Grievous (Wanted Men #5) - Nancy Haviland Page 0,34
was frowning as he came forward. “You allowed her to call home?”
“Are you two seriously going to carry on like this?” Yasmeen demanded, jerking out of his grip. “Do you have any idea how rude you’re being?”
Lucian ignored his pet’s frustrated complaint and smoothly continued to lie, keeping to the language only he and Sorin understood. “Yes, of course. Now that I have her, and have been open with her about why I took the measures I did to get her here, I felt it was time to give her back some freedom.” He bit his tongue to refrain from saying anything more. He bit it so hard he tasted blood. But in his head, he couldn’t stop the rest from coming. Freedom that no longer belongs to her. It is mine. Just as everything about her is mine. I allowed her to claim one small victory over me, but she will not be afforded another.
Sorin jammed his hands into his pockets and bent his head. His brow came down low, and his beard rippled. Lucian put his finger to his lips to tell Yasmeen to remain quiet while his protector warred with himself.
“If you will give me your word that you will not leave the castle, I will take her,” Sorin finally growled.
“You have my word.”
Sorin thrust his huge hand at him. “Swear on Markus’s memory.”
Lucian’s gut rebelled as though an iron fist had made contact with it. “I will do nothing with my brother’s memory but cherish it. Leave us, Sorin.” He walked away from both of them as he tried to catch his breath.
“Forgive me. I cannot trust who you are right now, Lucian. Markus’s memory is the only thing left of any importance to you. Of course, I would use it to seal your vow.”
“Do not ever do it again.” He took the lid off the tray to see two cooling bowls of soup, bread, and cold meats. There was also a bowl of cherries. He took that up and went back to sit next to Yasmeen. “I will bring the tray down myself.”
Taking that as the dismissal it was, Sorin left.
“Do you like cherries?”
Yasmeen lowered his hand from where he was offering her one of the plump fruit. “What was that about?”
“Were we speaking English?”
“Not that I heard,” she said dryly.
“Then it is not your concern. Take.” He lifted his offering again.
“I’m only asking because I heard my name.” She scraped her top teeth from his knuckle to the tip of his finger before taking the cherry. An intended punishment?
“That will do nothing but make my cock hard, Yasmeen. Unless you wish to accommodate that, you might want to behave and not bite the hand that feeds you.”
Her mouth twisted with what looked to be humor as he got up to bring the rest of their meal over. To avoid another aggravating incident tonight, he allowed her the liberty of feeding herself. She took the bowls and handed him one after he placed the tray next to her. While they ate, she revealed her nerves through chatter. Her gaze continuously met his, and it was he who looked away when she began searching. He didn’t want her to see what was coming. Not yet.
He wasn’t sure whether to be angry or amused when she didn’t mention the phone call he knew she had to have made. She should have shared. But he understood she was probably afraid to. Either way, it meant nothing to him. What could her friend do to take his pet away? Nothing.
As the meal came to a close, he was surprised to find himself relaxing in light of her talk of school-day-lunch-fails—as she called them—and Raymond noodles—whatever that was. He would have thought the noise would be annoying. It wasn’t.
She neatly stacked their empty dishes, and he placed the tray on a table near the door, already knowing he would forget it and Sorin or one of the other staff would have to come for it after all.
He turned to find Yasmeen directly behind him.
“How long has Sorin been with you?”
He tipped his head. “Why?”
She shrugged and started worrying the edge of his shirt. “Curious. It’s clear he loves you and is concerned for you. I was just wondering…” She dropped her hands and stepped back.
He suspected what he was feeling at being reminded of his early years had come through in his expression because hers become wary.
“Sorin has been in my life since we were fourteen.”