The Dark Prince's Prize (Curizan Warrior Book 2)

by S. E. Smith

  At first, he questioned whether the man was conning him or doped out. The expression of genuine fear on the man’s face finally convinced him that there was some truth to what the man had experienced.

  “I’m telling you, the man isn’t human! He… he did things, talked to me in my head, and… and… he showed me images of what he would do to me if I said anything.”

  With Adalard gone, Jerry finally did talk after he was offered a small monetary incentive, and the more he said, the more intrigued Alberto became until finding out additional information about the elusive prince became an obsession. All leads dried up when both Ha’darra and Samara Lee-Stephens disappeared. Finally, after nearly a year of silence, Jerry notified him that his sister had returned—alone.

  He had immediately set up surveillance on her. As the days grew into months with no appearance of Ha’darra, he was about to give up when a report came in that Samara was pregnant. It didn’t take much to put two and two together. The question wasn’t who the father was, no, the question that needed to be answered was what would the child be—and which parent would she take after more?

  This intriguing question compelled him to make certain arrangements, but tracking and monitoring Samara and her newborn was challenging on the Grove Ranch. Samara unexpectedly made the situation easier when she started applying for positions as far away as Florida and Texas. A few calls and the offer of a lucrative position at Manor Downs in Austin had set the wheels in motion.

  Initially, he wondered if he was wasting his time. Samara was very protective of her young daughter, but he chalked it up to being a new mother and her past experience with her brothers. Then, the reports began to come in of strange occurrences. A series of small events that could easily be shrugged away with an excuse, but together created a pattern. The incidents were like pieces to a large puzzle. Most intriguing of all was a thirty second video from two weeks ago.

  He placed his wine glass on the table and reached for his phone. After unlocking it, he pulled up the video the detective had sent him. It was a video of a little girl talking to a horse. Nothing unusual there, until she suddenly appeared on the back of the horse that seconds before wasn’t wearing a saddle or bridle and now was wearing everything the little girl needed to ride.

  “Shush, don’t tell mommy what I did. She doesn’t like it when I use my gifts,” the little girl said into the horse’s turned back ear.

  “Adaline! Oh, honey, you know you can’t do things like this. Someone might see you,” Samara cautioned when she appeared.

  “I just wanted to ride him, mommy,” Adaline pleaded.

  This video was the only one to survive whatever device Samara used to destroy the numerous sound and video recording devices they had installed over the years in her apartment. The private detective had immediately sent him the video before whatever Samara used to jam the signal affected it.

  “It is time to discover what other gifts you have, Adaline, especially since I don’t have to worry about your father any longer,” he mused, watching the video again and again.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Adalard reached out to pull Samara into his arms, only to find the spot next to him empty. He sat up with a curse and scanned the room. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood up and ran an impatient hand through his tangled hair. The muted sound of voices filtered through the closed door.

  He frowned when he recognized Bear’s deep voice. A shaft of jealousy swept through him. Bear had enjoyed seven years with Samara, and the thought of the two of them— He couldn’t help but look at the messy sheets.

  “Tilkmos!”

  The Curizan curse word slipped from him even as he waved an impatient hand and dressed himself. He opened the door to the bedroom and strode down the hallway. A wall of guilty silence struck him the moment he stepped into the living room.

  He immediately noticed Samara’s distressed expression before he glanced over at Bear, who had a hard, displeased look in his eyes. Adalard lifted an eyebrow in inquiry. Bear stared back at him with an expression of barely concealed animosity.

  “So, it’s true,” Bear said.

  “If you mean that I have returned, then yes,” Adalard coolly replied.

  Bear’s lips pursed in a line of displeasure, his fingers curling into a fist. Adalard stepped closer to Samara when Bear turned his attention to her.

  “I’ve got to finish getting things ready before the storm hits. If you or Adaline need anything I’ll be here for you like I’ve always been,” he said in a gruff tone.

  Bear turned away, grabbed his hat and coat off the hook next to the door, and pulled it open. From the other side of the door, Adalard heard a young girl’s excited voice.

  “Hey, Bear. Are you coming back for dinner? Ann Marie has the entire collection of…” The young girl’s voice trailed off when Bear stepped aside and her unusual violet eyes locked with Adalard’s.

  He stiffened in a moment of immediate recognition even though they had never met before. Her aura swirled, closing around her like a protective blanket. Bear added to the protective stance by placing one of his large hands on her shoulder and stepping behind her.

  The little girl’s long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her cheeks were rosy from her excitement and the cold weather, but it was her eyes that held him captivated. She stared back at him with a curious and cautious expression.

  “Adaline, I…” Samara said in a hesitant voice. “This is Adalard… your father.”

  Adaline covered Bear’s hand with her own. “Are you staying for dinner?” she asked, keeping her eyes locked on him even though she was speaking to Bear.

  Bear gently turned Adaline to face him and kneeled. He brushed a tender hand across her flushed cheek and shook his head. Adalard had to give the other man credit for keeping his true emotions concealed.

  “Not tonight, sweetheart. I need to finish getting things done before the storm. I’ll stop by tomorrow and check on you and your mom,” he promised.

  “Ann Marie said we would be at the big house. You’ll come by there?” Adaline asked.

  Bear glanced at him before focusing his attention on Adaline. “I’ll find you no matter where you are, I promise,” he reassured her.

  Adaline threw her arms around Bear’s neck and hugged him. “I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

  Bear nodded and stood. Adalard could see the conflict on Bear’s face when he looked first at Adaline, then Samara, before his gaze locked with his again. Foreign emotions ricocheted through him—disbelief, awareness, awe, shock, jealousy, grief—and remorse.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Bear murmured to Samara before he nodded to him and exited the apartment.

  Adalard studied the little girl who stared up at him. His heart melted when her lower lip trembled and tears glistened in her eyes. He stepped forward and knelt on one knee in front of her. He lifted his hand to wipe a tear from her cheek and she jerked back from him.

  “I wanted Bear and my mom to be together. He loves me and he loves mommy. He won’t leave us—ever. Why did you have to come back?” Adaline tearfully demanded.

  “Adaline,” Samara murmured.

  Adaline shook her head, pushed him until he nearly toppled, and rushed down the hallway. He rose to his feet and watched his daughter disappear into her bedroom. A shuddering breath slipped from him when Samara touched his arm.

  “She didn’t… Give her time, she is just shocked to see you,” Samara murmured.

  He turned to her with a dazed expression. “How… why didn’t… I have a daughter?” he muttered.

  She released a strained laugh and nodded. “Yes, you have a daughter—who is a lot like her father, I might add,” she said. “Come sit down before you fall down.”

  He looked down the hallway as she pulled him toward the couch. He sank down on the edge of it and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and breathed deeply. There were so many questions he wanted—no needed—to know.
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  “Her name is Adaline Narissa Ha’darra Lee-Stephens and she is six years old,” Samara said, sitting in the chair across from him with her hands folded.

  “Narissa…. You named her after my mother?” he asked, searching her face.

  Samara smiled and nodded. “And you… well, as close as I could. It felt right, though, Adaline may hate having a name a mile long when she gets older,” she said with a wry smile.

  “How… why didn’t you notify me?” he asked.

  “I was going to, but things happened. I knew what you were doing was important, and I didn’t want to distract you from your mission. I thought I had time. There was always a chance that… that I might miscarry. Once I felt confident that everything would be alright, the communication device was destroyed in a fire. There was no way to contact you,” she explained.

  He watched as she nervously rubbed her hands together and stared down at them. Regret coursed through him that he hadn’t been here for her—or Adaline—when they needed him. His thoughts turned to Bear, and he instinctively looked toward the front door.

  “Adaline appears to think that you and Bear—” he began, unable to put his fear into words.

  “She loves him, and he has been there since her birth—literally. It hurt him when I moved away. Now that we are back, I think she imagined that….” She stopped and shook her head. “After all this time, I guess none of us expected you would return.”

  She rose to her feet, wrapped her arms around her waist, and walked over to the window. Snow was beginning to fall. Adalard stood, mesmerized by her silhouette. The glow of the late afternoon light cast shadows around her, but he could see the colors of her aura. Peace washed over him as it swirled outward and connected with his.

  “You love him,” he stated.

  In the reflection of the glass, he could see her sad smile. Jealousy raised its ugly head again—along with a taste of fear. He braced himself for her response.

  Yes, but not the way or as much as I love you. I told you that I would wait as long as it would take, she replied.

  Samara had dropped the wall between them, and he swayed as a torrent of emotions and memories flowed through him. In the space of a few minutes, he traveled back in time over the last seven years of her and Adaline’s life. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, bending his head and pressing his lips against the top of her head.

  Tears burned his eyes when she shared the pain and joy of giving birth and her yearning for him to be there. Her elation swept through him when she held Adaline in her arms for the first time. A husky laugh of joy slipped from him at the almost-real sensation of holding Adaline that came through their connection.

  He tightened his hold on her when she shared her sense of peace as she breastfed Adaline. He lived through each of his tiny daughter’s accomplishments and milestones—the first time Adaline rolled over, the moment she learned to scoot, Samara’s sense of wonder when Adaline giggled and made the mobile above her bed swirl with colors, and the joy and worry at their daughter’s abilities.

  “She got her first tooth at seven-and-a-half months, walked before she was a year old, and was potty trained by eighteen months. She loves broccoli, hates beets, and her favorite meals are chocolate chip pancakes and macaroni and cheese,” Samara murmured.

  “Why did you move away from the ranch? If I had returned… if someone found out about Adaline,” he said.

  She turned, wrapped her arms around his waist, and laid her head against his chest. “It’s complicated. If you returned, Mason, Bear, and Ann-Marie knew where to find me—us. I had to leave. My brothers—” She stopped, shook her head, and looked up at him. “Somehow, my brothers had a top-notch lawyer. Rob and Jerry were given a five-year prison sentence, but released after two, followed by probation. Brit and Gary were given time served, probation, and community service. I was happy about Gary and Brit, but something didn’t feel right considering the severity of the crime. I didn’t want any of them near Adaline—especially Rob and Jerry,” she confessed.

  “And Bear?” he asked.

  “And then there was Bear. He was protective of me when I came back, but it was nothing like after Adaline was born. I knew he wanted a deeper relationship than I could give him. I couldn’t lead him on by letting him think that anything would change between us. When the job in Texas came up, it was too good to turn down. I could set my own schedule, keep Adaline with me, and I made enough to support us. The owners were fabulous and very understanding. I worked with the horses that needed one-on-one care,” she said.

  “If it was so good, why did you come back?” he wondered.

  She pulled out of his arms and looked around the room. “I felt something—danger. I was afraid. It sounds crazy, but my gut was telling me to grab Adaline and run. Since she was born, I’ve been careful about where I go, who I talk to, and who saw Adaline. I took her to the same doctor, but never let him draw her blood. As soon as Adaline could understand, I made sure she knew she mustn’t let anyone see her gifts. Last week… last week I was working with a horse that Adaline really loved. There was a bond between them that I didn’t understand. I had stepped out of the barn to grab some fresh bandages for another horse I was working with when I saw a woman. She had her camera out. She took off the moment she saw me, and there was something in her eyes—triumph… and secrets. When I entered the barn, Adaline was sitting on the horse that was known to be unmanageable. He was so uncontrollable that he was going to be euthanized. I knew the woman had seen Adaline, and I knew in my gut that I had to get our daughter away from there and somewhere safe as quickly as possible,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  “So you came back home,” he said.

  She gave him a rueful smile and nodded. “I came back home, told Mason what happened—he bought Chester, that’s the horse, by the way. He purchased it through a friend of a friend of a friend and is having him shipped here after the storm passes,” she said with a rueful smile.

  “I assume Chester is aware of the arrangements and will be on his best behavior,” he chuckled.

  “Yes. Adaline made sure of that,” she softly replied.

  “Once we leave here, I swear I will do everything within my power and the power of the Ha’darra family to protect you and Adaline,” he vowed.

  The smile on her face changed to concern. “Did you catch the people responsible for the creature in the lab? How is your mom and Melek?” she asked.

  “No—at least not all of them. That is something I must discuss with you. To answer your other question, Mother and Melek have recovered, though it took time and the help of Morian Reykill’s symbiot,” he said.

  “Are you talking about my grandma and grandpa?” a small voice inquired.

  Adalard turned and looked at Adaline. She was standing just inside the living room, watching them, and holding several dolls against her chest, almost as if they were a shield. Her eyes were still red from her recent tears, and her cheeks were flushed. She looked back at him with wide, curious eyes.

  He smiled at her and nodded. “Yes, would you like to see them?” he asked.

  “In person or in pictures?” Adaline replied.

  “In video now and in person soon,” he responded.

  Adaline glanced at Samara for guidance before she shrugged. “I guess so,” she mumbled.

  He pulled the portable vidcom player from his waist, placed it on the coffee table, and sat down on the couch. With a wave of his hand, he connected with the Rayon I through his personal link. The relays set between his world and this one would take a few minutes to respond since he didn’t have the main communication console at the big house to connect through. He smiled when his mother’s surprised face appeared on the screen.

  “Adalard! Is everything alright? Do you need me to get Melek or Ha’ven?” she asked with concern.

  He grinned back at her. “No, at least, not yet. I have someone who would like to speak with you.”

  “With me? Who could
possibly want to talk to me?” she asked with a frown.

  He motioned for Adaline to come sit next to him. She slowly walked over and leaned against his knee. Adaline studied his mother with a curious expression before reaching out to touch her grandmother’s face. She ran her fingers through the hologram. Adalard smiled when Adaline pulled her hand back and studied her fingers before tilting her head to look at his mother with wonder.

  “Are you my Grandma Narissa?” Adaline asked in a shy, uncertain voice.

  Narissa lifted a hand to her throat and gazed back at Adaline with a tearful expression. “Oh, Adalard,” she whispered.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “Can you do this?” Adaline asked

  Samara peered over the kitchen counter. Adaline was running her hands over her long, wavy hair. Flowers appeared between the thick strands. She pulled back and grinned when Adalard was silent for a moment. Adalard had been their daughter’s captive audience for the past hour, and Adaline was relishing being able to show off her talents.

  Her worry about Adaline accepting Adalard’s return slowly dissolved as Adaline’s natural curiosity overcame her fear. It was also a brilliant move on Adalard’s part to introduce their daughter to her grandmother. Narissa’s immediate acceptance of Adaline soothed not only Adaline, but Samara’s worries as well.

  “Instead of decorating my hair, I prefer to give flowers to your mother,” Adalard said, creating a bouquet.

  “Oh! Mommy, these are so pretty. They glow! Can you teach me how to make glowing flowers?” Adaline asked.

  “Yes. Your Grandma Narissa grows these in her garden,” he replied.

  Samara’s heart melted at the low, husky sound in Adalard’s voice. This was one of the things she loved about him. He had a tender, loving heart under his tough exterior.

  “I’ve almost got all the stuff I want to bring to the big house ready,” Samara said, stepping into the living room. “Adaline, can you go get your bag and put it by the door?”