His Fire Maiden - Michelle M. Pillow Page 0,51

you do,” Lucien argued.

“I’ll show you how big my—” Viktor retorted.

“I will slap you both,” Dev said calmly. The brothers stopped fighting and gave Dev a sheepish look, which he in turned ignored. Dev looked at the indicator on his wrist. “It wasn’t this cold last time we were here.” Touching Violette’s arm to get her attention, he inquired, “Are you doing all right? You’re not too cold?”

“My balls are fine, thank you,” Violette answered with a smirk. Lucien and Viktor snorted with laughter. Before Dev could say anything, she quickly amended, “I’m good. Let’s just keep moving.”

Dev thought about joking back but didn’t want to encourage the brothers. Usually, he’d be worried about Rick, but there was something about this place that made the pilot unusually somber.

Dev admired Violette’s strength. The last four days spent with her in his bed had been as close to perfection as any man could hope for. Attraction wasn’t the problem. It was everything else in their lives weighing down on them.

“It’s strange, right? Nothing has changed since we’ve been here. I mean, look, those are our footsteps,” Lucien pointed at the ground, “and there is where Josselyn’s feet dragged as we brought her back to the ship.” He gave a short laugh. “Sorry about that. We didn’t intend to almost drop you.”

Josselyn paused to look at where he indicated. Dev knew this journey was painful for the woman. It had to be. They had all seen the torment she’d gone through after they freed her. He wished there was a way to show that anguish to Violette so that she might understand. Then again, he wished there was a way to show Josselyn how much Violette was hurting after the death of her father. Violette was like him in the sense they both hid their emotions from others. Perhaps that is why he understood her better than most. Or perhaps she’d let her guard down just enough when they were alone to allow him to peek inside.

The homestead had been built in a style far removed from Federation standards. A security wall circled the inner village and medieval castle. Jackson led the group through the main gate. Evan and Josselyn huddled together as they followed closely behind Jackson. Rick had cut the rusted metal lock on their first visit so getting inside was much more efficient this time around. A trail of prints led them under a second lower wall’s arch. Dark spires and round towers were built into the walls, with walkways along the top sections.

“Look at those plants,” Violette pointed out. Dev nodded. Grass shard stuck up from the ground like shiny narrow blades. “And those homes.”

“They’re called cottages,” Josselyn answered, not turning to look back at her sister. “Our mother was the reigning lady, and she knew all the people who lived in the village. She would visit the cottages and make sure the people had everything they needed. She loved children and celebrated every new village birth. No one had a bad word to say about her. Everyone loved her. She was a true lady in body and spirit—delicate, charitable, kind, sheltered.”

Dev watched Violette’s face carefully. He saw the eagerness she tried to hide. When she looked around the village, it was as if her eyes couldn’t take in what she was seeing before moving to the next object. She had no memory of her mother, and this was the closest she would ever come.

“Ignore the cottages and outbuildings,” Josselyn said when Viktor began to stray off course. “Everything you’ll want to salvage will be inside the castle.”

Violette stopped walking and looked up. Gentle white puffs of air left her parted lips. The frozen castle loomed over the surrounding village. A sheen of ice preserved the stone beneath.

“Why were you held prisoner out here?” Violette asked. “It makes no sense as to why they’d—”

“Shh,” Rick commanded. He raised his hand. Everyone turned their attention toward him. He lifted a life sign scanner they had acquired from a “technically” abandoned, locked, hidden ESC cargo crate on a remote planet. Jackson walked over to the pilot to look at the device. Rick scanned for lifeforms in the distance.

Dev stepped protectively closer to Violette. Very quietly, he said, “They imprisoned Josselyn in one of the towers. She was too heavy to move, so they left her. That fact probably saved her life. When the other prisoners were broken, she was left unharmed.” He pointed to the tallest tower where they’d found her.