“You are unusually quiet my dear friend, what’s wrong?” Patricia laced her arm through Raina’s and matched her steps along the winding path in the sparsely populated park. The fabric of their skirts, hers a blue floral print, Patricia’s ivory, swished together, joining the skittering leaves across the brick path before them.
Uneasy about venturing out of the house after Enbrackon’s attack, Raina had almost sent a denial to her best friend’s request for an outing. Instead, she’d insisted they go to Quinton Park, closer to the outskirts of town than the very popular Atherton Square. Patricia had replied a walk was to be seen, but she’d indulge her friend this once.
A short distance behind them, Raina was keenly aware of Kevin’s attendance. She had to resist glancing over her should every few seconds.
Patricia seemed to sense her distraction, her hand tightening on Raina’s forearm. “Of course, I’d be rather preoccupied myself if my sinfully handsome husband were behind rather than beside me. We aren’t the only women here you know, but I think you’ll be the most popular before we leave. Every lady will be fairly thankful you dragged him along with you, I must say.”
The teasing elicited a laugh from Raina. She patted her friend’s hand and sighed. “Let them look, I get to see him anytime I want. I’m afraid he’ll never leave my side again.”
“You say this as though it’s a bad thing!”
Again, Raina laughed. The urge to sneak a glimpse over her shoulder finally overtook her. Kevin leaned against a tree, arms crossed over his strong chest, pulling a dark green shirt tight across his shoulders and biceps. Leaves danced around his booted feet on the lazy wind. An unfamiliar longing to be in his arms rather than on her friend’s made her look away before she yielded to the temptation and fled to him.
“Do you miss your husband when he’s away?” Raina couldn’t help but ask.
“Depends on how long he’s been gone.” Patricia glanced behind her quickly. “I should think you’d be used to being away from Raiventon, though. Has he received orders to leave again soon?”
“No, but we’ve never had this much time together. I’m afraid I will miss him more than I can bear when he’s gone,” she confessed on a whisper.
A trio of women walked past slower than necessary and Raina realized with a frown they were rounding the corner and nearing her husband again. The women were unhurried, no doubt hoping to gain his attention. Jealousy slithered through her, hot and unwelcome. She clenched her jaw and ignored the pointless emotion.
Patricia’s fingers tapped a drum beat on Raina’s arm. Birds fluttered off into the brilliant blue sky, catching her attention before she spoke again. “I have found writing to William when we’re apart helps ease the long distance. Perhaps you and Raiventon could begin such a tradition, too.”
“Perhaps.” Raina glared at the women who’d slowed to a mere crawl past her husband, giggling and batting their lashes. For a moment his gaze slid from her to them. Raina raised a brow.
Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Patricia pulled Raina to a bench overlooking a gently sloping hill into a maze of houses and shops below. Patricia sat and pressed her hands onto her thighs. “What is really going on, Raina?”
“Nothing, I’m just trying to sort everything out is all.” Nervous energy had her pacing before her exasperated friend. Raina didn’t care if she looked crazy to the onlookers strolling by in the slightly chilled afternoon air. “My mother died when I was only nine, and my father wasn’t exactly a fountain of information when it came to relationships or marriage.”
Patricia’s blue eyes softened and she held her hand out, wiggling her fingers in invitation. The steady breeze toyed with the golden curls piled atop her head. “Then allow me to answer any questions you have. I promise you, Raina darling, I won’t breathe a single word to another soul.”
Desperately, Raina wanted to trust her. The only person her father had ever allowed her to befriend, she figured if Patricia were going to betray her, she’d likely have done so before now. Still… Enbrackon’s cruelty and unexpected character flaws were too fresh in Raina’s mind for her to think anyone, beyond the man leaning casually against a tree to make sure she was safe, could be reliable. And there was no hesitation in Raina’s mind, she trusted Kevin without a second thought.
Raina pulled on Patricia’s hand. “Let’s walk again. My confusion with my marriage is likely from not knowing what to expect at any given time. I’m used to being alone. I think maybe he is too. We’re getting accustomed to each other’s habits, and I’m sure that’s never an easy thing.”
Rising, Patricia laughed. “Oh, yes, habits can be quite shocking, let me tell you.”
“I don’t think I want to know,” Raina said quickly, giggling. “Let Brentwood keep his secrets.”
“I wish you trusted me more.”
The quietly spoken confession made Raina stare. “I trust you more than anyone else in society.”
“But not enough to tell me what’s really bothering you.” Patricia patted her arm and began walking again. “It’s okay, I’m patient. Eventually you’ll need a confidant, we all do, and I’ll be here. After all, no one else knows when I kissed my first boy in a greenhouse at fifteen, or accidently dyed my hair blue, or when I threw up in that potted tree at the Dresner’s dinner two weeks ago. You have shouldered my secrets, dear sister, and I will shoulder yours.”
“I was worried at that event. Did you ever discover what made you sick?”
Patricia shook her head, frowning. “No, I’m still not sure. William has his suspicions, but he said I have to figure it out first.” She shrugged. “I don’t know what he expects me to figure out.”
Raina considered what Brentwood would want his wife to conclude and shrugged, drawing a blank. “I’m sure it’ll come to you.”
Her friend came to an abrupt stop, yanking Raina’s arm. “Apparently my husband has decided to come to me.”
Frowning, Raina searched through the sparse grove of trees to the street beyond, where riders, carriages, and small Ariot’s intermixed in a slow parade. One looked grossly out of place. The carriage was ivory, with bright blue gelding, a large crest on the door, and light gray horses with blue ribbons in their hair and over their reins. After all, a royal of Ruthenia had to travel in such a fashion that everyone knew of his presence. Since Brentwood was an emissary for the Ruthenia Nationals, it only heightened his need to announce his importance.
“Does he not trust me to get you home well?” Raina asked, her frown increasing.
“I think it’s rather we’re in one of the most remote parks in Haven City.” Her displeasure was sharp in her voice. “It’s my trust in question, dearest friend.”
Giving a firm tug, Raina sent them back on their walk, now toward the garish carriage. “I imagine his ride home won’t be too pleasant.”
“No, especially since he’s grown accustomed to certain benefits when we ride home together.”
The playful manner in which Patricia spoke the words had Raina searching her friend’s indignant face. “What do you mean?”
The heated flush on Patricia’s cheeks increased. “Oh come now, Raina. Surely you can’t tell me with a husband like that—” She waved Kevin’s direction. “—you haven’t had an exciting ride home… or two.”
Raina considered the last carriage ride she took home with Kevin and shook her head. “No, not really. I was rather mad at him last time, actually.”
Patricia pulled her to stop again and then forced her to turn until they faced each other. Her blue eyes serious, Patricia grabbed Raina’s shoulders. “Allow me to give you a small piece of marital advice. Your carriage is one of the most private places you will get with your husband. Use it wisely, as often as you’re able. There’s a reason they put curtains on all the windows and the carriagemen and drivers are outside.”
“My house is very private after seven at night. We’re completely alone.”
Patricia blinked. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. You aren’t?”
“No, not really. My stylist elite sleeps in the room just off mine, and William’s valet sleeps in quarters adjoined to his closet.”
Raina bit her bottom lip. “I’d say I’m sorry, but you have control over that.”
Patricia raised a brow and glanced at her husband’s waiting carriage. The door had yet to open. “Indeed.” Giving a quick smile, Patricia dropped her hands and stepped away. “I have enjoyed our walk. It’s peaceful here and I don’t have to worry about gossip. Can we meet here again, soon?”
Surprised, Raina simply nodded. Patricia brushed a quick kiss to Raina’s cheek before flouncing off through the trees to her waiting husband. The door opened moments before Patricia stopped on the sidewalk. If the quick flutter of hands and bright red of Brentwood’s face were any indication when he stepped away from the carriage to his wife, Patricia had already given him an earful. Raina bit her lip to keep from laughing.
The couple disappeared into the carriage and a footman dressed in navy blue and ivory promptly closed the door behind them. Seconds later the carriage ambled off. Raina moved her focus from the road to her husband, who still leaned casually against a tree. The small group of women who’d been attempting to gain his attention continued to try. An urge to walk right up and kiss him had her feet stumbling forward.
A small smile crossed Kevin’s lips. He straightened. The women giggled and chortled, edging closer. Much to their disappointment, however, his attention wasn’t directed at them. Breezing past without so much as a sideways glance, Kevin walked with predatory grace down the wide brick path. Raina stopped, heart in her throat, unable to look away.
When Kevin reached her, he took both hands in his and lifted them to his mouth, placing teasing kisses along her knuckles. His gray eyes danced with a mischievous light that made her pulse race. Raina rose up on her toes, desperate for his lips to be somewhere other than her hand. Slowly, he shook his head, the whisper of his beard brushed along her skin.
“No,” he whispered against her fingers.
She made a noise of protest. His thumb traced the line of her bottom lip, sending a quiver of heat through her stomach.
“I never want you to regret any intimacy between us, no matter how small. And trust me, princess, you’d regret your very public show of affection about a second after we stopped.”
The group of ladies glared at Raina. She cut her eyes right back. For the first time in her life, she wanted to stoop well below her station and shout taunts at them about who her man belonged to. “Apparently they missed the gold band you wear.”
“More than likely they didn’t care.”
She turned her attention back to him. “Excuse me?”
He kissed her hands again before releasing one and bracing the other on his forearm. “They don’t know my lady owns me for life. Most husbands aren’t too discriminatory since they’ll be out of a contract and looking for a new lover in a year or two.”
Wind tugged at Raina’s hair, playing with loose tendrils around her face. She worked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I will admit I never considered your feelings on our life contract. Then again, I assumed you would have changed it if you cared. I didn’t know you didn’t have an option.”
She urged him off the path. A sudden need to know how he felt about their marriage welled up inside her. Slipping her hand into his, she met his slate gray eyes. “Do you care? Do you wish I’d placed a limit on our years together?”
His gaze moved past her into the shadowy woods. With a tug, he pulled her into their depths, just far enough to award their words privacy, but not enough to lose complete sight of the park.
“I wish,” he said, his hands on her upper arms, turning her to face him. “That you’d had more information before you made such a rash decision.”
Raina nodded in understanding. “Then my father wouldn’t be able to force you to lie.”
Kevin sighed, his hands gently rubbing her arms. “He won’t be forcing me to do anything.”
Memories of his touch, the passionate way he kissed, swept through her and sent a shudder of desire curling to her toes. Was she alone in her feelings? Confused, she stepped away. “You’d leave our marriage just like that? Because he tells you to?”
“No, I’d walk away because it’s the right thing to do. You don’t understand what you’d be giving up. The life you’d be living is so far beyond your comprehension, and not fair to even ask of you.” Despite the distance she tried to put between them, he crowded closer with each word until the heat of his body brushed against hers. “As for your question, no, I don’t care about the contract length. Five years, fifteen, twenty, forever. I’d do them all with you if I had the choice.”
Tears burned behind her eyes. She fisted her hands to keep from grabbing his shirt in denial. “Everyone has a choice.”
Kevin cupped her jaw and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. “Yes, when they know the depth of their decision.”
Raina leaned into his strong chest. Her cheek rested on the silk of his shirt. The heat of his skin radiated through and his faint clean scent surrounded her. “You are like my father, speaking in riddles. Do you think me so weak I couldn’t handle whatever it is?”
Gently, his thumbs caressed the pulse in her throat to her collar bone and back to her jaw, sending a delightful shiver along her spine. “Not weak, but a princess deserving what she’s always known. I won’t be the one to take that away from you.”
Raina grasped his wrists and straightened. “But you wouldn’t be, my father would. He has made the threat and he’ll have to be the one to stand by it.”
In a fluttering caress, his lips touched to hers. “No, by refusing his order, I’d be the one changing your fate.”
A strange clenching sensation pained her chest. The thought of Kevin disappearing from her life not just for months, but forever, caused a physical reaction. “What if I can’t let you go?”
Kevin drew a sharp breath. Then his head snapped toward the park. All emotion disappeared from his handsome face. Raina opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when a scream echoed.
“Don’t move,” Kevin demanded. Grasping her shoulders, he positioned her behind a large, sheltering tree and squeezed.
Her pale brown eyes grew wide and she tried to see the park beyond. “But…”
Another sharp scream disturbed a flock of birds above them, sending them squawking and skittering through the trees. “Promise me, Raina!”
She nodded, her lips drawn tight, her skin pale. Kevin caressed her cheek to her jaw and pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. He wanted to do so much more, not knowing what he’d be walking into, but there wasn’t time. A new wave of screams erupted, multiples, not one. Breaking into a run, he cleared the trees. Stopping at the edge of the wide path, his gaze swept the park.
Two blood-soaked bodies led his attention to the trio of women who’d been intent on gaining a response from him. They had hold of one of their friends, shrieking in panic while another woman wrenched the young brunette free with strength her small frame should not possess. Human Rabies Syndrome. Kevin let loose a string of heavy curses, sprinting across the distance to them. He had seconds before one of the other girls, too close to flee, became the infected’s next victim.
With only the brain capacity to distribute the virus through her bites, the diseased female didn’t notice him behind her. More times than not however, in their rabid need to spread the infection, they killed the victim. All the better since no cure existed and within weeks the poor prey turned into the same mindless killing machine.
Kevin took the situation in quickly and formulated a plan. Leaping into the air, he landed against the small woman’s back. The moment his chest touched her, he switched his momentum, yanking as he wrapped one leg around her thighs, the other around her hips. He snaked an arm around her upper arms, the other under her chin. His weight, more than her tiny frame could handle, immediately toppled them backward. The ground rushed to meet his back. He ignored the sharp jarring of his spine and ribs.
Teeth gnashed and fingernails clawed at his forearms and biceps. Fabric protected some of his flesh, but not enough. Fiery pain spread from his arms and hands. He pushed the pain to the back of his mind, knowing it’d only get worse. Slick blood mixed with saliva pouring from her mouth coated his forearm wrapped around her neck. The body of the victim fell across the women. Her friends sobbed and dragged her away.
Kevin ignored their frantic pleas. He tightened his hold on the infected. Gritting his teeth as she fought with an inhuman strength to find some part of his anatomy with her mouth, he jerked her neck. He pulled with enough force to not only cleanly separate vertebra, but also break the spinal cord. Her body went limp, but her mouth continued to snap. Only a brain injury could kill her.
Unable to do anything more than bite her teeth together, she was neutralized until a containment unit arrived. She had another two to six hours before the virus ran its full course and her body died completely without assistance.
His name being screamed forced him carefully out from under the tangle of lifeless limbs. Staggering to his feet, Kevin held his hands out in front of himself. Raina made a run for him, her eyes wild with fear. Her navy print skirt flowed out behind her, clutched tightly in her hands.
“Stop,” he snapped, taking slow steps away. “Don’t touch me.”
She froze. Tears gathered in her eyes and went to look at the viciously snapping woman on the ground. Kevin stepped to block her view.
“You’re bleeding.”
Kevin glanced down at the deep gashes on his arm that had held the syndrome victim. Small rivulets of blood flowed down his forearm and dripped to the brick ground. He carefully kept his arms apart and from touching any other part of him. “I’ll be okay.” He hoped he wasn’t lying.
“How could you do that?” she asked, still holding onto her skirt as though it were a lifeline. The wind teased her hair that had come free from its bindings. “How could you risk yourself for so many strangers?”
Kevin blinked and looked around. Parents with two young children were fleeing the park. An elderly couple collapsed on a bench, aware the threat was over, but weakened by the excitement. The group of friends still huddled over the one he hadn’t been able to save. “How could I not?”
She went to reach for him again. He quickly sidestepped her. “You could have been hurt worse than you were.”
Sighing, Kevin shook his head and motioned for her to follow. “No, the chances of that were unlikely. Syndrome victims are fast, but they’re uncoordinated and easily subdued.”
Raina fell in step beside him, but thankfully made no attempts to touch him again. “You sound like you’ve done this before.”
“Unless there’s a gun or a knife, it’s the only way to neutralize one. I don’t carry either.”
If his enemy did, and he needed to make use of one, that was a different matter.
Kevin waved when they reached the road. Raina’s carriage appeared among the crowd of transportation. The driver leapt down the moment he was able and opened the door for them. Kevin entered first to ensure minimal risk in contaminating Raina, instructing the driver to go to Primary Guardian Wintersfall’s residence instead of their own.
Inside the carriage, Kevin braced his forearms on his thighs, careful not to touch any part of the interior. Droplets of blood soaked into the dark green carpeting. Raina sat carefully, pressing into the far corner, her gaze fixed on his injured arm.
“Does it hurt?” she asked softly.
He flexed his fingers, assessing the pain as tendons moved under his skin. “I’ve hurt worse.”
A small choking sound escaped her lips. She looked away and out the window, but not before he caught the sheen of tears. Kevin focused his attention on the blood slowly oozing down his fingers. If she struggled with a simple removal and injuries from an HRS victim, how would she react when she learned he could take down seven armed men with a knife wound in his side? He imagined not well. Another check mark in the She has no idea who she’s married column.
The ride to Sean’s was made in silence. Kevin instructed Raina to get out first when they arrived. Davis, the butler, was waiting with the front door open, calling to Sean. Once inside, Raina stepped to the side, hands clasped before her, a testament to her father’s training of when she should and shouldn’t be seen or heard.
Sean rushed out of the library, Katria steps behind. “What’s going on?” he asked, alarmed.
“HRS victim at Quinton Park,” Kevin answered, holding up his injured arm and the other well away from it.
Sean hissed, hands fisting at his sides. “And you brought that crap into my house?”
Kevin raised a brow. “Yes, I did. And why would I dare do such a thing?” He inclined his head in mock thought. “Oh yes, that’s right, because maybe you’re my MSO!”
The reminder forced Sean to relax, his gaze shifting to Kevin’s visible wounds. “Sorry. Go to the greenhouse, Kat and I will meet you there.”
Kevin made his way past the stairs and the library door to the side door leading to the greenhouse. A work in progress, the once beautiful paths were torn up, the bricks stacked neatly along the far wall. Old root balls and leaves were being thrown into a massive pile in the center to be burned. Over a decade of neglect had made the conservatory a clean slate, a project Sean still hadn’t decided what to do with.
Raina found a row of benches along the nearest wall. Kevin had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing while she inspected each moss and dirt coated seat, finally choosing the cleanest looking one to perch herself on. Moments later, Sean and Katria appeared. Sean carried two buckets of water, his white shirt sleeves rolled up past his elbows. Katria carried a crate of supplies, her midnight hair tied back into tight ponytail, the sleeves of her black gown pushed to her upper arms. This wasn’t the first, nor would it be the last time, this couple had to work together to get him healthy again.
“Hold your arms out to the side, palms facing out,” Sean instructed, setting the buckets down.
Kevin did as instructed.
“Kat, his shirt buttons.”
Katria set the crate down. Before Katria could walk around him though, Raina was on her feet.
“I’ll take care of that,” Raina said quickly, keeping clear of Kevin’s extended arms as she came around him.
Kevin didn’t miss the secret smile that passed between Sean and Katria. He had his own if he were honest. Raina didn’t look at him, her fingers trembling as she undid each button, having to tug on the fabric once she reached his waist.
“Is either arm contaminated that you know of?” Sean asked, a pair of scissors in his hand.
“Left.” Kevin glanced at the soaked fabric and smeared blood, wincing. “All of that is from her.”
Sean sighed and muttered a curse. He slid the scissors into clean fabric at Kevin’s shoulder. The cool, blunt steel of the bottom blade brushed Kevin’s skin. Sean cut around his entire arm. He handed the scissors off to Katria before carefully pulling down, turning the fabric in on itself, drawing the silk off his arm. Holding the dangerous section well away from his body, Sean went to the burn pile and tossed the scrap.
“Everything goes onto that. Everything. I’ll burn it tonight.”
Raina finished the buttons and stepped away, her cheeks brilliant red. Kevin kept his mind far from where he wanted it to be, finally allowing himself to focus on the burning ache of his scratched skin. Sean decontaminated his uninjured arm, then disinfected himself at the greenhouse faucet with Katria’s careful help. The entire process was slow. No one wanted to end up the rabid equivalent of a mythical zombie.
Everyone in the conservatory was dealing with one of the two sole ways to become infected – blood and saliva during the end stage. The other was sexual intercourse during the dormant stage. One of the top reasons people married in a contract for the minimum year. Being sexually promiscuous was deadly. Keeping a safe partner for a year was a better bet.
Once clean, Sean cautiously cut the fabric away from Kevin’s injured skin, never allowing any single part to touch damaged tissue, flinging the patches away the second they came free. With skill and precision honed from taking care of too many injured teammates, Sean had the wounds inspected, cleaned, disinfected, coated with salve and bandaged. Only after the cuts were closed off from contagion, did Sean allow Kevin to remove the rest of his ruined shirt with Raina’s help.
“Take a shower the second you get home,” Sean ordered, handing him a bottle of iodine and a jar of silver salve. “Clean it all again before you go to bed, and twice a day after that. Bandages for three days. If it starts to look infected, come back.” He looked at Raina. “Help him.”
She nodded. “I will.”
Kevin glanced at Katria and with a sharp nod at the house. Katria responded with a small jerk of her chin and then smiled at Raina. “Come upstairs with me. I’ll get some of Sean’s clothes for Kevin.”
“Thank you,” Raina said with a relieved sigh.
Kevin waited until they were well out of hearing range before turning to Sean. “Do you think I have to worry about being infected?”
A heavy frown settled across Sean’s face. “I don’t think so, but you know as well as I do, if she drooled while biting and holding her victims, getting her saliva mixed and on her hands, she could have when she scratched you. I’m not going to lie, you could be at risk. But, the chances are slim.”
Kevin pressed his lips together and focused on the empty door his wife had walked through. “Symptoms are a common cold, right?”
“Yes, a fever, coughing, runny nose, fatigue. It’s why we can’t pin down the sick. The second stage of the virus is mild and deceptive.”
“Two weeks?”
“At the most.” Sean clapped him on the back. “You know, if you carried a knife, this wouldn’t be a problem. It’s why I do. I learned too young you need to be armed against that particular threat. Brain can’t function without a blood supply.”
“Yes, perhaps I need to amend my rule.” After all, he no longer had himself alone to worry about. If he turned into a raging lunatic, he’d take out everyone in the house, his wife included. Suddenly saving a park full of people seemed an unwise decision if it cost Raina her life…