Addan, Two Days Later
The royal palace loomed ahead,a glimmering fortress of crystal and gold against the dawn. I sat rigid in the transport, my mind a tempest as the vehicle glided silently toward the ceremonial entrance. My parents rode in the vehicle ahead. A contingent of guards in the one behind. My sisters sat on either side of me, their presence grounding yet irritating, as Sorcha hummed some cheerful tune under her breath.
“Addan, your jaw is so tight I’m afraid it might snap,” Catriona stated from my left. Her tone, as always, was sharp. She cared. A lot. Didn’t bother to pretend otherwise.
“I’m fine,” I replied curtly.
“You don’t look fine,” Sorcha chimed in on my right, her tone lighter, teasing. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you? About Princess Paige?”
Her name shot through me like a lance. Of course I was thinking about Paige. She was all I could imagine. With the information Commander Zeus had shared, I thought about her even more. About how she’d barely escaped the planet. Howshe’d been close to being murdered on Earth as an infant. Then left to fend for herself for the next twenty-five years. And miraculously–and only by mistake–transported to Insuri to be swept up into a betrothal she didn’t want.
To that wedding that would keep her from me forever.
Yeah, I thought of her.
I turned my head sharply toward the window. “She’s marrying Prince Martainn,” I said bitterly. “It’s my job to keep her safe. Find out who killed her mother. What I feel doesn’t matter.”
“That’s not true, and you know it,” Catriona said, her piercing gaze locked on me. When she didn’t look away, I flicked my gaze to hers. “You’ve been brooding, Addan, and don’t think we haven’t noticed. This isn’t like you.”
To pine for a female? I had never once done so.
“It’s not just her,” I said through clenched teeth, the words spilling out before I could stop them. “I’ve come upon obstacles in the investigation into Queen Madallaine’s death. Commander Zeus hasn’t uncovered anything new, and it’s driving me insane.” I felt like coming out of my skin, so I rolled my neck around in a circle to try to ease some of the tension. It didn’t work. “Someone betrayed Paige’s mother—someone on the inside—and I can’t prove it. There are no clear leads, no names. I’m hunting shadows.”
“And that bothers you why?” Sorcha asked, though her tone wasn’t mocking this time. “Because you want to avenge her or–”
“Of course!” I snapped.
She was undeterred. “–or because it’s a way to stay connected to Paige?”
My silence was answer enough. The way I opened and closed my fists in my lap was also a sign. And the way I ground my teeth together.
Sorcha tilted her head, her playful demeanor softening. “You care about her, Addan. We can all see it.”
Catriona leaned forward, her expression serious. “Do you have a plan in place to protect her? I assume you didn’t bring the extra guards for nothing.”
I nodded stiffly. My personal security detail from home—veterans I trusted with my life—followed discreetly in a separate transport. I’d arranged for them to be stationed strategically around the palace, disguised as visiting nobles’ guards. If an attack happened, they’d act immediately. I’d even gone so far as to arrange for an extraction route through one of the palace’s service corridors.
I could leave nothing to chance, not even at Queen’s Castle where she should be completely safe since it was her palace.
If it came to doing something extreme, I’d get Paige out, whether she liked it or not. I’d toss her over my shoulder and carry her away. Never look back.
“I’m not leaving anything to chance,” I said. “If there’s trouble, we’re getting Paige out of there. I won’t let her fall into someone else’s hands. Not the queen’s. Not her enemies’. Not anyone’s.”
“And you think she’ll come with you quietly?” Sorcha asked, raising an eyebrow.
“She’ll have no choice,” I said, though the words felt hollow. “If it means keeping her alive, I’ll do anything.”
My sisters exchanged a look I couldn’t quite decipher.
“You’re a brute,” Sorcha said finally, though there was a hint of a smile in her voice. “But an honorable one.”
“It’s not just about protecting her,” Catriona said softly, her gaze searching mine. “You’re in love with her. You don’t want to lose her.”
I swallowed hard, staring at the palace gates as they drew closer, reminding me that time was running out until she wouldbe lost to me forever. “She’s marrying someone else,” I snapped, stating the obvious. “She is not mine to lose.”
“Has she actually chosen him? Prince Martainn?” Sorcha’s voice was uncharacteristically serious. “Or have you just failed to tell her she has another option?”
I turned to look at her sharply. “She voluntarily went with him,” I reminded.
