Page 76 of The Queen’s Bodyguard

“Let’s go,” he said as if reading her mind.

Theora nodded and followed him out of the room.

Chapter 22

Argos

If Argos had his way, he would remove Theora from the colony completely and take her home—it was much easier to hunt down prey when he wasn’t worried about someone else’s safety. He didn’t believe Theora would be out of danger no matter where they were kept. Still, it would’ve been useful if security had moved their room, in case the assassin was aware of where they were staying.

As soon as they were inside, he locked the door and sat Theora on the couch. Now that they were shut away, she seemed particularly weary, not protesting him handling her, saying nothing as he went about examining the room. The only time she moved was when he went from the open-concept living area and kitchen to the large bedroom, following him in without a word and sitting on the bed to wait.

Killers, danger, the threat of death—he had dealt with those all his life. It was Theora’s silence that unnerved him more than anything.

“You’re safe,” said Argos.

That seemed to be enough. Theora breathed in relief, removing her jewelry to place it on the bed’s side table. “You can shower first.”

“I don’t want you out of my sight,” he said, shutting the door of the closet.

“I’ll wait right here, on the bed,” she said, a tremor in her voice that instantly made him want to protect her.

Argos locked the bedroom door—and the closet while he was at it. “The bathroom door stays open,” he said.

Theora nodded.

He took only two minutes, but by the time he emerged, Theora had already changed into plush loungewear. She stood in front of the doorway, holding a pair of Argos-sized sweatpants out in front of her.

“Not too wet?” she asked, grinning slightly.

Argos looked down at the towel wrapped around his waist, suddenly recalling the night she’d brought him home. But he was too focused on his job now to worry about whether or not a towel was too soaked to function. “Would you prefer me without it?”

She cleared her throat, holding the sweatpants out to him again. They were in a serious predicament, but there was something so adorably sexy about the way she blushed over that one small comment. Still, he put the pants on, while Theora quickly grabbed a fresh undergarment and her robe and went into the bathroom.

He caught the door before she could shut it. She jolted, causing her to drop the clothing she held, and his stomach twisted—he hated the idea of scaring her at a time like this. Worse yet, she didn’t chastise him for it. She was trembling. She was…not herself.

He picked up the clothes from the cold tile, hung them on the towel rack for her. Then he leaned over and rubbed the back of her neck, gently. That seemed to settle her a bit, but Sovereign…he wanted to do more for her. More than kill for her. He wanted to comfort her.

His other hand found her cheek, and his breath nearly caught as she leaned into it. He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead before he could stop himself. His body wanted more, but this was hardly the time.

He still had a job to do.

“This door stays open,” he said, which had been the whole point of catching it. That one simple act was never supposed to lead to…feelings.

She nodded, and he left her in the bathroom alone.

Get over it, Argos. You don’t get to keep her…

When Theora was finished showering, she exited without a word and lay down on her side of the bed on top of the covers. The two of them were quiet for a moment, before she broke the silence. “We’re stuck in this room for the time being. What do you think we should do?”

Argos choked on a laugh. “I could go hunt down a certain Vespulan.”

“Not funny.”

Not kidding.

Theora groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening. Lasius is supposed to be the most secure colony there is. Everyone does peace negotiations here and there’s never been a problem. I just wish I knew what went wrong.”

Argos chewed on his lip. “I know you probably don’t want to consider this, but I’m pretty sure Apollo had something to do with it.”