48 Daddy

"Mhmm." He smiles down at me and I see what my mind would not allow me to see. It is him!

"Oh, my god, you're alive!" I throw myself into his arms and squeeze him. He was my captor once too, but in this fucked-up world, any friendly face may be an ally. "You look so different."

"The implants have been removed," he says. "I am the man I once was and more."

"More?"

"Mhm. Quite a lot more."

"I thought you were dead," I gasp, holding him tight.

This is unbelievable. I never expected to find anyone I knew alive. I expected to mourn, to suffer, and to grieve. Finding myself in Mattias' arms is too good to be true, and yet I have to trust my senses. It is him. Somehow, he survived.

"Almost," he says, hugging me back.

"I can't believe you're alive," I babble. "I hoped that someone was. Did Elias..."

He shakes his head, and immediately a darker mood settles over me. He is alive, and that is good, but he has suffered and lost just as the rest of us have.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I am so sorry for all of this. You were right. It was my fault. I should have stayed out of trouble."

"Yes, I can see you subscribe to that philosophy now," he smiles, not unkindly. "Trying to steal money, Trissa?"

"Well, I, uh, need some..."

"She doesn't need money. She needs a fucking whipping." A rough voice makes me go tense in Mattias' arms. I close my eyes as footsteps round the corner.

Oh, fuck. Oh, no. This can't be happening. This is a nightmare. This is...

Pharaoh, Alexios, and Silver walk into the room behind Mattias. Oh, god. My heart sinks into my stomach. I have no idea how they did this, but they did, and I know I am in more trouble than I could possibly imagine.

"We're trained mercenaries, girl. We move a lot quicker than you do. We knew where you'd gone the minute you left. Couldn't find you in the wild lands, you're too good to be found out there. So we came here directly and petitioned the king for his help," Alexios says gruffly.

"The king agreed to help you? Why?"

"The king owes us a favor," Silver says, his gray gaze stormy.

"You know him?" I am confused. Perhaps the new king is one of their patrons. Perhaps they may be able to get their money. Maybe...

"We do. As do you," Silver says. "You're cuddling with him right now."

"What?" I am so dull-witted that for a moment I don't understand what he is saying. I'm not cuddling the king. I'm hugging... Mattias...

I stare up at Mattias. "You're the king?"

"It would seem so," Mattias says, looking down at me, those handsome stern features composed in spite of the fact I can see the slightest twinge of humor around his lips. "And you're in trouble."

I look around at the four men in front of me, and that statement rings entirely, utterly true. Not one of them is pleased with me. Mattias is pleased to see me, but that is not the same as being happy about what I've done.

"Uhm..."

"If you wouldn't mind, gentlemen," Mattias says, his eyes never leaving mine. "Get comfortable. Find your new quarters and let the outfitters know what you need. I have missed this little girl, and I'd like to handle her."

Little girl. The word makes me quiver to my very core.

I called him Daddy once. He feels more like a daddy than ever. There is something stern but caring about him, even in this new form. I have not known him like this, unleashed in his full masculinity. He is truly incredibly handsome.

"Good luck," Silver waves as he leaves. Alexios and Pharaoh don't say goodbye. I am certain I will see them very soon, and I am just as certain that I will be in pain when I do.

"Uhm..." I repeat myself nervously.

"Come here," Mattias says, taking me by the hand.

He leads me into what has become his palace. What was once a great building of industry is now his realm. It is the same building the sheriff once occupied, but it is transformed in ways big and small, mostly by his presence. He was always elegant in his bearing. Now he is regal.