The Princess Guard

Chapter Twenty-Two

The Pool Talks

I wasn't going to let stupid James ruin my day. Apparently they were staying here..I made sure to keep on the other side of the castle after that whole charade. I was still furious about him hitting Salem and I couldn't help but wonder why Salem let him.

All the times I had seen him go against someone. He could move faster than I could blink. Yet he let him hit him. It made no sense to me.

Victoria had found us and suggested we go swimming..so here I was, laying on a lounge chair with my robe on while Victoria swam laps in the pool.

Sure, it was October. It was definitely getting chilly out but the pool was heated. I wasn't sure how long I'd let myself sit here in my bikini and get cold before jumping in the water. Getting in the water meant.. well it meant Salem would see me exposed and for some reason that made me feel insecure.

Amelia laid in the chair next to me. I gave her a few days off since she had just gotten back from so much training. Truth be told I also just missed her company and wanted to catch up.

"Daya are you even going to swim!?" Vic called from the edge of the pool and I shrugged.

"That pompous ass is no where around. Come on!" I giggled at her response. She didn't like James as soon as I told her what happened. Unfortunately for us the Westard kingdom is quite a ways from here..father arranged for them to stay a few days so it wouldn't be a waste of a trip. I guess he knew my meeting him would end quickly.

"You don't want to swim?" Amelia's voice peeped up next to me and I glanced at Salem secretly. He was a few chairs away, laying in a T-shirt and bathing suit. His arm was draped over his eyes blocking his face from the sun.

I shrugged and she got up, shivering in the chill air and discarding her cover up.

She was a very petite girl, her bright red hair fell straight as a pin down her back. She squealed before jumping into the water. The air probably felt colder to her since she was human and all. I hope Victoria set the pool to a safe temperature for her. definitely didn't want to boil the poor girl alive.

I glanced at Salem again, he hadn't budged.

I watched as my two friends swam, splashing happily. I was glad we were all getting a break. Tomorrow I'd be diving back in completely..we were scheduled to visit one of the human sectors. I really hoped it would go well but something always happened.

Once I was sure the two weren't paying attention to us I looked at Salem

"Guard" I spoke quietly and he appeared next to me immediately.

"Yes Princess" His tone was level, he almost sounded off. I wondered if it was bothering him too.

"Why did you let james hit you?" I spoke bluntly and amusement hit his eyes suddenly.

"What would you have had me do?" He tilted his head at me and I frowned slightly.

"You could've at least moved out of the way, you know." I muttered and he shrugged carelessly.

"I know I know. The poor guy has hated me ever since we met. I can imagine he'd been wanting to do that for awhile, so I let him have his little win." He smirked and rubbed the back of his head.