Page 62 of Captured
“You’re so cute that you think Stefan talks to me. About anything. He’s the most closemouthed demigod I’ve ever met, no matter how much I want to get him naked. Again.”
Lauren blinked at her, focusing on the important part of the sentence. “Again?”
“Well, nearly. Imighthave challenged him to a swim-off in the castle pool once when he decided to read me the riot act about swimming in the ocean. I almost beat him too. But either way, totally worth it. You have never seen anyone so gorgeous undressed in all your entire life, I’m telling you.”
Lauren let her gaze shift back to Dimitri. “Well, I think I could give you a run for your money on that.”
“Totally different type of hot.” Nicki rocked forward on her heels. “So what’s going to happen now between you two, anyway?”
“Between us?” Lauren frowned, her heart twisting. “There is no us, Nicki. He’s a military captain of a country I don’t belong to.”
“And a demigod. And your bodyguard.”
“Well, that last part was a short-term assignment, one he executed very well. But now he’ll go back to his life. I’ll go back to my life.” The words curdled in her stomach. She hadn’t considered what life would be like without Dimitri. Which was stupid. She barely knew the man—demigod—whatever. And she knew only one version of him at that, the version that was designed to keep her in place on a tiny island by whatever means he had at his disposal. He’d chosen a very effective means.
But now that assignment was over, and they both had to get on with their lives. Him to serve his country and the royal family, and her to...do whatever it was she was supposed to do.
What was that again?
“Well, if you ask me, and—” But Nicki didn’t get to finish her sentence. The door opened with a sharp click, and Lauren’s gaze swung to see Dimitri now standing at attention while Stefan entered the room along with Cyril and the king and queen. When had Dimitri woken up? How much had he heard of her conversation with Nicki?
She watched Stefan take in the room, zeroing in on Nicki. A pulse jumped in his jaw, but he said nothing as Queen Catherine stepped forward quickly. “You’re awake, oh good. I told Stefan that you would hardly sleep the night away. You’re going to be fine,” she said, taking Lauren’s uninjured hand in hers. “We have the best doctors on the continent, though Dimitri tells me your wound should be sufficiently tended for the moment, as long as there’s no infection.”
“There won’t be.” Dimitri said the words gruffly. Queen Catherine squeezed her hand.
“Well, there you go, dear. Dr. Korba has spoken, and we should all be at our ease now, right? But how are you truly feeling? How can we help you?”
You can’t. No one can.
With those thoughts ringing in her head, Lauren removed her hand as quickly as she could from the queen’s without being awkward. She turned her face to Dimitri, her chin tilted to the right, her expression serene, though she felt like she’d lost all her tools and tricks. She was completely alone again, her shields torn away.
She’d gotten through worse conversations, however. She would get through this one too. The way she always did.
By distracting everyone.
Forty-Two
“So, is the watch truly Ari’s?”
Dimitri heard the question like a pistol shot, only it wasn’t aimed at him. Not directly, anyway. It was a flare that Lauren was firing off as a diversion to turn their focus away from herself, and by God, it worked exactly as she’d intended it to.
The queen froze. The king grimaced with the kind of weariness of a man whose secrets are always discovered by the one he loves the most. Stefan bristled with irritation, and Cyril went red. Just another day in paradise.
Catherine recovered first, as Catherine always did. “You found Ari’s watch? Where?” It took only a glance at her husband to confirm the truth, and she poked him in the arm. “When, precisely, were you planning on telling me, Jasen? I mean, for God’s sake, what does a woman have to do around here to stay informed?”
“It would appear that’s becoming easier and easier.” Stefan’s gaze was once again on Nicki, boring holes in her temple as she ignored him, her eyes also trained on the king.
Cyril tried to break in. “Your Highness, there’s no need to discuss this now.”
“Don’t you ‘Your Highness’ me,” Catherine said, turning on Cyril hotly. In her eyes, Dimitri could see the hope that bolstered him and broke his heart at the same time, the one thing he’d guarded against but hated to see die these past long months. “I asked you if the watch—why am I asking you? Give it to me!” She held out her hand imperiously, as if Cyril had the piece on him.
The adviser lifted both hands. “The watch is currently being examined, Your Majesty.”
“It’s his.” Dimitri was surprised to hear his own voice cut across Cyril’s. As everyone pivoted to stare at him, he fought back his own flush at speaking out of turn. But this was Ari they were talking about. Ari, who’d been gone for far too long. “Or if it’s not his, it’s a close enough fake that it would raise questions all on its own.”
“You found it?” the queen demanded. “Of course you found it. Where? How?”
Dimitri glanced at Lauren, who was watching him with eyes too big for her face, as if she couldn’t absorb the image of him all at once. Anger surged anew, and he fought it with his own brand of offense. “Lauren did.”