Trusted by Jacquelyn Frank Page B

passion. It thrived inside of her like a seed thrives beneath the touch of the sun. And the idea of nurturing that nascent passion had him hard and wanting her.
    He astounded himself. He had done things and had no idea why he had done them. Why had he told her of Areela? He had never told anyone of his daughter outside of the Trusted. They were sworn to keep all of his secrets, she was not. She could spread gossip about it and it would sweep through the court like wildfire, Areela’s anonymity gone for all time. There was no telling the kind of pain that could create.
    Yet he told her.
    But he did not fear having told her. He knew, somehow, that she would rather die than betray his trust. How did he know this with barely a full day’s worth of contact with her? Where was all of this trust coming from? Because, outside of his Trusted, he trusted no one. He could not afford to risk throwing his trust about. Very often lives were at stake. The welfare of thousands of people rested in his hands.
    No. He did not trust easily.
    And what was he thinking, exposing a girl so innocent to the workings of his court? All of the gossiping, maneuvering and grasping. Women like Gersa who would just as soon tear Sarea apart as look at her. Was he truly that selfish that he would string her up like a lamb for slaughter?
    Perhaps he was.
    No. He definitely was.
    What kind of man did that make him? He should be protecting her, not throwing her in. And he wanted to protect her. But he also wanted to see what she could withstand. He wanted to see her strength.
    She would either sink or swim, and for some reason he needed to know which it would be.
    He lay in bed, naked but for the sheet covering the lower half of his body, and the urge to run came over him. He needed to sleep, but even more he needed to run. He got up and walked out onto his balcony, a good three stories from the ground. With a growl he let the change come over him, let his truform out to play. The massive black lion with startling purple eyes leapt from the balcony fearlessly and hit the ground running. Breath chuffed out of him as he ran deep into the gardens, loped across the manicured lawns and into the wilder grasses beyond. He wished to be in the Red Forest, the great forest that stretched for miles between their lands and the lands of the Umam. To run in the Red Forest was to truly run free, but it was as dangerous as it was wild. The Umam would not think twice about hunting them in either of their forms. The Umam’s hate was supreme and unequivocal. The feeling was mutual. Although Garrick’s people were told not to instigate any altercations with the Umam, incidents did occur…usually started by the Umam. Garrick wanted his people to protect themselves at all costs, but any altercation could be blown out of proportion and the cold war that existed between the two nations could develop into a violent war. There had been true war during his father’s reign, and all Garrick could remember was the names of the dead. Every day someone else they had known had died in a battle with the Umam. Garrick did not want that for his generation. He did not want that for his sons or the sons of his Trusted…when they ever decided to have them.
    It was past time they were settled, he found himself thinking. His Trusted were all bachelors, in his image. He kept them all so busy they didn’t have time or, apparently, inclination to marry. The king wasn't doing it, so why should they?
    He was aware it was well past time for him to find a queen and get sons on her to carry on his name. To carry on his house. His brother had died, leaving only Garrick to inherit…and to pass on the legacy of his rule.
    Garrick ran up into the mountains that were nestled at the castle’s rear, protecting it from invaders in that direction. He passed mines, now laying quiet as the miners slept in their beds. He climbed higher and suddenly was aware of movement shadowing him. He went to a ledge and looked