Raines, Elizabeth - Captivated [Wicked Missions 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

Jayce couldn’t help but smile.
Not my Izzie
. She knew. After working here as long as she had, she knew. She even had the audacity to meet Steraph’s gaze head-on. Steraph and Izzie stared at each other for a few interminable moments before the king smiled. “Your name is?”

“Izabella Szabo, Your Majesty.”

“Who do you belong to?” A typical Bromondi question, as common as asking a man what he did for a living. Jayce waited to see just how she’d reply, wanting to know if the courage he’d seen inside her would hold up in the face of Steraph’s intense glare.

“I belong to no man. I am my own keeper.”

Jayce smiled, pleased to see Damian doing so as well.

“You speak freely,” Steraph said. “Probably because you’re an Earthling. No respectable Bromondi man would want a woman who cannot submit to his will. You’ll never fit in here.”

The insult made her eyes fling daggers, yet she held her tongue. Damian’s face flushed an angry red, and he clenched his fists at his side. Since Jayce felt the same need to protect her as Damian, he shared the fury.
As if a woman like Izzie needs our help…

Steraph dismissed her by curtly turning his back, his way of marking her as beneath him. That action, deliberate and abrupt as it was, pushed Jayce over the edge. While he’d endured his father’s contempt and disappointment for years, he felt as if he needed to shield the woman he loved, whether she wanted his assistance or not. The time had come to let Steraph know that somewhere inside the son he viewed as less than worthy resided a man strong enough to one day be a formidable king—a king who would make his own mark on Bromond.

Striding over to stand at Izzie’s side, Jayce reached up to cup her covered cheek in his palm. His gaze searched hers, hoping she understood what he wanted. Her eyes sparkled, making him grin, just as he knew she smiled beneath the hated veil.

“Go ahead, Jayce,” she whispered. “Show him what you can do when you’re king.” Then she gave him the nod he was waiting for.

“Father!” he shouted. “Wait!”

The king whirled back to face them, his mouth agape, nostrils flaring as he huffed a few breaths. “You dare to order me?”

“I’m asking you,” Jayce added, “to give me another moment of your time.” Inside, he pumped his fist in triumph, glad to have come across with the kind of arrogance necessary to deal with Steraph.

“What do you want?”

“There’s one more thing I’d like to tell you about Izzie.”

“Izzie?” The confusion on the king’s face revealed that he’d already dismissed any thought of her from his mind. Not surprising. The man had never given any woman—including any of his wives—a second thought.

Jayce set his hand on Izzie’s shoulder. “This is Izzie. You just met her. Remember?”

His father folded his arms over his chest. “What about her?”

“She’s going to be my wife!” His voice was loud enough for everyone in the gathering to hear. As Jayce looked around to be sure all of the people in the crowd watched, he lifted his hand and yanked the veil from her face. A collective gasp rose from the crowd, the loudest coming from Steraph.

With his stare locked on his father, Jayce jerked the
wenora
from Izzie’s hair. She’d tied it up into a ponytail, so he pulled the leather tie away, letting her glorious red mane spill down around her shoulders, drawing another gasp from the crowd. The murmurs quickly began, rising to a din.

Steraph strode over, set his hands on his hips, and glared at Jayce. “What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m introducing my future bride to my people.”

The first sound of applause took him by surprise. One pair of hands clapped, joined soon by another and another until the crowd erupted in a cheer. Izzie had been right—the people of Bromond were ready to discard the antiquated rules. He smiled and bowed to the citizens, pleased that they were so willing to accept his gesture.

To her credit, Izzie stood stalwart at his side. He was so proud of her that he almost tempted further scandal by brushing a kiss over her lips. But the Bromondi citizens had been given enough enlightening surprises for one day. The royal wedding would be a better venue to publically show his affection.

Her eyes narrowed, imperceptible to anyone who didn’t know her as well as he did. She was angry he’d made the announcement public when she’d yet to agree to the marriage. He had to admit—if only to himself—that one of the biggest reasons he’d decided to tell his father and his people now was that she wouldn’t refuse him with an audience watching. Izzie loved him. He was sure of it, just as he was sure she loved Damian. She’d marry him now, simply to save him the public humiliation of decrying his claim. Judging from the emerald fire flashing in her eyes, she would, however, make him pay in private for pulling the trick.

Jayce couldn’t worry about that now, knowing he could kiss the anger right out of her. At that moment, the rage coming from the king burned hot enough, he knew he was about to get burned.

* * * *

Damian watched the drama unfolding around him with such fascination he couldn’t even force himself to budge. Damn, but he was proud of Jayce. He’d known for years just how strong the crown prince was deep down inside. It was one of the things that had attracted him so intensely. The potential had always been there, but whatever fire he knew drove Jayce was constantly tempered—if not nearly extinguished—by the blustering superiority of Steraph. To see Jayce stand up to the king for the first time in his life and to see the acceptance and support of the Bromondi people were sights Damian would remember and cherish for the rest of his life.

And Izzie…their beautiful Izzie. His love for her was as absolute as his love for Jayce. When this was over, Jayce was probably going to get his ass kicked but good—not physically, but the king was sure to let his displeasure be known as forcefully as he could, short of striking the crown prince. Although that wasn’t beyond thought as well… To announce to essentially the entire populace that he was marrying was bold enough. To not only allow Izzie to reveal her face and hair but to be the one bringing about that unveiling elevated Jayce to a level of daring worthy of the king he would one day become. The applause of the crowd would be the last disgrace the king would bear from his son.

“You
will
leave now,” Steraph announced. “We’ll meet back at the palace to…discuss this matter.” He fixed another glare on Izzie. “Cover yourself, woman!” he shouted as the applause began to die and shocked faces focused on the enraged king.

Izzie looked to Jayce. He gave her back a curt nod, but said, “For now.”

Damian stooped to pick up her discarded clothing. With tender care and a sympathetic smile, he helped her put things back into place. Then he took her back to the hovercar, and Jayce fell in step beside them.

Chapter 7

“Let me introduce you to my family.” Jayce took Izzie’s hand and dragged her to the gaggle of women waiting in the gathering room of his father’s suite. He’d removed her veil and
wenora
again the moment they’d stepped inside the palace grounds.

Thankfully, the women in his family had all set aside their layers as well, so he wouldn’t botch the introductions. Since his stepmothers and half sisters all had blue eyes, seeing them covered as if they should be ashamed of themselves made it difficult to keep them straight, especially since he spent very little time with them. The royal family was anything but a “family.” The first person he stopped next to was the one he wanted her to meet the most.

His mother gave him a wide smile and a heartfelt embrace. As he eased back, he took Izzie’s hand in his. “This is Charisa, my mother.” He turned to his mother. “This is Izabella Szabo…Izzie to us. She’s going to be my wife.”

Izzie squeezed his hand tight enough to cut off circulation. She was still angry, but she didn’t contradict him.
A good sign
.

“I’m pleased to meet you,” Izzie said with a quick nod to his mother.

Jayce looked over at the birthday girl. “This beautiful young thing is Kamala. She’s my youngest sister, and we’re full-blooded siblings—the only two of father’s children who are.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Happy birthday, Kami.”

“Thank you, Jayce.” She considered Izzie for a few moments before she smiled. “You have the prettiest hair.” Then she grinned at Jayce. “I can see why you didn’t want it covered.”

“Jayce,” Charisa scolded, “the
wenora
is a tradition. Your father’s very angry.”

“The
wenora
is a tradition that needed to be ended a long, long time ago,” Jayce replied. “Obviously the people feel the same.”

“So it would seem,” Charisa replied. “But you did notice no woman in the crowd followed your lead, didn’t you? Perhaps given a little time to think about it…you might see them act more bravely one day soon.”

She was right, and he held out hope that one step would invariably lead to another, that by letting Izzie walk freely with her face and hair unashamedly exposed, other women would follow suit. One day, when he was king, he’d make Bromond a wonderful place.

One day…

But not today
.

“I’m sorry about your
hadiadas
getting canceled
,
Kami,” Jayce said.

“I didn’t want to wear a stupid veil anyway,” his sister replied with her typical sass. “Now I can wait a little while longer until we can reschedule the ceremony. I’m glad we didn’t finish it today.”

Steraph strode into the room, and all talk immediately died. The women in his family curtsied while Jayce, Damian, and Izzie bowed. He stomped over to stand in front of Izzie and snorted in contempt. “Earthling, you need to learn about
my
kingdom. A bow isn’t proper for a woman. You should curtsy.”

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I don’t mean to offend. I just feel kinda awkward when I curtsy.” She chuckled. “I’d probably fall on my face if I tried. I mean no disrespect.”

“Oh, I
know
what you mean, woman!” he snapped. “You mean to show you are a man’s equal!”

“I
am
a man’s equal,” she replied, not a note of challenge in her voice. She sounded like she was simply stating a fact that everyone should understand. “You thought enough of my abilities to award me a king’s medal.”

“I
what?”
He whirled to face Jayce. “Explain.”

“Izzie is an Interplanetary Drug Enforcement agent.” He was glad to see his father’s eyes widen in surprise. “She was the leader of the undercover force that brought down Carlos Pontierri and his smuggling ring.”

Steraph rubbed his hand over his chin as he turned back to stare at Izzie. Although her cheeks flushed, she gave no indication that she was intimidated by the king. He finally grunted and turned to Charisa. “Come, wife. We must make plans for Kamala’s
hadiadas
to be held again since it was so rudely interrupted.” While he strode out of the gathering area, Charisa smiled at Izzie and then turned to hurry after her husband.

Izzie stopped holding her breath, if only to heave a sigh of relief. Steraph scared the shit out of her, but not for the reasons he probably thought. The power he possessed could keep her from protecting Jayce. The thought of the king banishing her from the palace was enough to fill her stomach with a mass of nervous butterflies. Damian would do his best to guard Jayce, but she had more experience in law enforcement, having worked bringing down the worst of the worst. All Damian had ever known was watching after Jayce in protected areas of Bromond. He would mean well, but Izzie could do a better job.

Jayce lightly gripped her elbow to lead her over to a blonde who had to be about Jayce’s age. “This is my older sister, Vilanna,” he said.

“Older?” Izzie asked. He’d told her little of his sisters except that he had three of them. Kamala looked enough like him, she would have known they were siblings. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes—both Bromond staples. But even the shape of her face and the angle of her nose were the same. Vilanna might be blonde and have light eyes, but her face was harder…more intense.

“By a few months,” he added.

“Almost a year,” Vilanna corrected.

“Not that it matters.” A middle-aged woman whose blonde hair bore wide streaks of gray fanning from each temple, offered that opinion. Her blue eyes were lit with intelligence, and laugh lines crinkled in the corners. “I’m Fraudi. Vilanna’s mother.”

“My father’s first wife,” Jayce added. “I hope you’re well, stepmother.”