Page 42 of Her Royal Rebellion

I paused at the threshold and held my gun up. He was right. We were vulnerable inside, but that didn’t mean I was going to greet the vile man with a smile.

Voices shouted from deep inside the house and within thirty seconds, Marius rounded a corner with a stunned expression. His eyes found my face, then my gun, and he stopped mid-step.

“What are you doing here?”

“Getting our princess.” I pointed the gun at him. “Why don’t you come outside for a few minutes. I believe there are some people who wish to speak to you.”

His eyes widened and I heard the footsteps of the soldiers behind me.

“No. No. This isn’t right.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Time to come out.”

He shook his head. “No, she’s mine. I need her.”

The soldiers were taking slow steps to surround him, and his primitive survival instincts seemed to kick in. He raised his arms, ready to defend himself. “She’s mine.”

“No, Lord Marius.” Alec spoke to him in their native tongue and I watched Marius become more deranged. They were yelling back and forth and finally Marius crumbled to the ground on his knees. He was weeping, and Alec shot forward, tying his hands behind his back before binding his ankles together.

Shane glanced at me. “Let’s get our princess.”

A young woman stepped out from a hallway and waved to us. “Please, she’s this way.”

We followed after her and she took us to a back staircase and up to the top floor. She hurried to the last door and pulled a key out of her pocket. Once she unlocked and opened the door, she waved us forward.

I entered the room and nearly cried when I saw Isla standing, looking out the window. She turned and stared at me, her own tears falling down her cheeks. I rushed forward and pulled her into my arms.

“Logan?”

“I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

She broke, falling against my chest and weeping.

“You did so good. You were so brave.” I continued whispering reassurances to her. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “No, I never even saw him.”

I was relieved, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hurt her sense of peace and security. This was likely to have lasting effects, but I would be with her to work through it. I was never leaving her again.

Holding her, I had a realization that nearly made me fall to the floor.

I wasn’t going to ever let anything take her from me again.

This was it. I wanted her, I loved her, and I was ready to fight for her. I knew the odds were stacked against me and I had more than a few things to prove, but I wasn’t going to give up. I wouldn’t ever let her walk away again. I was done pushing her away. I would never turn her down again. If it meant leaving the service, if it meant giving up the only life I’d ever known, it would be worth it. I loved this woman with my whole heart. I couldn’t continue to pretend she was anything less than my entire world. She wasn’t just the princess or just the person I was assigned to protect. She was everything.

“Isla.” She tilted her head up to meet my eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. That I couldn’t protect you.”

“Oh Logan, it’s not your fault. I don’t remember anything, so I don’t know how he did it, but he was obviously careful and planned this out.”

Shane cleared his throat and I remembered we weren’t alone.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Isla.”

“Thanks Shane.” She smiled at him, then turned to the girl that let us in. “I’ll eternally be grateful for all you did for me, Ana. I will keep my promise.”

I looked at the other woman. She seemed to tremble under all the attention. “You kept Isla safe?”

She nodded.