“Amanda decided to come to a small college in America where nobody would know who she was. She left Grenève in secret and avoided the press, choosing a private college in a small town outside of Nashville, close to Knoxville. When she went to class or the grocery store, or anywhere that she could be recognized, she wore a hat and big fake prescription glasses. She also had her hair dyed a different color and cut from her norm. Nobody had any clue who she was, and the press never foundher.”
Ellion chimed in. “She took a bunch of cash with her—probably more than was safe for a person to have on them—and never used a credit card. She got a cell phone once she was in Tennessee so there was no phone to trace. Only her mother and father knew where she was.” He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. “It took a lot of convincing to get them to let hercome.”
“How’d you know her? And Chandler?” Iasked.
“We were her bodyguards. We were trained from the nursery to protect theprincess.”
My mouth dropped open. Delicate, sensitive Ellion was a bodyguard? And graceful, flirtatious Chandler? “I’m having a hard time believing allthis.”
Griffin shrugged. “Believe whatever you want, it’strue.”
“If you married a princess, wouldn’t you still be a prince? And what about your company, is thattrue?”
Griffin shook his head. “The Grenèvian monarchy doesn’t work that way. If she’d died of natural causes I’d still be a prince, still be completely a part of the family. But she died under suspicious circumstances, and the heir died with her.” His face was a pale shade of green. Talking about his girls was still raw for him. “We were living in Nashville, trying to get a few years of normalcy before our lives changed forever when she took the throne. I’d insisted on it.” He hung his head. “If I hadn’t, we would’ve been in Grenève, living in the palace, surrounded by guards and security. She would be alive, andAndee.”
“You couldn’t have known what your choices would bring. And it sounds like Amanda had enough clout to force you to move to Grenève if that’s what she really wanted.” He couldn’t blame himself for something so horrendous. It’d eat him alive. “Now that you know about Hunter, will you tell the king and queen? Surely they’ll forgiveyou.”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me back into that family. They’re horrible. Amanda was an angel born among devils.” Heshuddered.
Ellion nodded. “I absolutely agree. We would’ve died for her in a heartbeat. We would’ve taken her place, any one of the three of us. Now we’re allexiled.”
“There you guys are,” Chandler said, walking into theoffice.
Ellion filled him in. “Griffin toldher.”
Chandler’s eyes widened. “How’s she takingit?”
What the heck? “I’m sitting right here; why don’t you askme?”
“I’m sorry, gorgeous. Please forgive my rudeness.” He sat on the corner of the desk. “How’re you taking it?” he askedme.
“How should I take it? I don’t see how this is possible. Griffin, a prince? It’s ludicrous.” I stood. “Can you prove it?” Iasked.
Ellion walked to the desk and reached across to take my hand. “Come to my lab. I’ve gotpictures.”
I’d heard of Grenève. It was a tiny country in Europe, near France, full of wealth. I was a little fuzzy about how they made their money, but I did at least know they had a monarchy. I might even have been able to recognize their royal family. I hadn’t been living under a rock. I read gossip magazines in airports,too.
Chandler hopped off the desk and led the way to Ellion’s lair. I sat in the middle of the couch and Griffin sat to my left. Chandler pulled up a desk chair, and Ellion sat on my other side with a laptop. Once it booted up, he clicked a few things and set it in mylap.
A picture of a blonde woman in a wedding dress standing next to a man in military regalia stared back at me. It was totally different from the pictures I’d seen in the totes in the barn. Amanda’s hair was a caramel color, much darker blonde than I’d seen before, with a heavily jeweled crown on her head. Her dress was beyond opulent and probably cost more than I even wanted toimagine.
The picture was crisp, taken with an excellent camera. I double-tapped on the mouse to zoom. The bodice of the bright white dress was covered in thousands of beads. “That dress looks heavy,” I said. “So does thecrown.”
Griffin barked out a laugh. Every time he did he looked like the laugh had sneaked out of him and surprised him. “She bitchedall dayabout how heavy the dress was and how much she preferred the one she’d worn in America.” His hand drifted toward the laptop screen before he jerked it back into his lap. “It annoyed me at the time, but now… It wascute.”
I shifted my gaze to the Griffin in the picture. Like before, he seemed hopeful, full of zest for life. His face was the kind of handsome girls went nuts for in high school. I studied him besideme.
The scars on his face had faded some from the angry red I knew they would’ve been just after the fire. They weren’t quite faded to white—that would take more time. But they were a soft pink against the tan of the other part of his face. I fought the urge to stroke the ridges of his cheek. I wanted to comfort him as he gazed at his dead wife’spicture.
Chandler leaned forward and patted Griffin’s knee. “You okay, man?” heasked.
Griffin cleared his throat. “I’m fine. I miss her, but it’s starting to get a little better. It doesn’t overwhelm me quite like it used to.” He noticed me staring at him. “What?”
“Nothing,” I replied. “You’re just… I don’t know. Your devotion, it’stouching.”
I blushed. What was I thinking? He didn’t want to hear something so intimate from me. He was still clearly in mourning, attraction to me be damned. He didn’t look away, and his gaze captured me. I stared into his intense eyes, unable to break the lure he had over me. My breath quickened. Every cell in my body screamed for me to lean forward and touch my lips tohis.
“And here’s the official royal portrait after Andee was born,” Ellion said, oblivious to the fireworks erupting over mine and Griffin’sheads.
