Free Prince of Shadows by Nancy Gideon Page A

toward him, her palm moving cautiously across his sweatshirt, coming to rest over his broken heart. He tensed for a long, wary moment, then his arm carefully opened to invite her against his side. She curled in to him so they could comfort each other, gratefully soaking up the heat and sense of security he offered to keep her fears at bay.
    His muscles relaxed by gradual increments, and as she felt his fingertips graze her cheek, she heard him whisper, “G’night, baby,” before adding something that sounded like “I’m such a fucking idiot.”

six
    She slept without dreams.
    It was early when Kendra awoke. The room was dim and the space beside her cool and empty. The sound of Cale speaking low and earnestly on his phone gave her permission to drift a while longer, pushing reality away. She didn’t separate out the strands of his words but nestled into the comforting fabric of his voice. Finally, he fell silent, and she was forced to deal with the new day. And the dangerous vulnerability of her position, alone in his room. She’d have time to berate herself for getting into it later. Gathering the covers about her, she sat up with a quiet “Morning. How’s your leg?”
    “Fine.” He was leaning against the windowsill with the sun over his shoulder. The glare made it difficult to see his face when he said, “We need to talk about some things.”
    He didn’t need to say “unpleasant things.” That was implied.
    “Wes and James brought Michael home. His funeral’s this morning, and then I’ll be meeting with my father.” He spoke without any particular inflection, so it was impossible to sense his mood. “There are some options, and you’re not going to like any of them.”
    “Okay.” She tensed her gut and wished the bright light weren’t making her head pound.
    “Because of what happened with Michael, your future will probably be decided today. Bram won’t want to risk something like this happening again.”
    Her pulse leaped in panic. “And I don’t have any choice in that.” It wasn’t a question.
    “Maybe. If you decide right now. If you accept my protection. Consider it the evil you know.” A very faint smile, then he was all serious business again. “You have my word that no one will harm you. I can keep you safe. If you don’t accept me, I can’t help you. I can’t interfere once my father gives you to another. Choose now or have that choice made for you. I can’t—”
    “Yes.”
    “What?”
    “Yes, I’ll accept your protection.”
    “And everything that comes with it,” he added forcefully, to make sure she understood the fine print.
    “Yes.” What choice did she have?
    “Okay.” He nodded to himself. “Okay. Go to your room and wait. If I’m still alive, I’ll come for you and—”
    “What do you mean, ‘still alive’?”
    “I’ve killed my brother,” he emphasized. “What do you think it means?”
    She hadn’t thought. Not when she’d had that extra drink. Not when she’d tempted that spark of unwise attraction. Not when she’d allowed circumstances to spin out of control, forcing him into the role of rescuer.
    “Anyway,” he continued in that same unsettling offhand manner, as if discussing his life or death were of no more importance than picking between a blue or gray T-shirt, “if I die today, I want you to go to my father. Tell him we had sex and you might be carrying my child. I’m sure that’s what everyone will think anyway. Beg, crawl, whatever you need to do, so that he’ll keep the rest of them away from you.”
    Kendra shivered. He didn’t need to draw a clearer picture. “You’re his favorite. That’s something, isn’t it?”
    “I killed my brother. There will be consequences.”
    “I could go to him. This is my fault. I could tell him what happened. I could beg to take those consequences for you.”
    “You will not ! I’d rather be dead than live with that. It’s hard enough— ” He broke off and took a calming breath. “If