“Yes.” She thought of her brother by the bedside of the female who had been killed. “It’s almost easier to demonize him.”

“You know, when it comes to Havers, if you can forgive him … well, I’ll never forget what he did to you, but I won’t kill him if I see him. How’s that?”

She laughed. “Deal. And I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to see what the future holds.”

“I know one thing that’s coming,” he drawled, eyes going hooded.

“And what might that be.”

Her mate rose from the floor and circled her waist with his warm hands. Leaning down, he whispered, “I’m going to be the one helping you out of this dress later.”

Laughing, she put her arms around his neck and arched into him. “Does that mean I get to take your pants off at the end of the night?”

“Oh, God…” he groaned. “Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees …”

Chapter Forty-eight

As Paradise descended the grand staircase of her home, she held up the flowing skirt of her pale blue gown. With each step she took, she thought of the night one week before, when she had come down to find Anslam there on the marble, waiting for her as if there was nothing out of sorts, nothing wrong, nothing threatening.

For a split second, her mental wires got crossed and a shimmy of adrenaline shot down her spine.

Doc Jane had been right: The concussion had healed and so had the bruises, but her brain had a new pathway, one that had been forged quickly, but permanently. The conditioned fear response wasn’t going to be a prison, though. Mary was helping her make sure of that.

As she got to the last step, her father emerged from the library. “Oh … Paradise.”

With a dip of her head and body, she curtsied to him. “Father.”

“You look like your mother.”

When he held out his hands, she went to him. “That is the most perfect compliment.”

“Well, it is true.” Guiding her in a twirl before him, he smiled. “And I have something for you.”

“Oh?”

“Come.”

Drawing her into the study and over to the desk, he presented her with a flat red box with a signature golden border. “These were hers.”

“Father…”

“No, come now. You must open it.”

Paradise’s hands began to tremble as she accepted the box and toggled the top open. As she gasped, he stepped in and took the antique diamond rivière from its satin bed.

“There are forty-eight diamonds, one for each of the first forty-eight years I spent with your beloved mahmen. On this night, I give it to you free and clear in the same manner I give to you my love and respect. I couldn’t be—”

“Wait.” She stopped him. Shook her head. “I can’t accept that.”

“Why ever not?”

As his face fell, she closed her eyes. “I have to tell you something. It’s…”

Unable to stay still, she began to walk in a tight circle. All she could think about was that conversation they had had about love, and class, and how he wanted her to have an aristocratic match like he and her mother had had.

But unlike before she’d gone into the training program, she had a much better sense of who she was now. And even if it broke his heart, she was going to love whoever she wanted, regardless of station, class, or ranking.

“Father, I’m in love with a male. He’s a commoner, and I don’t care. More to the point, I don’t believe that makes him any less valuable than anyone else. Craeg is—”

“Finally!” he exclaimed. “Finally!” He pulled her in and kissed her on both cheeks. “I’ve been waiting all week!”

“What—wait, what?”

“Peyton told me.”

“What!”

“And I agree with you. Craeg is a male of worth—and I totally approve. You may have all my blessings.”

Paradise frowned and shook her head. “Father … I don’t understand. Just last week you were telling me that I needed to mate an aristocrat. I know Craeg saved my life, but you can’t do a one-eighty like that and expect me to believe it.”

“My darling,” he said with a recoil, “when did I tell you that you had to mate a member of the glymera?”

“We were having First Meal before I went out—and you were saying that I had to have a mating like you and mahmen had. Two aristocrats set up by their families.”

“No, I said your mahmen and I found true love. That’s what I want for you. The true-love part—as long as the male is good to you, I do not care where he hails from. I have long watched the travails of our class and been summarily unimpressed. Balls and parties are fine, but one must return home with the person to whom one is mated. That is far more significant than any pedigree—and I shall make no apologies to anyone if there is talk—”

Paradise launched herself at her father and squeezed the dickens out of him. “I love you so much I’m going to cry!”

Her father, her dear, wonderful, perfect father, laughed and held her in return. “Will you allow me to put this necklace on you now? And will you finally admit that Craeg is attending to you this eve?”

“Yes, yes, he’s coming! Oh, he is! I can’t wait for you to meet him properly and get to know him.”

“Nor can I, my love … nor can I.”