Chapter 14 Dangerous Games
Adrian
The rage had been building in my chest for three days.
Three days of watching Darius Blackwood charm the court with his smooth southern accent and knowing smiles. Three days of seeing him ask pointed questions about our servants, our defenses, our weaknesses. Three days of fighting the urge to rip his throat out every time his eyes lingered on Janelle.
And now Father had made it worse.
"You want me to assign her as his personal servant?" I stood in Father's study, my hands clenched behind my back to hide their trembling. The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows, casting harsh shadows across his cold face.
"It's perfect," King Magnus said, not looking up from the documents spread across his mahogany desk. "Keep the girl busy and away from you. Let Blackwood deal with her distractions."
My wolf snarled beneath my skin. The thought of Janelle serving Darius, being alone with him, answering his every call, made something violent and primitive rise in my chest.
"Father, I don't think.."
"You don't think at all where that girl is concerned," he cut me off sharply, finally raising his ice-blue eyes to meet mine. "That's the problem. Three days, Adrian. Three days since Blackwood arrived, and you've done nothing but glower at him like a jealous schoolboy."
Heat flooded my face. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't lie to me." Father's voice was deadly quiet. "I've watched you. The way you tense when he speaks to her. The way your fists clench when he smiles at her. The way you positioned yourself between them at dinner last night was like some territorial beast."
Because that's exactly what I was. A territorial beast watching another predator circle my mate. Every instinct I possessed screamed at me to claim her, to mark her, to make it clear to every male in the kingdom that she belonged to me.
But I couldn't. Because they would kill her.
"The decision is made," Father continued, turning back to his papers with dismissive finality. "Mrs. Crawford will inform the girl this afternoon. She starts tomorrow."
I wanted to argue, to rage, to explain why this was the worst possible idea. But the words stuck in my throat. Because how could I tell him that the thought of Janelle serving another man made me want to burn the castle down? How could I admit that the mate bond was driving me slowly insane?
"Yes, Father," I said through gritted teeth.
But as I left his study, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away.
++++++
By the second day of the new arrangement, I was ready to commit murder.
I'd found excuses to walk past Darius's chambers six times. Each time, I heard their voices through the door, his deep and charming, hers soft and musical. Each time, my wolf clawed at my chest, demanding I tear down the door and remind everyone exactly who she belonged to.
The breaking point came during the afternoon.
I'd been in a meeting with the council, trying to focus on trade negotiations while my mind obsessed over what Janelle was doing, what Darius was saying to her, whether he was touching her. The mate bond amplified every emotion, every jealous thought, until I felt like my skin was on fire.
When Lord Hartwell asked me a direct question about grain imports and I stared at him blankly, I knew I was lost.
"Excuse me," I muttered, pushing back from the table. "I need some air."
But instead of going to the gardens, my feet carried me straight to the guest wing. I told myself I was just checking on our visitor, ensuring he had everything he needed. But deep down, I knew I was lying.
The corridor was empty when I reached Darius's chambers. I could hear voices inside, his laugh, rich and warm, and then Janelle's responding giggle. The sound hit me like a physical blow.
She was laughing with him. Laughing in a way she'd never laughed with me.
My hand was on the door handle before I realized I'd moved. I should have knocked. I should have announced myself. Should have done a dozen things differently.
Instead, I shoved the door open and stepped inside. The scene that greeted me made my vision go red.
Janelle sat on the edge of Darius's bed, her dark hair falling loose around her shoulders. He stood close, too close, leaning over her with one hand braced beside her hip. Their heads were bent together in intimate conversation, and there was something in her expression, some softness I'd never seen before, that made my heart stop and my wolf roar with fury.
They sprang apart the moment they saw me, but the damage was done. The image was burned into my brain: my mate, looking comfortable and happy in another man's private chambers.
"Adrian," Janelle breathed, her face going pale as she scrambled to her feet. "I was just.."
"Just what?" My voice came out as a growl, rough and dangerous. "Just enjoying your new position?"
Darius straightened slowly, and I saw something flash in his green eyes, triumph, maybe, or satisfaction. He'd wanted this. Had planned for me to walk in on them.
"Prince Adrian," he said with mock courtesy. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
"Don't." The word snapped out of me like a whip crack. "Don't play games with me, Blackwood."
"I wouldn't dream of it." His smile was sharp as a blade. "I was simply getting to know my charming servant. Janelle was telling me the most fascinating stories about life at court."
The casual way he said her name, like he had the right to it, made something snap inside my chest. I took a step forward, and I saw Janelle's eyes widen in alarm.
"Adrian," she said softly, and the sound of my name on her lips only made it worse. "Please don't.."
"Don't what?" I rounded on her, and I knew my eyes were blazing with everything I'd been holding back. "Don't care that you're alone in his chambers? Don't wonder what stories you're sharing? Don't notice how comfortable you look with him?"
Her face crumpled like I'd slapped her. "It's not what you think."
"Isn't it?" I laughed, the sound bitter and broken. "Because it looks like you've found yourself a new protector. Someone who can give you things I can't."
"That's enough," Darius said, stepping between us. "You're frightening her."
The protective gesture unleashed something feral in me. I moved faster than human speed, closing the distance between us until we stood chest to chest. Darius was tall, but I had two inches on him, and right now I felt ten feet tall with rage.
"Frightening her?" I repeated, my voice deadly soft. "The only thing that should frighten her is you."
"Is that a threat, Your Highness?"
"It's a promise." I let my alpha power leak into my voice, the kind that made lesser wolves submit. "Stay away from what's mine."
Darius's eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising to meet mine. "I don't see your mark on her. By law and custom, she's free to choose."
The words hit me like a physical blow because they were true. I had no claim on her except the mate bond she didn't even fully understand. No right to jealousy or possession. No way to protect her without destroying her.
"Stop it," Janelle whispered, pressing herself against the wall. "Both of you, just stop."
But we ignored her, locked in a primal stare-down that had nothing to do with reason and everything to do with territory and possession.
"You think you know what you're dealing with?" I asked Darius, my voice low and dangerous. "You think this is just some servant girl you can use for your games?"
"I think she's a remarkable young woman who deserves better than being treated like a shameful secret," he replied smoothly.
The words cut deep because they were true. I did treat her like a shameful secret. I did push her away and hurt her and make her feel worthless. But it was to protect her, and he couldn't possibly understand that.
"You don't know anything about her," I snarled. "About what she needs. About what's best for her."
"And you do?" Darius stepped closer, his voice dropping to match mine. "Because from where I stand, it looks like you've done nothing but cause her pain."
I grabbed him by the throat.
The movement was pure instinct, my hand closing around his windpipe before my brain could stop it. His eyes went wide, then immediately flashed with answering fury. His own hand came up to grip my wrist, strong fingers digging in hard enough to bruise.
"Adrian, no!" Janelle's scream cut through the red haze of my rage.
But it was too late. We were both shifting, both letting our wolves rise to the surface. The air crackled with supernatural tension as two alpha males faced off over territory neither could claim.
And then I heard a soft gasp from the doorway.
I turned, my hand still wrapped around Darius's throat, to see Princess Sophia standing in the entrance to the chambers. Her perfect face was a mask of shock, her blue eyes wide as she took in the scene, me in a killing rage over a servant girl, my careful princely mask completely shattered.
For a heartbeat, nobody moved. Then Sophia's gaze shifted from me to Janelle, pressed against the wall with tears streaming down her face, and I saw the exact moment understanding dawned in her eyes.
She knew. She saw right through me to the truth I'd been desperately hiding. I wa
s in love with Janelle. Completely, utterly, helplessly in love with her. And now the future queen of our kingdom knew it too….