Luciana gasped, her hand pressed to her heart. Leo was magnificent, even without his powers.
“Surrender or die!” Leo shouted.
Tatiana screeched.
Chapter Seventeen
“I surrender,” the captain mumbled.
Leo leaned over, putting more weight on his booted foot that ground into Bougaire’s ribs. “What was that? I couldn’t hear you over all the cheering for your defeat.”
“I surrender!”
“Good choice.” Leo lowered his sword so the tip rested on the pavement stones of the courtyard. “Now here’s the deal. You pack your shit up, leave by noon, and keep going till you cross the Duchy of Vindalyn’s border. You’re banished for life. Got it?”
“Damn you!”
Leo scraped his sword along the stones till the edge was a mere inch from the captain’s face. “Are you in a position to make me angry?”
Bougaire grimaced. “Do whatever the hell you want. My life is over as it is. I’ve lost my Tatiana.”
“I’m glad you realize that.”
The captain snorted. “Not the way you think. She’s truly gone. I don’t know what they did to her.”
Leo straightened. “What are you saying?”
Bougaire’s eyes gleamed with malice. “I’m saying you’ll never have my Tatiana.”
“Bastard.” Leo knelt beside the man and gripped his throat with a gloved hand. There was a risk of shocking him, but at this point, Leo didn’t give a damn. The asshole had been defeated, but was still trying to jab at him. “She will be mine.”
The captain gritted his teeth. “That woman will be yours.” He motioned toward the gallery where the duke and his daughter were standing. “But she is not Tatiana.”
Leo was so stunned, he released the bastard for a few seconds. The man gasped for air, then Leo tightened his grip again. “You lie.”
Bougaire shook his head, his face turning red. “I knew … when I kissed her … not Tatiana.”
Leo let go and sat back on his knees. “I have no reason to believe you.”
Bougaire breathed heavily. “I know. I didn’t want to believe it, either.” He motioned toward her. “That … that woman looks just like Tatiana. But she didn’t kiss—”
“She no longer wants you. That’s why she resisted.”
“She didn’t taste the—” Bougaire hesitated when Leo drew back a fist. “She doesn’t act the same. And something about her speech seemed different.”
Leo lowered his fist. Dammit. He’d noticed her speech, too. He shook his head. “There are reasons for her different behavior. And she looks like Tatiana because she is her. Everyone, including her father, acknowledges her as Tatiana.”
The captain sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on. I just want to know what happened to my Tatiana.”
“She’s exactly the same, except she no longer wants you.” Leo rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. “You will leave by noon and never speak of her again.”
While Bougaire slowly stood, Leo called a few of his soldiers over. “Watch Bougaire and make sure he leaves.” His men saluted and followed Bougaire toward the western gate and the barracks that lay outside the keep.
Leo’s gaze drifted up to the gallery. The general and duke were applauding and beaming proudly at him. His heart softened. He’d been fortunate to grow up with General Hard-Ass on his side. Now another good fortune had befallen him. His future father-in-law seemed wise, powerful, and supportive. And the best fortune of all—his betrothed was the brave, beautiful, and clever Tatiana.
His eyes met hers. With a shy smile, she lifted a hand in greeting.
He raised his hand, then placed it over his heart, a sign that he was pledged to her, and with blushing cheeks she ducked her head. By the Light, he would swear she was unaccustomed to receiving attention from men. Somehow, she seemed completely innocent.
Dammit. Did she have an affair with Captain Bastard or not? Was she really Tatiana or not? It was quite possible that the captain had lied to him out of spite, but unfortunately the bastard had planted the seeds of doubt in Leo’s mind, and now he was finding them hard to ignore.
How could this woman be an imposter? She’d asked him to call her Ana. Why? Was she really Tatiana, but she simply wanted a different name to signify a new start with a new man? Or was she an imposter who felt uncomfortable whenever he called her Tatiana?
Unease tickled the back of Leo’s neck as more thoughts flitted through his mind. There had been a time when her speech had sounded like an islander. And then there was the odd message delivered to her by seals. Before the duel, she’d been talking to her father, but she’d kept looking to her right as if there’d been someone else taking part in the conversation. Who? The spirit of a dead person?
Leo shook himself mentally. Even if there was some strange shit going on, that didn’t mean she was an imposter. The weird stuff was easily explained if she was Embraced. Everyone, including her father, accepted her as the Lady of Vindalyn. That meant she was still his betrothed. She was also the woman he wanted, the woman he had sworn to protect.
He narrowed his eyes, watching her. The next time they met, she needed to answer his questions. He had to know the truth, the whole truth, if he was going to protect her.
* * *
“Has he said anything?” Leo asked as he entered the dungeon.