My Once Handsome Husband

Mason shot up out of bed with a loud string of curses.  He was dressed only in his breeches and his hair was a mess. He looked around with wide, bloodshot eyes. His expression was a mixture of anger and fear as he looked over and his gaze landed on Ilona still holding the cup in her hand.

His chest was heaving and his eyes snapped to hers.

"Who the hell are you?" he shouted, "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

Ilona was clearly surprised by the level of fury in the man she faced.  She also could hardly believe just how handsome he was. Mason looked like a golden prince even in this rough state. Her fear outweighed her curiosity for him though.  Ilona pointed one finger in the direction of where Ian and Delaney now stood after jumping backward when Mason had exploded out of bed.

Mason's ice blue eyes turned and landed first on Ian before dropping down to Delaney's face. He frowned and shook his head in confusion.

"Delaney w-what are you doing here?  You're supposed to be at the ocean house.  Where's Vince?"

"We came back early Mace," she answered with a smile, "Vincent is talking with Daniel now."

"Does he know you're here in my bedroom?  It won't be good for you to be seen here."

"It's alright, he knows.  We were careful but even if we were spotted it is all three of us coming here together not just me."

Mason frowned, blinking before nodding.  He turned his gaze back to Ilona then and jerked a thumb in her direction.

"Who is this and why is she dumping water on me while I'm sleeping?"

"I'm sorry about that your majesty," Ian answered quickly, "This is my sister Ilona and she can be...tactless."

Mason studied her, "You're one of Luke's daughters?"

"I'm his oldest daughter," she answered, crossing her arms, "Captain Ilona Black of the Black Tide."

"Captain?" Mason questioned, raising a brow, "You are the Captain of a pirate ship?"

"Yes," she snapped in annoyance, "What is it? Did you think I couldn't be the Captain because I'm a woman?"

"Not at all," his face relaxed, "But you are not dressed as any pirate Captain I've ever met and there have been many."

Ilona paused, surprised by his answer.  She studied him with a frown, trying to see if he was making fun of her.

"They made me wear it," she spoke accusingly of Delaney and Ian, "I don't normally wear dresses."

"Well, then," Mason sighed before rubbing his eyes, "You should know you're quite stunning in that one."

Ilona looked at him with surprise but Ian cleared his throat and frowned at the scene.  Mason looked up at him and smirked.

"You're not looking much like a pirate captain today either my friend," he chuckled, "What would the pirate King think?"

"Mace we need to talk to you," Delaney interrupted him to avoid a fight between he and Ian, "Are you... Are you sober enough for a serious talk?"

Mason met her blue-green eyes and a mischievous expression, "I am sober currently but I plan to remedy that momentarily."

"Please don't do that," Delaney sighed, "I promised Vincent I would talk to you."

"Yes, good ole Vince.  He's off talking to my brother you said?  What is that about?"

"We can talk about it another time," Delaney shook her head, "But we need to talk about you now."

"Me?" Mason frowned, "What's wrong with me?"

Delaney pursed her lips, "It's obvious something is wrong with you since you're doing all this drinking. We were just in the throne room and met a particularly nasty woman I'm assuming is the cause?"

"Ah so you met Anna then," he dropped back onto his bed, sitting with his back resting against the headboard.  His expression slowly shifted into one of hopelessness as he stared down at his hands in his lap.

"We did," Delaney answered and sat lightly on the side of the bed, turning to face him, "She was... she was awful Mace."

"That she is," he sighed and picked at a hole in the thigh of his breeches, "I told you, remember?  That day you were at court the last time."

"I do remember," she nodded quickly, "That is why I don't understand why on earth you would agree to marry her."

Mason's blue eyes shot up to hers, "Who told you that?"

"Well, she and Sophia did... and Daniel..."

Mason turned away, the anger returning to his face. "Yes, I always knew my older brother and I weren't close but I didn't think he hated me so much as to wish to punish me like this.  They aren't supposed to tell anyone yet either."

"You... You think it's a punishment?"

"How could it not be?" he demanded, looking at her desperately, "You met the woman Delaney. She's beautiful but why do you think I broke our marriage contract in the first place?"

"So why marry her now then?" Ilona asked curiously from where she now sat at the very far end of the bed, "If you hated her when you were supposed to marry her and still do now, then why should you marry her?"

Ian and Delaney turned to the Prince now too, waiting to hear what he would say.

"Because Anna still wants to marry me so she can remain here with Sophia.  My brother may be King but his wife is smart and manipulative.  The two of them convinced him to force me to uphold my contract now because I've never found another wife."

"Daniel told you you had to marry her?" Delaney asked in surprise, "He's really going to force you?"

"Of course," Mason looked over at her, "He commanded it.  He said as heir to the throne it is my duty to marry and continue our family line in case he can't.  So now he wants to make me marry her in a few weeks."

"What are you going to do about it?" Ilona asked, "Surely you won't actually marry that woman?"

"I have to do as the King commands."

"I don't think Daniel is happy about it," Delaney said in an attempt to make him feel better, "Vincent was pretty cold with him about it and he would hardly look at him.  I think he might feel guilty."

"I suppose he might but that doesn't help me," Mace sighed and rubbed his temples as they all sat quietly thinking over what he had said.

"You didn't tell me what brought you here early," he said to Delaney after a while, changing the subject, "I'm also curious to hear how you have ended up with yet another pirate at your side. Especially one so lovely."

Ilona frowned hard at that comment, glaring at him and rolling her eyes when he looked her way.

Delaney glanced over her shoulder at the woman before turning to look at Ian.  Her friend seemed to know what she was thinking and shrugged.

"Well, we met Ilona when she had just arrived back from a trip to the Red Lands," Delaney answered Mason, leaving out exactly how their first meeting had occurred, "The next day she came to Vincent and I to ask for help and of course, Vincent agreed."

Mason listened intently as Delaney repeated the story Ilona had told of her journey.  Every so often one or both of the Black siblings would cut in to add information or explain something but otherwise, they seemed content to let her do the talking.  Ilona actually looked relieved to not have to go over her mistakes again although she didn't seem thrilled to hear the duchess discussing them either.

Delaney ended her tale by saying they had come to seek Daniel's help but didn't mention that he had already said no.  Mason now sat looking as angry as his older brother had.

"I've met your brother Isaac," Mason said to Ian and Ilona, "I'm terribly sorry to hear this has happened to him.  He is a good man."

"Thank you," the siblings replied in unison.

"Have you spoken to your father yet?" he asked, "What did he say about this nightmare?"

"We haven't been able to locate him yet," Ilona answered quietly, "But my men are out searching for him and will let us know the minute they find him."

"Good," Mason nodded, "And what did my brother say?  Did he agree to the terms?"

Delaney, Ian, and Ilona were quiet for a moment, looking between one another.

"He said no," Ilona answered softly, not waiting for the other two as tears burned in her eyes, "He said the terms were impossible."

"He said they were impossible?" Mason questioned in surprise, "What were the terms?"

"He wouldn't say," Ian answered, "He said he wouldn't discuss it with us."

Mason laughed harshly as he pushed himself back out of the bed and launched across the room towards his wardrobe.

"Well this will be simple enough," he said, "I will make sure he has to discuss it with me.  Then I can tell all of you and we can deal with whatever comes."

"Wait," Ilona asked quietly as she watched him pull on a shirt and go about tucking it in, "Are you saying you're going to help us?" 

Mason grinned and pulled on his boots.

"I'm certainly going to try."