Page 67 of Iron Unicorn

“Daphne, take him somewhere quiet on the outing and let him enjoy some peace. He’s been on duty since he got here except when he was sick, and he needs the downtime. And yes, Terry, you viewed caring for Olivia as a job, and being a caretaker in a stressful situation counts. I know you wanted to do it, but you need a chance to recover. Olivia needs to experience the separation symptoms to help her come to terms and accept she has created a bond with you. Frankly, you’re handling this far better than I anticipated.”

“I work with empaths all the time,” I reminded her.

“Ah, but you’re notoriously dense when it comes to your princess. It’s sweet. Everyone with functioning eyes in their head can tell you’re a bonded pair, but you have been dedicated to ignoring your symptoms.”

I considered her words, shrugged because she was right, and replied, “I won’t dispute that. In my defense, my talent is not capable of bonding, and Olivia is not really known for being an empath.”

She had many of the Niell family talents to the point she counted as a royal by right although she did not demonstrate her abilities often. For the most part, members of the Niell family were royal due to their genetic possibilities rather than their strength.

I needed to find out which talents made her a royal by right and why few discussed her abilities, instead tossing her in with the majority of the Niell family.

I eyed Daphne with interest, and a possibility occurred to me.

As Olivia had a few years on Will, if she was touted as a royal by right, Montana’s congress might have pushed for Olivia becoming the next Queen of Montana rather than Daphne. By putting Daphne’s royal talents on display, Will protected his sister from the crown.

How clever.

“Your talent might be capable of bonding now but probably only with Olivia.” Melody began the process of gathering her things and checking her pockets. “And that would be due to His Royal Majesty of Texas. And considering that the man had his hands on you recently and his talent is only growing in strength as he ages, it’s probable you’re being heavily influenced. In good news for everyone, we’re fairly confident his talent has more sense than he does, and it only attaches to people with a genuine desire for the bond. As Olivia is your closest friend and companion, and she views you the same way, it’s a very natural development. You just lacked the talent required to form the bond. She has the basic ability to bond but not to the level you two have. I suspect your end of the bond will open up once she accepts what she ultimately started. I suspect she’s afraid of costing you your career. We are working on convincing her that you’ll be able to retain your position as the head of Rachel’s detail. It will mean you’ll have to arrange for a secondary protective detail making sureyou’rekept as safe as possible during emergencies, but you’re working with a New York Royal. She absolutely will incinerate anyone who looks at you wrong.”

“And it’s unlikely I’ll be shot.” While injuries happened, talents could be lethal, and my job wasn’t perfectly safe, the heads of detail rarely were put in life threatening situations.

Had Alfred not suffered from a stroke, he would have emerged from the incident in the Billings airport without incident—and those behind the attack hadn’t intended for anyone to be hurt at all, excepting for Melody’s consort.

As I valued my life, I would not mention Jack’s brush with death in Montana. However, if anyone understood the price of lethal bonds, it was the Kismoff family.

“Considering your talent and Rachel’s protectiveness? You’re more likely to be accosted by another squirrel.”

I bowed my head. “Everyone knows about that now?”

“I’d guarantee it. It’s sweet, Terry. But everyone who knows you understands you have more compassion than you know what to do with, so it comes as no surprise to anyone you managed to charm one of the sweetest royals on the planet. You’ve given her the one thing she values above all: acceptance. She just needs to accept everything you’ve always offered her. Once she does, everything will work out. But I will say that your decision to let her pick her pace and choose her fate was and always will be the right one. In her eyes, you are the only person in the world who has ever seen her for who she truly is. And I don’t mean any offense to you, Daphne. But there is a huge difference in the default love shared by the Niell family and what Terry has always offered her without hesitation, regret, or question.”

“I’m not offended by the truth,” the Vampire of Montana announced, and she smiled. “We just wish we could give her that. But you’re right. We’ve known they’re close for years. I mean, we threw her at him when his wife died.” Daphne winced. “Sorry, Terry.”

“I’m not. I appreciated her then, and I appreciate everything she did then now. It’s not my fault Sabina died. It wasn’t her fault, either. Accidents happen. But I do want what’s best for Olivia. She was patient with me. It’s my turn to be patient with her.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to be patient for long,” Melody stated on her way to the door. “Edward, I want you to keep a close eye on Terry. Watch out for separation anxiety symptoms, and if he expresses interest in something, push him into indulging. He’s not very skilled at indulging, and he’s used to minimalism due to his job role before moving to New York. He needs to rejoin modern society.”

Edward grinned. “I can do that.”

“Good. Daphne, I’m going to run Olivia through the wringer in the gym to make sure she’s exhausted. I’m hoping if I tire her out sufficiently, the bond will somewhat shut down and give him a chance to rest and recover. If he gets hyper, which may happen once she’s down and out after the tests in the gym, take him to the stable for a riding lesson.”

“I can do that.”

“Wish us luck. And Terry, try not to be the Iron Beast while we’re doing her breathing tests. I know she’s going to hate what I have in mind, and it won’t surprise me if she influences you. Just keep your guard up. I know you’re exerted and probably can’t block anything right now, so just tell Daphne if you start becoming irritable.”

“Will do,” I promised.

* * *

It tookthirty minutes for Olivia’s patience to fray and snap, but thanks to Melody’s warning, I maintained my hold on my temper. As Daphne loved the idea of ring shopping, she held the bookstore trip hostage. I wanted to bang my head into the glass display cabinet to put myself out of my misery.

“Something wrong?” Edward asked, joining me at the case loaded with a variety of engagement rings.

“Daphne, you may as well report that Olivia may be trying to steal the title of Monster of Montana,” I said, aware her RPS agents would overhear and begin the steps of relaying the information to the hotel gym to prevent anything unfortunate from occurring. “Unless one of you is hiding absolute fury without showing any signs of it?”

Even the accompanying RPS agents shook their heads.

“Hey, in good news, youarepicking up from her.” Daphne came over and clapped my shoulder. “Are you going to be okay?”

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