Royal Obsession Read Online Free PDF Page B

gaze. “I need your advice.” His anxious gaze swept the cozy room. She sat at a small, square table. A tall dresser and bookshelves flanked the low bed.
    She set the book aside and pushed her chair back so she could cross her legs. “This has to be a first. Let me guess, it has something to do with your hunting expedition and a certain high-spirited virgin.”
    “Word travels fast,” he grumbled.
    “I was in the sparring area when she toppled you to the floor.” She shook her head and captured his restless gaze. “I was shocked by your behavior. Is intimidation and force the only strategy you know? I’ve come to expect more from you.”
    “Why?” He pushed away from the door. He’d always felt comfortable with Aila. Theirs was a unique bond. She was part friend, part lover, and part sexual mentor. “I’m a Shadow Assassin like any other. Those are the tools of our trade.”
    “You are not like the others. I know the man locked inside the assassin. Seeing people clearly is easy when you’re invisible.”
    She was referring to everyone’s hesitation to look at her, not the illusion all assassins were taught to manifest. “I said those things so Echo would stop struggling. I didn’t want to hurt her, but she is irrationally stubborn.” Too anxious to stand still, he crossed to the bed, then fiddled with the books lining the shelves. “I will one day lead these men. They cannot perceive me as weak.”
    “I understand that, but she doesn’t.”
    Frustration raised his hands. “If my strategy was working, I wouldn’t be here.”
    “Where is she now?”
    “In my bedchamber.”
    “Locked in the room or chained to the bed?”
    He just glared at her and crossed to the dresser.
    “She’s a virgin, for Mara’s sake. What were you thinking?”
    “That’s why I restrained her.” Snatching an elastic band from the top of her dresser, he pulled his hair back and bound it at the nape of his neck. “I knew I couldn’t arouse her properly if I had to hold her down.”
    “Would you sit? You’re making me dizzy.” She waited for him to join her at the table before she went on. “Waiting until you didn’t need to hold her down never crossed your mind?”
    “If you were in the sparring area, you saw her. This is no frightened child.”
    “Do you think she’s never had an orgasm? Being a virgin doesn’t necessarily mean she’s completely inexperienced.”
    “I’m not sure. Her sister has a lover, so it’s possible—”
    “What does her sister have to do with this?”
    Varrik hesitated. Would Aila understand his motivation for taking the twins? The hunters certainly thought he was crazy. “I captured E’Lanna and Echo dar Aune.”
    Her jaw dropped, and she pressed a hand to her breast. “The High Queen’s…and Head Master Tal’s… Have you lost your mind?”
    “Apparently.”
    “The Council of Elders sanctioned this?”
    “Not exactly.”
    “They don’t know?” She was gaping again.
    “They know I dispatched the hunters, and they know I brought back twins. I haven’t been specific about the rest.”
    “Her virginity is the least of your problems, my friend. You must return them immediately.”
    “We are expected to reproduce. It’s a sacred duty of every Shadow Assassin. If I’m going to put myself—and a female—through this ordeal, then my son will be worthy of the sacrifice. I want him to be so powerful that he can choose his own life path.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    He was silent for a long time. How could he make her understand a conflict still tormenting him? “I intend to usher in a new generation.”
    “Meaning?”
    “I will produce a son with more Mystic power than any Shadow Assassin has ever possessed. I will teach him far more than any mentor, allow him to think for himself and see beyond the maze. I will—”
    “Varrik, why do you need a son to continue Sekall’s work? If you’re ready to leave the maze, the men will follow you.”
    His shoulders sagged