Because if he’s said it…
Better to let it just be sex. Better to let it just be one night. One night that she would never forget, but one night all the same.
She swallowed hard and stood up, and then there was a knock on the door that made her startle. “Yes?”
Andrei stirred, and sat up, the covers falling down to his waist, her attention completely captivated by his half-naked form.
“Princess,” came the voice from the other side of the door. “I have breakfast for you.”
“You can leave it,” she said. “I’ll only be a moment.”
He looked at her, his mouth a grim line. “I will go back to my quarters and ready myself to be presented at the palace. You should also ready yourself.”
There were not going to be any soft words for her. No goodbye. When he got out of her bed, he began to dress in silence. And when he left the room he didn’t kiss her goodbye.
She cried. For a few minutes, she cried. Because there was no way to fix this. Not ever. She’d made her decision. She had signed an agreement. She had given herself away.
But last night had been something she’d chosen for herself. She had to be okay with it. She was the one who had set the terms.
Still, she sobbed as she got dressed. Forgot that there was breakfast outside and nearly tripped over it when she opened the door, as the yacht moved into the port.
She wiped her face, but she knew that she looked like she’d been crying. Maybe King Lucian would like it. It was rumored that he was a ruthless bastard.
Maybe it would suit him.
When she looked out at the view of Alabria, she was shocked. It was a rocky, mountainous island, and a large black palace stood on top of the highest peak, like the tower of Barad-dûr in Middle-earth. All that was missing was the Eye of Sauron. If he wanted the world to think of him as a villain, he had certainly done a great job setting up the optics.
Dead wives not required.
She had been so focused on the grief that she felt over losing her chance with Andrei, that she hadn’t fully allowed herself to feel grief over the situation she was putting herself in.
Because there’s no point. Because you made your bed, and now you have to lie in it.
Hilarious, because the bed in her cabin still wasn’t made. It was demolished from letting Andrei have her all night.
As soon as the yacht docked, they lowered the gangway, and as they were preparing to get off, they were boarded instead.
Andrei was immediately beside her, his hands on her as though he were ready to flee with her if necessary. “We are emissaries of the king,” said a man dressed in a military uniform.
“What makes you think this is a necessary display? This vessel belongs to King Onyx of Basilia. And it is very easy for us to take this as an act of aggression,” Andrei said.
“Of course it is not an act of aggression,” the man said. “A treaty is signed between Princess Emerald and the king. There is no aggression here.”
Her heart hammered in fear as she allowed the group of emissaries to lead her off the ship and put her in a car. They paused in front of Andrei. “Your services are not required,” the man said.
“I am the princess’s personal bodyguard. I go with her wherever she goes. I think you will find the terms of that are nonnegotiable.”
The man looked Andrei up and down. “I will leave that for the king to decide.” He moved out of the way and allowed Andrei to get into the car next to her, and it was all she could do not to cling to him. She didn’t have the right to do that, and he had made it very clear that physical touch, other than him protecting her, was not allowed this side of daylight. The car drove down a long, winding two-lane road that wound around the mountain, bringing them closer to the evil tower.
Reality was setting in very hard.
Warring with memories from last night. His hands on her skin. His body moving inside hers.
Stop this.
Stop this.
Stop this.
