“How old were you when your mother died?” Amos didn’t know why he asked. It didn’t matter, but for some reason, he needed to know.
“Four.” Rainer cracked his neck. “Now. Who are you hiding in the Human Kingdom, but more importantly, who is helping you hide them?”
Amos hesitated. If they knew his father would kill Amelia like he’d done to Phoebe, they’d help her, not harm her. He hoped. They’d backed him into a wall, and they knew it because there was no way he would give up Clover.
“My twin sister,” he said finally. Ruth’s jaw dropped and Rainer swore. “If you betray her and get her killed, Iwillkill you,” Amos promised. “I don’t care how long I have to wait, but I will mount your head alongside my father’s.”
“Big words for a young boy,” Rainer quipped. His voice turned grave. “I’d never kill an innocent girl. If she is ever discovered, we will do what we can to help her. You have my word.”
It made sense now why the others deferred to this teenager. He was a royal and the rightful heir to the Desert Kingdom throne. “Did you plan on killing me and taking the throne?”Do you still plan on killing me?he added silently.
No trace of amusement colored Rainer’s face when he said, “Only if I had to.”
Amos nodded. He understood. If he turned into his father, they’d try to kill him once Rainer’s powers fully manifested.
“Your idea to get Clover to agree to hide in the Human Kingdom is to protect the hidden princess?” Ruth asked, getting them back on track. “Is that your plan?”
“Yes,” Amos confirmed, praying they’d agree. “Queen Charlotte was a friend of my mother’s and helped her hide my sister in an orphanage in the Human Kingdom,” he explained. “There are undercover guards hidden throughout their small village in the mountain region of the Human Kingdom. A missive has already been sent to let her know we found my mate and to possibly expect her within the next couple of months.”
Ruth chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought. “If anything could get Clover to go into hiding, protecting a hidden princess would be it.”
3
Clover paced the length of the living room while her father and Rainer murmured back and forth in the kitchen. When she first felt the strange sensations in her chest, she’d thought she was going crazy and ran straight to Ruth. Ruth had asked her questions and helped her realize she’d been feeling emotions, but they hadn’t matched how Clover felt.
Her sister had called her father, her brother, Nathaniel, and Rainer, and they’d discussed the situation at length. Rainer, the know-it-all, informed them about the Mountain Prince sharing her birthday.
After the initial shock, she’d had a few days to get used to the idea of being queen and mated to the most powerful boy in the Mountain Kingdom. Her father had assured her that they treated women as equals there; that the Desert Kingdom was the only kingdom in Eden ruled with cruelty.
She had been excited, but now… now she was the future queen of the Desert Kingdom, and all of her excitement withered away, replaced by apprehension.
“This is a good thing,” Rainer told Marcus. “The prince is not his father, and one of our women will be on the throne.”
Clover stumbled slightly as shock—and a small burst of excitement—filled her.Rainerthought Clover being the Desert Queen was a good thing? It was a high honor. She stopped and frowned. That meant…
“You’d give up your throne to the boy? Just like that?” her father asked, voicing Clover’s thoughts. “Everything we’ve worked for was to put you on the throne.”
“Everything we’ve worked for was to save our kingdom,” Rainer snapped. Clover stilled. He never lost his temper.
Outside, two sharp whistles rang out, and Clover darted toward the back door. Rainer held up a hand, and Clover’s father held her back. “You two stay here,” Rainer instructed, and walked outside.
“I don’t like being talked about when I’m not there,” Clover complained.
Her father released her and sat in one of the kitchen chairs. “No one does. At least you know they’re talking good about you.”
She didn’t respond. Panic and fear stabbed her in the chest, and she clutched at her shirt with a gasp.
“Clover?” Her father jumped to his feet, but she was already headed toward the door again.
“Something’s wrong with him,” she insisted, but just as she reached the door, her father grabbed her again. She fought hard, banging against the door, but Marcus was a broad ranch-strong man who used to fight for the king’s battalion.
“They won’t hurt the boy,” he promised her. “He’s just a kid. Calm down.”
Amos’ panic and fear ebbed away, taking the pressure in her chest with it. Panting, she stomped to the living room and threw herself on the couch. She hated being treated like a child.
Clover glanced at the front door, but her father walked into the room before she could escape. “Don’t even think about it, little mouse.”
She really hated that nickname.
