“Don’t be jealous, darling,” she cooed. “I love only you; you know that.”
That seemed to mollify him, at least, a little bit. “This … friend of yours still needs to explain and apologize to you.”
Cross hated to admit it, but the king was correct. Honesty, he reminded himself. “I was ashamed, Deedee.”
“Ashamed?” she asked.
“That night I came back … your father told me you had been held against your will here. I was so angry. I blamed myself that I was the reason you left.”
“I told you, you weren’t,” she reminded him.
“I know that,” he said. “But I’m still ashamed. About what I did—tried to do—that night. I told you I would have used you to forget.” That earned him another heat-filled glare from Karim, but he continued. “I’m truly sorry.”
Her brows drew together. “You never did tell me what you found.”
“I found her, Dee. My True Mate.”
She sucked in a quick breath and then let out an excited gasp. “You have?” Using her free arm, she grasped him in a side-hug. “I’m so happy for you. When do we get to meet her?”
“Er, that’s the thing. She’s already here. In the guest bedroom where I stayed that day we defeated the mages here.”
“You brought her here?” Deedee exclaimed incredulously. “Does she even know where she is?”
“I’ll explain it to her, but I might have to leave right away. When she finds out, she won’t want to stay here. But she has to.”
“So, you have spirited a girl into my palace without her knowledge, possibly against her will, and expect us to deal with it?” Karim asked, a dark brow raised.
“Well that wouldn’t be the first time for you, would it now?” he retorted, unable to resist the jab.
Karim’s nostrils flared with anger. “You watch what you—”
“Karim, please!” Deedee put a soothing hand on her husband’s chest. “Cross and his mate obviously need us. Need our protection. It’s why you brought her here, right?”
“Yes,” Cross said. “The mages, they’re coming for her.”
“Then we will protect her.” The firm determination on Deedee’s face was enough to quell her husband’s anger. “Right, darling?”
“Fine,” Karim relented. “Since the mages’ infiltration last year, I’ve shored up our magical defenses. Your father was able to connect me with some witch covens nearby, and thanks to them, we’ve had magical protection spells placed around the palace.”
“I know,” Cross answered. Several times, Daric had asked him if he wanted to come to Zhobghadi, but he declined. He felt like a bastard, only coming now when he needed something, but he had no choice. If he survived what was coming, he vowed he would be a better friend to Deedee. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“I’m not doing this for you,” he growled back. “You best remember that.”
“I will, Your Majesty,” he said with a nod. Karim didn’t have to say it, but Cross knew what he was trying to say: If you ever make my wife unhappy again, I will burn you and gobble up your ashes.
“Do you really have to go soon?” Deedee asked.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Cross said. “So much has happened. You should talk to your father or mother so they can get you up to speed.” He turned to Karim. “You should prepare for the worst, Your Majesty.”
“What do you mean—” A sharp cry made Deedee start. “Sorry, Caspar’s woken up.” She hurriedly stalked back to the crib and lifted the child, cooing and soothing him.
“You don’t deserve her,” Cross muttered so only Karim could hear him. Maybe he was a little jealous that the other man had his best friend all to himself now and kept her from living her old life back in New York.
To his surprise, Karim merely smirked. “Someone once told me, none of us deserve the women who love us,” he said. “And that we can only hope they stick around long enough so we can prove ourselves worthy someday.”
Cross smirked, guessing it was probably Karim’s father-in-law, Sebastian Creed, who said that. “Sounds like good advice from a wise old man.”
The king snorted. “Old, yes.”
Deedee walked toward them, Caspar in her arms. She handed him to Karim. “Come, darling, I want to meet Cross’s mate.”
They all walked together toward the guest wing of the palace, until they reached the room he had transported into. He crossed the room and kneeled by the bed, shaking Sabrina gently awake.
“Cross?” Light blonde lashes fluttered open. “Hmmm … good morning. What time is it?” She yawned and stretched her arms out. “Hey, did you make me pajamas again, I don’t remember putting any clothes on—” Her amethyst eyes widened when she looked behind him and realized they weren’t alone. “Cross?” She quickly sat up and glanced around, also now fully aware they were not in the Alpha’s guest bedroom. “Where did you take us?”
“Sabrina,” he began, taking her hand in his. “I transported us to a safe place. With some friends of mine.” He glanced up at Deedee, who had walked up behind him. “This is Deedee, she’s my best friend. And she’ll take care of you. Dee, this is Sabrina Strohen.”
“Hello, Sabrina,” Deedee greeted. “I’m so happy to finally meet you. And you’re very welcome here.”
“I—wait.” She scratched at her head. “What do you mean she’ll take care of me?”
Silence passed for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. But I need to know you’re safe.”
“Safe?” Her voice turned panicked. “What do you mean, safe? You said I’d be safe anywhere!” Her hand slid down to her stomach. “You said our—our baby would protect me.” Her hands gripped at his shoulders. “Cross, whatever you’re planning, please—”
“I love you, Sabrina,” he said, leaning down to kiss her mouth and silence her protest. Arms slipped around him, embracing him tighter as if she could stop him. For a brief second, he considered not leaving her, but he had no
