“Hi, Sorche’s sister. I’m glad she finally found you. She’s been worried sick, and talks about you all the time. She says you’re the best sister ever. I wouldn’t know since I only have smelly brothers. Well, two of them stink. Darling always smells nice.”
Zarya couldn’t argue with that. Even when he was sweaty, he smelled divine. And the sound of Darling’s sister’s sweet voice made her smile. The way she spoke and her accent reminded her a lot of Darling’s voice before they’d destroyed it. Though his had been a lot deeper, they were still similar. “Hi, Lise. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. And I hate to be rude, but do you mind if I borrow Sorche? If we don’t leave for the meal hall now, they’ll close it on us, and I’m not really able to walk all the way into town yet.”
“Yeah, Lise was shot in the back by some bastards who kidnapped her brother last year. I’m sure you heard about it. And she really hates to inconvenience her bodyguards, especially in the evenings. Anyway, I have to run. You take care. Love you!”
“Love you, too.” Zarya wasn’t sure if Sorche heard that last bit or not. She’d hung up, laughing with Lise.
Her heart light, Zarya studied the remote, trying to find a way to use it to call Darling and thank him for what he’d done.
But it seemed to only receive calls, not make them.
She pressed the button for Gera who answered right away. “Yes, Mistress?”
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Gera. How do I contact Lord Darling?”
“You don’t, Mistress. It’s forbidden. He will come to you when he has time.”
Well that instantly sucked all the warm tender feelings out of her. How rude! Call her when he was ready? The very thought flew all over her.
Making sure to keep the ire out of her tone, she tightened her grip on the remote. “Thank you, Gera.” She cut the feed, then got up to go find him.
But as soon as she limped her way to the door, she had another rude surprise.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
None of the doors opened. She was locked in like a well-kept pet.
Darling’s head ached from all the shit he was supposed to go through and answer. For hours, he’d been listening to reports from the other gerents and administrators, whining about everything imaginable. Most of it absolute crap.
How had his father stood it? No wonder the man had migraines all the time.
It was like refereeing a hundred spoiled toddlers with ADHD.
You know, Dar, there’s no problem so big that an adequate supply of explosives can’t cure it.
There was that. But people tended to protest being blown up.
Bunch of krikken weirdos.
He glanced at the half-empty bottle of whisky on his desk. It was tempting, especially given the throbbing pain in his head and back. A pain that wasn’t helped by his eyesight dancing against his will.
But he didn’t want to be numb right now.
He’d rather see a pair of amber eyes set in the face of the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Even though he was still angry at her. Even though she’d betrayed him.
He still wanted to be with her.
I’m an effing idiot…
But before he could stop himself, he was headed out of his office and up the stairs to her room.
His body already on fire at just the thought of seeing her, he opened her door.
In the next instant, a fluffy slipper flew at his head. He dodged it, but not before another followed so close behind that it hit him in the arm. “What the hell?”
“You rotten bastard!”
Other things came flying at him so quickly that he couldn’t even identify them. They slammed against the door and walls, many shattering while others made loud thuds before crashing to the floor.
Damn, she could aim. In fact, she was deadlier with a blaster at a distance than he was.
And with his limited vision, he wasn’t as good at dodging projectiles as he used to be. Darling took cover behind the end table. “Zarya, what’s gotten into you?”
Shrieking in outrage, she responded by throwing more things in his direction. Glass shattered all around him. It’d been a long time since anyone had ambushed him and all he could do was be grateful she wasn’t armed with anything more than household objects.
Thankfully, she finally ran out of ammunition.
When she limped to find more, he bolted across the room toward her. He caught her arm as she seized a heavy lead vase. Yeah, that would really hurt if she hit him with it.
He gently twisted it out of her grip. “What’s wrong?”
“You!” she snarled. “How dare you!”
Her anger baffled him. “How dare I what?”
“Lock me in here like I’m a criminal!”
It was probably a stupid idea, but he couldn’t resist laughing at her. “Technically, you are a criminal.”
Yeah, not the brightest comeback he’d ever made.
She raked him with a scathing glare. “Oh wait, Lord Sentella. My bounty is nothing compared to yours. You want to talk criminals? How many governments want you dead? I’m only wanted by one. And it happens to be yours.”
He had to give her that, and it reminded him that he needed to put through a pardon for her.