Read Online In the Flesh by Sylvia Day, Livia Dare - Free Book Online Page B

lock pads in the palace to prevent his escape. Pointless, but he was flattered by the effort. He would leave soon, regardless. One night—one full night—with Sapphire and he would be able to leave without looking back.
    The door slid open and he stepped inside. Hefroze when he saw Sapphire in the healing chamber. Her perfect body was marred with an assortment of cuts and bruises that were fading quickly. As he approached, she looked up with a fierce gaze and jerked her chin toward the exit in silent dismissal.
    He stood stiffly for a moment, his hands fisting in the towels at the sight of her so abused. He had to force himself to retreat as she’d ordered. The healing chamber opened with a hiss of released air pressure just as he turned to leave. From the periphery of his vision, he caught sight of Sapphire stumbling. With a warrior’s quick reflex, he dropped the towels and spun on his heel, catching her before she hit the tiled floor. She was unconscious.
    Cradling her in his arms, Wulfric left the room, heading down the hallway to her bedchamber. The day was ending, the center courtyard bathed in shadows as darkness began to fall.
    “Guardian.” Worry was evident in his voice. “Open the door to Sapphire’s quarters.”
    The doors retracted as he neared. A guard attempted to follow him inside, but the Guardian prevented the intrusion by sealing the room with unusual haste. Wulf smiled grimly. “Thank you.”
    “My pleasure.”
    “How are her vitals?” He laid her down on her bed. The drapes slid closed and simulated candlelight illuminated the space.
    “Vitals are stable. She is simply exhausted.”
    He sat beside Sapphire on the bed and brushed her dark hair away from her forehead. “What the hell happened to her?”
    In answer, the computer projected a recordingof the holo-room on a bare wall beside him. He watched, appalled, as Sapphire fought a brutal battle with at least ten Valarian trolls. They were called trolls because of their short stature, but in truth they were evenly matched to the petite courtesan.
    Wulfric was astonished by both her skill and his reaction to it. She was good. Very good. She could easily best most men and she neutralized over half the trolls before they gained the upper hand, dragging her to the ground. He winced as she was subjected to violent kicks and vicious blows. Suddenly the holo-program disengaged and Sapphire lay alone on the floor. Struggling to her feet, she cursed at the Guardian for aborting the program even as she clutched at bruised ribs.
    The projection ended.
    “Okay.” Wulf’s voice was carefully controlled. “Explain to me what that was all about. And while you’re at it, relay her bio for me, as well.”
    “I can share public records, Your Highness.”
    “That’s fine.” Wulf arranged himself on the bed beside Sapphire, turning her gently to her side, then spooning behind her. He enjoyed the feel of her softness and appreciated the opportunity to hold her, despite the circumstances. Burying his face in the curve of her neck, he listened as the Guardian began to speak.
    “Katie Erikson was born on—”
    “You lost me already.”
    “The woman in your arms.”
    He smiled. “Go on.”
    If the Guardian could have sounded smug, shewould have. “Her given name is Katie. Katie Erikson. Daughter of General Grave Erikson and his wife, Sasha.”
    “Katie.” The name rolled off his tongue. What a sweet, girlish name for such a fierce woman. He wondered what she’d been like as a child and listened attentively as the Guardian told him.
    Looking over Katie’s shoulder at the wall, Wulf studied the scenes projected there. Over the course of the next hour, he was regaled with a litany of her accomplishments. He saw her graduate from primary, secondary, and the Sensual Arts School. He watched recordings of training sessions with her father and televised royal events where she had been in attendance, standing just behind the Sarian monarchs.
    He was