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That was definitely not going to happen. The only one he’d shed his clothes for and climb into bed with was Bliss.
“I can’t bear being alone,” she said with tears in her eyes. “The nightmares are”—she shuddered—“Please, I don’t want to be alone.”
Guilt twisted at his stomach. How could he not empathize with all that she had suffered and help ease a burden he would only add to.
He sat on the side of the bed, and she reached out to him. He took hold of her hand, her slim fingers wrapping around his.
“Thank you for being so understanding,” she said. “But then you have always been an honorable man and a considerate lover”—she yawned and closed her eyes—“a man worthy of being king.”
He sat staring at her as she drifted off to sleep. He laid her limp hand at her side and couldn’t help but recall how often she had made mention of his being king. She had been well aware that of the four brothers, one of them was the true king. She had seemed convinced that it was he.
His da’s words certainly had stirred a hornet’s nest. Suddenly, Leora had seemed different than he had remembered her. He left the room with haste, not wanting to chance her waking again.
Reeve’s bedchamber wasn’t far from his, and he was eager to see his wife and talk with her. He stopped abruptly, two things suddenly heavy on his mind. One, he carried Leora’s scent on him, and, two, he had no doubt his wife already was aware that Leora had kissed him.
Had she seen the whole of it, or had she wondered over it?
He didn’t want to wait to find out, and since she knew of the kiss, the scent would not matter. Or would it? He hurried to Reeve’s bedchamber and eased the door open, not wanting to disturb her if she had fallen asleep.
Trey hurried over to the large bed and stared at it.
It was empty.
Chapter 28
Trey raced through the keep, searching for his wife. No matter where he went or whom he spoke with, no one had seen her. He couldn’t understand how she could just vanish without a trace. Someone had to have seen her somewhere.
The one person he hadn’t truly wanted to see, though she knew everything that went on in the keep, was his mum. She had an instinct about her and could always tell when he and his brothers were lying. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he wasn’t ready to discuss his problem.
“Have you seen Bliss, Mum?” he asked, entering the great hall as she was leaving it.
“She’s where Dolca settled her in Reeve’s bedchamber.”
Trey shook his head. “I stopped by to see how she was doing, but she wasn’t there.”
Mara wrinkled her brow. “That’s odd. She was so tired that I assumed she’d be fast asleep by now.”
“I thought the same myself,” Trey said, his worry growing.
“Shouldn’t you be with Leora instead of concerning yourself with Bliss?”
When she hooked her arm with his and walked them to the table in front of the hearth, not even waiting for an answer, he knew he was in trouble.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked, pointing to the bench for him to sit.
His mum’s intense stare had him keeping his mouth shut. How he’d get out of this unscathed he didn’t know.
“You may have been shocked to see that Leora was still alive, but you didn’t seem as happy to see her as I expected you to be.”
“It’s the shock of it all,” he said, feeling safe to blame his reaction on it. “I had thought her dead, and here she is, alive. Weren’t you just as shocked?”
“It near knocked me off my feet to see her alive though it was with tears and a hug that I greeted her.” Her brow wrinkled. “It was strange though that she chose to keep to herself while waiting for your return. Leora was like a daughter to me, but now ...” She shook her head. “She has changed though no doubt not through any fault of her own.”
He seized on her words. “You’re right, Mum, Leora is different, and I think she and I need time to get to know one another again.”
Mara’s hand went to rest on her hip, and she grinned. “Don’t be thinking you can lie to me and get away with it. What’s going on? You were more concerned with Bliss’s well-being than Leora’s return.”
Part of the truth might be enough to appease her. “I’m in love with Bliss.”
