Hey everyone, I know that Calm Before The Storm isn't finished on Wattpad but it available in full on most ebook providers so many of you have read it and messaged me about book two, Eye Of The Storm. I will be announcing the release date soon but created a new book on wattpad to give you a preview. Check out my page to read the intro and let me know what you think.

Love
NJ Kuhr
XOXO

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It took three days to clear the pass and the rain never let up. Emory would leave first thing in the morning and come back well after nightfall. On the second day there was another rockslide. This wasn't as bad as the first, it just meant more work for them to do.

Four days after the rain finally ceased we woke to a bright cloudless sunrise. The light was inspiring and I rolled over so I could straddle Emory who was still asleep. I never woke before he did. It was much later than he usually stayed in but it had been an exhausting few days.

My movement made him start to open his heavy eyes with a happy moan. I felt him harden beneath me as Emory's hands came up to my hips and then followed my curves up to my breast.

I shifted to take him inside me and watched as his eyes rolled towards the back of his head. I liked this position. I could watch Emory's face as I brought us higher and higher.

He sat up as I got closer to coming, flexing his hips to match my movements. We took our time, it was the first morning in days we had to ourselves. No stress, no rain, no rockslide. Just us and we weren't in any hurry to get anywhere except nirvana.

At breakfast Emmeline and I were discussing the garrison. The rain had revealed a few leaks in the roof and some of the thatch rotted. Warin announced the east pass was secure and there were no signs of another rockslide. The south pass was going to need clearing and there were a few places that needed support and relining. The river that flowed down the north pass had flooded but the path was clear.

We were still discussing who we were going to send to the south pass when Beltran arrived. He raced to the edge of dais. Warin just beaconed at him to approach the table ignoring protocol.

Beltran was second to Warin's Captain of the Guard but I didn't know him well. He was also Warin's closest friend. They had grown up together even though Beltran was closer to my age.

He took an easy leap onto the dais and walked up to the table across from us. "Lady Colette. Admiral Hugo sent a missive for you. It just arrived at the gate."

He gave me a low bow which made me blush. That bow was for royalty. Emmeline grinned pleased at him. Emory's lips twitched at my awkwardness. Draden had already expressed that my honorary membership was one everyone considered legitimate. I didn't see it that way.

I reached out and took the letter from him. "Thank you, Beltran."

He bowed again to everyone at the table and then turned to head back out of the hall. I opened the letter.

"Admiral Hugo is available this afternoon though he won't be able to make it to the Keep." I informed no one in particular. "I'll let Draden know and he can escort me down to the docks."

I smiled at Emory beating him to it. He was going to insist I have a few of my guards with me anyway. By saying it first he couldn't order me to take them. We still hadn't resurrected our fight because of the rockslide but we were going to have to talk at some point.

His eyes sharpened at my tone but he still smiled back at me. "Good. If we finish with the south pass early I'll meet you down there. I'd like to get a good look at our ships as well, make sure the rain hasn't caused any damage. Hugo is a competent Admiral but I'd rather see for myself. I've no doubt I won't find anything of merit. Hugo has a firm hand and is proficient with his crew."

I relaxed thinking he wasn't going to start another argument out in public. We would wait until we were alone.

"You're not to go near the water." He ordered. "Stay inside the wharf."

I ground my teeth together. "Emory." His name clipped and with a warning.

He was not going to start with this domineering nonsense; especially over something as simple as me being down on the docks. What did he think was going to happen? I wasn't going to fall in and drown.

"I do know how to swim. I'm not going to go leaping off the pier." I couldn't keep the sarcasm from my voice and watched Emory's jaw flex.

"I'm sure you can swim, Colette. I just don't think it's the time to test that theory." His was being patronizing again and I didn't know why.

Emmeline decided to intervene before I could say something that was really going to piss him off. "Does Hugo know what you have planned for the anniversary?"

"No, I just requested a meeting with him." Another potential fight postponed again. "I want to get his impression on it in person. Letters can be impassive."

"I've no doubt Hugo will enjoy it." She informed me. "He's an engaging man. Stern and strict but he's lively and charming. You'll like him."

Later that evening when the sun was beginning to set Draden, Lawrence and I set out to go to the wharf. Emory had spoken with Draden before he took a crew to the south pass. I wasn't sure what he had said to him but Draden was watching me close as if I was about to fall apart. It was making me apprehensive. What was so damn worrisome about the wharf? I wanted to go there for weeks but hadn't found the time. I don't know what Emory was so concerned about.

"Draden."

"Yes, my Lady."

I didn't bother looking at him. "Will you please stop watching me as if I'm about to tear my clothes off and dance through the streets naked."

I heard Lawrence cough to cover up a laugh before Draden looked straight forward with a "Yes, my Lady."

I knew that was going to get back to Emory. He was going to be angry I had put the image of me naked in another man's mind but he'd get over it.

Admiral Hugo was waiting for me at the guard house. It was a plain large building used to conduct business transactions and maintain manifest. Visiting ships and vessels checked in with the harbor master. Requirements to enter the city were to provide a thorough inventory of every item and person on board.

The harbor master was puckish. He was a qualified businessman who ran the wharf with professionalism and structure. Margo got along well with him though they weren't close. He was tall and willowy with long fingers and a permanent scowl though he was polite and strait to the point. He had mousy brown hair. The five o'clock shadow made me think he kept it on purpose to make himself look more masculine. He was around forty but without the stubble he had a boyish face.

Admiral Hugo was the exact opposite, a bit on the shorter side. I thought he may even be shorter than me but he had a steady gait and a stocky build that made him appear taller. His hair was curly, a dark red brown color with a full beard spotted like deer fur. There was a scar through one eyebrow above warm almost honey colored eyes. His grin wasn't wide but his large front teeth still showed. His cheeks had permanent sun burns. The wrinkles on his forehead made him look surprised. I liked him right away.

He reached out for my hand as if I was a man and I shook it. "Lady Colette. I'm thrilled to finally meet you." His voice was throaty and loud.

"As am I, my Lord Admiral." I assured him.

He stepped to the side so I could walk beside him as he led me around the guard house. There was a pleasant boardwalk that looked over the beach and the marina. He walked over to the edge and rested his elbows on the railing. We watched the boats bob in the water. I asked Draden and Lawrence to keep back, the surprise was for everyone and I didn't want to ruin it for them.

"I've asked to meet with you about the anniversary. I understand that it was your men who found me that day. I've approved it with the King and Queen and was hoping you would assist me with a gift I'd like to arrange."

His eyebrows scrunched together but he gave me a small grin. "A gift, huh?" His voice layered with amusement.

"Yes. I wanted to arrange a production for the anniversary. I thought we could build a mast and rigging inside the Great Hall. The sailors can show off their skills on a balancing rope. Allow the people to see their talent. It would alleviate the tedium of winter and give the sailors some much deserved fun. They saved my life and I would like to show them my appreciation. I'm not sure what's needed so that's why I've come to you. Get your take on my idea."

His two front teeth were even more pronounced. "The boys will enjoy that. They're all cocky and sure footed. I heard you were a bright young lady. I'm glad the rumors are true for once. We have two masts in the depot cut too short that we could use. I'll have to get the architect down here. We can figure out how to secure them but I think we can get something pulled together by the anniversary."

We discussed the details for a long time. I was happy to know that Emmeline was right. I did like Admiral Hugo. He was quick and intelligent. There was something buoyant and childlike in his excitement. Yet he had a maturity about him. He commanded respect and had a dominance about him that reminded me of Theodrid and Emory. When he spoke people listened. His men would follow his orders without hesitation.

I was watching the sun sink beneath the horizon. The pinks and oranges of the sky were fading into a deep dark blue but it was still light enough to see.

"Let me check in with the harbor master about a net." He stepped away and towards the guard house.

I leaned against the railing and watched the boats as the skies grew darker. There were seven large warships that were out in the bay. A few smaller fishing vessels docked and tied to the pier.

Draden and Lawrence had both stepped into an inn for a drink while Hugo and I discussed my presentation. Hugo would select a few men to build the rigging. We kept the number of people who knew to a minimum.

I was alone on the boardwalk without an escort. Emory had ordered me not to walk down the pier. I was still angry at him for that. With a spark of rebellion I decided to walk down the boardwalk and turn onto the pier anyway. It was getting dark quick and someone had lit torches along the pier. I wasn't a reckless child. There was nothing threatening about walking along the planks out to where the pier ended over in the sea.

Emory would figure out what I was doing but I wanted to set a precedent. He couldn't dictate what I did. Yes, he was the Prince but he needed to understand that I wasn't one of his guards that he could rule over.

I may be his when I'm naked and moaning. 'Mine.' He would say and it always made me feel needed and desirable but I wasn't his property. He may possess my heart but he wasn't my master.

By the time I made it the edge of the pier it had gotten dark. There wasn't a railing but there was a raised edge about five inches high that framed the walkway. I stepped up to the edge so I could look down on the water below me. The end of the pier was about ten feet off the surface of the ocean and the waves lapped and broke against the post. I could hear the boats shift and bump into the docks. It was a specific sound that everyone could recognize. The dark water was swaying and rolling.

Thud. Plop. Thud. Drip. Thud. Plop.

Terror hit me, fast and hard.

Fear that I couldn't explain gripped me. I stumbled back and fell to my knees. I couldn't breathe. It was like the panic attack I had when I first woke up only worse. It was alarming. I was shaking and freezing. My lungs seized up as I struggled to inhale. I curled over my knees as I fought to breathe. Each inhale I had to forcible drag the air into my lungs by stretching out the muscles around them. It hurt, it hurt to breathe. Everything hurt as I struggled, clawing at the wood planks of the pier. Tears were flowing down my face. I wheezed and hiccupped trying to fight against the claustrophobic horror that paralyzed me.

Emory was there kneeling next to me pulling me into his lap. "Breathe, Colette. Dammit, just breathe." His hands were rubbing up and down my shoulder and back. He was angry but trying to calm me down.

It took a few minutes but I was finally able to take a deep breath in. My whole body hurt. There was an ache in my muscles as I shook. I curled up into Emory and tried to stop crying.

He waited for me to get my breathing under control. "Ah, love. Why didn't you just do as I asked?" His hands tightened around my arm enough it hurt. I thought he might shake me the way he had in the blizzard but he didn't.

I rubbed under my nose with my sleeve. "I'm sorry. It was the sound of the boats hitting the dock."

"I knew it was too soon." He was angry but not at me. "Eric said sounds and smells could cause panic attacks. I thought being too close to the ocean would trigger a flashback or a memory."

I glowered at him. "Why didn't you just tell me that?" My voice was raw.

He glared right back at me. "I thought if I did tell you the first thing you would do was come riding down here to force the memories yourself."

He had a point. That is exactly what I would have done but it was another way for him to control me.

"Emory." I reached up and pulled his face down to look at me. "You have to stop this. You can't dictate my life. I know as the Prince I have to follow direct orders but I am not your property or your ward to control."

His eyes sharpened. "I don't want to control you. I just want you happy and safe. I'm trying to protect you. The idea that you could be hurt or harmed makes me go a bit berserk."

"I love that you want to protect me, Emory." I smiled at him but stayed serious. "I do, but I need you to understand that I'm going do things that you don't want me to. I know that there are risks and that things are going to be hard. I'm going to struggle but you can't protect me from the answers that I need."

I kissed him once. "You do make me happy, but there are things that I need to know. You can't protect me from them."

He looked like he wanted to say he could. He was sensible enough not to. "I know, love. I'm just... I can't stand there and watch you suffer. I can't."

I titled up and kissed his jaw. "I know that. You can't prevent it though, even if you wanted to. Being insufferably authoritative is only going to cause a fight. It won't prevent anything."

He rolled his head back and stared up at the sky. He took a few deep breaths then he looked down at me. "Are you alright?" He stopped arguing with me, for the time being anyway.

"Yes, but I don't want to talk about it here." With the ocean right there, the sounds of the boats were still making me anxious.

He helped me up and then grabbed my hand as we headed back towards the guard house. Draden and Lawrence were waiting on the boardwalk. Emory tensed up. Judging by the ashamed expressions on my guards faces Emory's anger was now directed at them. He didn't say anything but I knew they were going to get an earful when we returned.

Admiral Hugo came out of the building.  He was stoic and his eyes were hooded. "The sea's a cruel mistress, my Lady. I would not wish anyone to experience what you must have gone through out there. Not on my worst enemy."

"Thank you, Admiral." I gave him a curt nod.

"I've got some ideas. I'll have my men get everything prepared. I'll have one of my sailors bring you the details when we have everything we need."

"If you need any assistance just send word. I'd be happy to come down and help in anyway." I was grateful he didn't say anything else about my ordeal. Emory's hand tightened on mine but he didn't protest.