Shattered Assassin (16 page)

Luke’s eyes narrowed but he snapped to attention, sarcasm dripping like venom, “As you wish, your highness.”

Kazia sighed at him and turned away. Before she shut the door behind her, she paused, leaning her head against the door frame. “Captain, have your hand looked at.” He didn’t look at her but the tense set of his shoulders relaxed just a bit.

Kazia lay in bed, staring at the stars moving across the sky. She couldn’t sleep, of course. It was nighttime. Her mind kept playing the events of the evening over on repeat, from Randolf’s apology to Luke’s attack. He was still outside her door. She could hear the guards’ soft voices and his was one of them. She buried her head under her pillow, half-heartedly trying to smother herself and her traitorous heart. Luke didn’t want her. Randolf did. She was marrying Randolf in less than a week. It was the smart thing to do, especially now that her kingdom fell on her shoulders.

But the kiss… she’d felt nothing, yet every time Luke looked at her, goodness, every time she even thought about Luke looking at her, the butterflies in her stomach nearly carried her away. She flung the pillow away from her face and rolled on her side, facing Nakomi who lay on the floor near the bed. “What am I going to do? I
can’t
be in love with Luke.” Nakomi just blinked the brown eye at her and went back to snoring. Kazia threw the covers off and slid out of bed, pacing around the room, waving her arms like a madwoman. “Even if I wasn’t getting married in a few days, I can’t be in love with Luke! He doesn’t want me. He didn’t want me then and he doesn’t want me now.” She ended her tirade back at her bed and punched her pillow several times before flopping backward onto the bed. “What am I going to do?” she wailed. The outer door swung open, and her room filled immediately with torch light and royal guards. “What are you doing?” she shrieked, tugging the comforter up to her chin.

“We heard noises. We thought you were in trouble,” Benjamin said, slightly out of breath.

“You?” Kazia grimaced as Luke stalked over to her, glaring ferociously.

“What. Are. You. Doing?”

“I’m pacing, Luke. I don’t recall you telling me I had to sit immobile in my room,” she snapped.

His eyes softened. “Can’t sleep?” he asked, kindly, his eyes the way they were supposed to be when he looked at her. The way his mood flipped so quickly was cause for alarm.

“No.”

He crossed the room to the armoire, grabbed her robe off a hook inside the door, and tossed it to her. “We’re playing cards. Come join us in the hall.”

She eagerly joined them, playing some bizarre card game with candies the cook had snuck to Benjamin.

“Why do I keep losing? I think you guys are making up rules.” She pouted after tossing more candies into the pot.

“You just don’t have the devious mind to play a game like this.” Luke, sitting next to her, grinned, and it was like they were friends again, before all the I’m-in-love-with-you-but-I’m-not-and-I-don’t-want-you-but-your-fiancé-can’t-want-you-either nonsense had started.

“I have a much more devious mind than you realize. The
fact
that you don’t know how devious it is proves how devious it is.” She smiled triumphantly, laughing out loud when he rolled his eyes.

“Only you could make up a sentence like that,” he groaned. Nakomi opened the green eye and watched them before going back to sleep and if giant wolves could be annoyed, Kazia would guess she was. Heath was off-duty that night, but Benjamin and the other two were quick to tease her as well.

“Do you know what this reminds me of?” Luke asked after Kazia had given up and thrown candy at all of them, resulting in a war with projectile chocolates.

Kazia, trying to catch her breath after giggling so much, leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow. “Remember when you were like thirteen and we used to sneak you into the junior barracks to play cards with Brodi and me and some of our other friends?”

Kazia smiled at the memory. “Yes, if I remember correctly, you cheated then, too.” The way he returned her smile was as if no one else in the world existed, and she forgot to breathe. She also forgot about Benjamin and the other guard — whose name she had finally learned was Derock. She couldn’t break away from his gaze, like it had roped her and she was tethered to it forever. Until Benjamin cleared his throat, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Oh my!” She screeched, scrambling to her feet. Luke was equally flustered as he dropped the cards in his hands and rushed to pick them up. “Well, look at that. The sun is coming up. I can probably sleep now. Good night!” She rushed into her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it and berating her stupid heart. There was a light knock, and she spun around, swinging it open and praying they hadn’t heard her through the wood.

“You forgot your wolf.” Luke grinned.

“Oh! Nakomi, co—” But Nakomi cut her off, bursting into the room with a vicious growl, crossing it in two bounds, and leaping onto the bed.

“Nakomi!” Kazia started after her, but Luke pulled her back and chased after the wolf, Benjamin and Derock on his heels, drawing their swords as they went. Nakomi yelped once and leaped back, circling clumsily on the bed before snapping at something again.

“Nakomi, back!” Luke yelled and she sprang to the floor, racing back over to Kazia and planting herself firmly in front of her, growling, the hair on the back of her neck spiked. Kazia watched as the men darted forward and back, and although she couldn’t
see
it, she could hear it hissing and spitting. Kazia saw a glint of Benjamin’s sword as he brought it down, slicing into the bed so that feathers exploded everywhere, and the hissing stopped.

“Is it dead?” Derock asked.

“I think so. It doesn’t have a head anymore.” Benjamin panted.

“I hate snakes.” Luke groaned as he lifted the carcass with the edge of his sword and flung it into the fire.

Kazia, trembling as she stood beside Nakomi, whispered, “The assassin is here.” It was as she had hoped, but she hadn’t expected him to strike so soon. Not until after the wedding.

Her room exploded into chaos after that. Luke sent for the rest of her guards, and King William’s guards joined them as they tore apart every inch of her room looking for more traps or any clues. Luke was like a madman bellowing orders and heaving furniture out of his way. Kazia worked with the castle physician, searching Nakomi for wounds while she stayed out of the guards’ way, surrounded by Heath, Benjamin, and four others. She kept an eye on the progress in her room while combing through the thick fur. “I don’t see any bites. I wish she could just tell us if she was hurt.” Kazia groaned. “Nakomi?” She asked hopefully but the big wolf just blinked at her. “Fine. Be that way.”

“Kazia! Kazia! Oh I was so frightened!” Randolf skidded into the room, wearing a robe and slippers, his hair in wild disarray. He dragged her to her feet, crushing her to his chest. She could feel his heart pounding like a hummingbird’s, and wondered if it was his flight to her room or his fear that made it beat like that.

“I’m fine. Nakomi alerted us to the threat. My guards took care of it. Benjamin lopped its head off with his sword!” She smiled proudly over at Benjamin, who started to smile in return until Randolf glared at him. The smile melted away.

“How did the snake get in here in the first place? Weren’t you watching her doors?” He let Kazia go and stomped over to Benjamin. Luke, from across Kazia’s quarters, dropped the armchair he was searching and came, far too eagerly, to join the confrontation.

Benjamin opened his mouth to answer but Kazia darted between them, hoping to avert yet another crisis in one night. “We were all in the hallway. Nakomi, too. No one came or went.”

Randolf frowned. “What were you doing in the hallway?”

“She doesn’t sleep at night.” Luke growled. His hands clenched and unclenched — he was looking for something to fight and Randolf was the only available target.

“You don’t — but I thought you were joking!” Randolf turned to Kazia, eyes wide at the prospect of a life with a nocturnal wife.

“I wasn’t joking. But I’m sure I can learn to,” she said.
Why in the world am I comforting him right now?
Kazia bit the inside of her cheek, hard, trying to stifle her irritation. She was exhausted and frightened and almost as ready as Luke to punch Randolf.

“You shouldn’t have to.” Luke didn’t look at her when he said it; he and Randolf were having some sort of staring contest. Kazia exchanged an uncomfortable look with Benjamin, but they were interrupted as the king and queen raced into the room.

“What’s happened?” William bellowed, and the room froze. “Captains! Report, now!”

Luke tore his gaze from Randolf and went to William’s side, saluting the king and nodding politely to William’s Captain of the Royal Guard. Kazia knew what happened and didn’t want to hear it again. The sun was rising quickly and she was exhausted. So, so exhausted.

“Kazia, you can rest in my quarters while yours are being repaired.” Randolf was suddenly aware of her presence again, now that Luke was out of his line of fire. The thought of sleeping in his bed, even with him not in it, seemed wildly inappropriate, but she was so tired.

“We’ll check the room first, if that’s okay with you.” Benjamin turned to her, pointedly ignoring Randolf.

“That would be wonderful. Thank you,” she said to both of them. Benjamin nodded and went to inform Luke of the situation. It would make him mad, she knew, for whatever strange reason Luke had lately for being angry at all things Randolf, but all she wanted was sleep. Everything ached and her throat felt like it was swelling — which was not a good sign.

She combed through Nakomi’s fur, checking one last time for bites or wounds, while they scoured Randolf’s chambers.

“It’s done, Princess Kazia. The room is secure. Nakomi double-checked for us.” Benjamin patted the big wolf’s head and her tongue lolled happily.

“I remember when you thought she was a giant, terrifying beast,” Kazia teased, fighting to keep her head up.

“She is. I’m glad she’s on my side.” Benjamin grinned and smacked a black ear, and Nakomi snapped lightly at him.

“This way, Kazia.” Randolf took her hand, and Kazia blushed at the look in his eyes as he led her to the bed. She was sure she would die soon of the inappropriateness. Turning away self-consciously, she climbed into the center of the giant mattress, robe and all, and burrowed under the covers. Randolf leaned over her, brushing his lips along her temple and letting them linger until Kazia wanted to push him away. Straightening just a bit, he said, “Sleep well, Kazia,” before leaning to brush another kiss against her jawline, whispering, “You look very good in my bed.”

I want to sleep. I want to sleep. I just. Want. To. Sleep.
But she forced a smile. “Thank you.”

“I will see you tonight.” He gave her a conspiratorial wink and Kazia nodded, pulling the covers up to her chin. He still thought they were going to have their pretend secret meeting? After everything that had happened? She didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise, so she closed her eyes and tried to block him out. Maybe if he thought she was asleep, he would leave and she could be alone with her pain. She wasn’t so lucky, though, as he settled himself in the armchair near the fire with a book. “I’ll watch the princess. You can go.” He waved a hand at Benjamin and the other four that had been helping him and Kazia thought drowsily she should really learn their names.

Crystali appeared in the doorway, knocking hesitantly. “I brought something for the pain, Princess.”

“Pain? She hasn’t complained of pain. What are you giving her?” Randolf set his book aside, scowling at Kazia’s maid.

“Just because she hasn’t complained of it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.” Luke stormed into the room behind Crystali and helped Kazia struggle to a sitting position.

“Kazia? Is this true?” Randolf’s frown deepened.

Kazia gave him a weak smile as she reached for the steaming liquid Crystali held out. “Sort of.”

“She can die if the pain isn’t contained. If she gets too tired, too stressed, is out in the sun, the pain attacks her insides and can kill her.” Luke turned on Randolf. “She’s fragile, Prince Randolf. Much more so than a china doll. If she isn’t taken care of, the assassin won’t have a job to do.”

Randolf’s face had paled considerably as he watched Kazia with something akin to horror. “I was trying not to scare him into ending the betrothal, Captain,” Kazia muttered into her tea, only loud enough for Luke to hear.

“If he’s going to be responsible for you, he needs to know,” Luke said, but he made sure
he
was loud enough for Randolf to hear.

“I don’t need someone to be responsible for me, Luke!” Kazia exclaimed, fed up and wondering whether it would hurt too much if she threw her tea cup to emphasize her point.

“Well, heaven knows you don’t take care of yourself, Princess.” Luke snarled.

She glanced at her tea, noting the steaming, and thought about throwing it on him specifically, but instead closed her eyes and lay back against the pillows. “If I’m not mistaken,
Captain
, I am in bed, taking my medicine, and trying to sleep and it is you and your temper that isn’t allowing me to
take care of myself
.” She kind of screeched the last part, which wasn’t intentional but did make her feel better. Kazia regretted opening her eyes as she watched the color drain from Luke’s face and the pain flood his sea green eyes.

“Of course, your highness. I’m so sorry.” He went to the doorway to the sitting room, positioning himself next to the frame and motioning Benjamin to take his post at the window. The others silently took their places at the outer doorway and in the hall.

“You’re going to stand there and watch me sleep?” Kazia asked, hating the fact that her words were already slurring.

“No, Princess. We won’t look at all if you don’t want us to.” Benjamin’s smile was gentle as he continued. “We’ll only watch for threats.”

Kazia attempted to shake her head but the tea was taking effect too quickly and she only succeeded in collapsing to the pillows, asleep before she could even try to fight it.