Chapter Twelve
Azalyn pressed her thumb to the scanner and resisted the urge to shift her feet.
Ervan was back and had Toralyn in custody.
She was about to meet her daughter for the first time.
Her heart thudded in her chest. The doors opened, and Azalyn rushed inside to another set of doors. She repeated the process, but Ervan stood just inside the second door, his blue arms crossed over his chest. While Keltor hadn’t made formal introductions, she’d seen him once or twice before and raised an eyebrow in question. When he didn’t so much as move a muscle on his face, she sighed. “You know who I am. Why won’t you move?”
“The prince didn’t say you could enter without him.”
Even though Ervan was nearly a foot taller than her, she didn’t back down. “Look, if you don’t let me in, I’m going to do something dishonorable.”
Since the guard remained stoic, she lifted a knee and smashed it into his genitals.
Grunting, Ervan didn’t move. His markings didn’t so much as flicker from dark blue, either, meaning the bastard kept his cool.
Maybe kneeing him a few more times would do the trick. No one was going to stand in the way of her seeing her child.
Azalyn made to repeat her attack, but Kelzal’s voice drifted from behind her. “As second in line to the throne, you must also heed my orders. Let my mother enter.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I could’ve found a way inside.”
Kelzal lifted his brows in a gesture that reminded Azalyn so much of Keltor. “That is a pointless discussion.” He closed the distance between them and Ervan bowed his head to allow Kelzal to enter. Azalyn followed her son, but the second she reached halfway inside the room, she stopped in her tracks. Her beautiful daughter lay on a bed toward the back of the room.
While she had memorized every feature from the photograph, to see her daughter in person made her heart skip a beat. Even laying down, Azalyn could tell her daughter was taller than her. Toralyn’s hair was also longer, nearly to her backside, and fanned the bed to either side of her body.
Her gaze reached Toralyn’s legs and she frowned at the tight-fitting trousers peeking out from under her skirt. That wasn’t usual attire for a Kelderan. Just what had she been up to?
Kelzal sat on the bed next to his sister and took Toralyn’s hand. At the sight of her two babies together, a sob choked her throat.
They were the family she should have had. The one she had given up. Partially because of circumstance, but mostly because of fear for both her children and herself.
Her son motioned forward. “Come, sit on the other side. She’s stirring and should wake soon.”
It was almost as if weights were tied around her ankles as she made it to the other side of the bed and sat down. Reaching out a hand, she gently brushed a few strands of hair off Toralyn’s face—the jaw and cheekbones so much like Azalyn’s own.
Toralyn’s eyes fluttered open. They darted to Azalyn with confusion, but when she looked to Kelzal, she asked, “Where are we, Kel? Were you kidnapped too?” Her eyes darted over her brother’s shoulder and looked to Ervan at the far side of the room. She sat up and pointed at him. “You were the one to drug me.”
Toralyn made to jump off the bed, but Azalyn grabbed the girl’s wrist. “He was just doing his job.”
Her daughter’s gaze shot to hers. The lack of recognition twisted Azalyn’s heart. She pushed past the pain to focus on the girl’s words as she demanded, “Who are you?” She glanced at Kelzal and back. “And how do you know Kel?”
Kelzal jumped in. “It’s okay, Tora. She won’t harm us.”
At her two children calling each other nicknames, she smiled. “Or, at least, I won’t ever again.”
Toralyn’s brows furrowed, but Kelzal beat his sister to the reply. “She is our birth mother, Tora. This is Azalyn.”
Her daughter scrutinized her face methodically, displaying no emotion beyond distrust as she said, “Even if that’s true, that still doesn’t tell me why I’m here.”
Keltor’s deep voice boomed from the doorway. “Because I’m your birth father and your identity will soon be compromised, putting you at risk.”
Azalyn’s eyes shot to her male, but Keltor’s focus was on Toralyn, his face calm and stern in what she deemed his “princely mask.”
Toralyn’s voice filled the room in disbelief. “Prince Keltor?”
Keltor strode to the bed, each step closer giving Azalyn strength she didn’t know she’d needed.
Stopping a few feet away, he kept his attention on Toralyn. “Yes, that’s me. Although you may simply call me Keltor. Welcome to the palace, Toralyn Sulani. This is your new home.”
~~~
As soon as Ervan had informed Keltor of Toralyn’s arrival via a secure coded message, Keltor had wanted nothing more than to rush to where his daughter was being kept.
But his duty had forced him to instead negotiate with Tyrick first. As he’d expected, Tyrick hadn’t yet received word about Toralyn’s abduction. That had made the negotiations far easier.
The true test of their word would be once the Sulanis found out that Toralyn was inside the palace.
But he would worry about that soon enough. The second the view screen he’d used to conference with Tyrick went dark, he’d rushed to where Ervan had stowed his daughter and entered the room to find her awake. As soon as she said, “Even if that’s true, that still doesn’t tell me why I’m here,” he barely prevented himself from smiling at her demanding tone.
Yes, his daughter took after her mother, that was for sure.
Or, maybe her Aunt Kalahn.
Given his luck, it’d be a bit of both.
Not that any amount of future trouble mattered in that second. He welcomed her to the palace and waited for her reply. Her silence for a few seconds made him proud; she was intelligent and weighed the options for the situation at hand before making a decision.
The girl looked at him and Azalyn before finally looking to her brother. “Is all of this true, Kel? Are these really our birth parents?”
Keltor held his breath and waited to see if Kelzal’s former hatred would shine through. He could easily complicate matters to cause Keltor pain.
However, the boy merely stated, “Yes,” and Keltor took that as his cue to move to Azalyn’s side. Placing his hand on her shoulder, Azalyn raised a hand to cover his. Toralyn’s gaze zeroed in on the action before meeting Keltor’s eyes again. “Kelzal wouldn’t lie to me, so you must be my biological parents. However, to my knowledge, the prince has been a bachelor his whole life, so I’m not sure how this is possible. Especially since I’m twenty-two and you would’ve had to have been rather young at the time of our conception.”
His daughter was indeed clever. “I’ve never had a bride to date, that’s correct.”
Azalyn shook her head. “She’s our daughter, Keltor. There’s no need for formality.” Azalyn reached out a free hand to Toralyn, but stopped short of touching the girl. “He and I were in love many years ago, resulting in the pair of you, but things happened to bring us to this point in time. My full name is Azalyn Rippak Sulani, which by the widening of your eyes, I know you understand that I’ve always been part of the merchant business and you might even have heard the rumors about me within the Sulanis. Let’s just say that Keltor’s father wasn’t happy about the idea of his son being married to a shop assistant’s daughter and found a way to drive us apart.”
Toralyn looked at Keltor. “I want to talk to my brother.” Her gaze shifted to Azalyn. “Alone.”
Azalyn’s shoulder tensed under his fingers. After giving her a reassuring squeeze, he gently took her arm and brought her to his side. “I will allow you some time with Kelzal. However, Ervan will stand guard. Tell him once you’re done and we’ll continue our conversation.”
Toralyn raised her chin. “He can wait outside. Otherwise, I can’t promise he’ll remain unscathed if he stays in here.”
At the determination in her voice, the corner of Keltor’s mouth kicked up. “At the risk of my best warrior guard being murdered by my daughter, he can wait just outside the door.” He looked to Ervan. While to everyone else the guard looked unaffected, Keltor’s noticed the male’s clenched jaw.
Keltor had a feeling that he would now have two females working to upset his palace, if not the whole of Keldera.
And while his father would detest such challenges, Keltor looked forward to them.
Toralyn continued to stare daggers at Ervan, so Keltor cleared his throat. And again.
Once she met his eyes again, he added, “We still need to talk once you’re done with your brother. And if you think to escape, just know that’s impossible. Ervan and his guards are not only the best trackers but also the best warriors still on Keldera. I will send Ervan personally to retrieve you, no matter where you go. And rest assured, he’s good at his job.”
Azalyn elbowed him in the side. “She’s not a thing to be fetched, Keltor.”
He gave a minute shake of his head, signaling they would talk in private.
Huffing, Azalyn moved from his side. “Take as much time as you need with Kelzal. I have more than a few thoughts to discuss with his highness, Prince Keltor.”
She exited the room and he could do nothing but follow.
As soon as Keltor ensured Ervan was staged outside the door to Toralyn’s room, he took Azalyn’s wrist and guided her into a small side room. He waited for the door to lock before he said, “I know how much you want to hug her close and reclaim the lost years, Aza. But her allegiances are probably still with the Sulanis. The less she knows, the better.”
“I can understand not giving away confidential information, but why are you being so distant with her? And treating her as a thing to be talked to instead of talked with? You said you hated your father being distant, so I’m just trying to understand why you’re mimicking him.”
He chose his words carefully, so as to not prod his female’s temper further. “Right now, nothing is permanent. I’ve spent decades surrounded by people, and yet still isolated. If I allow myself to believe the isolation is over and it all comes crashing down, I won’t be able to perform my duties as a Kelderan royal should. Therefore, I will keep my distance from both Kelzal and Toralyn for a while. It’s safer for everyone that way.”
Azalyn’s eyes softened and placed a hand on his chest. “But not with me?”
Placing his hand on hers, he smiled. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to keep you at arm’s length.” He sobered. “But in reality, not even you staying at my side is settled. The Sulanis won’t take her kidnapping well, and they could back down from their promises.”
“But they agreed to some initial terms, did they not?”
“Yes. However, they would not be the first group to break their agreements. Remember, that is how the war with the Brevkan started.”
The Brevkan war had been long and costly, in both lives and destruction. Keltor’s mother had been one of the casualties.
Taking a step closer, Azalyn never looked away from his gaze. “Kelzal is close to his sister. And believe it or not, he takes after his father when it comes to fear of losing people he cares about.” Keltor opened his mouth to protest, but Azalyn cut him off. “And you do care, even if you don’t show it with hugs, words of love, or grand gestures. Ensuring safety and protecting others at the cost of your own happiness is just a form of caring. The teenage version of me was too immature to notice such things, but I see them now. However, don’t be afraid to show a little of that caring to me, your siblings, or your children. You are more than merely a prince to us.”
There were a myriad of reasons why Keltor should smile, nod, and change the subject. There was no guarantee Azalyn could be his. Kissing her and encouraging her could lead to more pain, especially if it came to choosing between her and war.
His father would say duty was all that mattered. But thanks to a passionate female unafraid to speak her mind, Keltor was beginning to see there was more to life than duty.
He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he wanted love. And to do that, he needed Azalyn at his side.
However, if he didn’t let her know how much he needed her, he might lose her.
For the first time since Azalyn had disappeared from his life twenty-three years ago, he decided duty could wait a few minutes.
Threading his fingers through her hair, he lowered his face to hers. As soon as his lips touched her soft ones, she opened and pulled him close. Each stroke or lick of his tongue was more than physical. What he could not say with words, he said with actions.
Licking, stroking, nipping—he let Azalyn know he cared. Maybe even more than cared, but he wasn’t ready to confront that.
So instead, he ran a hand down her back until he gripped her bottom and squeezed. Azalyn moaned and proceeded to rub her hips against him. The delicious friction against his cock only made him want more. Much more.
He was deciding if Azalyn would hate him if he merely sat her on the table in the room, stepped between her thighs, and claimed her right then and there. Not gentle or slow, but rough and needy. Letting her know how much she had already come to mean to him.
How much he wanted her.
More than that, how much he needed her.
Before he could do more than walk them back toward the table, the computer chimed, meaning someone waited at the door.
Reality came crashing back down.
Keltor broke the kiss, but took a few seconds to stare into Azalyn’s heavy-lidded gaze. He should say nothing. That would shield them both if the future turned sour again.
And yet he couldn’t help but whispered, “I care. More than you know.”
She smiled slowly, the action making his heart thud harder. She was so beautiful and free. And wild. Most definitely wild. Like many of the animals she liked to paint so much.
“I care, too.” She lowered her voice to the point he had to strain to hear her. “And I hope to show you later, when we’re alone, just how much.”
He resisted a groan. Before he could reply to the innuendo, Azalyn spoke up, “Computer, who requests entry?”
“Kelzal Burrig.”
Azalyn grinned up at him. “Leave it to the children to interrupt their parents just when things are about to turn steamy.”
He snorted. “They do have a lot of interruptions to make up for.”
She stroked his jaw. “And this is the male I hope they can see one day.”
“Me, too, zyla. Me, too.”
He turned Azalyn toward the door and stood behind her. “I need a shield for a minute. The trousers that royal males are expected to wear are already tight to begin with.”
Turning her head over her shoulder, she winked. “Let’s try not to traumatize our son.” She faced the front again. “Computer, allow entry.”
The door opened to Kelzal standing there, staring to the side. He glanced up and away again. “She wants to talk to you. But be careful, she’s a tad upset.”
Keltor decided to risk taking the first step with his son. “In other words, she wants to punch me in the jaw and knock me out cold.”
Kelzal’s eyes met his, full of surprise. “That’s almost what she said, although it was somewhat less honorable.”
Keltor snorted. “I believe it. You’ll have to learn how to brush it off without so much as a blink, though, Kelzal. Both your mother and your aunt are that way, too. We males are going to have to stick together.”
“I will…try.”
That was a start. “If it’s all right with you, Azalyn and I would like to talk with Toralyn alone.”
Considering Kelzal still maintained eye contact, Keltor considered it a win. “Okay, although I promised to wait outside the door.”
Azalyn snorted. “Probably to keep an eye on Ervan.”
Kelzal glanced away, and they had their answer.
Keltor grunted. “She seems a bit obsessed with him. Maybe I should change her guard assignment.”
“No, it’s fine,” Azalyn said as she waved her hand in dismissal. “If the tight trousers under her dress are any indication of what she’s up to, I think she may do best to just spar with him and have it out.”
“What are you talking about?” Keltor asked.
“She was all but ready to launch at him. I have a feeling she knows how to bring a man down.”
Kelzal frowned. “Kneeing him in the genitals is ineffective, as you found out, Mother.”
Azalyn tensed in front of him. Keltor rubbed her arm but focused on the bigger picture. The distraction would help Azalyn regain her thoughts after being called “mother.” Her actions said it was the first time he did so.
He leaned his head forward. “You did what to him?”
Her body relaxing, she turned her head with an unapologetic look in her eyes. “He was keeping me from my daughter. I had no choice.”
Yes, his palace was most definitely being turned upside down.
Sighing, he stood tall again. “Just promise me not to do that in public. It will lead to many unkind words, and I’d be busy finding a way to deal with those who spoke ill of you.”
Azalyn turned toward him, but Kelzal’s voice filled the room. “You would defend her?”
“Of course. I lost her once and I’m not going to do it again.”
“Keltor,” Azalyn whispered.
Rubbing her back, he kept his gaze on Kelzal. He sensed this was a turning point with the boy.
When he finally looked at Keltor again, he kept a patient look on his face. His son finally said, “I will help you defend her, too.”
He nodded. “Your help will always be welcome.” Silence stretched, but he sensed that Kelzal was reaching his limit for social interaction. So with his trousers no longer tight, he hugged Azalyn to his side and moved toward the door. “We’ll talk with your sister, then. Keep an eye on Ervan.”
As they left the room and entered the next, Keltor steeled himself for what lay ahead.
But his problem wasn’t ahead. No, as soon as the door closed behind them, someone launched at him from the side.
~~~
Azalyn barely had time to bask in the glow of Kelzal calling her mother and Keltor declaring he would defend her when her prince in question was attacked by a twenty-two-year-old female.
Her daughter, to be precise.
Events played out in slow motion as Toralyn jumped and hooked an arm around Keltor’s neck. In response, Keltor flipped her over until she lay on her back, on the ground. In another swift motion, he maneuvered Toralyn onto her stomach, pinned her to the ground with his knee, and held her arms behind her.
She had no idea when her mouth had dropped open, but she promptly closed it and said, “Don’t hurt her.”
Keltor didn’t release his grip. “She must cede defeat first.”
“Are you crazy?”
“No,” Keltor stated.
She glanced between her prince and her daughter and back again. Just as she was wondering what to say or do, Toralyn grunted and muttered, “I cede.”
Keltor instantly released his grip. “I’ve had more fighting and defense training than years you’ve been alive. Next time, I won’t go easy on you.”
Jumping to her feet, Toralyn brushed her skirts. “Next time, I won’t be wearing a dress and can better defend myself.”
Azalyn stepped between them. “How about we avoid any sort of fighting for at least a few minutes?”
Keltor and Toralyn stared at one another, but it was Toralyn who spoke first. “It wasn’t fighting for the sake of fighting, but rather it was a test.”
“And one I should’ve passed,” Keltor said confidently.
“That’s to be seen, your highness.”
Her daughter hesitated as if debating to say more, so Azalyn jumped in. “Say whatever is on your mind, Toralyn. In this room, we’re all just people.”
She looked to Keltor, Azalyn, and back again. “Why aren’t you appalled at my behavior?”
The corner of Keltor’s mouth kicked up. “My brother married a dagger-wielding female warrior. I saw her pin a man to the ground, grab his genitals, and hold a knife to them. Any shock I may have once had is gone.”
“You’re talking about the Jasvarian leader, Taryn Demara,” Toralyn whispered in awe.
Azalyn studied her daughter. Between the clothing, the attacks, and her awe at the human female warriors of Jasvar, Azalyn had a feeling Toralyn wished for something more than the usual Kelderan life of only marriage and children.
In that respect, they were alike.
Keltor nodded. “Maybe one day you can meet her. But for the present, you must settle for me and Azalyn.”
Toralyn held her arms out. “Then tell me, why am I here? I’ll admit that I was curious about my birth parents, but kidnapping me seems a bit extreme. Kel tried to say it was because I would become a target, but if he couldn’t find you after years of searching, then I’m not sure how anyone else could link you to me at all.”
At least it seemed Kelzal understood and maybe even accepted why he had to live in the palace now.
Pushing aside yet another thing to ponder later, Azalyn put her full attention on Toralyn. “Well, Keltor and I have reconnected recently. The news will spread soon, if not already, which means people may start putting information together and connecting the dots. After all, Kelzal looks incredibly like your birth father. Then all it would take is someone seeing Kelzal with you, calling him brother, and news of your relation would spread to all the wrong types of people.”
Never taking her gaze from Azalyn, Toralyn said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not my parents. Legally, you have no say or claim to me. And my mother will soon be wondering where I am.”
She knew Toralyn’s adopted mother was still alive. And Azalyn had indeed given up all rights to her daughter—even if it was somewhat unwillingly since she hadn’t known of her existence—decades ago.
Even though that knowledge sat heavy on her heart, Azalyn wasn’t going to let her emotions get the best of her. Toralyn’s future was too important. For the moment, she needed to be like her cool, collected prince. “Keltor can contact her for you. However, it’s too risky to let you wander the streets freely again.”
“Because of the antimonarchists,” Toralyn stated.
Keltor spoke up. “Yes.”
“There’s more you aren’t telling me, Prince Keltor.”
“There is,” he answered.
Azalyn resisted rolling her eyes and decided to pounce. “I would expect you to know a lot about them, given that you’re one of the Sulani merchant spies and you probably keep an ear on the street for who opposes or supports the monarchy.”
To her credit, Toralyn kept her face free of surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Deny it if you wish, but I’m clever, Toralyn Sulani. Not many females can fight to begin with—on Keldera, at any rate—and the skintight trousers under your skirt, combined with your comment about them getting in the way, tells me you prefer not to wear dresses or skirts. On top of that, to reach your level of proficiency and skill with fighting, requires lots of training. And for what other role would that be? I don’t think the royal palace or even the commoners’ house of representatives hires female spies?”
Keltor shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Right, so that means you’re a merchant spy, Toralyn. But not even that training saved you from Ervan’s grasp. Imagine if it were someone worse, much worse, who would do more than drug you? You’re right in that I’m not your mother beyond genetics. However, I only discovered your existence recently, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone harm you now that I know you’re here.”
Toralyn focused on her, which made sense since arguing with a crown prince would be intimidating to most Kelderans. “You haven’t earned the truth from me, yet. Allow me to talk with my mother, Dolvia Sulani, and I will consider telling you more. But not before that.”
Moving to the bed, Toralyn sat down and crossed her arms over her chest.
Azalyn couldn’t help but notice that the slight lifting of her chin was something she did herself.
There was so much she wished to discuss with her long-lost daughter, but forcing a relationship wouldn’t work. She needed to give the girl—no, woman—her space.
As if sensing her decision, Keltor placed a hand on her lower back and stated, “We’ll return later. If you don’t try to escape or kill my guard, then perhaps I will arrange a meeting with your mother. Until then, you have low-level clearance only. For many reasons, communications are prohibited.”
Toralyn remained silent, unwavering from her demand to talk with her mother.
While Azalyn could drink in the sight of her offspring for hours, she drew on every bit of strength she possessed and headed for the door. Keltor followed.
Once in the hall with Ervan and Kelzal, she spoke again. “Go to her, Kelzal. I think she needs a family member at the moment.”
He met her gaze. “Give her time. I was angry at first, too, remember.”
She nodded, afraid to speak or she might cry.
Keltor pulled her to his side, his heat helping to ease her pain a fraction. His deep, commanding voice filled the space. “Be careful, Ervan. I trust your abilities, but she is intelligent and will try anything to escape. Protect her at any cost.”
Making a fist and pounding it over his heart, Ervan replied, “With my life, your highness.”
“Good. If you need to reach me, I’ll be in my private quarters. And Kelzal, you have my gratitude for helping Toralyn understand her situation.”
Kelzal grunted, but didn’t speak.
With everything settled, Keltor guided her out of the room and down the corridors to his quarters. Once inside and the security protocols engaged, she looped her arms around his neck. Rationally, she should talk with Keltor about their plans for Toralyn and strategies surrounding the Sulanis.
However, as she leaned against her male and his arms went around her waist, she wanted something to remind her of what she would be fighting for.
In other words, she needed her prince.
Standing on her tiptoes, she murmured, “I need you, Keltor. Claim me and make me forget about everything outside of this room.”