“The way we treat the Riorcans is wrong,” Rhianne said softly. “I’m not blind to that. But Lucien has no choice. If he can’t make a decisive show of strength following this humiliating invasion, he’ll be challenged by a usurper, or several of them. We could have civil war.”
“I know.”
Dear Janto. Or was it Jan-Torres? Now that her anger had calmed and she was paying more attention to the way he’d handled the invasion and its aftermath, she realized it made no difference; he was the same man, and he was always trying to do the right thing, even when it cost him. Maybe she could help, in her small way. She slipped her hand under his shirt and found back muscles knotted tight with accumulated stress. “You’re tense.”
He nodded, groaning dully as her hands worked their way up to even tighter shoulders.
She removed her hand from his shirt and pointed at a wrought-iron chair, one of two that flanked a marble table on the balcony. Switching from diplomatic to the command form of the Kjallan language, she ordered, “Sit.”
His eyes crinkled with amusement. “Yes, Your Imperial Highness.” He sat in the chair.
She stood behind him, caressing his neck, but his collar was in the way. She tugged at his Mosari outer tunic. “May I take this off?”
He helped her remove it, and her hands went to work on his shoulders, massaging and kneading. She was no professional, but it didn’t seem to matter. His knotted muscles untangled anyway, melting to smoothness beneath her fingers. When she finished, he slumped groaning in the chair, his eyes half lidded—but he seemed in no danger of falling asleep. He eyed her over his shoulder. “Rhianne, are you seducing me?”
Her eyelids dropped, and her cheeks warmed. “Maybe.”
He held his hand out to her.
After a moment’s hesitation, she accepted it. He guided her to the front of the chair, pulled her into his lap, and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around his bare back and buried her head in his shoulder. Gods, she’d missed this. She’d been lonely without her Janto. “I’m so sorry. I assumed the worst of you, and I’m ashamed of the way I’ve been treating you.”
“The blame’s as much mine as it is yours.” Janto pulled her closer. “Vagabond’s breath, why did I think it necessary to lock up the woman I loved and trusted more than anyone in the world? No wonder you thought poorly of me—I was an absolute fool. Shall we forgive each other and never let it happen again?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Good,” said Janto. “That’s settled, then. You met my brother, did you not? Kal-Torres.”
“Your brother. I figured that was him. He looks so much like you, though not as handsome, of course.”
“You don’t think he’s handsomer than me?”
“Gods, no. Also, he’s too forward.”
Janto chuckled. “That’s his way. Usually it works for him.”
Rhianne leaned back so she could see his face and pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen over his eyes. “I know it’s easy for me to say, but ignore your brother’s empty words. You did the right thing in offering the Riorcans asylum, and you’ll just have to be compassionate with Kal. Think how it must be for him, always in the great man’s shadow.”
He blinked. “Did you just call me a great man?”
“You’re the greatest man I’ve ever known.”
Janto’s eyes glistened.
“I want you to know,” she added, “that if Kal-Torres ever picks a fight with you again, I’m slapping him silly.”
“Now I want him to fight with me, just so I can see that.” He kissed her, slow and languorously, reacquainting himself with every inch of her mouth.
“Alligator,” she breathed. “I missed you.”
“You decided I’m the Janto you knew from the garden after all?”
“Janto and Jan-Torres were the same man all along. I just didn’t believe it until you proved it to me.”
He brushed the hair out of her face so he could look her in the eye. “And do you think you might love this Jan-Torres enough to marry him?”
“I don’t think I could bear it if I didn’t,” said Rhianne. “I thought of you far away on Mosar, all by yourself, or maybe even courting some Inyan princess, and the thought horrified me! You’re my alligator. I’m going with you to Mosar, and if you try to tell me otherwise, I shall be stowing away on your ship.”
Janto broke into a grin. “We can’t have stowaways, so we’d better make it official.”
“I do have one condition,” said Rhianne. “We take Morgan with us and bring him into our royal service. He’s unhappy here and needs a new beginning.”
Janto grunted his displeasure. “I don’t like that Morgan fellow.”
“Two conditions,” said Rhianne. “You get over being jealous of Morgan.”
“Do I get another kiss if I agree to these conditions?”
“Absolutely.”
“It’s a deal,” said Janto.
Rhianne seized his mouth with her own, not giving a kiss but taking one. He was her delicious Mosari islander, and she’d been away from him for a long time, and they had until dawn. If Jan-Torres thought he was getting any sleep tonight, he was mistaken.
When they separated, he said, “What’s Lucien going to say?”
“Since I’m going of my own accord, he won’t interfere. I’ll tell him.”
“Not now, I hope.” He nuzzled her neck.
“Tomorrow,” she breathed.
“I have a confession to make,” said Janto.
Her eyebrows rose. “What?”
“I’m a poor traveler. I get seasick.”
“If you’re going to get sick tomorrow, we’ll have to get our fill of each other now.” She sought his lips again.
Janto rose from the seat, lifting her with him, and laid her on the marble table. He leaned over her, framed her face in his hands, and kissed her deeply.
“Janto,” she murmured into his mouth, “this table is marble.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
The kiss was lovely. The cold, hard surface beneath her, less so. She pinched him to get his attention. “Do you have any idea how hard marble is?”
“I know something harder,” he growled. He straightened, lifted her off the table, and set her on her feet. “All right. Let’s go inside and do this properly. Now, if you please.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Her laughter, born of pure happiness, floated up like bubbles in a champagne glass. She tripped toward the entryway with Janto at her heels.
Praise for Assassin’s Gambit
“A strong debut launching an Ancient Rome–inspired romantic fantasy series. . . . The main characters have excellent chemistry, meshing right from the start. In addition to the richly imagined world and a delightfully entertaining tale of magic and intrigue, Raby also delivers an understated yet versatile magic system and a convincing, sensitive portrayal of Vitalia’s efforts to reclaim her life from post-traumatic stress.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Raby’s debut heralds the arrival of a terrific new fantasy romance voice joining the genre. Assassin’s Gambit is a multifaceted tale of the sacrifices demanded in the battle over an empire. The hero and heroine of this story are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but are smart enough to see the benefit in collaboration. Raby ably demonstrates that she has a gift for storytelling and readers will absolutely look forward to the next installment of the Hearts and Thrones Series!”
—Romantic Times (4 stars)
“Impressive . . . the best debut book/author this year . . . a wonderful epic fantasy romance.”