The Prince of Thieves melted her heart with the way he cared for her – making sure she was distracted when she needed to be, helping her achieve the impossible. It wasn’t fair to compare as both males were completely different and had different responsibilities and she loved them both in different ways.
Adelina paused as she realized…she loved Varan? She looked at him, watched him watching her and remembered the way he’d held her close, putting her hand on his chest. There had always been feelings between them, but it had been nothing to take that step and see what was really between them.
Varan pulled her from the chair and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. “I’ll return the same exact ruby, Lina.”
Adelina let out a shuddering breath and felt almost normal again. “Thank you, Varan. I’ve never had someone able to – help me, through an attack so quickly before.”
“My little sister used to get them,” he murmured against her hair. “I’ve had plenty of practice.”
“Why have I never met her before?”
His arms tightened around her. “She’s dead.”
The harsh words made her flinch. Adelina pulled back and looked up into his face, just a bit too roguish to be beautiful, but it made him handsome – adding to his attractiveness. She placed a hand on either side of his face and softly, so softly, she kissed him. It told him her feelings of gratitude, the depth and scope of them that words couldn’t properly communicate.
“You did well, despite the circumstances,” she told him, pulling away before she lost herself in him. “Now I need to see my father before we meet with Ian.”
Varan tensed, no doubt forgetting about the results that could change his future. “I’m not sure the king would welcome me.”
Adelina twisted her hands. “Alpha lied to me,” she stated.
The prince snarled. “I’m aware.”
“Nadyah is having a difficult time and you…” she hated saying it, hated how desperate it made her sound. “You’re the only ally I have right now. I need you by my side.”
His face softened and he chucked her under the chin as he’d done a million times before when they were no more than a friendly pair of thieves. “Then I’ll stay. We have much to do if we’re leaving in a matter of days.”
Adelina nodded. And the coronation was tomorrow.
Then Raena would be Queen.
Chapter Sixteen
Nadyah
Ian’s Lab
Draga Royal Palace
Planet Draga Terra
Nadyah felt terrible about the way she’d been behaving that day. Adelina deserved better than her and her jealousy. She’d known when she’d been assigned a royal camerraleto things wouldn’t be simple. She’d known her feelings would grow for her pupil and that one day she would have to share them with another.
Nadyah knew she would have to let Adelina go no matter how much she’d fallen in love with her.
It was the curse and the gift of being a courtesan.
But she hadn’t anticipated just how much she would love the sweet princess who had turned into a gorgeous, savage wolf who could protect her own.
So few experienced love the way Nadyah did. So few even knew what love was and she was blessed to have a life filled with so much of it. Adelina would marry one day, and then Nadyah would have to go back to the House of Kismet. Part of her longed to return home and part of her knew she would be heartbroken to leave the palace.
Seeing Varan at the gates had been hard. Nadyah had forgiven him for his ugly accusation the night before, because he’d said those words in jealousy and fear. But they’d still stung.
It was why her kind never told outsiders about possibly being mated. It was a lot to consider and as the bond was only one-sided there was so much pressure on the one who was not a courtesan. They simply did not feel the same way, even when they loved their mate with their entire heart.
She’d spent most of the morning with Ian. They’d quietly eaten in his lab, and he let her simply sit on his couch without bothering her after she’d delivered the DNA samples. Ian allowed Nadyah to think while he set up the analysis, and then had asked if she minded if he shared the couch with her.
Ian had sprawled out and promptly fell asleep…Nadyah checked the floating timepiece in the corner – an hour and a half ago. He’d moved his head onto her lap at some point and she stroked his hair back when he muttered and thrashed in his sleep.
It was oddly intimate and she didn’t know how to feel about it, but Nadyah was glad she could help Ian sleep. The poor male looked emaciated and the purple smudges under his eyes seemed as though they may now be permanent.
P’draic had come down at some point and left a tray of food and tea. He’d raised his brows in question and she’d shrugged. Neither had spoken. The silence gave Nadyah the space she needed to breathe, and to think.
Going from full-time courtesan to a princess’s lady-in-waiting had been more of a shock than she’d anticipated. It wasn’t only the change in position; it was the time spent doing it. It had been weeks now and she almost felt…trapped. There was no more regular, everyday sex. The few times with Adelina had been wonderful, but Nadyah was used to a full schedule.
It put her on edge and she sympathized with Adelina even more so now.
The edginess had made her seek out relief with Stefano after they’d returned from the Ladrole. The thoughts she’d had of him with Adelina had made her ravenous, but her princess was in no place mentally to be taken to bed.
Thankfully Jael had all the visitors scanned as they arrived, as she always did with potential new clients. So when Nadyah had received the list of clients and their mates and her name wasn’t anywhere on there – Nadyah had utterly ravaged the male and then snuck back to her rooms while Adelina slept. She’d felt ashamed, almost as though she’d betrayed her princess. This strange feeling must be what normal citizens felt when they cheated on their monogamous partner.
She wanted to tell Adelina, but knew it would hurt her so she’d kept it to herself. Now that she was sated she felt more clear-minded – and guilty. From the look on the princess’s face that morning she thought Nadyah’s strangeness was due to the situation with Varan. She didn’t know how to explain it was because she felt guilty over Stefano.
Her simulcast chimed. Adelina would be bringing Varan down soon per the princess’s message and Nadyah hoped Ian had the results by then. Should she let him sleep? The prince looked so vulnerable and trusting all sprawled out over her and the couch.
When Varan had arrived at the palace gates with the DNA and the diamond obviously in his pocket, Nadyah had felt a strange sense of relief. Varan was strong and he didn’t always play by the rules which made him invaluable, especially with Raena trying to see how much of a Wolf Adelina really was.
Nadyah prayed to Amora the council meeting had gone smoothly.