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The others left until it was just Kai and me. He helped me pick up the makeshift picnic and then stared me in the eyes. “You may look like a trophy, but you are far more to me, Izzy. My clan could use your bravery, your skills, and your intellect. I fully support you wanting to unite the clans, along with Alexei Rajyvik. He seems to have loved you first.”

Kai offered me his elbow, and I took it. We walked back to the training facility more slowly than we had come. My mind buzzed with thought after thought, not making any clear sense of anything at the moment, but I felt stable with Kai next to me and his arm as a guide.

He had formidable skills, and I genuinely liked him.

Now I just had to figure out if I saw him as part of my harem.

If you chose to add Calen MacDougall to your harem, please continue onto the next page.

If you refused him, please go to Chapter Seven or Location 645.

Chapter Six

Kai excused himself to get his weapons, so I continued into the training room by myself. I trusted Alexei to deal with the ogling guard even though I was sure I’d have to have a conversation with Papa Nicolai about it. That was at the bottom of a long list of things I didn’t want to do.

A hand snaked around my wrist and I jumped.

“My lady,” the voice said, and I immediately relaxed, letting myself be pulled into an empty hall. My footsteps echoed through the cavernous darkness.

“Calen?”

His hand came up to touch my cheek. “I apologize if I scared you.”

“You didn’t,” I assured him, chastising myself internally for not being aware of what was going on around me. If Calen sneaked out to grab me, someone else who didn’t have the best of intentions could have too.

Calen pulled me to him. Dwarfed in his presence, I leaned into his stature. His fingers played in my hair. I’d taken it down since we went in the water, allowing it to air dry on the walk back to The Fort.

Cautious at first, I placed my hands on his hips, then moved them up his back. “Is something wrong?”

He let out a breath, long and low until the air sparked around us.

“What is it?” I asked, fear suddenly striking me. Did he not want to be here anymore? My heart thumped in my chest as I waited for his answer.

“That guard,” Calen said, his voice barely restrained. “I did not like him looking at you like that.”

My lips thinned. “You and me both.”

He pulled me back, simultaneously leaning me against the wall. “No, I mean Ireallydidn’t like it. I nearly took his head off for disrespecting you like that.”

His jaw feathered, and I reached up to touch it. “I’m sorry he upset you.”

His look changed. What was once murderous was now confusion. “You’re apologizing to me?” He shook his head. “Don’t do that. I didn’t say that so you would apologize to me. I was just surprised at how angry he made me.”

“Alexei will take care of it. I’m sure he’s already gone to Papa Nicolai.”

“But what about you, Izzy? Are you okay?”

My first instinct was to tell Calen I was fine, but he was my mate now. I could open up, tell him whatever I wanted. “I’m upset he did that, but I’m more upset that it makes my clan look bad. We don’t employ those type of people, and I’d never seen him before in my life before that moment.”

One side of his mouth pulled up. “Spoken like a true princess. Clan over everything else.”

I shrugged, watching the tense muscles in his body soothe the more we talked. “What did you think of swimming earlier?”

“I enjoyed it. Seeing you laugh and have fun was more than worth it. I kept telling myself to stay away so you could have your time with the others. I want you to make the right choice for you and not be at all influenced by my presence.”

“And that,” I said, pulling myself up to my tiptoes. “Is why I said yes to you.”

“I thought it had something to do with my kilt.”