Protect My Love ~ Book 4 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 10

I was not disappointed when I saw the lagoon. It was gorgeous. As Gus said, the path was shaded so that meant that Merrick's return to the hut would be sun free. The lagoon itself was a vast area that was filled with pristine blue water. Trees lined the entire area aside from the small gap at the far end. The land rose higher than the water, cutting it off from whatever was beyond the tree line.

To the left was a waterfall, trees hung over the edge and shaded a lot of the lagoon. We decided to look behind the waterfall to see what was there, knowing that the sun could be a problem if we lost track of time.

The mood had altered and I guess that the temperature dropping had a lot to do with it. It felt like a dramatic drop the second we got close to the lagoon.

Reaching the start of the rock wall, Merrick found a flat path and searched, returning a few seconds later.

"There's a small pool behind the waterfall, it's not much though. Maybe have a swim and then go in there to change."

I stripped down to what the army deemed underwear. It's not what I'd call it. A singlet top and a pair of tight shorts, they were comfortable but not stylish. Merrick took our things behind the waterfall, I edged my way to the waterline and felt the relief of how crisp it was.

I was in the middle of my bliss filled gush when Merrick emerged, also down to his shorts. Yes, I stared. It was difficult not to. Darting my gaze away before he saw me, I turned to the water and walked over the stones.

The water was so clear, I could see everything. I delved under the water entirely, soaking every part of me. When I emerged, I found Merrick watching me. It was expected, that was true but it was the kind of watching that filled a girl with hope.

He dived in, rising close to me. Maybe the change in temperature was doing wonders for his mood too. I could only hope because he seriously needed the rod pulled out of his ass.

"So, what do you normally do when you're not babysitting pampered princesses?"

Merrick smirked and damn it, it was gorgeous.

"That's restricted information."

"I'm a member of the royal family, I seriously doubt that anyone is going to get upset at you for telling me."

For a moment, he thought about it and then relented.

"Special Ops, I'm one of a few who go into a province and check it out before the army sweeps through and takes down the royal family. We gather intelligence about the family, their army and guards, anyone worthy of notation. Their movements, their habits."

"You'll be out of a job soon," I said cheekily.

"I'll just move to another section. Maybe I could permanently babysit the wealthy."

"You could."

Merrick lifted his gaze; the rays of sunlight were starting to appear over the canopy. He moved backward in the water, staring at me. With a playful grin that was barely there, he flicked his head to follow.

Swimming through the cool, I reached where I could stand again. The water was at chest height. Something brushed against my legs, I gasped and turned, backing into Merrick. I looked down and saw the fish, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I didn't think there were any fish in here," I said as I turned around.

My eyes lifted to the silent one who was staring at me again. Maybe he was hungry.

"Have you fed recently?" I said as I began to walk out of the water.

Merrick was a few steps behind, I could hear the water sloshing around him as he walked.

"My last feed was adequate and will be enough until dusk."

We wandered into the area behind the waterfall. It was a high cavern that was shallow in depth. The pool of water, however, it looked deep enough for the two of us to sit in it easily.

Light shone through from the wall of water that cascaded down right beside the rockpool. As I sat down, I reached out and felt the mist soak my palm. It was loud but not so bad that we couldn't hear each other.

"You could live here, you know."

I turned to Merrick who was stretched back against the rockpool wall, his arms draped over the flat edge.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, you could be with your father."

"But I'd be leaving my parents behind, they've all I've ever known."

"Well, maybe when Her Highness is married to the son, you could visit."

I scoffed, grinning madly.

"Nava will not leave the comfort of modern life. She won't agree to it."

"She may not get a choice."

Grimly, I nodded.

"A marriage of convenience is not new."

"I know and trust me when I say that I'm grateful that it's not me. The only way that Nava is going to agree is if her father promises to build her a fancy house in province three. That is if she likes the guy. It's going to take a lot of convincing and she's going to think it's payback."

"Payback for what?"

Damn, I forgot who I was talking to.

"Just a teasing text," I said with a sigh.

Leaning on the ledge, I rested my head on my arm and watched the mist float out to my other hand.

"I feel sorry for her."

"How so?"

I turned and looked at Merrick, wondering how he couldn't see the truth about Nava's life now.

"She has no choice," I said as I lifted my head, moving closer. "She has to marry a guy that she's never met, move to another area away from her home and her family. She'll have to say goodbye to her friends and the places that she goes with them. There is no love in this relationship."

"It's not about love. It's about securing the future for our world."

"But at what cost to her happiness?"

He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I was a little taken aback by it, not expecting such a caring gesture from him.

"You don't know what she'll think. Maybe she wants to get away from everyone and start her own life."

I shook my head, laughing softly.

"That's not Nava," I whispered. "She's a homebody."

His fingers traced down my wet hair that was plastered to my neck, smoothing out over my shoulder. I looked at Merrick and felt something vastly different inside of me. This wasn't the cheeky admiration from earlier nor was it the playful thoughts of the future. This was real.