A Royal Pain: Paranormal Dating Agency (Otherworld Shifters Book 3)

by Godiva Glenn

  “It’s all one mess now,” she said cryptically.

  There was the rustle of bodies and plates clearing away. In the corner of his eye, everyone else gathered their things and left the room as quietly as possible. Nikki looked back, her expression filled with sympathy. But it would be okay. He was certain of it.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “Me versus my dad. Us. We’re all one big mess now,” she explained. “So much for keeping it organized.”

  “Wasn’t it bound to happen eventually?”

  “I had hoped for a little more time.” She reached back to touch his face. “I can’t tell if you’re the most calm, understanding man in the world, or if you don’t really see what’s going on.”

  “Somewhere in between,” he admitted. “I guess I’d see more if I knew… is there any truth to that report?”

  Her hand dropped. Spinning around to face him, her shoulders fell. “Maybe.” She returned to the table and pulled her plate back towards her. “I don’t miss him, to be clear. I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, but he’s the biggest. Now, as for the rest… that’s a grey area.”

  Blair sat next to her while she dragged a soggy triangle of pancake through an ocean of syrup. “On Prism, if the king commanded his heir to marry a certain person, that would be the rule. But Earth is different, isn’t it?”

  “Of course. He can’t just give me a husband. But… he’s convinced I need one before I can be queen. Could he make marriage a requirement to take the throne? Yes. And does he have a preference for who my consort is? Perhaps. And does he think I’d do as told, if he was direct enough? Sadly, yes.”

  “But you have me.”

  “He doesn’t know you. And I wish… but even once he’s met you, I can’t force him to see you for who you are. He’s set on seeing only the external factors. Wealth. Privilege. Influence. You don’t have these. And what’s silly is that it doesn’t even matter.” Her fork clattered onto the plate. “Not to the extent that he makes it out to, at least.”

  “You shouldn’t give up without trying. I’ve yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like me, to my knowledge,” Blair pointed out sincerely.

  “Get ready for another first, then.”

  “Why does it matter if you’re married? What does he think would change?”

  She propped her chin onto her hands, elbows on either side of her plate. “My personality. My actions. He doesn’t think I behave properly.”

  “Do you?”

  “Seriously?” she scoffed. “I follow nearly every stupid little rule. Only pastel pink nail polish. No ponytails. Heels at all royal events. No visible tan lines ever.”

  Her list seemed strange and he shook his head. “I’m sure that’s not his concern.”

  “I don’t know… My main duty is to help him with his engagements and do work of my own.”

  “I don’t know what engagements are, but do you?”

  Her brows lifted a bit and she looked away sheepishly. “I have a few charities I work on.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a yes.”

  She blew out a puff of air and straightened her shoulders. “I may have slipped a bit lately.”

  “How far?”

  “I just don’t have passion for every little thing. Meeting with people I’ve met a thousand times before to thank them for the same thing they’ve been thanked for a thousand times before. Standing. Waving. Sitting in boring discussions where I have no say but have to preside over for the sake of tradition,” she rambled.

  “But it’s your job.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “Look, nothing you’ve said sounds fun, but as someone who spent several centuries not having fun, I don’t think helping your father will kill you.”

  “I know that. I just want the freedom to do my things. Be myself.”

  “Then do both. Even on Prism, when it all boils down, the King and Queen are servants of the people.” He turned her on her stool, making her face him. “You want freedom? I know a little something about that.”

  “So, your suggestion is to what? Work as the perfect princess by day and just have my fun by night?”

  “Not exactly.” He scoured his memory. “Oh… the Grand Adventures camp.”

  “What about it?”

  “You love working with it. When you spoke of it, it didn’t seem like work. And what does your father think of it?”

  “It’s probably the one thing that makes him proud,” she admitted.

  “Then do more like that. You said you have to help your father, but you also have to do your own work. Then why not seek out more work that you’d enjoy? That you’d feel passionate about?”

  “Because it’s not that easy. I have a desk that’s piled high with charities and organizations looking for my approval, but it’s a lot of the same thing. And while they all matter, I can’t help them all. Some of them don’t even really need my help. Besides, I’m supposed to have a focused contribution. My father is big on education, for example. But me…”

  “Then make your own.”

  She laughed. “It’s not that easy.”

  “But it’s possible, isn’t it? Easy shouldn’t be a deciding factor.”

  Her face grew serious. “Okay. I mean, I do have a few ideas floating around. They’d need his approval, though, so I’d never even gone further than the idea stage.”

  “Would he block you from doing something good?”

  “No.” She grimaced. “But there’s still the big picture.”

  Blair scratched the back of his head. “I read an article that said women don’t want advice, they just want someone to listen. But so far, we’re doing okay, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes. And if I needed someone to just listen, I’d have stopped you, believe me.”

  “Then one more suggestion, though it’s a big one?”

  “Go for it.”

  “Let’s do things the way your father wants them to be done. Stop hiding out here and I’ll let you get back to your princess duties.”

  “But—”

  “Everything about your behavior and his, they all seem to be reactions. Ultimatums. You respond to his accusation of not being princess material by pretending not to be a princess. He responds by telling you that you need to marry. Then you turn around and run away with me, apparently the last guy he would ever want you to see.”

  “The issues between dad and I have been boiling for long before you, though. It’s been going on since… well, since I broke up with that jerk.”

  “Julian,” Blair said. He refused to believe that not saying a name would somehow keep them from mattering in a conversation. “What’s the story there?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not ready for that yet.” She pushed her plate away. “How about one more day of vacation, then we’ll tackle the outside world?”

  He couldn’t press her, not when she managed to look gorgeous and pouty at the same time. He caved. “Sounds fair.”

  “But first, pancakes.” She hopped from her stool. “Hopefully Pavel won’t mind making a fresh batch.”

  Blair stood and went to tickle her stomach, but on turning he found a stranger in the room. By what he’d seen scouring the papers on Alethea, the man could only be one person.

  Her father. King Andrew.

  Alethea caught the gist of her father’s lecture, but mostly it was muffled, as if she listened through a wall. Her attention was beyond him, to her friends. They could stay if they wished, as long as they wanted, but she had to leave. Their personal jet was waiting. Everyone was packing, though, and all she could think of was that she’d ruined a great time. Nikki kept stealing glances at Vevina. What will happen there? If Blair was right—and he seemed certain of himself—then whatever they had was just a fling. Nikki was horrible with flings.

  Blair had all but vanished the second her father had shown up. He’d whispered to focus on herself, so she could only assume what that meant. It had merit, his plan. But she had her own way of making i
t work. Her father had the ability to drop into her life and throw it into disarray because she gave him that power by giving him every reason to be concerned. Even Nikki had seen this, that Alethea had a habit of causing self-destruction. But now there was too much to lose for her not to fix her usual pattern.

  Her father didn’t even ask Blair’s name. Had barely given him a glance. For now, she’d ignore that. If her first response to everything was to bring up her boyfriend, it would be an uphill battle. She felt secure in what she and Blair had, even if her father had no idea. She’d give attention to what mattered to her father for now, because as far as she was concerned, he had no bearing on her romantic relationships. Though we will get to the bottom of what that article said. It was a shot in the dark, but it was too close. Her father had to have said something, hinted something, for such a specific news release to come out.

  “Are you listening, Alethea?” her father asked.

  She turned to him and nodded. “I understand.” She motioned to everyone moving within the house. “But could we at least be polite and bring them all home, rather than make them wait for the ferry?”

  He grumbled but nodded sharply. Even if Vevina and Blair were strangers to him, he definitely had a soft spot for his niece, and there was a chance he still expected Pavel to win Alethea’s heart. “Of course.”

  He continued to speak, and while his words registered, she was working through something else entirely. She could be the princess he expected, within limits. And she planned on doing that to the best of her ability. No more excuses or cutting corners. No more shirking responsibilities and daydreaming about being a simple citizen. She’d be the best fucking princess she could be.

  And if that still isn’t enough for him, then oh well.

  She looked up to the sky. Damnit. I hope Blair doesn’t get sick in the air, too.

  The fresh-cut grass sank under Alethea’s feet and threatened to steal her heels if she didn’t keep on her toes. Even to visit a grassy hill, she had to look like a proper lady. Luckily, she had years of practice, but today she was feeling tired. Two weeks had passed since she’d last seen Blair. She hadn’t even gotten to kiss him goodbye. He was escorted off their plane, and that was it.

  They would often talk on the phone at night, but otherwise she could only track what he was up to by text. To say that wasn’t enough was a vast understatement, like claiming a lightning bug was as marvelous as a solar system. Aside from the empty feeling in her heart, everything was going well. She still hadn’t pitched her idea to her father—she didn’t know what it was, really—but he seemed to be in a fair enough mood lately. Apparently, Blair was right. She just had to try harder than she had before.

  There had been victories and losses. The main loss was having no free time for Blair, or even Nikki or Pavel. The victories weren’t as large. Her father shut up about her red lipstick since a foreign delegate they’d met with absolutely loved it, and tennis was permanently off her schedule. Ballet remained, but she had to admit, it seemed to help her focus to practice early in the morning. And perhaps she’d never be a twig—she had no interest in that anyways—but ballet helped keep her curves exactly where she wanted them. Plus, Blair loved receiving selfies of her in leotard and tights. I think I’ve given him a new fetish.

  She arrived at the seating area where, thankfully, a mat had been spread around so she could get off the grass. She shook the hands of everyone waiting for her then took a seat. Today, like many days lately, she was giving her father a break by taking one of his tasks. Granted, he enjoyed sailing more than she did, but she wanted to prove that she could in fact do it all, not just what interested her.

  While everyone else was getting seated and the officiant was making announcements, she discreetly checked her phone. She had one missed text from Blair.

  Miss you. Another boring day, but I bought a few flowers for my windowsill.

  Attached was an image, and while the flowers were beautiful, what made her breath catch was the translucent reflection of him on the glass. She rather doubted it was intentional. He wasn’t that level of devious. She quickly texted a response.

  You take pictures naked now?

  A few seconds passed.

  I’d just showered. How did you know? Do I need to search my room for spy cams?

  She rolled her eyes. Spy cams were his new interest. Pavel had put it in his mind that the king would stop at nothing to learn more about Alethea’s mystery man. Blair claimed to understand it was a joke, but he was clearly only half-convinced.

  Glass reflects like a mirror. Look close.

  She awaited his response but the applause around her made her slip her phone into the pocket of her dress and look up with a smile. She clapped and prayed that there wouldn’t be any paparazzo desperate enough to make a story out of her looking at her phone while everyone else was watching the start of the race with bated breath. Her phone buzzed once. Twice. But she had to leave it alone. If she didn’t pass out immediately upon arriving home, she’d call him.

  The gentleman beside her passed her a pair of binoculars and she thanked him with a simple nod before peering through them. Her first thought was, “Yep. That’s a windsurfer.” But what came out of her mouth was, “Everyone is looking to be in fine form so far.”

  She followed the boats with little interest. She supported the charity, she just didn’t find this particular sport entertaining. Traditionally, a member of the royal family would participate in this particular race. Her father had done it up until he’d become king. She didn’t take his place, however. Sports like this weren’t expected of the royal women. Sexist, yes, but Alethea didn’t complain for her own sake. The only sport she was welcomed to do for charity was golf, but her father always took those engagements since she didn’t know a wedge from a putter.

  The chair beside her shifted from the weight of someone sitting, and she pulled her binoculars down to greet them. Pavel grinned at her, and past him Nikki gave a quick wave.

  “What on Earth…”

  “Turns out, anybody can sit up here with the right sized donation,” Pavel said gazing over the water.

  “Or by being the fifth in line for the crown,” Nikki said, pulling out her own pair of binoculars. “Come on, men. Let’s see which of you will be my next mistake.”

  Pavel gave Alethea a look, one that said something was up with Nikki. Alethea could guess. Vevina may have been around briefly, but she had a way of endearing herself to people. It was hard to be a magical being and not leave a grand impression.

  “It’s nice to see you,” Alethea said. She leaned towards Pavel to avoid being overheard too easily. “It seems like forever since I wasn’t surrounded by strangers non-stop.”

  “You’ve certainly become a full-time, hands-on princess,” he commented. “I hope you aren’t headed to burning out.”

  “I’ve got it under control.” She looked back to the race. “There’s enough time in the day, I just have to squeeze out every minute.”

  “But what about you-know-who?” Nikki asked, keeping Blair’s name from being in the open.

  Alethea smiled. “That’s step two.”

  “You look awfully mischievous,” Nikki noted. “That’s the smile you get when you’re plotting something that will blow up in your face.”

  “Phrasing?” Pavel murmured.

  Ignoring Pavel, Alethea glanced sidelong at her cousin. “This time, it won’t. It may appear to, but I’ve thought out the possibilities. Plus, I am currently the best daughter and princess in the world.”

  “In the entire world?” Pavel shook his head. “You aim too high. I’m still trying for best son in the household. The closest I’ve gotten so far was best son at the dinner table.”

  “And that’s when your brother is out of town, I assume,” Nikki said, not bothering to lower her binoculars.

  Alethea listened to them go back and forth while she kept her eyes forward, feigning interest. She knew they were here to cheer her up, or lend suppor
t, but she didn’t need it. Blair did. Vevina had returned to Prism the same day they’d left their vacation.

  He claimed to be fine, but she knew it was a white lie and that he just didn’t want Alethea to worry. His world was upside down and constantly shaking. Before Alethea entered his life, he’d had a plan. He’d told her of it. Find a house. Find a job. Live a normal life.

  That was all thrown out the window now. While Alethea fixed her situation, he was in limbo. Should he try to move on? Could he, knowing that at any moment, everything could change, and he’d have to drop it? They’d never gotten to discuss what happened next in their relationship. Their timing was screwed up. It seemed far too soon to move in together. As much as she’d laughed at Blair and his research and charts and meticulous planning for their relationship, he was right.

  If she talked to her father about their relationship tomorrow, chances were that she’d still have to give it a year before they moved in together. And that’s if her father didn’t pitch a fit. If he didn’t, she knew he’d still prefer if they somehow kept their relationship a secret until then, but she didn’t have that sort of energy or sway. The island was small, and people were nosey. It was possible that she’d have to meet up with Blair in a different country to even have a shot of keeping anything under wraps. That’s what her parents did, after all. They split their time hiding between her country and his.

  Sadly, not an option. Blair’s inability to return to Prism foiled that plan. The only real choice was to start seeing him and let the media figure it out on their own time. Which will probably take all of an hour. She wished he had Blair’s patience. A year seemed like forever.

  Lowering her binoculars and fiddling with the adjustment knob, she asked Pavel, “Could you go see how our friend is doing later?”

  “Of course,” he replied.

  She tucked a loose curl back behind her ear and continued watching the race.