The Prince's Bodyguard

by Wade, Jena

  My father ignored me, proving my point. “This way, Xavier can continue his position in the Royal Guard. He'll be assigned to your detail all the time, of course.”

  Right. Nothing like being thrown right back into having my life planned out for me. This was the exact reason that I had left for Esmour in the first place. If I was going to be ignored as the fifth child couldn't I at least make my own decisions?

  I took a deep breath. My heart hardening. I may have had feelings for Xavier that I dare say bordered on love, but right now I wanted to forget he ever existed. “Well, I see everything's been decided. I'm so happy that you all informed me. Perhaps soon you can let me know the date so that I don't arrive late for my own wedding.”

  “Iain, don't be like this. It's best for everyone if this situation just gets resolved,” the king stated. His tone told me I wasn’t permitted to argue. I didn’t have the energy to anyway.

  “No,” I said. “It’s what’s best for the crown.” I put my hand on the doorknob, inches away from escape.

  “Iain,” Xavier said.

  I faced him. “Can you think of a reason for us to get married? Besides the crown and this odd notion that we need to cover up this scandal. Any reason at all?”

  Xavier opened his mouth, then closed it. He tore his gaze away from me and shook his head.

  That was all I needed to know. “I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Goodnight Your Majesties.” I gave a quick bow and pushed my way into my room.

  I didn’t have a lot of time, nor did I have a plan, but one way or another, I was escaping this palace. Tonight.

  As a member of the royal family I had been pushed to do things I didn’t enjoy many times over the years. All for the sake of the crown, for the country, never taking into consideration what I wanted.

  That was fine for somethings, I could put my own needs aside. But not for this. I was not marrying a man that didn’t love me, didn’t chose me. Not for the crown.

  Chapter Ten

  Xavier

  Much to my surprise, Prince Iain canceled all his public appearances for the following week. He didn’t have many, but I was surprised that he didn't plan on at least following up on some of his charity organizations that he worked with, or at least getting together with friends. He had been away for a significant amount of time; didn’t he want to catch up with those he hadn’t seen?

  Having nothing on his calendar made things easy for me. Though I was sad for him that he was holed up in his room. I wanted to talk with him, but what could I say?

  I’m sorry your dads want us to get married? Was it so terrible that he had to marry me? Surely, he could do better, but I wasn’t a terrible catch.

  We’d enjoyed our time together while he was in heat. We made the decision to be together, and now the king wanted us to remain together to avoid a scandal. What choice did I have?

  I decided to throw myself into my work to give Iain time to himself. With nothing on Iain’s schedule I was able to attend all the meetings to close out and transfer my duties regarding the royal wedding to other members of the guard. I wasn't as sad to see the work go as I thought I would be.

  When I had been assigned to head up the security for the royal wedding, I had been ecstatic, proud of myself for coming that far in my career in such a short amount of time and being that vital to the royal family. But now, I had a different purpose. One that involved Iain and never leaving his side.

  It may not have been a fairytale romance, but we would make the most of it and I would be a good husband to him.

  Still, there was a lot of work to do before I could devote my time to him completely. It was three full days before I finally knocked on his door. I had kept in touch with the guards assigned to his door. From what they could tell me, he only left his room for meals. I didn’t like the idea of him sulking. I hoped he and I would be able to talk this through and figure out what it was about the situation that bothered him so much.

  I knocked again and waited, then knocked again after standing there for a minute. I cleared my throat. “Iain?”

  Saying his name without a title attached to it was odd, but I should get used to it. I kind of liked the way it felt on my tongue.

  I knocked again. “Iain, may I please come in?”

  I wasn't about to go in without being invited, but technically I had the authority. All it would take was one turn of the knob, and I could push my way in. But that would be an invasion of his privacy. I wanted him to want to let me in.

  “Finally got a free moment to come around?”

  I turned and was startled for a moment to find Prince Kalwin in front of me. An exact copy of my omega, only slightly different. The way he was dressed just then, I could have sworn he was Iain. But I knew better.

  Iain’s eyes had more fire in them than Kalwin’s.

  Prince Kalwin wore a T-shirt and jeans that belonged to his brother, which threw me off even more. Why was he wearing his brother’s clothes? Anxiety prickled at my skin. I narrowed my eyes. “Your Highness, how may I help you?”

  “Ah, so you do know it is me.” He grinned.

  I raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “See, even though we are older now and the Royal Guard has been on to us for years, Iain and I can still fool a few of you. You just have to know which ones.”

  My heart kicked up a notch and my stomach lurched. “Fool who? When? Why?” The words spilled from me as a dozen scenarios played in my mind, all of them awful.

  “You know, you really should have talked to Iain first, before going to our dads.”

  “Where is Iain?” I asked.

  “Sure, marriage to avoid a scandal sounds like a great idea, but did it ever occur to you to ask your omega how he felt?” The prince crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at me. I was taller than him, but it was as if I shrunk under his gaze.

  “I think that is between Iain and myself. Perhaps you can tell me where he is.”

  Prince Kalwin shrugged. “I don't know man. He has a three day head start on you. He could be anywhere. His suite, the city, or maybe back in Esmour.”

  Never before had I wanted to lay hands on a member of the royal family. As far as bodyguard duty goes, they were easy clients. They understood what was safe and what wasn't. They behaved respectfully, not like billionaire playboy celebrities or spoiled brats. They were low-key, humble, and very down-to-earth. But right now, I was ready to throw down with the prince in front of me.

  “Easy there alpha,” Prince Kalwin chuckled. I wanted to knock his teeth in. “Iain is perfectly safe. But he needed a break. So, I made sure he got it.”

  “Where is he?” I said again.

  “I will not be disclosing that information. But I do have a number you can call. I am not giving it to you and I am not going to let you see what it is, but I can dial it for you. Besides, he will not answer a phone call from someone that is not me right now anyway.”

  “How did you get him out of the palace?” I asked.

  “Who says he is out of the palace?” Prince Kalwin’s grin spread across his smug face.

  “How did you trick the guards into thinking he was here? I've been getting reports that he has been in his room for the past several days.”

  “That old trick? We have had that mastered for years. You think this is the first time we’ve snuck around? Listen, man, I wouldn’t be telling you all this right now if I didn’t think you actually cared about my brother. You’re just too dumb to say it out loud.”

  I've been called names but never by the royal family, not like this. Anger boiled inside me and I balled my fists. I wasn’t about to hit one of the princes, was I? That would get me thrown in the dungeon for sure. I took in a deep breath and unclenched my fists. I needed to find Iain, talk to him, and attacking his brother wasn’t going to make that happen.

  “Listen, we are going about this all wrong,” Prince Kalwin said. “Don’t think of me as a prince right now, all right?”

  “You are a pr
ince, Kalwin. Iain is too.”

  “Yeah well, fuck protocol right now. I am talking to you as a brother to your omega. Do you care about him? Do you want to be with him? Or are you just trying to cover the royal asses, avoid scandal, and keep any drama out of the press?”

  I groaned. I didn’t want to discuss this with him, not now. Not ever. This was a discussion I needed to have with my omega. To think that he could be anywhere right now, alone, unsafe without me to guard him left a hollow feeling inside of me.

  “If you want to talk to him, you have to answer my questions.”

  “Prince Kalwin, if Iain is not here, and the Royal Guard doesn’t know where he is, he could be in danger.”

  “He is not in any danger. Trust me. Do you care about him as more than just a prince because it’s your job? Do you care about him as an omega, your omega?”

  “Yes,” I said without thinking. Iain was mine; I was his. It happened fast, but I wasn’t going to deny it. Letting the politics of royal life get in the way of the trust was a mistake, and if I could just talk to him, I could tell him that. “He means the world to me.”

  Prince Kalwin eyed me carefully, but I wasn’t about to wither beneath his gaze this time. “I believe you,” he said. “You do not need to be professing your love to me. I’m the wrong twin.” He handed me a cell phone. “Here, call the number on the screen. Just know that the number will change as soon as you hang up the phone.”

  I hit send on the phone and held it to my ear. It rang twice before my omega’s voice answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Where are you?” I said.

  Prince Kalwin slapped a hand on his forehead. He walked a few steps away, shaking his head as he gave us our space.

  “Goddammit. Kalwin wasn’t supposed to give you my number already. It's only been three days.”

  “Where are you?” I asked again because the words I wanted to say were not coming. I was just happy to hear his voice. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed the sound of it in the past few days.

  “I’m perfectly fine and perfectly safe. I just needed space.”

  “You need to come to your senses,” I countered.

  “And I need to come up with a logical argument as to why I do not need to get married to the only alpha who has ever shared a heat with me. That one might take some convincing of my dads, so it will take some time.”

  “We can talk about this. I—”

  “Xavier, there is nothing to talk about. You were very clear that you wanted to do this for royal reasons, to keep everything neat and tidy and perfect. Well, guess what? I have been away from the royal family for over a year and they survived just fine without me. I could stay exactly where I am and my dads would not notice. My brothers know where I am and they know I am safe. That is all that matters. I'll find a way to get us out of this situation and then I can go back to doing the things I enjoy and you can either get a new job or stay at your post. I don't have a preference.”

  “Iain, please. I need to see you. I need to know that you're okay.” I clamored for control of myself, but instead my eyes watered. If I didn’t find out his location, then I’d lose him. I had no way of knowing when he would come back.

  Iain let out a long sigh, his voice hitched when he spoke again, like he was holding back tears. “I promise that I am fine. I'm not dumb enough to put myself in danger.”

  “Please Iain, I really think—” The phone clicked. Had he hung up? I pulled the phone away from my ear in time to see the call clear away. He had hung up on me.

  “I’m telling your dads,” I said to Kalwin.

  Kalwin shrugged. “They just left for some diplomatic travel, they'll be gone for ten days. Do you want to tell them that you lost one of their sons? And that you don't know where he is? That will be a big waste in royal money to have them come all the way home. Not to mention it will look bad to cancel all those events. The press will have a field day.”

  I growled. Fuck him for being right. I didn’t necessarily care about the press, or the money, but I knew that Iain would not want me to alarm his parents. He wanted space, and if I called the king, Iain would never get space again.

  “How about you try to resolve this a different way?” he suggested.

  “How? You have to tell me where he is.”

  Kalwin shook his head. “I will tell you where he is, when he tells me that he wants you to know where he is.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Iain

  I put down the phone and pressed the end call button, thankful that I had been able to keep my voice even as I spoke to Xavier for the first time in three days. I shouldn't have been as hurt as I was that he hadn't noticed my absence. My brother and I were no strangers to playing the switcheroo game. As identical twins, it came easy for us. We'd never let it go on this long before, but it wasn’t as if it was hard to do. Kalwin just had to show up at my room, pretend to be me coming in with a meal and leave later as himself. I expected it to be a day or less before the guards took note, but somehow Kalwin had kept up the charade for three.

  It helped that Jerome was on vacation and not assigned to me, and that Xavier was too busy to pay attention.

  When I had gone to Kalwin for help after realizing I was going to be trapped in a loveless marriage because of my stupid royal duty, I hadn’t expected that he would actually help me to escape.

  Turns out my brother had his own secrets.

  The apartment in the city where I was currently staying was one of them. It was fully furnished and decorated quite nicely. The place was perfect for me to hide away, and if I put a baseball cap and sunglasses on, I could even go downstairs to the coffee shop. I had groceries delivered on the first day and had been set since.

  Eventually, I would have to return to the palace, return to my responsibilities as a royal son, and also take care of that other thing that weighed heavily on me.

  My gaze landed on the stick I had been holding in my hand when the phone rang. Two blue lines had indicated what I had already begun to suspect. I was pregnant.

  When I had included a few pregnancy tests in my first grocery order, I hadn’t expected one to turn up positive so soon, but the ones designed for omegas were incredibly accurate.

  Of course I was pregnant. I'd gone into heat, I'd spent that heat with an alpha, one that I cared for deeply. And now the two of us were going to have a baby.

  I took a deep breath, in through my nose and out through my mouth as I counted and hoped to calm the nerves that radiated throughout my body. I was electrified with anxiety and it took all I had to keep my hands from shaking.

  I didn't want to get married out of necessity for the crown. But for a child? Maybe it wasn't a terrible idea. We had to at least figure out how to co-parent successfully. A child born out of wedlock would be devastating to my family. I didn’t think a loveless marriage was the answer, but I didn’t want that stigma on my child. If Xavier and I didn’t marry, our child would have the legitimacy of their birth questioned at every turn. Headlines would haunt them at every turn and they would grow up followed by the press. I would no longer be the forgotten prince, and my child would suffer the consequences.

  No, I did not want that.

  I blinked back tears. This was a bed of my own making, Xavier had helped too, and now the two of us had to lie in it. I wouldn't let my child be punished for something I had done. I had to go back and get this thing straightened out.

  But first, maybe I would spend some time all by myself. It wasn't as if the media paid any attention to me. They hadn’t noticed my absence and my parents were gone on a trip for ten days. The baby wouldn’t be here for nine more months. I had time.

  I sunk into the overstuffed sofa that my brother had in the sitting room. Was this secondhand? It was worn from use, but amazingly comfortable. How much time did he spend here? Did I even know him?

  The couch was comfortable. That's what I knew.

  I wished things could have been different and Xavier and I co
uld have explored a relationship differently. He had some feelings for me, even if they were mostly lust. Every once in a while, I saw the interest in his eyes. But I didn’t think it was ever going to get past that into something more. It was never going to be love.

  Not like what I had for him.

  Still, we were adults. We had a child to think about. And he was already on board with being married because my parents were essentially forcing him into it. So, that wouldn’t come as a surprise.

  I picked up my phone and dialed Cheryl’s number. The only other friend I had to talk to was Jerome or my brothers, and they would give me the advice based on what was best for the crown. At least Cheryl didn’t have royal protocol mucking up her view.

  She answered quickly. “Hey Iain! How are you?”

  I smiled, instantly feeling better. “Good, mostly…”

  “Ooof, you don’t sound good honey. What’s going on?”

  “Not sure where to start.” I laid back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “You know the guard that came with me the other day? Well, apparently, since he and I shared my heat, that means we have to get married.”

  “Oh damn. I was not expecting that.”

  “Yeah. It’s… a lot.”

  “You like him though. Or you would have never shared your heat with him. I saw the way he looked at you.”

  I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m not sure about that.”

  “Oh, it’s there. You just didn’t let yourself see it. Have you had a chance to talk to him alone? Without your parents or brothers or anyone trying to foist all that royal-ness in the way?”

  I grimaced. “Not really. I sort of took off. Kalwin has an apartment in the city for reasons I’m not sure of, and I’m hanging out there.”

  “Well that’s not a bad thing, sweetie. Clear your head, but sooner or later you have to talk to him. You can’t make life choices in a vacuum. Give him a chance to explain his side. And if his side is all royal protocol and no common sense, well then maybe we can hide you away somewhere.”