"I had no right?" Ardec slammed his fist into the desk as he stood. "I have every right to protect the crown prince from making disastrous mistakes that will affect his ability to rule."
"What the hell makes you think I was making mistakes?" Luke threw up his hands. "I was at the beach. It's not like I was hiding. I just needed to get away."
"Who is she?"
Relief almost made him groan with happiness. If his father didn't know Sarah's identity, then she could be safer. "Who is who? I was alone when they found me. I'm certain you've had a full report already."
"They may not have found you with a female, but don't think for a moment that I believe you sneak away to be alone."
"I am a grown man, and I don't have to file an itinerary every time I leave this godforsaken castle."
"This godforsaken castle, as you put it, is your home. And your birth right. And very soon, your palace to rule."
"And did I get any say in that?" Being the new king was not high up on Luke's priorities. He had never been one for all the pomp and circumstance of the royal family, nor had he even bided by the rules that he was supposed to acknowledge.
"Don't you dare belittle your position of privilege."
Luke stormed out of the office despite Ardec's order to return.What privilege is there if I lose the woman I love?
He ran up the stairs to his chambers and locked the door behind him. All he wanted to do was get back to Sarah, but he knew that leaving again right now would just make things worse. Unfortunately, the only way he had to call her was to enter her realm so that cell phones worked.
He stood in the shower and let the water cascade off his body.If only he would listen to me.But Sarah was as forbidden as it could get.
It had been so innocent meeting her. He really had left the castle and gone to New York to just get away. He loved the vibe and constant motion of the city, such a contrast to the laid-back, calm style of the Sacred Gardens.
He had been sitting outside of a small cafe, enjoying the sunshine, when Sarah came barreling around the corner and almost knocked his chair over with her bags after a day of shopping in the big city. His dragon had sensed hers almost instantly. Their attraction was instant, and they were both amused that her dragon is what had led her to him.
Dragon shifters were rare in the human realm, yet their souls had managed to find each other. He had known from the first moment that she was his life mate.
She had almost left him when he told her who he was. And his heart had almost stopped when he realized who she was. She might be the instant love of his life, but Sarah and her entire family had been banished from the Sacred Gardens. Although it had not had anything to do with Sarah, he had no idea how to fix that.
After listening to her, he knew that Sarah's father had taken the fall for someone else. But he had no way to prove it, and his father was one who never went back on a decision. Nor would he take the hit to his solid rule and recant a declaration such as the one banishing the entire Hale family from their realm.
When the water ran cold, Luke stepped out of the shower to find his father sitting on his bed. He grabbed his towel without bothering to be modest. "What do you want?"
"You can't escape me."
"Obviously I can't have any privacy either." He dried himself and then purposely walked across his bedroom naked. He smiled in satisfaction when he saw Ardec shift uncomfortably to avoid seeing him.
"When you earn it, then you shall have it."
Luke pulled on a pair of sweatpants. "Why don't you just tell me what it is that you want? You must have something extremely important to say for you to sit there and watch me dress."
"The grand ball is coming up in a few months."
"I'm aware of that."
"You will be attending. Alone."
That was a relief for Luke. He had been dreading having to find a date, or more specifically, having to explain it to Sarah. "That's fine with me."
"And we will announce your engagement to Lady Kayleigh."
Luke froze from pulling a T-shirt over his head. "No, we won't." Kayleigh's father ruled the neighboring kingdom, and there had been rumors for years that he would marry her. He had never taken the talk seriously, but suddenly wondered if he should have.
"It's time for you to marry, and I have already spoken with her parents. It will be a good union for both kingdoms."
"No. I'm not marrying anyone just because you tell me to." His heartbeat quickened. This was more serious than he thought. "Is that why you sent the guards to spy on me? Because you're afraid that I'll tarnish my good name and not be a suitable candidate for the prissy Kayleigh's hand?"
