Liam: An Eidolon Black Ops Novel, page 14
“Boyfriend! He is a commoner, a lowly guard. He is not fit to be your anything, Taamira.”
She moved to defend Liam but he beat her to it. “You’re right, I’m not fit to lick her shoes, yet she loves me, and I love her. There is nothing, and I do mean nothing, I wouldn’t do for her, and there’s not a single thing in all of your imagination that I wouldn’t do to keep her safe from harm.”
Taamira’s heart gave a jump at his words, and she leaned her body into his as his arm came around her waist. Instantly her world settled at his touch.
Her brother followed the movement, and she saw a sadness in his eyes before they turned hard. “This will end badly. Love is a myth fed to ignorant people to keep them prisoner.”
“Love is the only thing that matters, brother. It saddens me that you do not see that, that you do not value the right things. I have love, I have friendship, and I have worth, and that is what matters to me.”
The sound of loud clapping from a single person had everyone turning to the sound.
Taamira’s legs went weak as the men around her went still. “Father?”
King Saud al Kamali of Eyan was standing just feet away, and he was clapping. “Bravo, my daughter, wise words indeed.” He turned to Abdul. “Leave us.” His tone was harsh with the authority born from never having his words questioned.
Abdul paused, and she almost wanted him to speak out, to not to be the man he had become, to be the Prince who was strong and questioned people, but his backbone was weak now it seemed. He dipped his head, and he and his guard left without a word.
“Daughter, will you speak with me?”
Taamira straightened her spine, ready to do battle and set this meeting on her terms. “I will speak with you in my suite in twenty minutes.”
She watched his look of shock morph into pride. He inclined his head, and she and her entourage swept from the room.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The second they walked back into the suite she turned to Liam and the other men, including Dane and Kanan. “I am sorry. I should never have put you in that position. It was wrong of me. I am not that person any longer. I hope you can forgive me?”
The anger she had previously seen on Kanan’s and Dane’s features left them.
“Princess, you do get that we are both married to stubborn women, right?” Kanan said with a grin that left her in no doubt he adored that stubborn woman and that he forgave her. “Just let Liam keep you safe, all right?”
Taamira nodded, and with tips of their chins, the two Fortis men went to take up their positions in the hallway again.
She turned and looked at Jack and Lopez, not wanting to face Liam just yet. “I hope things can go back to being as they were before. I treated you badly, Manny and I don’t want to be that person to you. You are Liam’s friend, and I want you to like me.”
Lopez chuckled as he moved to her. “I do like you, T. Just don’t do that shit again.”
Jack just shook his head. “Another pain in my ass.” His wink took the heat from his words as he walked away. “I have a bloody King to prepare for now.”
Taking a breath, Taamira twisted to Liam who had not left her back the entire time she had been apologising and raised her eyes to his face. Expecting to see annoyance, she found his lips twitching with mirth.
“What is so funny?” She angled her hands up, resting them on his chest as his arms instantly came around her.
“You are.”
The smile in his voice relaxed her. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, really. You just announced to the entire world that the Princess of Eyan is dating some cockney who thinks dark jeans is dressing up and all you’re worried about is if my friends like you.”
Taamira’s heart warmed, her body tilting to him as if drawn by a magnet. “They matter to you, so they matter to me.”
“Have you any idea how much guts it took to confront your brother? To tell a King you would speak to him on your terms?”
“It is not seen as brave in my world.”
“Well, in mine it is. You are brave, you are caring, and so fucking strong. I’m so proud of you, Taamira. The world needs more women like you.”
“Thank you,” she said simply because emotion had her eyes wet and her throat constricting.
He didn’t stop, though. “Your brother is a fool. He’s missing out on so much with his weakness. I see that now. I don’t believe he’s evil, but he is weak. He will never be half the person you are.”
“He was, once.”
Liam swiped the tear that had fallen on to her cheek with his thumb before kissing her there lightly. “Maybe he was, and I see the grief in your eyes for the man he was, but that man isn’t the one I met today.”
“No, he is not.”
“I love you, Taamira. I meant every word I said to your brother. I would do anything for you to keep you safe.”
“I love you too, and I would do anything for you, too.”
The rumbled growl from his chest moved through her. “No putting yourself in danger for me, woman, or I’ll tan that ass for you.”
A frisson of desire shot through Taamira and straight to her pussy at that image in her head.
“Hmm, you like that idea.” Liam nuzzled her neck with his lips, and her body began to tingle at the delicate touches on her neck. “Hold that thought for another day, treacle, because we have a King to entertain.”
With that, there was a knock at the door.
Liam pulled back, and she noted he looked unaffected by their moment except she could feel the hard ridge of steel behind his jeans, the knowledge caused her to smirk a little.
“Well, that’s one way to kill a mood.” Liam laughed as Dane put his head around the door.
“The King of Eyan is here to see you, Taamira.”
“Thank you, Dane. Show him in, please.”
Dane grinned at her emphasis on the word please and she smiled back.
“Right you are, Princess.”
The door opened, and King Saud al Kamali walked in followed by two of his guards. Liam hadn’t paid too much attention to them downstairs except to make sure they weren’t a threat to them. But now as he did, he could see they had been cut from a different cloth to Abdul’s guards. There seemed to be none of the aggression from them, just alertness that he would expect.
His attention moved to Taamira’s father as he approached. He was not an overly tall man, perhaps around five feet nine inches but his stature didn’t seem to matter because the man had a magnetism about him that he seemed to switch on or off at will.
Downstairs in the restaurant, he had gone unnoticed until he wanted to be seen and yet now it was turned all the way up, and he became the centre of the room for most. Not him though, his focus was Taamira, it would always be Taamira.
The King stepped towards his daughter and Liam tensed, which didn’t go unnoticed by the King. “My beautiful daughter, let me look at you.” He stepped closer, holding his hands to her, and she placed her hands in his.
“Father, you look well.”
The politeness grated on Liam’s nerves, but he’d let this play out while it wasn’t hurting Taamira.
“May we sit?” King Saud requested, and Taamira showed him to a set of chairs around a small glass table in the centre of the room.
The King assessed his daughter and Liam was sure he saw sadness and regret tinge the man’s features. “I have missed you, my child.”
Taamira went rigid beneath the hand Liam laid on her shoulder. “Perhaps my value should have been considered before, when I was in desperate need of my father to come to my aid.”
Her father sighed, and Liam noticed the lines of strain around his eyes as well as the weariness. “I do not expect you to believe me, Taamira, but I authorised the payment of your ransom immediately on hearing the news of your kidnapping. Your brother called me, and I told him to pay whatever it took. And in his defence, Abdul was all set to wire the money from his personal account if I had declined, which I would never have done.” The King shook his head, and for some crazy reason, Liam believed this man spoke the truth.
“I do not know what went wrong afterwards, but I would never see you harmed. I know I was not a perfect father, but I do love you. I wish that you believed that. It saddens me greatly that you do not.”
“But if you paid it, and Abdul wanted it paid, what went wrong?”
Liam heard the anguish in Taamira’s voice and moved closer, laying both his hands on her shoulders for support. She reached up and held onto his fingers as her father watched them.
“I wish I knew, but all I do know is the palace is not the same without you. Your vibrancy, your joy is a loss. Not since the death of your mother has the palace been so joyless, so barren.”
Taamira reached for her father’s hand and squeezed. “I still miss her, too.”
“You are very much like her. It heartens me to see her in you. She refused to marry me the first four times I proposed, you know.”
The King’s chuckle had Taamira looking up from their hands. “Really? I did not know that. I thought it was an arranged marriage.”
“It was, but I knew the moment I saw her that she was the love of my life. My parents raised me to think of women as second to men, but my Nuha would not tolerate that. She told me that only when I proved to her I saw her as equal would I have her heart.”
“What did you do?”
Liam heard the interest in his woman’s voice and knew she had never heard this story before.
“I wooed her. I listened, and she became my biggest advisor in all things, from government policy to state occasions. She became my world, and then you and Abdul came along, and I did not think my life could be any happier.”
The King was animated, but it dropped, and Liam saw genuine grief on his face. “And then she became sick, and she faded from me, and I lost her. I let my grief steal everything she had taught me, everything she had given me. I turned away from you when I should have held you both close.
“Yet while you thrived, Abdul was weaker, and I let him become that. Allowed the people around me to raise my children how they saw fit instead of treasuring the memory of my wife and doing what she would want.”
He looked up at Taamira, taking her hands in his and holding them while he looked at her closely. “I failed you and Abdul, and for that, I am truly sorry. Abdul has become a weak man, but I know his heart is the same as it was, I just hope I am not too late. As for you, my beautiful daughter, you’re a true leader and I never saw it. You epitomise everything Nuha was, and I see her spirit inside you. I am so proud of the woman you have become.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” Her voice was clogged with emotion and Liam wanted nothing more than to hold her close.
“I want you to know how proud I am of you and how sorry I am that I allowed this estrangement to last. You will always have a place in the palace, and I fully support the voice you are giving to the women of our country. I know your mother would be so proud too and support you.
“Therefore, I am looking into new laws and some changes to how we do things in Eyan. I want to start small so as not to cause outrage, but I will begin by opening up education to both sexes based on merit. I am also changing the laws around domestic abuse. I would be honoured if you would help me.”
Taamira closed the gap between herself and her father, throwing her arms around him and surprising both the King and his guards who froze for second before relaxing.
The look of pure joy on the King’s face could not be faked, and Liam glanced at Jack, who shrugged.
“I would love to help, but I have to tell you, I will not be returning to Eyan.” She reached back and snagged Liam’s hand in hers. “My life is in the UK now, with Liam.”
King Saud looked up at Liam, assessing him and Liam held his gaze without flinching. “He looks at you as I once looked at Nuha. Do you love my daughter?”
“With every bone in my body,” Liam stated clearly as Taamira brought his hand to her cheek.
“That is all a father can ask. You will bring her to Eyan when it is safe, and we will visit.”
The King did not ask, he told Liam it was happening, and Liam let him have that. He had given Taamira her family back in some small way today, and for that reason, he would allow the man to order him around just this once.
“I will when I’m certain it’s safe to do so.”
King Saud stood, his bearing stable and upright. “Yes, it is not safe at the moment. I fear we have a snake in our beautiful garden. I have my own men looking into it, and if they find anything, they are under orders from me to share the information with you. I want my family back.”
“Do you have any leads?” Liam turned his gaze to the King’s guard.
“We will send over everything we have to a secure email address.”
Liam nodded and watched as the party headed to the door.
Taamira had looped her arm with her father’s and stopped to give him a light kiss on his cheek at the door. “Will you watch me give my speech tomorrow?”
Liam heard the uncertainty in her voice and knew it would take time for her to trust her father’s change, as it would him.
“I would not miss it. Now, I must speak with my son and rectify the damage I have done to him also.”
They watched the King enter the elevator and give them a quick smile before the doors closed, and he was gone.
Liam closed the door tightly and laid his arm around Taamira’s shoulder, pulling her close. “That was unexpected.”
“It was, and yet for the first time since my mother died, he is acting like the father I remember when I was growing up.”
“How old were you when she died?”
“Ten, it was tough because just as I was starting to see the world, she began to fade from it. She had cancer, and it was a long, ravaging process. It was as if I lost both my parents that year.”
“I’m glad your father finally saw his mistakes.”
“Me too, although I feel cautious. Does that make sense?”
He twirled a lock of her hair in his fingers as he inhaled her sweet scent, not sure if he could love this woman more than he did, and then finding at every turn he could. “It makes perfect sense. Your father hurt you, they all have, and you’re protecting your heart from more pain.”
Taamira reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” He kissed her lightly, dreaming of the day it was just the two of them again.
“Do you need to work?”
Liam nodded regretfully. “I do. We have to finish questioning Scott, and Lopez has some financials for us to look through, plus I have a few new ideas ticking through my brain after today’s happenings.”
“Okay, I might take a bath and maybe read a book.”
“Shall I pop my head in when we order some food, see if you’re hungry or do you want to be left alone?”
“No, come get me. I want to eat with you guys.”
Liam kissed her once more wishing he could take it deeper but knowing he couldn’t. First chance he got, he wanted this woman all to himself.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Taamira turned on her side in the big bed and instantly reached for Liam only to find his side of the bed cold. She sighed, feeling a sense of loss. It had only been a few days that she had shared his bed, but she had already grown accustomed to waking up with him.
He had come to bed around three in the morning, sliding in behind her and gently pulling her body into the hard, warm shield of his arms. A feeling of rightness had settled in her bones, and she had relaxed enough to sleep.
The hours before that, after eating a supper of soup and chicken pesto panini for her and burger and fries for the men, she had retired to her room. Liam had kissed her soundly, telling her he still had a fair bit of work to do but he would be in as soon as he could.
Taamira had not minded, all the work he and the others were doing was for her, to keep her safe and she could never repay them for their kindness, but she would try.
It had been after midnight, and her brain was still playing over the meeting with her father. The change in him had been profound, but as she had let her mind drift, she realised it was not as shocking as she first thought. Memories of a man who had walked with her in the garden showing her different types of flowers returned.
Her mind drifting, forgotten thoughts of him smiling at her as he sat with her mother at dinner, his hand resting on the top of his wife’s much smaller one came to her. Her mother had been a great beauty, having a sweet nature but as she let her mind open to old pictures in her head, she got the sense that her mother and father had been real partners. Best friends, almost nary a day went when they were not together.
Had that man who had adored her mother so profoundly suddenly seen the light and come back to them or was it all a ruse? Taamira hated that she did not know, that she distrusted so deeply she could not take her own father at his word, especially as she so wanted to, or maybe it was because she wanted it so badly.
He and her brother had hurt her in such a way she was not sure she would ever fully trust them again. Had her father and brother authorised her captor’s payment? If they had, what had gone wrong? Who hated her enough to want to see those atrocities done to her? The thoughts had gone full circle around and again until her eyes were gritty from tiredness, her brain like scrambled egg.
Only when she was safe in Liam’s arms had she finally drifted off to sleep. Flipping on her back, Taamira saw it was ten-thirty. She had slept later than she wanted, but as her speech was not until tonight and she had little else to do, she was not concerned.
Slipping from the bed, she padded to the bathroom and relieved her bladder before brushing her teeth and then stepping into the shower.
Quickly washing her hair and body, shaving her legs and underarms, she stepped out and almost screamed when she saw a hulking mass in the doorway.
