by Tara Rose
“We had no idea where you were,” said Parker.
“I’m sorry. I woke up and smelled coffee, so I came here to find something to put on first.”
Jaxon gave her a curious look. “Why did you want to find something to put on first?”
Shit. She pointed toward the door to the sitting room. “Because I heard voices I didn’t recognize in there.”
He nodded. “There is no one in there now, but there is coffee waiting and food is on the way. We have some disturbing news to tell you.”
She followed them into the room, debating whether to reveal what she’d already heard. Frank walked in from the hallway, pushing a cart. “Thank you,” said Parker. “We’ll ring if we need anything else.”
Frank left without a word, and then Parker and Jaxon began to fill their plates. Brenna did the same, and then she sipped her coffee while she waited for one of them to speak. Jaxon fixed her with a sympathetic gaze. “I’m sorry to tell you that Molly is missing.”
Brenna nearly dropped her coffee cup. Her hands shook so badly that Jaxon had to help her place the cup back down. She realized she’d completely missed the meaning of the conversation she’d heard earlier.
“We were alerted early this morning while you still slept by the guards who came to relieve those watching the hallway overnight. Two of the guards that were supposed to be outside all night were nowhere to be found, and the other two had been knocked unconscious. A quick search of the servants’ rooms revealed Frank and Michael still asleep, but Molly was gone. The mirror on her dresser is broken, and furniture is overturned, yet Michael and Frank heard nothing last night.”
Brenna simply stared at Jaxon. If they’d done that much damage in Molly’s room, why had no one else heard it? Frank’s and Michael’s rooms flanked hers.
“No one has seen her this morning. My father has sent out patrols to try to track her.”
Brenna swallowed. “And the triplets?”
“Deny any involvement.”
“I don’t suppose you have forensic science here? DNA analysis? The ability to dust for fingerprints? Anything?”
Parker shook his head. “Only our stargazers and sorcerers. They’re in her room now.”
But that still didn’t explain what they suspected her of. “And have they found anything?”
Parker leaned closer. “Curiously, they have. But not what I would have expected. This is the difficult part, Brenna.”
She hugged herself as a shiver ran down her spine. “What did they find?”
“The broken mirror and overturned furniture would suggest a struggle, but Molly’s nightclothes are not anywhere in the room. Not even with her clothes that are to be laundered.”
“So she was wearing them when she was taken.”
Parker shook his head. “If she was, she also took the time to take along three dresses, several undergarments, three pairs of stockings, and her shoes.”
Brenna cleared her throat because she suddenly found it difficult to talk. “Do you think she was forced to come along with someone?”
“If she was, why had that person, or persons, bothered to make sure she had several changes of clothes with her?”
“I don’t know. Why didn’t anyone hear all this?”
“That is precisely the question we are all asking this morning,” said Jaxon.
“And where are the other two guards?”
“We don’t know that either.”
“How do you know exactly what clothing is missing from her room?”
“We asked the servants who do her laundry. They know who owns what, and how many of each they have.”
Brenna stared from one to the other as the pieces fell into place. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “So was it staged to make it look like there was a struggle, or did she go willingly? And take the time to pack first? And those two guards are involved, aren’t they?”
Parker covered her hand with his. “Before you jump to conclusions, we are still considering all possibilities. If Molly had also been knocked unconscious, whoever took her might have staged it that way on purpose to make it look like Molly went willingly. In addition to the missing clothes and shoes, many of her personal items are also gone.”
“If someone kidnapped her, why would they take the time to pack so many things?”
“To make it look like she was a willing participant,” said Jaxon.
Brenna ran her hands through her hair. “But how will you ever know the real truth?”
“We need to find her and ask. Or we need to find who took her and ask them.”
“But she could be anywhere.”
“If she is in the castle, she will be found. Today, every room will be searched, including the private chambers of my mother and father.”
“And if she’s not here?”
“Then we have to assume she left the castle.”
“What if she’s never found?”
Jaxon stood, then gently pulled her to her feet and held her close. “Brenna, I wish I had an answer right now. But I promise you this. We both promise you this. Nothing will happen to you. Nothing.”
Guilt washed over Brenna. They’d talked about the importance of her trusting them, but that worked both ways. They had to know they could trust her, too. She pulled out of Jaxon’s embrace and told them what she’d overheard.
“I’m sorry. I did plan on telling you but then I became alarmed at the looks on your faces when you came into the room, and I wanted to hear first what you both said. I didn’t put two and two together and realize Molly was gone until you actually said it. I simply thought someone had tried to get into her room.”
“It’s all right,” said Jaxon. “We’re not upset with you. But thank you for telling us.”
“The trust has to work both ways.”
He nodded, frowning. “You’re right about that. But don’t do that again. Don’t eavesdrop. It’s dangerous.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry. You’re right. I won’t do it again, Sire. I promise.”
“Good girl. My mother is working on choosing a new maid for you. But in the meantime, what would you prefer to do? Should we stay here or move to quarters closer to my parents?”
“Are we safer closer to them?”
“Absolutely.”
“But if my new maid can lead us to the truth of what happened, we should stay here. The triplets won’t approach a servant who lives so close to the king and queen.”
Parker snorted. “She understands this better than my own father does.”
“I do believe she does,” said Jaxon. “All right then. We’ll stay here. But you are no longer sleeping in your own room.”
“I’m fine with that, Sire. But that small hallway off Parker’s room…does that lead to the servants’ quarters?”
“It does,” said Parker. “And there’s one in Jaxon’s room, too. But we can lock them from the inside. That way the servants will have to go through the sitting room or past the guards in the hallway to reach one of our rooms.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Jaxon pulled her close again and then kissed her. “Let’s eat something now. We’re going to need all our strength today.”
Chapter Thirteen
The next week passed by in a blur for Brenna. Her new maid’s name was Janey, and if she was a day over eighteen, Brenna would be surprised. She looked terrified every time Jaxon or Parker were in the room, and she barely spoke.
Brenna finally met Marissa, Jaxon’s mother and the queen, and the woman turned out to be so warm and welcoming that Brenna became homesick all over again. She missed her family and friends. She missed her job and coworkers, even the ones who had trouble believing she hadn’t known about Mark’s addiction.
When Brenna was able to find a moment alone with Marissa to ask her if Janey was all right, the queen smiled indulgently and said that Janey was very shy, and was intimidated by her son and Parker because she found them both so handsome. Brenna could understand that,
but she was more concerned about the triplets and told Marissa so.
“Janey hasn’t been my servant for very long. They would have nothing to gain by trying to glean information from her.”
“They could threaten her and use her to get information from me, your son, or from Parker.”
Marissa shook her head. “Too risky for them. The girl can barely hold a conversation one-on-one with a woman she knows well. If they forced her to try and get information from any of you, she would give herself away in a heartbeat. The triplets are not stupid. They know that. They won’t bother with her.” Marissa patted Brenna’s hand. “That’s why I chose her.”
Brenna heard Jaxon and Parker’s voices close by, and knew she had seconds at best to ask. “Do you think Molly betrayed us?”
Marissa frowned and averted her gaze. “I wish I knew, Brenna. And that is the truth. I’ve gone over this time and again and I swear to you I simply don’t know what to believe.”
* * * *
According to what Jaxon and Parker told Brenna, no one found any clues to Molly’s whereabouts inside the castle. The search had moved out to the homes in the kingdom, but both men had told Brenna not to hold out any hope.
The men told her that Molly could have been taken to the Wastelands, or she might even have been taken to Enfield.
“What are the Wastelands?” asked Brenna.
“The lands south of here,” said Parker. “It’s where people who are banished are sent. But we have trade with them, or at least the peasants do, and if they’ve hidden Molly there or she went willingly, we won’t find her. They would kill any member of the royal families, or anyone even suspected of being part of them, if they tried to enter and look for someone, or get information. They have their own laws, and we have no power there.”
“Unless those particular members of a royal family bloodline already had a secret treaty with them,” said Jaxon, his voice full of dread.
“You suspect someone here does?” she asked.
“Would it be any more far-fetched to believe that than to suspect members of our own Council are in alliance with Enfield? Yes, I believe some people inside this castle do have ties to Enfield and the Wastelands. I only wish I had more concrete proof.”
“What can I do to help?” She’d asked the question of them at least three dozen times this past week, and every single time they’d told her the same thing. Keep a watchful eye and stay with at least one of them at all times. While she didn’t mind the latter, she was bored out of her mind and wanted to help in the search for Molly.
“Can we at least take a walk outside?” It was spring, and she longed to smell the flowers and see the trees growing new leaves. Several thunderstorms had occurred but she’d had to be content to watch and listen from behind the safety of the windows in her room.
“We could walk along the north balcony outside the conservatory,” said Parker. “If the guards came with us, that would be safe.”
“Is it outdoors?” she asked.
Parker smiled. “It is indeed.”
Brenna practically skipped along as they led her through the castle. The conservatory turned out to be a large sunroom with real plants and flowers inside, and lit on three sides by walls of windows. She walked out onto the balcony with them and stared out over the Great Lake. “It’s beautiful.” White, puffy clouds dotted the sky, and gentle swells topped the blue water. “How large is it?”
“I believe it’s about fifty miles to the other side,” said Jaxon. “And it’s at least four times that from end to end.”
“What’s on the other side?”
“A kingdom called Dearth. We have no dealings with them.”
“Why not?”
“They’re not interested in trading goods or establishing any kind of a relationship.”
“Do they deal with Enfield or Wythmail?”
“Not that we’re aware of. They’re known for keeping to themselves.”
“Do you have ships that can cross the lake?”
Parker grinned. “Why such an interest?”
“Because you have one enemy to the west, another kingdom to the east with whom your relationship is rocky, and a land to the south where the people who live there would just as soon kill you as look at you.” She pointed toward the water. “Whoever is across there, if they joined forced with Enfield or the people in the Wastelands or in Wythmail, you’d be surrounded.”
Jaxon laughed softly. “Try telling that to our Council. And to answer your question, yes we have ships that can cross it. And so do the people from Dearth. There are stations set out along the borders of our kingdom in the water, and guards are posted there. They have the same thing on their side. They own all the land on the opposite shore. Their kingdom is vast.”
“So that means you share this side of the shore, right?”
“Yes,” said Parker. “Enfield, Wythmail, and Ashdown each own a portion of this side of the water.”
She glanced toward the guards, but they were talking among themselves and didn’t appear to be paying any attention to them. Just the same, she leaned closer to both men and lowered her voice. “You told me you have an army that could wipe out Enfield and Wythmail, correct?”
“We do,” said Jaxon.
“Then why don’t you do it? I mean take over Enfield by force? I’m not a proponent of violence, but it seems to me that your enemies from within are far more dangerous than anyone across the water or beyond that wall to the west.”
They exchanged a knowing glance. “Once again,” said Jaxon, “you speak the truth. And you share the same views as we do on these matters. But our Council does not. Nor, I am sorry to say, does my father, at least on the matter of invading Enfield. He is not a king who would conquer simply for the sake of doing so.”
“He might have no choice one day.”
“Indeed. But if that day comes, he will be ready to fight. I assure you.”
Brenna breathed in the warm air and walked back and forth along the balcony, wondering where Molly was. She’d been so preoccupied with worry over the girl that she realized now, for the first time in a week, that she hadn’t thought about home or Mark since the night before Molly disappeared. She knew she would normally feel guilty over such a discovery, but this morning she did not. She merely felt relief. Was it dishonorable to feel this way? Or was it a sign she’d accepted her fate and was growing used to her new home?
Once again, she glanced toward the guards. She’d ask Jaxon and Parker later, when they were alone, what they thought of all this. She didn’t want to discuss something so personal in front of the other men. She wasn’t quite that comfortable here yet.
When they left the conservatory, the guys took her back to their suite and she relayed what she’d been thinking about as they’d walked along the balcony.
“We were thinking of asking you if you’d like to talk to one of our stargazers,” said Jaxon. “They might be able to help you work through these issues.”
“Are they also therapists?”
“No, but they’re the closest thing we have.”
“Well, I’d love to meet one anyway. I’m fascinated by what they do.”
The guys stood, and Jaxon held out his hand. “Your wish is our command, my lady.”
She giggled as she took his hand. “My lady. I like the sound of that. Is that what I am? Your lady?”
His gaze turned serious, and her heart fluttered as it always did when he looked at her that way. That expression of longing and…dare she think it? Love. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen that emotion in his eyes or in Parker’s, but she was afraid to acknowledge it. How could they love her? She was here as their sex partner. The woman they’d chosen because of their birthright. Nothing had ever been said about love or even romance.
“Do you want to be?” he asked quietly.
She swallowed. “I’m not sure what that means, Sire.”
He brushed a finger along her face and she drew in a sharp breath. His touch had th
e power to reduce her to putty in his hands, as did Parker’s. “It means you’re more to us than someone to have sex with, Brenna.”
“How much more, Sire?”
Parker was next to her now as well, and he stroked her hair. “Surely you can’t be ignorant of the fact that we care for you.”
Her pulse raced. “I’m not, Sire. I know you do. I care for you both, too. Very much.”
His face, too, was filled with desperation and emotion. She found it difficult to breathe. Was it really possible they were falling in love with her? Was it possible she was falling in love with them? Brenna had spent a great deal of the past three years convinced she’d never trust a man again, let alone allow herself to fall for one. And yet, here she was. Standing with two of them, about to let it happen.
There was no doubt she trusted them. And to say she was physically attracted to them was an understatement. But she knew that physical attraction meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. It was the person inside that determined the difference between fooling around and having fun, or being topped in play, and real emotion. Real feelings. Real love.
Because to love someone, you first had to know you could place your life in their hands and they wouldn’t crush it. You had to know they would never betray you, or lie to you. Without knowing that, she’d never be able to love any man again, no matter how strong the attraction, or how much she enjoyed the play.
“Then you’re our lady,” said Jaxon. “We chose you, Brenna. Do you understand what that means?”
“It’s not only about sex, is it?”
“No, it’s not. It’s about much more than that. We would protect you with our lives if it came to that. We didn’t take on this responsibility lightly.”
“Do you remember what we told you that first night?” asked Parker. “We told you that you called to us. We meant that.”
“And the more we’ve come to know you,” said Jaxon, “the more we realize how much we care for you. The person you are inside.”
