The Charmer

36

He set his jaw. Agony had shot through him when she’d declared, no, implied, she had not only taken a lover, but she’d chosen one who abused her. He’d had the sickest feeling of failure and loss, and a grief so fresh that furious searching for the lover had been the only thing to keep it at bay. All of that, only to discover her new ‘playmate’ was a villi! If he hadn’t already spoken to Jayems for her hand, he would have right then just to have the right to beat her!

Enunciating very clearly, he said, “I am going back to the others. You will be right behind me. If you are not…”

Fallon sighed and freed himself from Keilor’s grasp. He straightened his shirt and smiled wryly. “Rest easy, cousin. I have myself in hand. We’ll be right behind you. After all, I am rather fond of breathing.”

***

The first day of the tournament dawned bright and clear. Jasmine was nervous, but excited as well. Today promised to be an event to remember.

Their party, which consisted of Rihlia and Jayems, as well as Rihlia’s family, walked out to the stands, which had been set up around the training grounds. They were seated in a raised pavilion where they would have an excellent view of the event.

Keilor stood behind the pavilion, holding the reins of a stag. He was dressed in the uniform of the Haunt, with the red symbol of rank above his heart. He was talking to Knightin.

With a twinge of unease, she noticed he seemed to be armed with an unusual number of weapons. An engraved tomahawk hung from his wide black belt, and he had several throwing knives in addition to the g*n and long knife the Haunt regularly carried. “What’s he doing?”

Jayems answered, “Keilor is Master of the Hunt. Naturally he’s overseeing the event, and he’ll be opposing the contestants, along with several of the men who will be competing tomorrow.”

“Several?” she asked, surprised. “But won’t they be outnumbered? You said there are over a hundred cadets in the tournament today.”

Jayems snorted. “If they could be tired so easily by mere cadets they wouldn’t be in the ring tomorrow. Today will merely be a warm up for Keilor and the rest of your suitors.”

A frisson of alarm shook her at his words. “What do you mean, ‘and the rest of my suitors’?” she demanded, uncaring that they were close enough for Keilor to hear.

Giving her a sexy smile, Keilor answered for her. “Jayems gave me his permission to win you, of course.” His smile turned down right scintillating. “Wear something silver tomorrow night, Dragonfly.”

She blushed. A little bit scared, and more than a little bit excited, she ground out, “You can’t play!” What if he actually won? It was one thing to tease him into noticing her, another for him to be elevated to suitor. That was serious business. She wasn’t sure he was ready to belong to one woman. She hadn’t had long enough to convince him.

Keilor raised a brow and studied her with lazy possession. “Why not? I did give you a gift, didn’t I?”

Jasmine huffed even as her temperature shot up ten degrees. “You don’t count!”

With a husky laugh, he flicked a butterfly caress across her lips with his thumb. “I’m the only one who does.” He flashed perfect teeth at Jayems, full of good humor. “Your suitors can still have their reward. All they have to do is go through me.”

Jasmine stamped her foot, which would have shocked her if she’d been paying any attention. She couldn’t name the source of her acute agitation. “Why must you be so difficult?”

He just winked at her.

“This is hardly fair,” Jayems told him with a smirk, putting his arm around the seething Jasmine as he steered her firmly towards their family pavilion. “I ought to just hand the girl over to you, gift wrapped.”

Keilor grinned as Jasmine twisted futilely in an attempt to turn around and blast him. Interesting that she would direct her ire at him instead of Jayems. “Where’s the fun in that?”

***

The cadets had not been warned what to expect during the beginning of the tournament, except to be ready for anything, the Master of Ceremonies announced.

The stands were filled with a restless crowd of thousands. People had traveled for up to a week to see this tournament, and to see the skill of those under Jayems’ command. The measure of their warriors was the measure of their strength, and this exhibition was much more than just entertainment.

The only prohibition placed on the men had been no shifting, which had surprised most of them, since the Haunt always fought shifted.

Speculation had run wild over the first command until a rumor had sprung up that Jasmine wouldn’t recognize the warriors in Haunt, and she wished to remember the exploits of her favorites. After that all murmuring ceased, and the cadets walked around giving each other sly looks, each more sure than the last that the charmer would wish to remember him.

Jasmine didn’t need to know any of that. For her, this was only a day of excitement and thrill, and Keilor intended to make certain it was a day she would long remember.

Nervous and bright eyed, she stood in the pavilion and looked down over the banner-draped guardrail to the regimented soldiers. “I wanted to thank you for the gifts you sent when I was ill.” One corner of her lips tilted up, “It was almost worth being so sick if it meant I could look at such beautiful plants and flowers. And those candies!” She shook her head, plainly awed. “I think I’m ruined.”

The cadets were f*******n to even smile, but the audience chuckled. “Boys will be boys, I know, or men will be men, but for the sake of your mothers, guys, please be careful out there today.” She grinned wryly. “I’d hate to make enemies of half the Haunt population.” More laughter. She raised her fist over her head. “May the best man win!” The crowd roared in approval, and she laughed, looked down, and sat.

The games began.