Princess Avenger - Brightcastle Saga Book 1 (16 page)

“Are you
enjoying the dance so far, Daughter?” Prince Zialni said.

“It is a fine
gathering, Father. Uncle Beniel is delighted.”

“I did not
plan this celebration for Beniel. There is a rather more special
reason for the ball tonight.” He focused on her properly now. “You
look lovely. I am proud to call you daughter.” The song finished
and he squeezed her hand. “We will talk again later. Until then,
enjoy yourself.”

Prince Zialni
left the dance floor and was immediately surrounded by guild
masters and their wives. Several had goblets of wine, which they
offered to her father. He declined all and had his personal hand
servant refill his wine glass. No doubt he feared drugs or
poison.

Alecia
retrieved her goblet of wine from the table where she had left it
and allowed her eyes to wander over the crowd. Vard escorted
Adriana back to the Beniel’s side and his eyes met hers across the
room. She raised the goblet to her mouth and he shook his head and
began to move towards her. Alecia suppressed the sudden urge to
drink the wine anyway.

When he
reached her he took the goblet, lifted it to his nose and inhaled
deeply. “The wine is safe, Princess, but don’t drink from any
vessel this night that hasn’t come from my hands or that of the
prince’s servant.” He handed the wine back to her and she downed it
in one go.

“
What
are
you?” Alecia
asked, mentally listing all the reasons that Vard was like no other
man.

He stiffened.
“Suffice to say that I can detect poison in food and wine.” He
studied her, appearing to take in every aspect of her face.

“I think we
both know I was not speaking of the wine.” Heat rose in her bosom
and all of a sudden her head was fuzzy, the rest of the room
falling away until she and Vard stood in their own cocoon. He
grasped her by the elbow, the intensity of his gaze making the
breath catch in her throat. Had he changed his mind?

“
Come
with me, Princess,”
he
said. “I’ll fetch you some food to have with your wine.”

Suddenly she
could breathe again. How could she make such a fool of herself over
a man? “I will wait here,” she said. Perhaps some distance would
allow her to banish her silly fancies.

Vard frowned
but acquiesced to her wishes and slipped into the crowd that lay
between him and the food-laden tables.

She chewed her
bottom lip as she watched him go.

Ramón appeared
at her side. He pulled her around to face him and held both her
hands, his baby-blue eyes serious. “Now what did he do to you?”

Alecia’s
eyebrows arched. “Who?”

“You know of
whom I speak,” he said.

“Vard has gone
to get me some food.”

“Since when
have you called him Vard?”

Alecia
couldn’t help flinching.
Trust me to open my big mouth
. “He has asked me to call him Vard when
we are alone.”

Ramón studied
her. “Something has occurred between you and Anton,” he said. “You
are treating him differently.”

Alecia
thought, not for the first time, that Ramón was very perceptive.
“You imagine things. We have just had a disagreement.” She pulled
her hands from his. “I need some air,” she said and pushed her way
through the crowd and out to the terrace.

It was warm so
she stepped off the pavers and onto the grass, heading for the
first row of trees. A few moments of fresh air should restore her
composure and allow her fuzzy mind to clear. Then she could return
to the ball. Unfortunately, Ramón followed and seated himself
beside her on the stone bench under an oak tree.

“I want to be
alone.” She relaxed back into the seat and closed her eyes.

“It is not
safe for you to be out here alone, Princess…Alecia…”

“Nonsense,
Father has increased the patrols both inside and outside the castle
walls. I am perfectly safe.” Her eyes remained closed, her thoughts
on Vard and the moments they had shared.

“I do not like
to see you like this.” There was real concern in his voice.

She opened her
eyes. It was too dark to see the expression on the squire’s
face.

“Ever since
Anton came, you have been distant from me. I miss you. I want to
help you.”

Alecia reached
out and took his hand. “Just be my friend.”

“I cannot be
your friend if I cannot even see you.” He pulled Alecia around so
that she faced him and his hands remained on her arms. “I have
realized one thing.” The squire’s hands tightened until they hurt.
“I love you, Alecia.”

Ramón’s mouth
drifted closer. Would his kiss feel different to Vard’s? One kiss
could not hurt. She let his mouth cover hers. Ramón’s lips were
gentle and his arms crept around her, pulling her close. The faint
scent of lemon and cloves clung to his skin. She closed her eyes,
snaking her arms under his and up his back.

Ramón’s
arms tightened and his mouth became more demanding, his tongue
pushing past her lips. Alecia arched against him but her mind
stayed remote as if viewing the seduction from afar. His hand slid
down her back and along her thigh and Alecia knew what they did was
wrong. She tried to pull away but his arm held her so tightly she
could barely breathe. The first stirrings of panic fluttered in her
stomach as his other hand pulled her skirts slowly up her
leg.
No!
She thumped
his chest with both hands but was held too close for her efforts to
have any impact. Finally, she dragged her mouth from
his.

“Let me go,”
she gasped, panting.

Ramón’s mouth
lowered to her throat. The hand that had been pulling up her skirts
moved to her left breast and Alecia squirmed away.

“
Ramón,”
she said, her voice breathy, “I do not want this.” She pulled free
and stood up, frantically smoothing her dress for the second time
that evening. He came after her, his hands grasping her shoulders
and pulling her against him. Alecia struggled against him, aware of
his strength and his maleness as she never had been before.
Vard was right!
Ramón is not some tame puppy I can lead around on a
string!

“You could
love me, Alecia. I know you could. Come with me to my room. Let me
show you how good we could be together.”

“She’s not
going anywhere with you, Squire,” a deep voice said.

Alecia bounded
back as Ramón’s hands fell from her shoulders.

Vard stepped
from the shadows behind the oak. His eyes, aglow in the dim light
from the terrace, sent shivers up Alecia’s spine.

Ramón drew
himself to his full height, almost that of Vard’s. “I have watched
you, Anton. You seek to come between Alecia and myself for your own
reasons. You are not concerned for her safety.”

“If her safety
was your priority, you wouldn’t allow her to remain in this
garden,” Vard said. “I’ve just proven that anything could lurk in
the shadows. Return to the party. There’s a string of beauties
eager to dance with you. Try your luck with them.”

Alecia gasped
at the crude remark and Ramón tensed, his fists bunched and his jaw
jutting towards Vard. The two eyed each other off and just when
Alecia thought the squire would attack, he spun and stalked back to
the ballroom. She sighed with relief, surprised to see that Ramón
moved with the athletic grace of a swordsman. When had that
happened?

“I told you he
was dangerous,” Vard said.

“He would
never hurt me.”

“He loves you
and would do anything to have you. Worse, he lies to himself, and
that is what makes him dangerous. He tells himself that you return
his feelings, that it’s only a matter of time before you come to
your senses. Don’t place yourself in this position again.”

“You are a
fine one to talk, Captain. Is my honor safe with you?”

Vard
swallowed, his mouth thinning. “It seems so. I remember a certain
young woman begging me to take her earlier this evening. It’s no
thanks to you that I didn’t.”

“A moment of
weakness. Believe me, I will not make the same mistake again.”

“You’ll make
that mistake over and over. You’re a slave to your desires. Once
awakened, they crave fulfilment, but the squire is not the man to
give you what you need.”

Alecia laughed
out loud. So she was a slave to her desires, was she? She stepped
close to Vard and looked up into eyes that burned like the sun.
“Who is the man to give me fulfilment? You awakened my desire. Will
you now sate it?”

If she could
have had those words back, Alecia would have. Vard’s irises
swelled, huge and glowing, his jaw clenched and his hands balled
into fists. He groaned, the sound like that of a tortured animal,
and his right hand moved upwards. She stepped backwards, but Vard
did not reach for her. He clutched the stone at his throat and
closed his eyes. As she watched, the anger left his face and when
he opened his eyes, they appeared normal. “Your father has an
announcement to make. Come and dance with me before you are
missed.”

He escorted
her back to the party, his hand rock-solid under her left elbow,
and swept her onto the dance floor for a waltz. His thighs moved
beside hers, arms strong and sure on her body. She fought for
control for a few minutes and then surrendered. He was an expert
dancer, so skilled that she closed her eyes and lost herself in the
music and in the movement of their bodies. Yes, Vard had been the
man who had awakened her desire, and she could never have enough of
him, but she would be naïve to believe he felt the same.

Too soon, the
dance ended and Vard handed her to the King. She barely noticed the
next few dances, so lost was she in the memories of the dance
shared with her protector. Her heart leaped as Vard reclaimed her
from the master goldsmith for a stately dance that was in vogue at
court, but Alecia longed for the intimacy of the waltz.

The trumpet
player blew a fanfare and all eyes turned to the small stage at the
front of the room. Alecia raised her eyebrows at Vard and he shook
his head. He didn’t seem to know the subject of the announcement
either.

Prince Zialni
took the stage, magnificent in his black velvet trousers and
jacket. The silver edging of his cloak flared as he flung out his
arms.

“My good
people,” he said. “I would like to thank my brother, King Beniel,
and his lovely Queen, Adriana, for attending this humble gathering.
Thanks also to the esteemed members of the King’s court and to my
other distinguished guests. I have a joyous announcement to make.
One I have long waited for. It concerns my beautiful daughter,
Alecia.” He turned to Vard. “Captain Anton, would you escort the
princess to the stage?”

Vard guided
Alecia through the crowd to her father’s side, bowed and departed.
Alecia felt his absence keenly. The stares of the guests bored into
her and she was drunk from the wine and the echo of Vard’s strong
arms around her.

The prince
cleared his throat. “It is my pleasure to announce the betrothal of
my daughter, the Princess Alecia Allandra Dosodra Zialni, to a man
who has become a crucial link in my tenure here. He is my future
son-in-law, Lord Giornan Finus.”

Vard quashed his rage
and inched closer to where Alecia stood on the stage. The princess
swayed, red spots flaring in pale cheeks, as Finus made his way to
her side. The prospective bridegroom couldn’t take his eyes from
his bride. Vard saw only greed in his gaze. Perhaps he’d been too
harsh on Alecia. She was as much the victim as anyone, a pawn in
Prince Zialni’s plan to secure his hold on the Kingdom of Thorius.
It seemed others approved of the match, if King Beniel’s grin was
any indication. A growl bubbled up within him. Alecia wouldn’t
accept this.

The princess
needed time to recover from her shock, and not under the stares of
the guests. Lord Finus kissed her on both cheeks and then led her
down the stairs to the dance floor. The music signalled a stately
court promenade, not a waltz, and for that Vard was glad. His
hackles rose at the thought of Alicia’s scent melded with that of
her betrothed.

Vard glanced
around the ball room in an attempt to distract himself, to regain
his composure, but all eyes were on the couple in the centre of the
floor. In seconds, he found Alecia again, dancing like a life-sized
doll, stiff and unyielding. The image of her naked in Finus’ arms
flashed though his mind and his rage became a living thing, boiling
up through his core. He grasped the talisman battling the animal
that beat at him from within.

Distance was
what he needed; distance from his emotions, from his inner turmoil
and from this town, where life had become so complicated. A vice
tightened in his chest, the control of the stone replaced by the
panic of a trapped beast. Lord Finus led Alecia to the edge of the
dance floor and left her alone. The princess bolted into the garden
and Vard followed.

The freedom of
the garden helped to calm the restless creature within and Vard
poured all of his rage into the stone. Eventually his wolf focus
shifted to man and it was safe to approach.

Alecia sat on
the stone bench under the oak, dry-eyed, staring at her left hand,
seeming unaware of him as he sat beside her.

“He will place
a ring here.” She clutched her left index finger. “I would rather
die than be married to that man. I will breathe my last before I
let him bed me.” Finally she looked at Vard and he flinched at the
hurt in her eyes.

He
didn’t touch her. “You’ve known the prince would arrange your
marriage.” His voice held a ragged note. It wouldn’t take much to
push him out of control.
I should go now
. “Come back inside, Princess.”