6. Rainer

6

RAINER

T he woman who'd danced with Prince Xander was in the training room again.

Rainer stared at her from the doorway, knowing he should leave but unable to force himself. Her slumped shoulders betrayed her grief but did nothing to take away from the grace with which she moved. The smoothness of her exercises suggested she was a trained fighter, but she wore the fine dress of a lady.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. When he saw her, his body was a symphony of sensations. His heart raced, his mouth went dry, and there was a sharp tug in his chest. Rainer may not have remembered who exactly she was, but his body seemed to.

Mine. Again, the word sliced through his mind like a sword, leaving him wincing in pain. He shook it off.

It felt impossible that he knew so little about her—like he recognized her on sight, but could not make sense of the context of her.

From the first moment he laid eyes on her, she seemed to pull the light in the room, as if some unseen force was trying to highlight her. He had to have known her before, but when he searched his memories for her, he found nothing .

She turned suddenly, and her bright cerulean eyes met his. She blinked up at him, her lips parted in a gasp, which he'd realized too late was because he'd crossed the room and touched her arm.

It was as if his feet had a mind of their own.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but he didn't step back.

"Hello," she said.

"I'm Guardian Rainer McKay," he said dumbly.

"I know."

A wave of frustration surged into his chest. It must have been his own, but it was so strong and sudden it confused him. He could swear it belonged to her because it matched her expression. Did he offend her by touching her?

Her brow softened. Suddenly the frustration turned into such a sharp longing it stole his breath. He could not figure out what he wanted, only that he felt the yearning intensely.

She smelled like the childhood he couldn't remember—a haunting combination of lemons and lavender. He fought the impulse to hug her. He was a fighter trained to defend himself, yet he automatically opened up his stance to make room for her. That alone made him feel like he was losing what was left of his mind.

Everyone said the memory loss was normal, but he wanted to remember this woman very badly.

Tearing her gaze from his, she looked down to where he touched her arm. A curl fell in front of her eyes and he instinctively tucked it back behind her ear. Her eyes went wide. It was far too familiar. He'd made her uncomfortable.

She pulled away from him, clasping her hands and running her thumb over her inner wrist. The light caught on a ring on her finger.

"You're engaged," Rainer blurted out.

She looked crestfallen as she met his gaze again. "I am."

She belongs to someone else, Rainer—stop ogling her.

"And you love him?" He couldn't stop his stupid mouth from asking the question.

Her eyes were glassy. "With all my heart."

Rainer felt such a sharp pain in his chest that he brought a hand over his heart. He couldn't seem to take a deep breath. A moment later, the feeling was replaced with an incredible rush of warmth and love. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, there were tears streaming down the woman's face.

He had to know her, but how could he have forgotten that face?

A flurry of footsteps interrupted them as King Vincent and Prince Xander entered the room.

"Rainer! I see you've met my fiancée," Vincent said.

"Your fiancée, Your Majesty?" Rainer asked.

The woman discreetly brushed away her tears before turning to face the king.

"Of course, you've met many times before—Lady Cecilia Reznik," Vincent said. "I'm very happy to say that you saved her life during the attack."

Vincent swept across the room and kissed the Lady Reznik's hand. Her whole body went rigid when his lips touched her skin.

Rainer felt an unnatural rage rise up in him. He was furious the king had touched her, but that didn't make sense. His allegiance was to the king, not to this woman.

Prince Xander's eyes were also on Lady Reznik. His gaze was full of sadness. He did nothing to hide his feelings for her, even in front of King Vincent. It had been one thing to witness Xander's flirtation when he thought he was alone in the training room with her, but to see the open adoration on his face in front of everyone was strange.

Xander raised an eyebrow, but Lady Reznik shook her head. The two seemed able to communicate through a look. The strangest surge of jealousy twisted in Rainer's chest.

Vincent studied Rainer seriously. "You seem frustrated."

"I just hate that I can't remember simple things like this. How can I do my job and protect you if I don't even know who your threats and allies are?" Rainer huffed.

"Rainer, you are one of a kind. Don't be so hard on yourself. It will come back to you eventually, and if it doesn't, we will form new, better memories. You're like family to me," Vincent said.

Rainer flushed with pride .

"We all have suffered with this attack. But we will root out our enemy and I will have vengeance for my beautiful fiancée."

Rainer looked from Vincent to Lady Reznik. Her gaze was cast down to the floor and her hands shook where they were clasped in her skirts. Rainer thought back to the way she'd panicked in the training room the day before with Xander and how the prince had asked before he touched her.

Someone had hurt her badly, and that filled Rainer with rage so potent he could barely see straight.

"Come, dear, we'll be late for tea with the court," Vincent said, sliding his arm around Lady Reznik.

The prince might have been delicate with her, but the king didn't seem nearly as concerned with her comfort.

Rainer shook his head. It was none of his business.

The king led Lady Reznik away. Rainer wanted to follow, but he forced himself to walk in the opposite direction. He needed time and space to process all he'd learned.

Lady Reznik. The name was so familiar. He scoured his brain but found no memory of it. What had she suffered during the attack?

King Vincent said that Rainer had saved her, but she still seemed traumatized, skittish—like a wounded animal. The fact that she didn't like to be touched was all he needed to know, especially after Rainer had seen the obvious intimacy between her and the prince, but she'd still struggled to let him touch her.

The thought of her being hurt twisted Rainer's gut. He knew well enough that some men looked at a wild woman and saw only something to be broken and tamed.

Rainer walked down another hallway toward the stables. Fresh air might do him good. He was about to round a corner when he heard her name on another man's lips. He paused and waited to hear more.

"You should have seen Lady Reznik in those lace undergarments. She's petite, but she has a fine ass," the guard said.

Rainer's whole body went rigid.

"And those perky tits," a second guard sighed. "Only someone who was asking for a good fuck would wear such scandalous lacy undergarments."

The words ignited a strange knowing in Rainer's body. He could not remember what exactly he'd saved Lady Reznik from, but now he wasn't sure he wanted to remember. If the guards had seen her in a state of undress, it could only mean that at the very least she'd been humiliated during the attack on the castle. Rainer could hardly contain the fury that built in him. It burned like a wildfire.

"I wish I could have had a chance to give her some discipline myself," a third guard added. "It was nice to see that snotty little witch get what she deserved."

"I'll tell you what, I wouldn't mind seeing our queen-to-be on her knees with my cock in her smart mouth. That'd shut her up right quick. I'd teach her to like it. I'd fuck the attitude right out of her," the first guard laughed.

Rainer saw red. He tore around the corner. His hand shot out and pinned the man to the wall.

"What the—" The guard choked and clawed at Rainer's fingers.

"Are you talking about Lady Reznik?" Rainer gritted. "The king's betrothed?"

The guard stared at him with wide eyes and nodded.

"You think it's funny to enjoy a woman's terror?" Rainer asked. "To talk about what she looks like in her undergarments when she was powerless because you didn't do your job and protect her?"

Rainer barely had a chance to register the confusion on the guard's face. He pulled his fist back and punched him. Rainer smiled at the satisfying crack of his cheekbone. The other men were frozen in place and did nothing to help their friend. Rainer punched the man until his face was a bloody pulp and he slumped lifelessly to the floor.

Rainer turned to the other two startled guards.

"You!" He grabbed the guard who suggested that Lady Reznik's undergarments meant she was asking to be assaulted. He shoved the man into the wall, holding him there by his neck. The guard squirmed, but Rainer was bigger, stronger, and blind with rage .

"Tell me: if I use your logic, I could say that you're asking to be punched in the face by saying such idiotic things, no?" Rainer taunted.

"Vern's not breathing," the other guard whispered, having checked on their friend.

The man in his grip struggled, but Rainer just smiled at him.

"Please," the guard begged.

"Is that what she said while you were busy looking at what she was wearing instead of protecting her?" Rainer asked.

The guard's gaze darted around like he didn't know the right answer.

"Answer me!" Rainer shouted into his face.

"No, she didn't beg. She didn't scream until he made her," the guard said shakily.

Rainer couldn't think through the rage of imagining someone making Lady Reznik scream. He slammed the man's skull into the wall repeatedly until his head was a bloody mess.

Finally, he turned to the last man. Clearly, Rainer had failed the future queen, and she'd paid a heartbreaking price.

He took the dagger from the last guard's hip sheath. The man had the sense to fight, but he was no match for Rainer's rage. Rainer slit his throat and dropped him on the floor like garbage.

He watched the blood pool on the floor dispassionately. His memory hadn't returned, but his body knew it all at once.

He was a thing that men knew to fear. He was a force they knew not to reckon with, and for the first time since waking, Rainer felt satisfaction in that.

He stormed down the hall, taking turn after turn until he finally stumbled outside, hoping the cool air would calm his mind.

Rainer was still a bit lost on the castle grounds, and it took him a moment to realize he was in the royal gardens. The smell of roses blended with the cold mountain air. He bent over with his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths. His mind spun wildly. He felt panicked and so unbelievably angry. As his breathing settled, he finally stood and looked around .

The king and several prominent members of his court were gathered in a sitting room in front of large glass windows, looking out to the garden where Rainer stood. Rainer searched the room, looking for Lady Reznik, finally spotting her standing apart from everyone else, sipping a cup of tea in the far corner of the room by the door that led outside.

He stared at her through the glass. She radiated loneliness. He could feel it even from where he stood. In a room full of bright scarlets and deep plums, her black dress marked her as the only mourner in a sea of revelers.

Suddenly, Lady Reznik's eyes connected with his and went wide. She dropped her teacup and the whole room jumped, turning to look at her.

She pushed through the glass door into the garden.

"Are you all right?" Lady Reznik asked breathlessly.

Rainer looked down. He hadn't realized he was so cold. The blood was turning tacky on his hands. "It's not my blood."

She let out a breath, her shoulders relaxing. They stood there staring at each other in silence for a few moments, but it wasn't awkward. Instead, the tightness in Rainer's chest started to unwind and the rest of the world seemed to go quiet.

Finally, they were joined by the king. Lady Reznik flinched as his hand slid to the small of her back.

"Rainer, Rainer, Rainer…what am I going to do with you?" Vincent said with a grim smile. "I understand that you killed three of my guards. I appreciate your fierceness, but I can't have you taking out your anger on my men."

Rainer nodded. "I apologize, Your Majesty. They were?—"

Vincent looked at him expectantly.

"They were saying crude things about Lady Reznik and the attack. It was disgusting and conduct very unbecoming of your royal guard," Rainer said.

Lady Reznik looked like she wanted the ground to open and swallow her up. Prince Xander appeared beside her and lightly brushed her arm with his own. If Rainer hadn't seen them the day before, he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but he knew it was the prince trying to offer what little comfort he could publicly.

"Is that so?" Vincent asked.

Rainer faltered slightly, but Vincent seemed to appreciate the conviction. "Yes."

"You seem to have a lot of rage," Vincent said, more to himself than Rainer. "Seems that my trickster delivered as promised."

Lady Reznik bristled next to him.

"Come with me," Vincent said. "You too, Xander."

Rainer had no choice but to follow. He had no idea if he was being marched to his own doom or someone else's.

He followed as Vincent wove through the hallway and up a staircase until they approached the heavy wooden door of the tower lockup.

Several guards sat in separate cells. They wore the scarlet regalia of the rebels that supported Xander Savero, unlike the black and gold that Vincent's men wore.

"Rainer, I'm happy to see that you have so much energy to expend," Vincent said. "I've had a particularly hard time getting information out of these guards."

Rainer's eyes passed over the guards warily. They were already bloodied, several fingers on each of their hands broken.

"You want me to get information out of them?" he asked.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you need reminders. Forgive me. This was one of your former jobs as my top guard. It should come as an instinct," Vincent said reassuringly.

Rainer looked at the prisoners again. Nothing about this felt natural to him.

"If it helps, these are the men that allowed my Cecilia…and you…to be hurt," Vincent said.

That was all it took. These men were just like the ones downstairs who thought that a woman's terror and humiliation were fodder for jokes. Rainer relished the opportunity to dissuade them of that notion .

"Xander, you'll supervise. I advise not getting in his way. If you'd seen my guards, you'd understand," he said.

Vincent left the two of them there. All three guards looked at Xander, though Rainer couldn't understand why. They'd waged a rebellion in his name that had led to violence against Lady Reznik, whom the prince was clearly fond of.

One by one their faces fell when they realized the prince would not be their salvation.

Rainer unlocked the first cell.

The man stood helplessly at the center of the chamber. He was filthy and bloody and the smell of him was nearly enough to make Rainer's eyes water.

"Tell me what happened during the rebellion. How did you assist the rebels?" Rainer asked.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He gasped and choked. Finally, he sighed helplessly, tilting his head back.

Rainer didn't hesitate. He punched the man in the face. The guard stumbled back.

"I swear. I can't say anything about it. I would if I could," the guard panted, trying to breathe around the pain of the blow.

"McKay, he seems like he's telling the truth," Xander said.

Rainer paid him no mind. "I'll stop when he tells me what the king wants to know."