Page 7 of Back to Claim His Crown
‘Clearly not.’
His pale gaze flicked around the room again.
‘There isn’t one in here either,’ she added.
His attention returned to her, yet she felt as if he’d been aware of her every movement, every quickening breath all along.
And now he was even more stone-like. ‘Unfortunately, your mother has already left.’
‘What?’ Her legs felt wobbly.
‘Your sisters took her. They left in a jet two hours ago. Hitched a ride with the prime minister, I believe.’
‘What?’How could he tell her this with such ambivalence? Her confusion grew. ‘But you just asked me where they all were! Why did you do that if you already knew?’
His mouth tightened. Then he released a sharp breath. ‘I wanted to see if you knew. If you’d chosen to remain deliberately.’ His gaze travelled down her dress and his mouth tightened. ‘Perhaps you didn’t. But perhaps your mother wanted you to be stuck here.’
‘Why would she wantthat?’ Zara stared at him uncomprehendingly until her sluggish brain crawled to the most embarrassing conclusion. ‘You don’t think she wanted me to throw myself on your mercy?’ She stared, aghast, at the obvious cynicism sharpening his gaze and spoke again before thinking. ‘To throw myself atyou?’
The thing was, it was exactly what her motherwouldwant. She’d just have no faith that Zara would ever be capable of it. Rightly so, because Zara wasn’t. She was appalled and ached unbearably at her family’s rejection. The negative assumption of the man standing before her merely compounded the misery. She wasstupidlyhurt.
‘A distasteful idea, I see.’ A self-mocking smile flashed on his lips too briefly.
It was her mother’s abandonment that was distasteful. Not, unfortunately,him.
‘Do you think I am more dangerous to you than Anders?’ he asked.
Yes. A million timesyes.
Anders had never left her breathless. Or confused. Or questioning everything. Feeling oddly dizzy, she rubbed her forehead, trying to think and failing to ease the tension headache that had been building in intensity for hours. The diamond drop earrings on loan from the Monrayne vault were heavy. She wasn’t used to wearing jewels like them. How had she ever thought she could carry off this performance? Because it was just a performance. A charade she’d tried to get through in order to make a better life. And yes, she couldn’t get herself out of costume. She was stuck. Shamed. Unwanted and abandoned in a palace she couldn’t escape.
Story of her life.
‘You need assistance with those too, I see,’ he muttered sardonically.
He leaned in, not giving her any space to escape. She was too surprised to step back anyway. She felt that warmth of him again—so at odds with his cool demeanour.
‘Hold still,’ he growled.
With slow care he removed one earring. Then the other. She held her breath the whole time. It seemed incongruous that this very large, lethally strong man who was clearly suppressing raging fury could be so gentle. Her heart thudded. He wasn’t the charming-looking young prince of a decade ago. He was angrily ice-cold and ruthless and could easily hurt her. Yet she wasn’t afraid. Because there’d been that moment in the cathedral where everyone had disappeared and she’d seen only him and he’d looked right back at her and maybe it was all in her head but she was sure something had passed between them. A recognition of emotion. Of understanding.
It happened again now. For a long moment she was lost in the depths of his eyes—like a crevasse in which she endlessly plummeted—until she blinked and inwardly cringed at her own flight of fancy. It would be so mortifying if he guessed what she was thinking.
‘Better?’ He sounded almost tender—but as if he cared?
She was mistaking quiet query for tenderness. And her, ‘Thank you,’ came out sharper than she intended.
He weighed the earrings in the palm of his hand and then set them on the low table near them. ‘Why do you have your nails so long when you can’t seem to do anything with them that length?’
‘I don’t usually. I bite them. These are fake.’ Her whole look today was fake. ‘My natural nails are so unsightly they had to be covered up.’
‘Rendering you incapable at the same time?’
Because she wasn’t used to them. She gritted her teeth. Did he have to point out the obvious quite so brutally? Did he havenoheart—no compassion for her situation?
No. Compassion wasn’t something this man would feel. He was too full of vengeance.
Yet she couldn’t step away from him. Couldn’t seem to do anything other than absorb his presence. Vital energy emanated from him with such intensity she couldn’t understandhowhe had remained hidden for so long.
