The Rogue Prince (21 page)

“Give me a strand of your hair,” Reid said.

“What?” Jasmine looked at him, confused.

Reid reached for her, plucking a single strand from her head. It didn’t hurt, but she protested anyway. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”

Reid sighed but didn’t answer as he pressed a button. A tray slid out and he placed her hair strand inside. “Siren, please record DNA for Jasmine.”

“Jasmine recorded, Prince Reid,” a sultry voice answered.

“Who was that?” Jasmine needlessly glanced around. They were alone in the hall.

“That’s Siren, the palace’s mainframe computer.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Jasmine,” Siren said in a tone that dripped honey and sounded like a pout. “My lord, what security clearance?”

Reid glanced at her.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Jasmine demanded.

“Eight, please, Siren,” Reid said.

“Eight?” Jasmine asked, her tone hard.

“Very good, my lord, Jasmine stored,” Siren said. Reid didn’t take his eyes off of her.

“What is eight?” Jasmine demanded. Reid opened his mouth to speak, but she asked instead, “Siren, what does eight security level mean?”

“Level eight is confinement to the palace, my lady, and limited privileges,” Siren answered. Reid grimaced.

“What do you think you are doing?” Jasmine yelled, not caring if she were overheard. “Erase it at once!”

“No,” Reid said. “Don’t think I couldn’t see your mind plotting ways to defy the king’s order. I saw you looking for a way to escape. Now you will be confined to the palace. If you leave, or if anyone tries to take you from the palace, Siren will sound the alarm. It’s for your safety.”

“This has nothing to do with the king’s order!” Jasmine yelled. “This has to do with you not giving me the right to make up my own mind. You have no right to keep me prisoner here!”

“Haven’t I?” Reid asked, his voice dipping. He reached a hand to cup her cheek. Why was he looking at her like that? All soft and tender and sad? Jasmine jerked back, staying out of arm’s reach. “When were you going to tell me you weren’t married, Jasmine?”

“What does that have to do with anything? You didn’t seem to care so much about it when you were sleeping with me.” Jasmine backed away. How could he do this to her? How could he not trust her enough to make her own decisions? How could he make her a prisoner? Why did he have to look all cute at this moment?

She tried to walk away from him, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. “I asked you a question, Jasmine.”

“And I gave you the only answer I’m going to give you. I didn’t tell you because my relationship with Chad is none of your business!”

Reid drew back as if she’d hit him. Slowly, he nodded his head. His voice calm and his face suddenly very passionless, he asked, “Do you know the way back to your suite? Or do you need me to show you?”

“I’ll find my way to my gilded prison just fine, thank you, your highness. I’m sure if I don’t go there, your little slut of a computer will be happy to tell you,” she spat. Turning on her heels, she stormed away from him.

Reid watched Jasmine go. Why did she have to be so stubborn? Didn’t she understand that he logged her into the palace computer to protect her?

“Siren,” he ordered.

“Yes, my prince?”

“Make sure she gets back to the purple guest suite all right,” Reid said. “And monitor her life signs at all times. If she even appears to be in danger, I want to know about it.”

“Yes, my prince.”

Reid turned to go back to the banquet hall. He needed to talk to Falke and find out everything he knew about the Medical Mafia’s ship. Since Jasmine had interrupted them earlier at his home, he knew he hadn’t been told everything. His brothers looked at him as Jasmine’s guardian and would let him best decide how to take care of her.

Stopping, he added, “Siren, please ignore her slut comment. She didn’t mean it. She’s mad at me, not you. Don’t do anything to her, all right?”

Reid sighed. He’d called Siren a couple names in his time. Damn Jarek for that. His brother had programmed the computer to be touchy to insults. Once, the damned thing had even locked him in the weapons’ chamber.

“As you wish, my lord, but I would rather log an apology from her,” Siren pouted.

“She’s my wife, Siren,” he said softly, remembering how he’d marked her during sex. She’d been pinned up against the wall and he’d never felt more complete. That was before Jasmine went on and on about how they were only lovers and their relationship meant nothing to her and that it was an affair of the bodies only. How could he tell her what he’d done after that? “Take her apology from me.”

“Yes, my lord. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Siren.”

* * * *

Jasmine paced the guest suite for all of fifteen minutes before knocks sounded on her door. It was the same suite she’d woken up in. First came Queen Ulyssa and Princess Tori. They instantly hugged her, looked her over to ensure she was in one piece, and then hugged her again. Next was Sam, her mouth pink and swollen as if she’d just been thoroughly kissed before stumbling through the door. She gave a guilty smile at Ulyssa’s look and shrugged.

“I missed him,” Sam said by way of excuse.

Tori went to a hidden food simulator by the giant Var banner and materialized drinks. Whatever it was, it was fizzy and made funny bubbling noises.

“Don’t’ worry, it’s not liquor,” Ulyssa said, as they all sat down around a table. “It’s an old Earth drink. Soda. One of the Draig princesses gave it to us. They found the simulator programming codes in the Draig royal library.”

Jasmine nodded, taking a sip. It was sugary, but not bad. “I was under the impression the Var and Draig didn’t get along.”

“Actually, we’re trying to change that,” Ulyssa said. “My husband has been working for peace for the last several months.”

Jasmine nodded, very curious about the Draig. Reid never really wanted to talk about it. Besides, it was nice to think about something that didn’t directly concern her or her future. Her mind needed a break.

“We’ve signed a treaty and have made a betrothal agreement.” Ulyssa’s eyes fell.

“Betrothal agreement?” Jasmine asked. “As in an arranged marriage? Between who?”

“It’s more of a formality,” Tori said, patting Ulyssa’s hand.

“If one of the Draig princes has a daughter, which is highly unlikely considering that the blue radiation makes female children all but impossible, she will marry the king’s oldest son,” Sam said. She too gave Ulyssa a sad smile. “It was a very grand gesture on Kirill’s part, to join the future Var king to a Draig woman.”

Jasmine glanced at the queen’s belly.

“There are four of them and they’re all married with children due very soon,” Ulyssa supplied. “We expect to get news any day that the princesses have delivered.”

“And you’re fine with this?” Jasmine asked, already suspecting the queen wasn’t.

“The Var are my people now and I love them,” Ulyssa said. She placed her hand on her stomach. “But this is my baby. I wouldn’t have him forced into a loveless marriage. What scares me is that he’s his father’s son and will undoubtedly be compelled by duty. My only comfort is that in time peace could be achieved another way and that this betrothal could become unnecessary. Besides, it’s unlikely that the Draig Princesses will give birth to a girl.”

Jasmine opened her mouth. Ulyssa held up her hand.

“It’s all right, really,” the queen said. “I have great hopes that we will have peace before my son reaches marrying age.”

“Yeah, we have, what? Eighty? Ninety years?” Sam laughed.

Jasmine giggled, thinking they were joking. Then, seeing their faces, she stopped. Her eyes rounded. “How old is Reid?”

Tori laughed. “Let’s put it this way. Quinn’s the baby and he’s fifty-six.”

Jasmine’s jaw dropped.

“Let’s see,” Ulyssa mused. “Kirill was about thirty-seven when the twins were born. He’s ninety-eight now so that would make Reid…ah…”

“Sixty-one,” Tori calculated. Jasmine gasped.

“Vars tend to live for hundreds of years, so technically, they’re still young men,” Ulyssa said.

“I had no idea.” Jasmine was stunned. Before she could stop and think, she blurted, “And this doesn’t bother you to know that your husband will out live you by so long?”

“Out live us?” Ulyssa repeated.

“Oh, no,” Sam said, taking a sip. “We’re Var now. They shared their lives with us. We’ve bonded. They call it lifemating. It means we’ll live for hundreds of years as well.”

“So, you’re not half mates?” Jasmine already knew the answer, but she said the words anyway, thinking of Reid. “Or do half mates live longer as well?”

“We’re lifemates,” Ulyssa said, smiling. “I could never share Kirill and he will never take another. That’s how much he loves me. Half mates are more like the harem girls. They’re bonded, but not as deeply and the bond can be broken if both parties will it. At least that’s the way I understand it.”

“Var men can only have one lifemate. It’s why they act the way they do toward their women,” Tori said. “That and because women are so rare they feel they need to be protected.”

“It used to aggravate me at first,” Ulyssa admitted, absently rubbing her stomach. “Kirill would get all bossy and protective. He locked me in his quarters as punishment a few times until I learned to just listen to him. It sounds domineering, but really they do know what they’re doing and they never act dishonorably toward us.”

“Still.” Jasmine frowned. “Doesn’t it bother you that they just decide and don’t ask your opinion?”

“They do ask our opinions,” Ulyssa said, smiling. “Or at least they do now, after we proved we could be reasonable. It took adjusting on all our parts, but it was worth it. Now, when Kirill asks me to do something with a certain serious look on his face, I know it’s important and I should listen. And he knows he can trust me and doesn’t have to worry.”

Jasmine still wasn’t so sure.

“I know we’re explaining this badly,” Sam said. “You have to understand. Since they were born Var, these men can never take another lifemate. Since we weren’t, we could conceivably go on to love again, but who would want to? It is said that many Vars have died of broken hearts because they lost their mates. It’s one of the reasons our husband’s father, King Attor, taught his sons never to lifemate. He’d seen what it could do. Lucky for us, they didn’t listen to the old fool.”

“Anyway,” Tori said, giving Sam a stern look as she insulted the dead king. Sam looked properly chastised and suddenly both women burst into laughter.

“Well, he was,” Sam mumbled, grinning. Ulyssa and Tori instantly nodded in agreement. “Should something happen to us, they’d be alone for hundreds of years.”

“That’s why they tend to be overprotective,” Ulyssa said. All three women studied Jasmine, as if willing her to understand. “But once they know they can trust you, they ease up a little on the whole domineering thing. It takes them awhile to get over the fear that they might lose you.”

“And with their father’s teachings drummed into their heads, it’s especially hard.” Tori leaned over and took Jasmine’s hand.

Jasmine didn’t move for a long time. Slowly, she drew her hand away and placed it in her lap. “You came here tonight with the sole purpose of telling me all this, didn’t you?”

All three women gave her a guilty look.

“We wanted to see you, as well,” Ulyssa assured her.

Jasmine nodded, her mouth tight. “You think by telling me this that Reid and I will magically get together?”

“Well, we thought….” Tori began, making a weak noise.

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” Sam broke in.

“We thought it might help you be more patient with Reid,” Ulyssa explained.

“These Var men are a handful, but I promise their brains do eventually catch up to their hearts.”

“It’s aggravating, I know, believe me,” Sam said.

“Believe
us
,” Ulyssa amended.

“Do try to have patience,” Tori said, her eyes shining with hope. “And just be blunt about how you feel. I swear, they can run a kingdom, but they can be so dense when it comes to their feelings.”

“And, if that doesn’t work, do what I told Tori to try when she was having trouble with Quinn. Hit him over the head until he sees reason or blacks out.” Ulyssa grinned.

“Besides, if anything, slugging Reid a few times will definitely make you feel better.” Tori giggled. “That one might be the most aggravating of the bunch. I know I’ve felt like smacking him upside the head a few times.”

“He’s tough. He can take it,” Sam assured Jasmine, nodding. Jasmine laughed, despite herself.

“Don’t get us wrong, Reid’s a good man. He may joke around, but deep inside, he does have feelings. If you demand he tell you the truth, he’ll tell it to you straight. It’s a matter of honor with the Var. They don’t lie unless it’s a life or death situation or if it can’t be helped.”

“They never lie to their women,” Tori said.

“I don’t doubt that all the princes are honorable.” Tears came to Jasmine’s eyes. The women were so sweet. Strangely, she felt close to them, closer than she’d ever felt to anyone--besides Reid. Problem with Reid though was that she couldn’t talk to him like this. “But I think you’re misunderstanding what’s going on with Reid and me. You’re assuming I’m his woman. I’m not.”

The women exchanged a look.

Tori face fell in sympathy. “So you already asked him straight out then?”

“I didn’t have to,” Jasmine answered. “I already know.”

The women exchanged another look. Slowly, they all nodded and said no more on it as they changed the subject.

Chapter Twelve

Kirill’s royal office was much like the rest of the palace, with the same beautiful tile work on the walls and the same medieval castle feel to the structure. Opposite the king’s desk, a large barren fireplace was dwarfed by the even larger sidewall. Long banners hung on either side of it. A large woven rug of red and blue lay on the floor. Its intricate pattern was perhaps the loveliest in the palace. Next to the rug were large chairs, so deep they’d nearly swallow a person whole.

Reid stood in the middle of the room, looking between Falke and Kirill, his brow arched in question. “Well?”