Page 31 of Ruthless Scoundrel
But I’d be trading my honor for freedom…
Zephrom will understand.
I have no other choice.
Chapter nine
Jasper
Something is wrong with me.
I want to bury my face in the princess’s hair and breathe her in. It’s a completely irrational thought, but I’m struggling to subdue it, even with the oncoming storm.
We come ashore on the other side of the island near the outlet waterfall with only minutes to spare. I drag the raft far up the beach and wedge it against a pair of trees.
“We need broad leaves and the rope off this paddle,” I say to her hurriedly.
She grabs the paddle and begins unwinding the braided husk, making my task clear. I shimmy up the closest tree, my rough callouses protecting me from the textured bark. I snap five of the bigger leaves off and jump down, moving on to the next tree.
When I’ve collected a fair number for our shelter, I return to Reina. She’s already cleaned out our coconut bowls and has started creating a rocky crevasse for them to sit in to collect rainwater. I tie the first leaf to the middle of the raft, then weavethe second next to it, and so on, until I’ve covered the middle to the bottom of the raft with unmarred leaves.
We work silently as I waterproof our passable shelter and she insulates the openings on either side with coconut husk. The first drops of rain splatter against the sea, moving like a wave toward us.
“Get inside,” I tell Reina as I finish tying off the leafy shingles.
Cool drops slap against my face and I rush to finish securing the end of the sennit to the raft. I push aside the leaf blocking the entrance and crawl into the makeshift shelter. Reina is panting heavily and the floral scent of her has already filled up the space. Saliva pools in my mouth and something primal stirs in my stomach.
Reina’s tanned skin glistens in the low light—light I realize is coming from my eyes. My magic…why would it be flaring so often like this around her?
Rain slaps against the leaves covering the raft. It’s loud, but we stay dry. A flash of lightning bleeds through the cracks and Reina jumps. The thunder follows soon after, making her curl her knees against her chest and hide her face.
I stretch out along the raft and dig into the sand. “Settle in, princess. It’s going to be a long night.”
She flinches at the next clash of thunder and peeks one eye out from the cradle of her arms. Her pupil is constricted and her breathing shallow. She’s terrified.
“Come here,” I say, gesturing to the space in front of me.
She balls her hands into tight fists, but they still shake.
“Rei. Come. Here.” I don’t know what possesses me to call her that, but her face softens at the name. Her arms slowly unwind and she crawls through the sand to me. She stops, looking at the open space by my chest like it’s the last place on Gaien she wants to be. Her eyes flick up to mine, her face contorted with frustration.
Another clash of thunder makes her yipe, and the sound pushes me past reason. I wrap my arms around her and drag her down into the sand, then tuck her face into the crook of my neck.
She pushes her hands against my chest with an indignant, fearful whine.
I don’t want to, but I relax my grip on her a measure. “Just breathe. All things come to an end. This storm will, too.”
“So pathetic,” she mutters quietly.
I feel the comment down to that hungry pit in my stomach. I am pathetic, using her fear to get closer to her. It’s more than needing her close, though. I want to protect her. I want to take away that fear. I want to be a bastion of strength for her.
I’mmorethan pathetic.
I’m insane.
“Afraid of a thunderstorm at nearly twenty,” Reina says a little louder.
“What about it troubles you?” I ask, gently stroking her back.
