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He closed his eyes. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. Shouldn’t there be a little bit of joy in making her his? “What do you want?”
There was silence, broken only by a faint rustling. When he opened his eyes she was buttoning his banyan over her chemise.
“Nothing, I think,” she said to her hands. Then, “My freedom, perhaps.”
Freedom. He stared. What did freedom mean to such a wild creature? Did she want to be entirely quit of him?
“I’ll not let you go,” he snapped.
She glanced up at him and her look was sardonic. “Did I ask you to?”
“Artemis—”
“At the moment,” she said, suddenly brisk, “the only thing I want is my brother’s release. You’ve put chains upon him.”
“Of course I put a chain on him—he’s recovering fast and he’s quite muscular.” He frowned on a thought. “You shouldn’t be visiting him now that he can move about—he might grab you.”
She gave him an incredulous look.
He grimaced. “I can find a suitable place for him, perhaps a room with a barred door—”
“You mean a cage.”
“We’ve already discussed this: I’ll not let a madman near you.”
She sighed and came to sit on the bed beside him. “He woke up in a tavern four years ago with the bodies of three of his friends around him. He didn’t kill them. The most he can be blamed for is drinking too much.”
Maximus cocked an eyebrow. “Then why was Kilbourne committed to Bedlam?”
She reached over and stroked his uplifted eyebrow. “Because no one believed him when he said he didn’t remember what had happened or how his friends came to be killed. Because my uncle thought it better to hurry him into Bedlam rather than risk a trial.”
“Yet you expect me to believe him innocent?”
“Yes.” Her lips twisted. “Or rather I expect you to believe me when I say that I know my brother and he would never kill any man, let alone his friends, in a drunken rage.”
He looked at her, so fiery, so brave in her defense of her brother and he felt jealousy that she might feel such strong emotion for anyone but him. “I’ll think on it.”
She frowned. “You can’t keep him locked up—”
“I can and I will until such time as I am satisfied in my own mind that he won’t do someone a harm. I promise to consider it. Don’t ask more of me now.” He saw her hurt and tried to grasp her hand, but she stood and her fingers slid away from him.
“I hope you’ll not bar me from seeing Apollo once he’s well,” she said stiffly.
He didn’t like her near anything that might harm her.
She must’ve seen his hesitation in his face. “You do know I’ve been visiting him in Bedlam by myself for years?”
He sighed. “Very well.”
She inclined her chin, as haughty as any queen. “You’re too kind.”
His blew out a breath in exasperation. “Artemis…”
But she’d already gone out the door.
He threw a pillow at it anyway.
Maximus sighed and quickly dressed before exiting his rooms in search of an answer.
