“Aye.” General Harden gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep them safe.” He strode toward the fortress with Nevis at his side.
Leo watched them go. His plan had worked. Too damned well. The assassins had tried to complete their mission before the Beast could arrive. But dammit, they might have succeeded tonight if Tatiana had been in her bed where she belonged.
Shit! He could have lost her. He tilted his head back, dragging his gloved hands through his hair. To hell with the plan. He couldn’t hide here in the camp any longer. Tatiana was his betrothed. He should be with her, guarding her himself.
No one would dare mess with the Beast.
* * *
Luciana was back in her mother’s room in the tower. Under normal circumstances, she would have rejoiced that her father had moved her here. Now she had a much greater chance of meeting her mother.
But circumstances were far from normal. Someone had tried to kill her, and according to her father, the assassin was following orders from the king.
The king wants me dead. The words repeated in her mind as she paced back and forth in the dark room. Father had insisted she stay hidden here for a few days.
Only a little moonlight came through the two windows. The candlestick on the bedside table cast a flickering glow against the walls, making shadows loom and fall as if they were reaching out to grab her.
She shuddered. Her imagination was getting out of hand. But why shouldn’t she be afraid? The king wanted her dead.
Her mind replayed the conversation with her father. Every shocking word. And the gut-wrenching screech from Tatiana when she’d learned that she’d been poisoned.
Luciana paused by the window overlooking the Southern Sea. The twin moons were setting in the west, where the Isle of Moon slept peacefully in the ocean. Out there was her home, her sisters. And here, assassins waited for their chance to kill her and her father.
Tears stung her eyes. All those years when she’d imagined true love and adventure beyond the convent, she hadn’t realized what a safe haven it was. She reached a hand through the window, wishing she could touch her sisters.
Father had offered to send her back. He’d said he could tell everyone that she had died. Then he would secretly send her back. And she would be safe.
Home. With her sisters.
She sang softly, “My true love lies in the ocean blue. My true love sleeps in the sea. Whenever the moons shine over you, please remember me. My lonesome heart is torn in two. My grief runs deep as the sea. Whenever the waves roll over you, please remember me. Please remember me.”
A tear slid down her cheek and angrily, she brushed it away. This was no time to be a homesick coward! She’d gone into this deception knowing it would be dangerous. She couldn’t surrender to fear at the first sign of trouble.
“Why are you upset?” Tatiana wailed behind her. “I’m the one who was murdered!”
Luciana whirled around to find her sister with tears running down her cheeks. As soon as Tatiana had heard the news from Father, she’d screeched and promptly vanished. “Where did you go? I was worried about you.”
“Were you really?” Tatiana gave her a dubious look.
“Of course.”
Tatiana sniffed. “It’s not fair. The king killed me just so he could get this moldy old castle.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It should be a crime to kill someone young and beautiful like me!”
Luciana sighed. “It is a crime. But apparently, the king can get away with it.”
Tatiana stomped a foot silently. “I should go to his palace in Ebton and sneak into his rooms. Yes!” She lifted her arms, her hands curled into claws. “I’ll haunt him without mercy. He’ll never know a minute of peace again!”
A sudden thought occurred to Luciana. “You can sneak into rooms.”
“I know.” Tatiana rolled her eyes. “I just said that.”
“Father thinks the assassin could be a new guard.”
“So?”
“Instead of haunting the king, you could sneak into the barracks and watch the guards.” Luciana stepped toward her sister. “You are uniquely qualified to be a spy!”
“I am?”
“Yes. Tatiana, you could find the assassin!”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Y-you really think I could?”
“You could save Father’s life. You could be a hero.”
“Oh.” With a sly smile, Tatiana curled a lock of hair around her finger. “Yes, I suppose I could.” Her eyes lit up. “Why didn’t I think about sneaking into the barracks before? I could watch the guards taking off their clothes!”
“Wait a minute. Don’t forget your mission.”
Tatiana clapped her hands together, then whirled in a circle. “I’m so excited!” She vanished.
“Wait—” Luciana sighed. Well, at least her sister was no longer upset. And she couldn’t actually get into any danger.
There was a loud pounding on her door. “Are you all right, my lady?” Jensen yelled.
“Yes.” She raised her voice so he could hear her through the thick door. “I was just talking to myself.”
She roamed about the room. It was much smaller than Tatiana’s bedchamber, but she liked it that way. It was cozy, and she enjoyed the fresh sea air that wafted through the windows. The wooden table and chairs in front of the hearth were simple in design. The bed was smaller than Tatiana’s, but still bigger than she was accustomed to.