treated to the spitfire side of their submissive, and Thorn winced as Adara screamed at them, shoving at Orion.
“I’m fucking naked! Naked and in your kitchen with your housekeeper! Do you have no sense of propriety? None? Oh my gods. I’m light years from home with three pervs who make me be naked in front of another woman who clearly wants me dead, the bitch.”
The defiance abruptly drained away, and Adara sagged against Orion who was now standing rigid beside her, his face stunned. Even as Thorn watched, his brother automatically wrapped his arms around their woman and lifted her against his chest. He walked out with her, leaving Thorn to glumly peruse their rapidly cooling breakfasts. He began to assemble their plates and place them in the oven to keep warm when Kellis returned.
“Gods save us all. Who knew? Ronnie’s delusional.” Kellis shook his head, one hand tugging at his hair. “She feels usurped. You should have heard the things she hissed at me. And I found some items hidden beneath that repulsive shift. Another knife, your favorite crop and a wad of ducats.”
“I thought we’d moved past that,” Thorn replied. “She seemed to have accepted her role here now would be housekeeper and occasional chef as we explained when we found Adara. She didn’t want to go back to the center.”
“Well, this life was probably easier than the center, but not by much.”
“She was difficult last night, resistant and seemingly untrustworthy,” Thorn mused. “And now, knowing what she hid on her person…”
“That’s why you put Orion on the door.”
“Partly. And now we have to find another housekeeper.”
“Partly?”
“If Ronnie resists having Adara here—”
“Thorn, it’s jealousy. Nothing else.” Kellis was agitated, yanking at his hair, clearly not wanting to consider the worst.
“There will be many who don’t want to see us prosper any further, Kell. We didn’t have very long to plan. We needed to move quickly to get Adara here before her brother or Redcliff could find a way to circumvent the contract, but we neglected to consider the other variables.” Because they hadn’t known she was a redhead. Were the prophets setting another test?
“Our men are reliable and loyal,” Kellis protested.
“They are, and most won’t know of the prophecy. In fact very few people do. So we won’t worry so much about that,” Thorn decided. “But Ronnie has to go.”
“Already on it. She’s in a storage shed, and Jurvis is packing up her room while Frenz is readying a craft.” Kellis referenced two of their most able men. “She’ll be gone within the half hour. Does Adara understand we wouldn’t let Ronnie stab her? Is Orion comforting her?”
A rueful chuckle escaped Thorn’s mouth, and it was his turn to shake his head. “I don’t believe that bothered our intended at all.”
“She has an ancient warrior’s heart.” Kellis sounded as proud as Thorn had felt regarding the way Adara responded to the outlaw threat. Before she nearly gave her presence away.
“She lost all decorum, Kellis. She screamed at Orion and me.”
“But I thought you said she wasn’t frightened?”
“She was furious that we let Ronnie see her naked. And she called us pervs—I believe that’s a pejorative where she comes from—and she’s clearly despairing because we took her from her home.”
“What is Orion doing with her then?”
“If you had asked me that three days ago I would have known the answer. But when it comes to Adara, I really have no clue.” Thorn sat and ignored his growling stomach while Kellis watched him curiously.
“She is dismantling the plan,” his brother suggested.
“You think?”
They stared at one another before heading off to see what Orion was doing with Adara.
****
After another storm of tears, Adara allowed Orion to wipe her face with a wet cloth before he patted it dry with a fresh one. And the morning had been going so well too. A least an hour
“I’m fucking naked! Naked and in your kitchen with your housekeeper! Do you have no sense of propriety? None? Oh my gods. I’m light years from home with three pervs who make me be naked in front of another woman who clearly wants me dead, the bitch.”
The defiance abruptly drained away, and Adara sagged against Orion who was now standing rigid beside her, his face stunned. Even as Thorn watched, his brother automatically wrapped his arms around their woman and lifted her against his chest. He walked out with her, leaving Thorn to glumly peruse their rapidly cooling breakfasts. He began to assemble their plates and place them in the oven to keep warm when Kellis returned.
“Gods save us all. Who knew? Ronnie’s delusional.” Kellis shook his head, one hand tugging at his hair. “She feels usurped. You should have heard the things she hissed at me. And I found some items hidden beneath that repulsive shift. Another knife, your favorite crop and a wad of ducats.”
“I thought we’d moved past that,” Thorn replied. “She seemed to have accepted her role here now would be housekeeper and occasional chef as we explained when we found Adara. She didn’t want to go back to the center.”
“Well, this life was probably easier than the center, but not by much.”
“She was difficult last night, resistant and seemingly untrustworthy,” Thorn mused. “And now, knowing what she hid on her person…”
“That’s why you put Orion on the door.”
“Partly. And now we have to find another housekeeper.”
“Partly?”
“If Ronnie resists having Adara here—”
“Thorn, it’s jealousy. Nothing else.” Kellis was agitated, yanking at his hair, clearly not wanting to consider the worst.
“There will be many who don’t want to see us prosper any further, Kell. We didn’t have very long to plan. We needed to move quickly to get Adara here before her brother or Redcliff could find a way to circumvent the contract, but we neglected to consider the other variables.” Because they hadn’t known she was a redhead. Were the prophets setting another test?
“Our men are reliable and loyal,” Kellis protested.
“They are, and most won’t know of the prophecy. In fact very few people do. So we won’t worry so much about that,” Thorn decided. “But Ronnie has to go.”
“Already on it. She’s in a storage shed, and Jurvis is packing up her room while Frenz is readying a craft.” Kellis referenced two of their most able men. “She’ll be gone within the half hour. Does Adara understand we wouldn’t let Ronnie stab her? Is Orion comforting her?”
A rueful chuckle escaped Thorn’s mouth, and it was his turn to shake his head. “I don’t believe that bothered our intended at all.”
“She has an ancient warrior’s heart.” Kellis sounded as proud as Thorn had felt regarding the way Adara responded to the outlaw threat. Before she nearly gave her presence away.
“She lost all decorum, Kellis. She screamed at Orion and me.”
“But I thought you said she wasn’t frightened?”
“She was furious that we let Ronnie see her naked. And she called us pervs—I believe that’s a pejorative where she comes from—and she’s clearly despairing because we took her from her home.”
“What is Orion doing with her then?”
“If you had asked me that three days ago I would have known the answer. But when it comes to Adara, I really have no clue.” Thorn sat and ignored his growling stomach while Kellis watched him curiously.
“She is dismantling the plan,” his brother suggested.
“You think?”
They stared at one another before heading off to see what Orion was doing with Adara.
****
After another storm of tears, Adara allowed Orion to wipe her face with a wet cloth before he patted it dry with a fresh one. And the morning had been going so well too. A least an hour
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