Reluctant Prince (29 page)

Jackson pulled back. Waited again.

Kai attacked. He swung his sword, his aim for Jackson’s neck dead on.

Jackson blocked. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the stone chamber.

Kai moved.

Jackson had forgotten how fast he was. Jackson swung around to meet his next blow.

Kai’s sword clashed down against Jackson’s.

Jackson’s grip on his sword slipped, only slightly, but still costly.

Kai landed his next blow, deep into Jackson’s side.

Jackson backed away.

Kai followed through. Missed.

His hand slick with blood from the gash in his arm, Jackson panicked. Back-pedaled too quickly. Tripped. Fell to the floor. Somersaulted back and jumped to his feet. Barely avoiding another blow from Kai.

Jackson circled around, trying to give himself room to think, space to maneuver.

Kai’s grin widened. He charged forward, the thrill of victory burning in his eyes.

Jackson sidestepped the attack. Turned. Caught Kai with a glancing blow to the head.

Kai turned. Blood dripped into his eye, impeded his vision. He heaved the sword toward Jackson.

Barely nicked his ear. Too close to his neck, his throat.

Jackson swung around. A flash of steel. The clang of crashing metal. The coppery stench of blood. He breathed in deeply and held it, tried to clear his head. Focus. He fought back the darkness threatening to envelope him.

Kai plunged his sword toward Jackson’s gut, desperate to land a killing blow. His vision becoming more and more inhibited by the flow of blood. He used his free hand to swipe the blood away.

Jackson didn’t waste any more energy. He waited for Kai to move toward him. Kicked him in the chest, moving him back. Then followed through. Immediately driving his sword into Kai’s chest.

The warrior’s eyes went wide. He backpedaled and fell. Blood trickled from his mouth.

Jackson stepped back. Thrust again.

Kai rolled.

Jackson turned. Took a step back.

Blackness. A portal opened and Kai rolled through.

Jackson took two steps forward. Intent on diving through after him. Stopped. A vision of Daygan’s savages lying in wait. He allowed the portal to close. Staggered toward the door.

Ryleigh.

He had to reach her. Had to get Mia to safety. He flung the door open and stumbled into the corridor.

“Jackson.” Lucas ran toward him. “Go find Kiara. Now!” He reached for Jackson’s good arm, tried to take the sword from his hand.

“No.” Jackson clutched the sword tighter.

The sound of running footsteps pounded through the corridor.

Lucas issued orders.

Voices, metal clanking, footsteps, the harsh rasp of swords being unsheathed. Chaos.

“Jackson, what happened? Call for Darius and Kai. Find the Death Dealer squad. Where’s Kiara? Someone find her. Now.”

No. No. No. Jackson screamed in his mind. He had to stop them. Could he trust Lucas? Could he trust anyone? He had to think.

Lucas struggled to aid Jackson, hold his sword ready for an attack, issue orders, find his wife.

Jackson stopped walking. He stepped back from Lucas. “Wait.”

Lucas paused and turned to face Jackson.

Jackson placed his back against the wall. He studied the men surrounding him, waiting for his orders, waiting for him to lead them. Were there traitors among them?

His body had already begun to repair itself. Would continue to heal at an incredible speed.

But Kai’s injuries would heal just as quickly.

He had to pull himself together.

Ryleigh and Mia needed protection.

He faced Lucas, looked deep in the other man’s eyes. He’d known Lucas for as long as he could remember. He had to trust someone. But not with the girls. “Lucas.”

A hush fell over the gathered men. They all watched him. Some staring into his eyes, searching for…something. Others, gaping openly at the mark on his arm. A mark that was now partially concealed by drying blood.

“Sir, please. What happened? We cannot defend Cymmera if we don’t know where the threat lies.”

The guards glanced nervously around. Their gazes darting over every available surface, since a portal could open up anywhere, at any time, allowing an invading army to enter their world.

“Kai.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

The Death Dealers charged up the stairs but stopped short as they entered the packed corridor.

Jackson straightened away from the wall. Stood tall. Torn between reaching the girls and needing loyalty from his men. He had to hurry. “Kai is guilty of treason. He has betrayed this Kingdom. He has betrayed his King. When King Maynard was injured on the battlefield, Kai ordered that he be left behind.”

He stared pointedly at each Death Dealer.

Their faces filled with guilt. Shame. They should have known better than to leave their King. And yet, it would have been considered treason to disobey a direct order. A no win situation. He didn’t have time for grudges.

“What’s past is past. I hold no animosity toward any man who followed a direct order from the King’s right hand man. However, each man standing here must now make a choice. I am taking my father’s place as King. You either choose to follow me, or you may leave now with no repercussions.”

Lucas fell to his knee.

Darius Knight stood directly behind him. A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. Pride filled his eyes. He held Jackson’s gaze as he knelt.

The rest of the men followed suit.

“Please rise.” Touched by the gesture, Jackson nodded at the men as they stood.

“We must hurry. Kai has escaped to Argonas. He’s mortally injured but will heal in time, especially if he can reach a healer. We must secure the castle. The women and children must be moved to a safe location. Their location is compromised now that Kai is involved. He knows where to find them.”

The full implication of that hit the men hard. Their wives and children were now in danger.

Jackson searched the crowd. Where was Chayce? “Lucas, find Kiara and Sadie. Then take your unit and secure the women and children.”

“Where is safe?”

Tick tock. Tick tock.
The seconds ticked away, a time bomb moving ever closer to detonation. He had to hurry. Where to send them? “Bring them here.”

“Are you crazy? We can’t bring them here. What if they attack the castle?” Concern echoed through the chamber. The men clearly questioning his sanity. His intelligence.

“It’s brilliant.”

The grumbles quieted.

“A stroke of genius.” Darius moved forward to stand beside Jackson. “Kai would never suspect that. The first thing Jackson should do is evacuate the castle. It’s the logical course of action. Kai and Daygan will both expect it.”

Darius looked to Jackson. “Go. Tend to what needs to be done. I’ll take over here.”

“Thank you.” Jackson nodded his appreciation. He leaned close to Darius. Spoke quietly. “Find Dakota. Do it yourself. Bring him and Mia to my chambers.”

“Very well.”

Jackson started down the corridor. Pain coursed through his body, his side burning.

“Jackson.” Ranger jogged toward him. “Please, let me help you.” He stared Jackson straight in the eye. “We are loyal to our Kingdom, King Maynard. All of us.”

Jackson leaned on Ranger.

The other man put his arm around Jackson’s back, easing some of the pressure from his side.

Together, they moved quickly up the stairs and into Jackson’s chamber.

When the door opened, Ryleigh shot up off the couch and ran to him.

“Are you all right? Oh, man. What happened? You’re hurt.” Her questions tumbled over one another.

He couldn’t focus on which one to answer. He took her by the arms and stood face to face with her. “Calm down, Ryleigh. I need you to listen.”

“I’ll be outside the door if you need me, Your Majesty.” Ranger bowed and closed the door behind him as he left.

Okay, he was going to have to do something about all the bowing and the Your Majesty stuff. It was getting just a little too weird.

“Please, Jackson.” The plea in Ryleigh’s voice pulled his attention back to her. “What happened?”

Did Ryleigh even know his father was gone? He didn’t know. He’d run out without a word when he’d received the news. “My father…”

“I know. Kiara came back to work on healing me. She told me what happened.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Jackson.”

He pulled her into his arms, needing the warmth of her body against his.

She went willingly, laid her head against his shoulder. She fit so perfectly there.

He never wanted to release her, would hold her to him forever if he could. He winced at the pain in his side.

She backed away. “Are you all right? What happened to you?” She led him to the couch and helped him sit.

Nika and Nahara, who had stood back while he’d greeted Ryleigh, now approached. They each lowered their heads in turn, waiting for Jackson to reach up and pet them.

The hounds had always comforted him. Even when he’d been a child, and had suffered from night terrors after his mother’s death, Nika and Nahara had been there. He wanted nothing in that moment more than to hop onto Nika’s back and fly.

“Jackson, please.” Impatience and frustration crept into her voice.

Concentration was difficult while his body was consuming so much energy to heal. “Kai.” Just voicing the words was still difficult. The pain of betrayal much stronger than any pain from his injuries. “He was a traitor. He betrayed his protégé, his king, his kingdom.” Jackson shook his head. He still couldn’t believe it.

“How can you be sure?” She frowned.

She didn’t say she’d told him so, though she could have. She hadn’t trusted the warrior from the beginning. He should have taken her concerns more seriously.

“I overheard him. I went to his chamber to talk to him, tell him I was assuming the throne. I stood outside his door trying to decide if I should ask him to be my second in command.” The ache of the memory pierced his heart. “I heard him speaking to someone.”

A flicker of memory tried to surface, the familiar voice he hadn’t been able to place. The flash of someone as the gateway had slammed closed. He shook it off, couldn’t remember. “They were discussing how to get rid of me and how they’d already gotten rid of my father.”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry, Jackson.” She kneeled on the floor in front of him, placed her hands over his. Sparks ignited. She kept her gaze down, watching the fireworks. “He was here.”

He had to strain to hear the soft whisper. “What?”

She cleared her throat. “Kai. He was here right after you left. I thought he was looking for you.”

“Was he? What did he say?” Anger pummeled him, chasing away some of the hurt.

“He asked me to be his queen.” A shiver coursed through her. She finally looked up into his eyes. “He said if I wouldn’t agree, he’d take Mia. I have to get to her, Jackson.”

“She’s on her way here. Darius went to get her and Dakota.”

The fear in her eyes tortured him.

“I’ll keep her safe.”

Ryleigh lowered her head to rest on his lap.

He stroked her hair, smoothing it along her back. He was tired.

The door opened. “Ryleigh.” Mia ran across the room to her sister and threw her arms around her neck. “What happened? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mia. Are you okay?”

Jackson stood and approached Darius and Dakota.

Darius glanced at the girls before he spoke. “Kiara’s on her way. Since the women and children will be staying here, she and Sadie will come up, and Kiara can heal you further. Perhaps Mia will look after Sadie for a few minutes.”

“Sure, I love playing with Sadie.”

Jackson glanced over his shoulder to find Mia and Ryleigh staring intently. “Maybe Ryleigh can tend to her for a little while.”

Mia’s face fell.

He didn’t want to hurt her, but there was no other choice. “Mia won’t be here.”

“What?” Ryleigh shot to her feet. “What are you talking about? Where will she be?”

Jackson sighed. When had his life become so difficult? Oh, right. Just about the time he’d met Ryleigh. “I’m having Dakota take her to the human realm.”

Dakota nodded his acknowledgement.

“What? No, I want to stay here with Ryleigh.”

He approached Mia and took her hands in his. “This isn’t an easy decision for me, Mia. If I thought you’d be safe here, I would keep you here. I think it’s safer to send you with Dakota.” Uncertainty flashed through him. He shook it off.

Mia already looked weaker than she had the last time he’d seen her. The black circles ringed her eyes once again.

“You need some time in the human realm. Once you’re older, you’ll be able to stay here longer, but for now you need to go back.”

“Can’t Ryleigh come with me?”

Jackson was already shaking his head. “You’ll be safer if she’s not with you. Besides, I don’t yet know for certain who I can trust. Until I can sort that out, I don’t want to send anyone but Dakota with you.” He looked over at Dakota. His best friend. He knew with absolute certainty that he could trust the young warrior. “I don’t want him to have to protect both of you. It’s safer this way, Mia.”

Tears overflowed from Mia’s eyes. “But where will I stay? Stupid Daygan burned our house down. Remember?”

“It’s okay. For now I have someone for you to stay with. A Cymmeran soldier who transferred to the human realm to live. He and his wife were always loyal to our kingdom, but he no longer wanted to stay.”

“Mia.” Ryleigh had remained quiet until then.

Jackson held his breath waiting to see if she’d argue with him.

She hugged Mia close, rubbed her hand gently down her hair. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Please, do what Jackson’s asking.”

Ryleigh held Mia tight for another moment then stepped back. “I love you, little sis.”

Mia’s chin quivered, but she didn’t cry. “I love you, too, big sis.” She gave Ryleigh a tentative smile and another quick hug.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be back soon.” Ryleigh squeezed her tight and then set her back. She tried to tuck the wild mane of hair behind Mia’s ear, but it popped back out. “Go, now.” She turned to Dakota and held his gaze. “Please, take good care of her.”