Cain inclined his head, remaining impassive, not wanting to let on that he had no idea what plan Abel was talking about. What had they planned?
“No matter what my hopes were, I’m overjoyed to find you alive and well. The crown is yours. It’s always been. As for Faye . . .”
Keeping his stoic face, Cain didn’t show that he already guessed what Abel wanted to say. “What about Faye?”
Abel glanced at Thomas, Haven, and Wesley who stood watching the exchange silently. “Are you sure you want me to talk about personal matters in front of your men?”
“Talk.”
Abel shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Well, you might as well hear it from me, before the rumor mill spreads it. Faye and I are engaged.”
His brother paused, clearly to wait for Cain’s reaction. Cain complied, feigning shock.
Abel lifted his hand. “You must understand. She grieved for you; we all did. We had no idea you were alive all this time. She was lonely and sought comfort. And you know of course that the position she was in was a temporary one. She knew she would lose her home, her privileges, everything, once I would be crowned king. You can’t really blame her.” He shoved a hand through his hair.
“Blame her for what?” Cain ground out, not liking the direction the conversation was taking. What was Abel trying to tell him?
“Listen, Cain, I shouldn’t really be the one to tell you this. Let her explain things to you.”
Cain made a few steps toward his brother, grinding his teeth. “Blame her for what?” he repeated.
“Damn it, Cain, don’t make me say it. I’m sure, deep down she’s a good woman, but—”
Cain gripped his brother by the shirt. “But what?”
“I’m just a man. I have no defenses against a woman like her. You know she can seduce anybody she wants.” Abel’s eyes bored into him. “Damn it, do I have to spell it out? She threw herself at me once it was clear that I would be the next king. She wants to be queen, no matter what. And fool that I am, I couldn’t resist her. To make love to a woman like her . . .” He let the sentence hang in the room.
Cain’s hands curled into fists. His brother had made love to the woman who was meant to be Cain’s. Jealousy reared its ugly head once again, launching a spear into his heart to make it bleed. Faye had been the one who’d made a play for Abel so she could be queen after all. Did this mean that the reason she’d wanted to marry him, Cain, was not because she’d loved him, but because she wanted to be sitting on the throne beside him? How could he ever trust a woman like her?
With a curse, he let go of Abel and turned away from him. “It’s late. The sun will rise in an hour. We’ll discuss court business tonight. Leave us now.”
Only when he heard the double doors close behind his brother and his footsteps grow distant did Cain turn to his friends.
“You should listen to her side first, before you make any rash decisions,” Thomas cautioned. “Your brother has reason enough to make you doubt her. Not only are you back to take away the throne that was within his reach, but you’re also taking the woman back that he is most likely in love with. Wouldn’t you too turn to dirty tricks to at least keep one of those things for yourself?”
Thomas had a point. And if Cain were ruled by logic right now, he would admit it. But even if Thomas was right, it still didn’t change one thing. “My brother slept with my fiancée.”
Haven took a step closer. “Hey, don’t do that. You slept with plenty of women during the last year! So don’t judge her.”
Cain glared at him. “I had amnesia! What’s her excuse?”
Haven went toe to toe with him. “She thought you were dead. That’s her excuse! So get over it and leave your fucking male ego at the door. Think for a moment! Did you not see how she looked at you when she saw you?”
Cain looked away, avoiding Haven’s gaze. “How did she look at me?” To Cain she’d looked uncertain, as if she didn’t know what to feel. As if she wasn’t sure whether to be happy to see him or not.
Thomas suddenly slapped him on the shoulder. “I didn’t realize that becoming king causes blindness.”
Cain whirled his head to him. “You’re joking about this? Have you gone out of your mind?”
“I haven’t, but I think you have. Be rational for a moment. You can’t believe anything anybody around here tells you. Accept that as a fact. It will take some time to figure out who you can trust.”