“Do we need bodyguards?” I asked. I had Leo, but he couldn’t be with me twenty-four seven. It just wasn’t practical. He wanted to try, though. Regardless, I wanted Leo with me, not constantly scanning the crowd for potential threats everywhere we went. He felt it was his job to protect me, and I was fine with that, to a point. If I needed additional security, then so be it.
“Prior to the attack that killed your father, it was unheard of. Now? Well, unless you are a trained warrior, I do believe guards will be a necessity.” He took my empty glass from my hand. “Another glass of wine, Princess?”
“No, thank you. One is probably enough for now.” I didn’t want to tell him it was going to be impossible to figure out how to pee in a dress this fluffy. And I refused to ask Leo to hold it up out of the way. No. Freaking. Way. But that wasn’t the only reason. I realized just how much I’d come to depend on that secret weapon—reading auras—knowing a person’s true intention or mood.
Thordis Jax’s aura had been powerful but not overly friendly. Not hostile either, so I liked to think he was simply withholding judgment about me. But the envious, sickly green I’d seen around some of the women when they looked at me after gazing at Leo? The cloudy gray and sickly brown resentment I’d seen around my cousin, Radella, and her husband, Danoth? Gone. They looked like everyone else.
One drink and I was flying blind. I didn’t like it. Not at all.
Someone in the crowd caught me eye. “Hey! That’s your injured guard.” I pointed. “He made it.”
Thor turned about, looking for the person. “Where is this guard? My father interviewed him after the attack, but I have yet to catch up to him.”
“In the Aleran uniform. Light hair. He was one of the guards who escorted us from the transport. He was shot by one of the assassins and he was still alive when it was over. We helped him, although it was more like Boy Scout skills than anything. I’d never even seen a ReGen wand before, but I guess it helped.”
“Yes, I’d heard one of our men had survived the attack, thanks to your intervention.”
It was my sister, Faith, who had tried to save him. But since no one knew much about Faith or Destiny, I couldn’t correct him. I would have helped, but
I’d been too caught up with my first glimpse of Leo and my stupid Ardor to give the dying guy too much attention. At least one of us Jones sisters had their wits about them.
Leave it to the most scatter-brained of the three of us. But then, Faith was sneaky like that. Half the time I believed she said the most outrageous thing possible just to make people think she was clueless. In reality, she was wicked smart. And she didn’t miss things. Not like Destiny, who would rather strike first and ask questions later. If Destiny was a bull in a china shop, Faith was a black-widow spider—hunting at night. And what did that make me?
The main attraction, apparently. Or distraction. All of these people were here, trying to talk to me. Learn about me. Figure out what I had planned and where I’d come from. Where my mother was. That left my sisters free to move around anonymously, which was exactly what mother had wanted. So far, it was working, for I was the shiny—or pale blue object—everyone was staring at while my sisters sneaked about to learn more. We couldn’t find out the truth if people only told us what they thought we wanted to hear. Or what they wanted us to know, and I had a feeling I was solely in that camp.
Smiling, I waved at the guard in question. He saw me and lifted his glass in a salute. Surrounded by a group of other guards, his friends laughed and slapped him on the back as he made his way to me, then bowed to first me, then Thordis Jax. The poor man seemed thrilled to be close to me, but wary of Thor. The guard kept his face averted from his master, never raising his chin or straightening to his full height.
Not a lord, my ass.
“Your Highness. My Lord, good to see you.”
Thordis bowed his head. “It has been a long time, my old friend.” The two clasped forearms before the guard returned his gaze to me.
“I am Guard Zel, a humble warrior serving the Jax family.”
“I know who you are.” Glad, now, that I didn’t have the drink glass in my hand, I stepped forward and hugged the man. Bear hug. I didn’t care who was watching, or if this was acceptable royal decorum. I just had to hope Leo didn’t come over to clobber the guy. I was going Earth-girl on this one. I couldn’t see his aura, but I didn’t need to. “You saved all of us. You almost died. Thank you.”
He stood completely frozen, his arms locked to his sides. Probably afraid Leo would cut them off if he dared put his hands on me to hug me back, but I didn’t care. I squeezed him as tightly as I could, then stepped back. He was stiff as a board, his cheeks a dark red with obvious embarrassment. Otherwise, he looked perfectly fine. Not like he’d been shot by an alien blaster. He’d have to deal. I wasn’t taking it back. “You saved my sisters. Thank you.”
“Sisters, you say?” Lord Jax was suddenly very interested in the conversation. “At long last, the speculation has been confirmed.”
Oh shit. One glass of wine, one friendly face, and I was spilling secrets. Damn it. I turned on my megawatt smile and played dumb. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
Lord Jax’s smile was devilishly handsome, and I blinked at the laughter I saw in his blue eyes. It was a good thing I was totally and completely in love with Leo, because damn. He was a hottie. And he knew it. “I would not repeat such gossip for unknowing ears.”
My smile was real. “You keep the juicy gossip to yourself?”
“Knowledge is power, Princess. The sooner you learn that, the better. You are in good hands, Princess. I shall take my leave.” He inclined his chin to me, patted Zel on the shoulder and walked away to mingle. No doubt, he’d know every bit of juicy gossip in the room by the end of the night. I watched his retreating back for a moment, studying the difference in culture here. He was gorgeous. Rich. But his cock lay dormant. Well, I assumed it did since there wasn’t a mate clinging to his side. Because of this, I assumed that was why the young ladies left him alone. Rather than young, attractive women pursuing him around the room, it was older men and women both. Not after sex, but after his wealth. Power. Influence.
The dynamic was completely different than what I’d seen on Earth, and I knew I would need to study the subtle variance. Adapt.
“May I have a dance, Your Highness?” The guard’s blush was fading, but he still looked very young. Like a hopeful puppy.
“Of course.” I had no reason not to dance with him. I’d danced a complete circuit with everyone of note, apparently. Except Thordis Jax.
Zel took my hand and led me to the dancing area as the last bit of the prior song ended. Another group dance began, but as I stumbled with the complicated—and unknown—steps, someone directed the musicians to play something slower. Something their poor, ungraceful princess could actually dance to.
“Do not worry about the steps. I will lead you,” he murmured, one hand holding mine, the other on my waist. A respectable distance was between us, like a seventh grade dance.