Chapter 9

I widened my eyes, and my heart began pounding wildly in my chest. I immediately felt the heat rise up my neck and burn my cheeks. Even though I didn't want to, I couldn't help looking away and down at my own hands.

Commander Chase had been direct with me in a way no man ever had before, and it was completely disconcerting.

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair at his audacity. How dare he say something like that?

I gathered my courage and confidence and raised my eyes to meet his.

"How dare you insinuate such vulgar things?"

He tightened his hands around my thighs, and now our faces were so close that his forehead touched mine.

"I'm your husband now. I'll dare to do much more than that, princess." Saying that, he abruptly pulled away and drank more wine. He ran his hands through his black hair, leaving it tousled in a provocative way, then looked at me again.

"You blush so easily... It's been so long since I've seen a woman do that."

There was a certain fascination in his gaze that I couldn't explain. So, like a coward, I resorted to the easiest thing I could do. I drank my own wine and changed the subject.

"You fight very well, Commander," I complimented him. In my experience, men loved talking about themselves and their abilities, but his answer shocked me.

"I can teach you how to defend yourself."

I blinked, certain I had heard him wrong.

Then he insisted.

"Are you afraid of breaking a nail?" he teased.

"I'm not afraid of anything," I replied sharply.

He laughed.

"I'd like to know who you really are, princess. The diplomatic girl, or the girl with the sharp answers?" he murmured, leaning back against his chair.

I wanted to keep him talking about himself. However, he always managed to steer the conversation back toward me. It was frustrating to see how he dominated the environment around him.

"I think I need answers, Commander," I said, looking at him.

"John. You should call me John."

I hesitated for a moment.

"I need answers, John," I corrected myself.

He seemed pleased, then said:

"I like the sound of my name on your lips."

That left me disconcerted again, and I realized how easily he diverted the subject.

"Blushing again. It's actually quite funny."

He was making fun of me, and that made me furious.

"This amuses you, doesn't it? Making people uncomfortable around you," I shot back, drinking more wine at the same time.

He relaxed even further in his chair and gave me a wide smile, a bright smile. I had never seen him smile so openly like that. This way, he didn't seem nearly as intimidating.

"So I make you uncomfortable? Of all the sensations I imagined I would awaken in you, this one certainly wasn't at the top of the list, Helena."

He was clearly enjoying himself, and without thinking, I played along.

"I thought it was obvious what you awaken in me."

He took the wine from my hands before I could reach for it and, with a gesture, summoned a servant. Then he exchanged our wine for a drink I didn't recognize, but I knew it was stronger.

He poured the liquid into my glass and gestured for me to drink.

"It's not obvious at all, darling. Could you clarify?"

I drank the contents, which burned as they went down my throat, but after a few minutes, I also felt an incredible sensation.

"You can speak freely," he insisted.

What was he plotting?

I had a few more glasses of that wonderful drink and felt like I was floating on clouds. It had been so long since I'd felt this way!

A sudden wave of confidence and courage swept over me, and I looked at him.

"I think you're diabolical."

He didn't react at first. Then he burst out laughing.

"Why?"

"You show no remorse for the deaths at your hands."

He seemed to think about it.

"You want me to show remorse for one death in particular."

He was right, but I didn't want to acknowledge it at that moment.

"I don't trust you."

"That's the first sensible thing I've heard you say."

I looked at him, feeling deeply offended.

"Princess, I don't regret killing the man you loved, and I never will," he said, leaning closer to look at me. He raised his hand and lightly touched my cheek with his fingertips. I shuddered at his warm touch. "However, I regret what you had to go through at the queen's request," he continued, and I stiffened as I remembered what had happened a week ago, in that room.

The shame and humiliation surfaced again. I lowered my gaze to my hands once more, unable to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell her that you didn't run away?"

"Maybe because I don't want to be considered insane. Who would believe that I was controlled into leaving the palace?" I replied with a bitter laugh, leaning forward and drinking more.

He stared at me.

"You did the right thing by not telling her. It would only have made everything worse. But even so, I'm sorry. For everything."

I looked at John Chase when he said those words, and what I saw in his eyes was sincerity. Then I remembered his reaction in that room, the way he had insisted that it wasn't necessary for him, and how, at the first opportunity, he had left the room.

We stared at each other for several minutes until a servant interrupted us. He whispered something into John's ear, and John looked toward the other side of the hall, where the king and queen were standing. He nodded to them, and they nodded back.

The servant left, and his gaze returned to me.

"What is it?"

He gave me a slight smile and took my hand. His touch made my heart skip again.

"The king and queen say it's time to consummate the marriage."

My heart pounded wildly in my chest, and my hands trembled slightly. He squeezed them reassuringly. I nodded at him, and when I stood up, I felt a strong wave of dizziness caused by the drink. If the commander hadn't moved to my side and wrapped his arms around me, I would have fallen. In my ear, he murmured:

"Such a lightweight."