands full keeping my attention.
Reece found his patience severely tested during our spar. Ten minutes into combat, I ended up flat on my back.
“That was far too easy. You are not yourself today.” He extended his hand to help me up.
“Really?” I snapped. “Then who am I?”
“Not the tiger I’m accustomed to. You’re more like a newly weaned pup.”
“Is that so?”
“Do I need to ignite your temper?” he teased. “You’re so much more fun when you’re angry.”
“Just get on with it, Reece.”
It wasn’t long before he had my back pinned to his chest, his arm around my throat. “Okay, this isn’t working. There’s no fight in you today.” He turned me around to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you better than that.” He checked my pulse. “Are you ill?”
“I feel fine.”
“Would you rather do something besides spar? We could swim.”
“I’ve already had my lesson with Asa.”
He lifted my chin with his finger. “Then what is it?”
I met his gaze and stayed quiet.
“Are we keeping secrets today, Butterfly?”
“I don’t feel like talking.”
His blue eyes searched my face, and he smiled. “I have an idea. Would you like to get out of here?”
I blinked. “Out of where? The gym?”
“No, the Roanoke Center.”
“Can we do that? I thought I was confined to the building.”
“You are. As head of your security detail, however, I have the authority to override that. It’s outlined in the contract. Section 42, paragraph three, if memory serves me right.”
I was positive he’d made that up. “Where would we go?”
He took my hands. “Let’s make it a surprise.”
“What kind of surprise?”
“One I was planning for you later.” He grinned. “But I think you need some cheering up today. Are you up for a drive?”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes!”
Using his earpiece, Reece called for Rush and Duncan to meet us in the parking garage. We left the apartment, but instead of heading toward the elevator, we went in the opposite direction, stopping at a door near the end of the hallway. He pressed his palm to the control panel.
I jumped back when the door slid open. “What the devil!”
A Ritter stood there, silent and shadowy, amber eyes glowing. Reece spoke in the creature’s guttural language, and it slunk away without a sound. “It didn’t mean to frighten you. The Ritters are assigned for my protection. They reside here with me.”
“You need protection?” I asked in amazement.
“Not me specifically. It’s protocol. The military mandates that every Core officer maintain a quartet of Ritters at all times.”
“Mmm. This is your apartment, then?” I stuck my head in for a peek.
“Look around, if you’d like.” He placed his hand on my back and guided me inside.
The soothing ambience of his apartment wasn’t what I expected. I thought an officer might keep his living space stark and impersonal. But everywhere I looked, there was texture. Wood furnishings, a stone fireplace, mellow hardwood flooring. The heavenly combination of lime and cedar fragrances hung in the air. Colors were earthy and natural, and the place was scrupulously clean.
“What do you think?” asked Reece, watching me run my hands over a leather sofa. It was soft as butter. The village tanner would give all he owned for such a hide.
“I think it’s manly.” I left the sofa and headed for the fireplace.
He laughed. “You’re saying it needs a woman’s touch?”
“No.” I trailed my fingertips across the rough grey stones above the mantel. “I like it just the way it is.”
“I thought you would.”
I glanced over my shoulder. “You did?”
“We have more in common than you might think.”
I returned to him with a skeptical look. “We’re different as night and day.”
“Name one difference.”
My eyebrows arched. “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
“I don’t mean physical.”
I thought for a moment. “I’m capable of lying.”
“That’s physical. I can’t help my condition.”
Tilting my head, I studied him. He looked good today, dressed in a white, short-sleeved shirt and black pants that could have been painted on. The only condition he seemed to suffer from was overwhelming masculinity. “You really can’t lie?”
“That’s correct.”
“What happens if you try?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” he explained. “My mind sees the truth and the paths crossing it, and I have no choice but to take one. Lying doesn’t occur to me.”
“But you can manipulate.”
His expression became guarded. “If I wish.”
“Isn’t that a form of lying?”
“I’m a Core officer. Manipulation comes with the territory.” Folding his arms, he leaned into one hip. “What about you? Don’t tell me you’ve never manipulated someone for your own purposes?”
A guilty blush warmed my cheeks. I’d played others plenty of times to get what I wanted. My intuition enabled me to slip into different roles as easily as others slipped into a change of clothing. “Point taken.”
“See how alike we are?” he said, with a satisfied smile.
I gave up. “Can we go now?”
“One moment.” He blew a short, loud whistle, bringing all four Ritters into the room. I instinctively shied away from them, hiding behind Reece. The words he spoke sounded harsh to my ears. One of them responded with a guttural growl.
Reece half turned, frowning at me. “They won’t harm you.”
“They harmed Grindel.”
“That was different.” He turned all the way around, trapping me between his body and the apartment entrance. “You should know the bluster took a swing at me that day. The Ritters are programmed to respond to any physical threat made against me. It’s the reason they attacked.”
My mouth fell open. “And you didn’t stop them?”
He paused. “No.”
“Why on earth not?”
His eyes veiled over, and I felt him retreat. “I had my reasons.”
“To kill an unarmed villager who threw a punch at you?” My hands flew up. “We’re a hot-blooded people, Reece! What did you expect?”
“I expected to be obeyed,” he said quietly.
“That’s the Core officer talking,” I snapped. “Where is the man—”
His hand covered my mouth, muffling my words. “The man is standing right here. And I’m sorry, Willow. You’re right. I shouldn’t have killed Grindel.”
Wide-eyed, I stared at him. It was the first time he’d called Grindel by name, not to mention the first time I’d heard him admit to wrongdoing. Had the universe gone awry?
“Yes, I could have stopped the Ritters,” he said. “But I didn’t, and I take full responsibility for that. Blame me if you must, but don’t blame them. It wasn’t their fault. They were just . . . doing what they do.”
He removed his hand, and I glanced at the tiny creatures. They watched us with keen interest, emitting low purring sounds beneath their breath. All I could think of when I looked at them was Grindel’s headless body sprawled on the tavern floor. I didn’t care that they’d been following a program. Their claws had torn into him, sliced the flesh off his bones, and spilled his blood. Reece might be sorry, but I doubted they had any regrets. “They’re not coming with us today, are they?”
“Why do you think we stopped here? I want to keep you safe.”
“What about happy?” I argued. “Having them around makes me the opposite.”
“Given a choice, I’ll choose safety over happiness.”
My chin went up. “You said you could do both.”
“And you said you’d trust me.” He sighed. “I don’t know why you have to be so difficult.”
I stamped my foot. “I’m not difficult!”
“You’re a complete pain.” As he said it, though, he reached out and drew me near. “Spoiled, reckless.”
I put my hands on his chest to keep him from getting too close. It was a mistake. He felt solid and warm. I tried to stay angry. “Anything else?”
“Stubborn.” He stroked my lips with his thumb. “Defiant.”
I would admit to defiance, something he’d never conquer with his soft touches. But the fluttering sensation was back, causing chaos in my belly. The tiger felt it, woke, and stretched out her lean body in anticipation. Whether I fought him or gave in, she was ready. “If I’m such a pain, why did you plan a surprise for me?”
“Because I wanted to see you smile.”
Och! That was a good answer, curse him. “Ritters don’t make me smile. Please, leave them here. For me.”
“No. They’re lethal, and I want them with us for protection.”
I was losing the argument. My hands curled into fists against his chest. “But—”
“I said no, and that’s final.”
My lower lip pooched out. “That’s the Core officer talking again.”
“Is it?” Reece slid his palm up my spine, and my back arched. It was an instinctive reaction, one that left me breathless. “If you don’t like the officer’s approach, then I’ll try the man’s.”
Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to mine. I tensed, expecting boldness. But he didn’t push or test me, as he’d done before. This was gentle, an invitation, and it brought back every sensation I’d experienced the first time. Wrapped in his heat, I breathed in that citrusy male scent, felt his chest beneath my hands. These were familiar and not at all frightening with his mouth so indulgent. The tiger waited, tail twitching, while I mentally rifled through reasons to stop him.
But the barriers were gone. He’d worked hard to remove them—making promises, apologizing, establishing contact with my family. The injustices of the past had faded. There was only here and now, and without anger to fuel my resolve, resisting him was next to impossible.
Another soft kiss. I sighed against his lips and felt him smile. When I didn’t protest, he kissed me again. His mouth moved back and forth across mine, slow and sweet. The languid rhythm sent butterflies whirling through my stomach. The tiger swatted at them with a playful paw, her laugh low and seductive. She liked this.
A murmur of longing filled my throat. I liked it, too.
“Ogre,” I whispered when he pulled back a little.
“Brat.” Smiling, he cupped my cheek in his hand. “Shall I stop?”
My lips parted to speak, but nothing came out. I was at odds with myself. Like the night in my room, I felt torn. He might be toying with me, and I wanted to protect my heart. I also wanted him to keep looking at me the way he was right now—as if I were the only girl alive in the whole world.
His pale eyes held the question, and I shook my head. Such a wee thing, one little shake. But it changed everything. It melted away his teasing smile, tightened his arm around my waist, and urged his mouth forward. Silky and confident, his lips slanted over mine.
The kiss was bolder, gentle yet searching, and this time, he put his hands into it. They slid over my arms and around my ribcage, wandering across my back. My resolve evaporated like smoke. Just the feel of him was intoxicating, and though I had no idea what I was doing, I mimicked his movements and kissed him back. Leaning into him, I lifted onto my toes, slid my arms around his neck, and clung.
His lips were full and warm, and he tasted like chocolate. He kissed me again and again. Or maybe it was all one long moment. I couldn’t tell. The tiger circled, shook her head to clear it, and circled again. He made us both dizzy. The longer she spun, the more I realized how much I’d dropped my guard. His burning hands slid past my waist and curled around my hips. He pulled me into him, and the tiger growled a warning in my ears.
But it was the chorus of odd squeaking noises that broke us apart. The Ritters had gathered close in avid curiosity, shoulders bobbing. They were smiling—no, they were laughing. Reece said something to quiet them, and they moved back.
Blinking, I collected my thoughts. It was disconcerting to be thoroughly kissed and then mocked by biological weapons. “Are they . . . making fun of us?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Reece linked his fingers together behind my back, keeping me close. “They’re quite capable of humor.”
“It’s childish,” I muttered, peeved that they’d witnessed such a private moment.
“True. A Ritter’s social development stops around the age of nine. Despite their status as weapons, they don’t reach emotional maturity the way humans do.”
I studied them with wary eyes. They still looked amused. “Doesn’t it worry you, being surrounded by immature creatures with deadly potential?”
“You mean, am I worried they might throw a tantrum, engage their skills, and threaten the safety of everyone around them?”
“Very funny.” I knew he was comparing them to me. “I’m serious.”
“So am I. They can’t think for themselves, and they’re programmed to follow orders.” He smirked. “Besides, I have experience with that sort of behavior. If I can handle a hot-blooded Roanoke heiress, I can handle anything.”
“Oh, yeah?” I retorted. “What makes you think you can handle me?”
Cupping my chin, he claimed my mouth one more time, and the sound of the snickering Ritters was completely drowned out by the wild beating of my heart.