Page 104 of Princess Broken

That life is what I want. What I’ve wanted for a very long time. The disappointment I’m feeling right now must be shock, combined with the loss of the two amazing sexual partners I’ve found amongst these vampires. Lovers who’ve shown me pleasure like I’d never imagined.

But Blade and Flame can’t be unique in their abilities to excite and please me. It’s true that Timur failed to make me feel that way, but that doesn’t mean that he might not in the future, or that I won’t find other partners to satisfy my desires.

My chest squeezes. When I was daydreaming, it was easy to imagine I was developing deeper feelings for these men, feelings that went beyond sexual attraction, but even if I was starting to develop feelings, the brothers don’t do relationships. Not one of them is capable of loving me back.

And the thought I had about their being my bodyguards going forward. Laughable. I certainly can’t fulfill my duties to the monarchy with admitted contract killers at my side. Ridiculous.

I give myself a shake, and then put on the dress I was wearing the night I was taken, the blood stains and wrinkles gone. I might not get a chance to bid farewell to Pierre and Maria. I’ve rarely seen the stewards who move about the quarters discreetly, cleaning in whichever rooms we’re not using at the time.

I check my appearance in the mirror again, but even dressed in the clothes from my old life, something about me seems different. I can’t spot what it is, but I’ll be forever changed by my time with these men. Inside and out.

Outside my room, the men have just agreed to ask me what I want—Blade is clearly hoping I’ll choose to stay, and that warms my heart. It’s not clear what would happen if I chose not to go, but that’s not a real option.

I might not belong with Timur in the way these men think, but I don’t belong with them here either.

Returning to my diplomatic position is my duty, what I was born and trained for. And it’s what I want.

Raising my chin, I walk toward the door to tell the men my decision.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Crusher

As we take the Princess to her mate, my mind and body are consumed with deep sadness and loss.

Why am I sad?

What have I lost?

But I realize that I’d thought through how our lives would be going forward. Our lives protecting the princess, keeping her near us always. And I admit I’ve grown to enjoy her company, her effect on me and my brothers, the way we are around each other. Softer, gentler, more considerate.

I shake my head. That version of the future would have been the real loss.

The loss of our freedom, our ability to take on new contracts, to travel to our other properties at will, or acquire new ones. This unexpected development is a gain not a loss.

And now I know that I did not kill her mate. We are no longer duty bound to protect her.

The five of us move quickly toward Philadelphia. Ana put off leaving Freetown last night until it was dawn and too late to go, insisting that she must bid farewell to our stewards who were sleeping, to Gracen and Ebony, and to several other vampires in Freetown I hadn’t even known that she’d met.

Timur insisted that he would wait for us in the private room in the bathhouse until we arrived. And he assured me that Mariano was no longer a threat.

A lot must have happened during the time that the five of us remained underground. I was shocked seeing Timur alive, so shocked I didn’t ask whether Mariano had been killed or captured, but given Timur’s association with the monarchy I assume it was the latter. The rogue syndicate boss will be tried in a vampiric court of law.

Shame. I would have loved crushing that fucker’s skull before I drove a stake through his heart.

We duck into the alley at the back of the courthouse, and stop in a small group near the bathhouse’s back entrance. I reach for the buzzer to alert the manager to open the door.

“Wait,” Ana says, and I turn toward her. “I’d like to say goodbye, before…before we go in.”

Relief floods me at the small delay. Every extra moment with her seems precious. But my thought only proves that we’re giving her up in the nick of time. Around Ana, I lose my edge.

“I just wanted to say,” Ana looks between us, “that I appreciate what you’ve all done for me.”

“Ha!” The sound bursts from Phil’s chest. “You called us kidnappers.”

She smiles. “I’ll miss some of you more than others.” Her fingers brush Blade’s beside her, and she looks deeply into Flame’s eyes. It’s beyond obvious that strong attachments developed between our client and at least two of my brothers. Attachments that went well beyond physical. Something I should not have tolerated. And this again proves why we must only have sex in the way we were taught.

While I am not my brothers’ keeper, someone has to keep us on track. Our code is what has allowed us to build our reputations, to maintain our security and develop our wealth. It’s allowed us to acquire properties and businesses all over the globe, while we provide services not sanctioned by vampiric laws. By anyone’s laws.

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