touching his head. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him in any way.
Growling in her ear, he quickened his strokes. Felicia sucked her breath in as her body exploded with pleasure.
With the sweetest smile, Talyn kissed her forehead an instant before he came in her arms. His breathing ragged, he stared down at her with the most adoring gaze imaginable.
Until he glanced to the bruise on her cheek. Guilt replaced the happiness as he withdrew from her.
“Talyn?”
He gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. “I’m tired of living in an empire where a female can’t even walk home with dinner and not be attacked. Where no one feels safe. This is not what I want to defend. It’s not what I swore to uphold when I joined the armada.”
“What are you saying?”
He gentled his expression before he pressed his cheek to hers. “I’m just venting. I’ll be right back.” He kissed her before he went to the bathroom.
Talyn paused at the door to look back at Felicia. She was so beautiful in his bed. So frail and tiny. In all his life, she was the only thing he’d ever craved. The only one he’d ever love.
He could handle anything so long as she was here at the end of the day to lay her gentle hand on his skin. No one was ever going to hurt or scare her again. He’d tear this empire down to ashes before he allowed that to happen.
Making sure to keep it out of her sight, he set his link on the counter and closed the door. Before he could stop himself, he texted her brother.
The party at my house is on. Just let me know the details.
While he’d never thought of himself as a traitor or a revolutionary, he was willing to see the tadara and her entire family in the ground, if that was what it took to keep his family safe. The Anatoles should have known better than to start a war with a Hauk and a Batur.
The day had come to change out the ruling parties. And he was the Andarion to see this through.
He hadn’t started this fight. But by all the gods, he was going to finish it.
Chapter 21
“What in the name of all Andaria are you doing?”
Talyn froze midswing at Felicia’s angry tone, unsure about her confusion over his current activity. Surely it was obvious, given his workout shorts and gloves. “Training.”
Her face a mask of fury, she closed the distance between them. “You’re supposed to be in bed. It’s only been a few days since you were released from the hospital.”
Wiping at the sweat on his brow, he returned to swinging at the doublebag. “Doesn’t matter. I have to get back into shape as soon as I can. Once I report for duty, I doubt I’ll have much training time.”
And the first of his blood matches was looming before him.
She moved to block him, and softened her expression. “Honey, I’m a physical therapist. Your physical therapist. Your body isn’t ready for this kind of abuse. You need to rest.”
“Fel —”
“Talyn.” She reached up to touch his lips and melt his will in the process. “Don’t argue. Get your hulking butt back in bed. Now!”
A feminine laugh sounded in the doorway. “Wow. It’s like watching a tiny little kitten yell at a rhino. I can see why you like her, sexy baby. She’s fearless.”
Felicia frowned at the foreign female voice until she saw Jayne. Heat stung her cheeks at having been caught chastising Talyn.
Smiling, Talyn peeled his gloves off and went to her. “Jaynie! How’s my favorite aunt?” He kissed her on the cheek.
“Doing great. Sorry it took so long to get here. Had another dire situation with a friend that couldn’t wait.”
By Talyn’s expression, Felicia could tell he knew exactly who Jayne meant. “Is he okay?”
Jayne nodded. “He will be. We pulled him out and I left him with Hadrian, then headed straight here.”
As they talked, Felicia felt truly inadequate. While Jayne’s photo had been attractive, it didn’t compare to the live version of the female. With long black hair swept up into a messy bun and wearing a black battlesuit that hugged a body honed by countless gym hours, Jayne was the kind of female most magazines had to airbrush into existence.
And she latched on to Talyn like a mother who hadn’t seen her child in far too long. She hugged him until he protested.