CHAPTER NINE

S ofia stood outside the operations room and telepathed Lance to let him know she was there. She had no idea why the prince wanted to speak to her, but she was intrigued.

And a little nervous.

“Hey, beautiful,” Lance greeted as the door opened and he pulled her up against him, their lips meeting in a delicious kiss.

She was so damn in love with her mate. He had the perfect mix of charm, loyalty, passion, and protective qualities she needed in a male. Especially after what had happened to her. His patience meant they could go at her pace, and when she was doing well, Lance turned up the heat. And whoa, did he deliver.

Sofia followed him into the room, and the door shut behind them. At the front of the room, the SLCs, the commander, and the prince were sprawled out around a desk with their heads down. Brayden nodded to her, and she gave him a little wave.

“Babe, I have some news,” Lance said, and she turned back to him.

“News?” she asked, frowning as he wrapped his arms around her. “What is it?”

Sofia wasn’t fond of surprises these days. In some ways, she was becoming a bit of a control freak. A side effect, she was sure, of having her power taken away from her by Stefano Russo.

“Please tell me it’s nothing bad,” she pleaded quietly.

He smiled down at her.

“No,” he replied, cupping her face. “The king has granted me permission to be Russo’s executioner.”

She gasped, and her mouth fell open.

Sofia knew how important this was to Lance. If she had her way, they would never see or speak of the evil vampire again. She nodded and let him pull her into his chest, knowing this was a form of healing for her mate, and she’d have to let him do it.

Lance was a strong and dominant warrior, and the king had obviously considered the crime to be so great, he had chosen to step aside so Lance could take his revenge on her behalf. But she took no joy in anyone’s death, even that of her abuser. A thought she would keep to herself.

“Thank you, mate, for honoring me by doing this,” Sofia told him, placing her hand on his face. His lips lowered to hers and held them for a long moment. It was a reminder of the promise he’d made to her as he’d carried her home wrapped in a blanket after saving her.

A throat cleared behind them. Brayden.

“I’ll leave you both to speak,” Lance said as Sofia curtsied.

“How are you doing, Sofia?” Brayden asked, leading her out of the room. It seemed odd that he would do that when the ops room was one of the most secure places in the castle. He opened the door to another small meeting room and indicated she should sit.

“Yes, very well. Thank you, Prince Bayden,” she replied. “And you? How is Willow? I haven’t seen her in days.”

He settled into his own chair, pushing it out to accommodate his bulky frame. Lance was a big vampire, but the prince was incredibly large. His presence itself could be overwhelming. Plus, he was astonishingly good looking. Not that she didn’t love her mate, but a girl could still be aware of another handsome male when she saw one.

One thing she always noticed about the Brayden was his strong sense of self. He knew who he was and had an abundance of confidence, but not in a cocky way; he was just comfortable in his own skin.

“Between the new baby prince and the PR job, Willow is keeping busy. I am sure she would enjoy seeing you when you have a free moment.”

She smiled, and the vibe shifted.

“Sofia, I wanted to speak to you about Anna,” Brayden said.

“Oh? Has something happened?” she asked, stiffening.

She took her role as carer to her two subjects very seriously. The prince held out a hand to halt her panic.

“No. She is perfectly safe and in good hands with Timmy and Jordan.”

She let out a sigh of relief.

“But I wanted to understand more about the need for her to have such a high level of security around her. Has she requested it?”

Sofia wondered what was behind his question. Brayden, like the king and queen, had showed a strong interest in the recovering of the survivors. “Can I ask why, my lord?”

Brayden stared at her for a long moment. “Is the plan not to help her assimilate back into normal life? Making friends, going out...”

Sofia nodded.

“Yes. However, Anna has not expressed any desire to do those things yet. Asking for a job was the first sign of her wanting to return to normal life , as you put it. But as she has not progressed in therapy, rather than me shadowing her at work, your security team is stepping in in a protective role.”

Brayden nodded. “I see. And are you aware your brother has befriended her?”

Sofia frowned, nodding. She was very aware. Not only had Timmy and Jordan advised her of their encounters but Ben himself had continued to ask her questions about Anna. “Yes. Unfortunately.”

Brayden studied her a moment.

“I’ll tell you my concerns around this, but I want to know why you are unhappy about it. Surely, sex, friendships, and the like are a sign of her progressing.”

Sofia sighed inwardly, even though she appreciated the prince speaking to her about it rather than making decisions that could harm Anna’s progress and care.

“Not in this case,” she replied. “I believe Anna is seeking distractions, rather than facing what happened. Victims often look for something to occupy their mind or body, and never move to a place of acceptance or forgiveness which would allow them to heal. Becoming sexually active with someone, or someones, could be more harmful than good for Anna. Unfortunately, we cannot tell Ben why he has to stay away from her.”

Brayden stood and walked to the window, where he stared out into the darkness.

Sofia waited for him to reply.

“Indeed. That is the problem. Ben may work for the Moretti army, but he doesn’t have the security clearance to know about the laboratory Anna was held in. His involvement with her, and the top-secret nature of that operation, complicates things.”

Sofia chewed her bottom lip. The prince was right.

“I don’t think Anna would say anything. She barely speaks about it during our therapy sessions,” she said; however, they both knew that when people became intimate, they often shared more than they should.

It was reasonable for the prince to be concerned about a leak between the two of them.

“No, but it’s a risk, and we cannot have this leaking out and causing widespread panic within the race,” Brayden pointed out. “And yes, I know, any of the survivors could speak. But the thing is—and I apologize, Sofia—but you know our concerns about your brother. He has been gone a long time and is less than forthcoming about where he has been.”

Sofia lowered her eyes.

It was hard for her to hear this. Her family had betrayed her to the rebellion, which had been soul crushing, so being reunited with her brother after seventy years was something she very much cherished.

Having him close, working at the castle, was wonderful.

It was true. Ben wasn’t forthcoming with where he had spent his life since leaving the family, but in her heart, she didn’t believe he could hurt anyone. Or betray the king. He was loyal to the Moretti’s. It was the reason he had argued with their father and left.

“So, you want me to keep them apart?” Sofia asked. “That could be difficult. Anna is not a prisoner, and Ben has always been a bit of a heartbreaker.”

“I can imagine,” Brayden said, letting out a small laugh.

It had been quite annoying when they were younger and in less open-minded times. He only had to wink, and the females lost their damn minds.

“No, I don’t want you to keep them apart. In fact, I’m concerned she may be his mate,” Brayden shared, holding up his palm when her mouth dropped open. “I’m not saying she is, but there seems to be a lot of that going around lately.”

Sofia’s blushed, suspecting he was referring to her and Lance.

“If they are, as you know, none of us can interfere,” Brayden reminded her. “So, I have a proposal for you instead.”

Damn, that did change things.

Sofia tilted her head. “I’m listening.”

brAYDEN LED HER BACK to the operations room and briefed them all on his plan.

“So, I’m back to spying for you all again,” Sofia groaned.

“Is it actually spying, though?” Craig asked, interrupting. He was thoroughly enjoying this. Sofia knew the big vampire disliked her brother.

“You have trust issues,” she said, pointing at the commander. “And yes, it is spying if you are asking me to lie and gather intel. On my own brother.”

“It’s one night,” Craig replied, referring to the evening out the prince was proposing. “Given your family history, Sofia, and the fact Ben disappeared for seventy years, don’t you want to know what he’s been doing?”

She sighed.

“He’s been vague as fuck: travel, surf, and hanging out. That’s all he’s fucking said. Come on,” Craig complained, rolling his eyes.

“Language,” Lance growled at the commander, stepping closer to her. She loved that when her mate was protecting her, he didn’t care who he was dealing with.

Craig shot Lance a look that wasn’t exactly an apology but more of an acknowledgment he’d been out of line. For all their faults, these dangerous warriors were respectful of mate relationships and females. She admired them for it greatly, even though she was irritated as hell right now.

“Then why is he working here?” she snapped at the commander.

“Speak to the king. He wouldn’t be if it was up to me.”

The two of them glared at each other.

“Okay, everyone, settle down,” Brayden interrupted. “We have no solid reason to distrust Ben, but we do have questions. I see this as an opportunity to perhaps kill two birds with one stone.”

“Nice analogy there, my man.” Craig laughed.

Brayden frowned.

Lance leaned against the desk and pulled Sofia into his side. “You don’t have to do this?”

Sofia looked at all the faces in the room and knew she did. She had brought Ben into their world, and Anna was her responsibility. After what Brayden had shared with her, this was potentially more serious than any of them yet realized.

“I’m not sure if Anna will want to leave the castle. She hasn’t indicated she feels safe enough yet,” she said. “But if all the females were going, she might. She has a bit of a girl crush on Willow.”

Brayden smiled. “That’s sweet.”

“What’s a fucking girl crush?” Craig asked, his head swivelling.

Sofia ignored him.

“Okay, those not on duty, please attend and take your mates and ladies along,” Brayden instructed. “We want him relaxed, trusting us, and opening up.”

“He’s not a fucking idiot. He’ll see right through this if he’s as trained as we think he is,” Craig warned.

“When we know Anna is attending, drop it into conversation, and I guarantee Ben will attend,” Brayden added, throwing Craig a dark look. “If the two of them are mates, then we have a fucking problem. She will inevitably tell him what she has been through.”

“If she is Ben’s mate, he won’t hurt her,” Sofia pointed out.

“No, he won’t. But until we know he’s trustworthy, this remains a leak risk,” Brayden said. “Sofia, Ben is highly trained, and we don’t know by who, or who he has been involved with. It isn’t just his vague, globe-trotting explanations. Ben is a warrior, powerful enough to challenge any one of us in this room.”

Her mouth opened.

Sofia knew Ben was buff, as the girls called him, but to hear the prince explain it like that, she suddenly understood their concern. He might be her brother, but Sofia had been on the inside of the danger the Moretti’s faced every day. While she hated to admit it, after being betrayed by her mother and father, she had to be realistic about the fact he may be a traitor, or lying.

For the sake of all of them, including Anna.

If Anna was Ben’s mate, there was another grave concern none of the males in the room had considered. Anna would have needs very few could comprehend. She had been kidnapped, tied to a steel bed, and incapacitated while being experimented on. The damage was hidden deep within her cheery nature.

How would Ben react if he found out?

He couldn’t have chosen a more broken little bird.

Sofia hoped, for both their sakes, that they weren’t mates, and she was going to do all she could to keep them apart.

Even if that meant throwing a few curveballs in the way.