Vaaden Warriors 1: Rheul by Jessica Coulter Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

paid slaves from the start, and my first client was kind to me. It could have been worse."
    "If you're sure you don't mind talking to her, I'll take you by there today. Maybe she'll tell you what's going on in her head since she won't talk to me."
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    Later that afternoon, Moira and I entered the slave quarters. I kept her close, not wanting any harm to befall her while she was under my care. If anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself. I was amazed that not only had one slave gotten under my skin, but it seemed I'd come to care for two of them. If Bastian knew, he'd be laughing his head off.
    When we entered the apartment, I didn't see Darcy.
    "Darcy?"
    She materialized in the bedroom doorway. When her eyes lit on Moira, they narrowed, and her mouth thinned.
    "Is this why you haven't been here?" she asked.
    "I brought Moira to talk to you," I told her.
    "You've been spending time with her instead of me, haven't you?" she demanded.
    I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I should take her to task for speaking to me in such a manner, but she had taken me off guard. I wasn't really sure what to say or do.
    Darcy shrieked and flew at Moira.
    With widened eyes, I thrust Moira behind me and caught Darcy before she could harm her. "Darcy! What's wrong with you?"
    "How could you bring her here? How could you introduce me to my replacement?"
    Replacement? Is that what she thought? "Darcy, you aren't being replaced," I assured her. "I simply brought Moira to talk to you."
    "Are you denying you've been with her? Because I know you haven't been with me," she practically hissed.
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    I felt Moira's hands on my back, and they shook slightly. I knew I had to get her out of there and fast. But how was I going to get her past Darcy? "I've been spending time with Moira, yes."
    Darcy tried to reach around me to get to Moira again, and I caught her hands in mine. I honestly had no idea what to do with her. What the hell was going on? "Darcy, what's wrong with you?" I demanded. "Leave Moira alone."
    "She's jealous," Moira said in a quiet voice.
    "What?" I looked at her over my shoulder. "What are you talking about?"
    I felt the fight go out of Darcy, and she slumped against me.
    "Jealous?" I looked down at Darcy in confusion. "Is she right?"
    When Darcy didn't respond, I forced her to look at me. The tears gathered in her eyes surprised me. Why was she crying? I watched as a tear slipped silently down her cheek.
    Gently, I pulled her against me and wrapped my arms around her. Over her head, I looked at Moira in confusion, not really understanding what was going on.
    Moira just gave me a small smile and nodded her head toward the bedroom. I took that to mean I should carry Darcy in there, but I didn't know why. I didn't know anything anymore.
    Lifting Darcy into my arms, I carried her into the bedroom and sat on the bed with her cradled in my arms. "Darcy, please tell me what's wrong. I know something's been 54

    bothering you. I could tell something was wrong our last night together, but you won't talk to me."
    "I was so scared when you left," she said. "When you didn't come back the next day, or the next, I knew that you had gone to the harems instead of coming to me. I haven't seen you in a week other than a brief visit or two."
    "You didn't seem to want me around. I was trying to give you the space you seemed to want. I told you that I would never force myself on you, Darcy. That includes my presence."
    She buried her face in my shoulder. "Can you ever forgive me?"
    "For what?"
    "For acting the way I did? I ruined our night together. I didn't mean to."
    "Why didn't you just talk to me that night? If you just would have talked to me, everything would have been fine."
    "I was scared. I've been so scared since I arrived on Vaaden. My fate literally rests in your hands. If I say or do anything you don't like, you can get rid of me. If you killed me, no one would say or do anything about it."
    "Darcy, you have to know that wouldn't