But Jade didn’t move.
At least she didn’t flinch. That much was a relief.
Kara slowly moved her hand, placing it back in her lap. I left my hand on Jade’s thigh as she picked up her fork.
“That’s thoughtful of you, Kara, but Serefin and I have everything under control. Besides, I have reasons to suspect our attacker might be someone within our walls. But I’m sure you all know that by now.”
“What makes you think that?” My brother Eli asked.
I eyed him carefully before answering, “A few different things. I don’t see how someone could have gotten into the castle without being seen, for one.”
“Surely the guards would have seen someone,” Kara added.
“During the ceremony? There was so much going on, anyone could have snuck in,” Adonis said.
I remembered how close Jade was to getting caught by them that night. They had wanted to meet up with her. They were trying to get her alone.
“You’re right,” I replied, keeping my composure. “Many things can happen in the chaos of the wedding ceremony. I’m only glad I was there to protect Jade from the threats this time.”
I squeezed Jade’s thigh lightly, and she dropped her fork.
“Sorry,” she stammered. “It, uh, slipped.”
I looked up to find Kara staring at my hand. And she was done hiding her emotions. “You should be more careful, Jade. One mistake will get you killed in Rewyth. Your husband should have warned you of that. Humans aren’t supposed to be here.”
Jade opened her mouth, but I spoke first. “Is that a threat, Kara?”
Kara knew better than to challenge me, but jealousy was a great motivator. “I’m just making sure Jade knows what she’s getting into. If you’re so worried about her safety, maybe she shouldn’t be here.”
I stood from the table. “Are you questioning my ability to keep Jade safe? Because I assure you, I am more than capable of eliminating any threat. Any threat.”
Kara shook her head in disgust. “For a human?”
I motioned for Jade to stand next to me, and I wrapped an arm around her waist. “For my wife,” I growled. “Let’s go, Jade.”
She nodded and followed me out of the room. I didn’t let go of her until we were alone in the hallway. Surprisingly, she played along until we were alone, and shoved me away.
“This is your game now?” she hissed. “You ignore me for days then show up to be a possessive asshole?”
I held in my laughter. Jade looked wild. Her long, black hair was messy and unhinged. Her clothes hung awkwardly off her body, and her eyes seemed larger than the last time I had seen them.
Saints, I had missed her. I had actually missed her the past few days. Although I was never going to admit that.
“Possessive asshole?” I repeated. “You forget I am the next king. They should respect you more.”
“I can handle myself, thanks,” she replied.
“Oh really? You seemed to be doing a great job out there. Serefin shouldn’t have let you leave.”
“Because I’m your prisoner, right?” she asked. “I’m supposed to sit in my room like your property, and not leave until you tell me to? Is that right?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but couldn’t speak. Yeah, that was right. That was exactly what I wanted from her. Because she wasn’t safe here. Even my bedroom wasn’t safe, but at least I knew where she was. At least I knew what she was doing.
“I can’t risk you waltzing around the castle. You’re a target.”
She gave a ‘who cares’ motion with her arms, and let them fall to her sides. Her big eyes glistened, but the rest of her face was drenched in anger. “I don’t want to be here,” she said as she took a step closer to me. “I can’t just sit in there and watch my life waste away.”
My chest tightened, but I didn’t budge. “It isn’t safe, Jade.” I’m sorry, I almost added. But I stopped myself. I wasn’t sorry for protecting her. I wasn’t sorry for wanting to keep her alive.
A single tear fell from her eye, but she didn’t look away. “I want my life back,” she said.
She was pleading with me. I knew that. This was probably the closest thing to begging that Jade would ever do.
But it didn’t make a difference. I didn’t care. Giving into her meant risking her life.
I opened my bedroom door and motioned for her to enter. Her jaw clenched and her nostrils flared. I knew she was holding back her emotion. Her mask was cracking. But hope was deadly in Rewyth, and Jade was holding onto a life she would never return to.