I bit into my lower lip as I approached the door, imagining Kyle on the other side. Everything was about to change the moment I walked through this door. The truth would come out. And it would give me my first glimpses of the real Kyle Carter.
What if Kyle couldn’t accept who I was? What if he saw me as just another manipulative royal, using him for my own gain? And worse—what if Stefan was right, and I was letting my feelings cloud my judgment? If Kyle betrayed me, it wouldn’t just break my heart. It could destroy everything.
Would he accept who I was or reject it? Or would my lies catch up to me even if he was true?
CHAPTER 17
KYLE
Istood with my jaw still hanging open, my mind slowly trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. First, I’d been arrested and stuck in a jail, then a woman identical to Nattie had rescued us, and now Nattie stood in front of me.
Except this wasn’t my sweet Nattie, the woman who didn’t know what French fries were. This was the queen of a small country.
Maybe there was a third one of them. Maybethatwas Nattie.
I cocked my head, my brows furrowing. “N–Nattie?”
She huffed out a sigh, her shoulders relaxing as she grinned at me. “Kyle.”
My eyes widened. Nope, there wasn’t a third one. This was Nattie. Well, it wasn’t Nattie. It was Queen Regent Natasha.
What did that even mean? And why hadn’t she told me? A small part of me was hurt, but then again, I’d kept my identitya secret once, too. But that was for nefarious purposes. I didn’t want to believe that from my sweet Nattie.
I shoved all the questions aside, searching her eyes. The same warmth and connection I’d gotten from the moment we’d first met came rushing back.
I swallowed hard. Nothing else mattered but that. If she’d lied, she done it for a reason, and she deserved the chance to tell me what it was. Although the tangled mess we were faced with made me afraid to hear the truth. Was I just a pawn in a royal game?
Heck, when I’d rolled into New Orleans, I’d been ready to destroy my father. But all I’d needed–and wanted–was a chance to be family.
Right now, while I wanted to hear her story, I was so glad to find her safe. I took a step forward, stretching my arms out to pull her into an embrace.
The second my foot kicked out to take a step, the three men, the guard, and Nadia leapt to their feet, hands going to the weapons strapped to their hips.
“Whoa,” the man who had escorted Nattie into the room said, holding a hand out in front of him as he stepped between me and Nattie.
My heart hammered against my ribs as my eyes went wide. I instinctively raised my hands. “Whoa, whoa.”
“Stefan,otstupit,” Nattie barked, her voice authoritative and sharp.
The guards’ eyes went to Nadia. She tilted her head slightly, her hand falling from the butt of her gun.
They eased off of their defensive positions, returning to a neutral stance.
“Give us a few minutes,” Nattie said.
“Nyet, Tsarina,” the man between us said.
“Nadia is here,” she shot back.
The man narrowed his eyes at her slightly. I wondered who he was. Just a guard or was there something more?
He waved two fingers in the air, his eyes flicking to the other guards. “Vsekh one, ostan’tes’ tol’ko ya I nadzornyy.”
I had no idea what he said, but it sounded official. I wondered if we’d be wrangled back to the prison cell we’d just been freed from. My heart thudded hard against my ribs.
Things had taken a weird turn. But then that was the story of my life.
The other guards shuffled from the room, leaving us alone. I still stood frozen, uncertain of what I could or should do. Flicking my gaze to Alex and Ava, I found them just as confused as I was–at least according to the expressions on their faces.
