by Cora Caraway
Nic looks at me expectantly. There’s no panic in his eyes, just the cool look of a soldier waiting for his mission. I wish I could be as calm as him.
“Well?” he asks at last.
“Is it safe to talk here?”
“I just swept the maze. As long as you weren’t followed, we should be fine.”
How is it that he can always press my buttons? “I can spot when I’m being tailed, thanks very much.”
“No time for that.” He raises a hand, forestalling any bickering. “You said you needed to talk. So talk.”
“Natalia has a tape of us. From the hotel room.”
His face turns white. “And?”
“She wouldn’t show me the whole thing. She paused it when we sat on the bed together, right as I leaned toward you.”
He takes a shuddering breath. “Did that jog your memory at all? Do you have any idea what happened next?”
“None. She wouldn’t show me the rest.” Despite the small size of the clearing, I begin to pace. “She wants me to leave, so she can marry Damon.”
“I’m not sure it works like that.”
“It doesn’t matter. If I don’t, she’ll show Damon the tape.” I stop short of a green wall. “What do we do?”
“This isn’t exactly my area of expertise. I stop bullets, not backstabbing.”
“I think we need to steal the tape. It’s on her computer in her villa, and god knows where else.”
A humorless smile forms on Nic’s lips. “I guess we’ll be using your expertise then.”
“We’ll need to get past her security somehow, then destroy the tape and any copies.”
“How will we know if we’ve destroyed them all?”
“We’ll worry about that later. First, I want to see what’s on that tape.” My stomach turns. What if it’s awful? I don’t think I’d be able to face Damon after that.
“Did she seem sure that she had you, when she showed you the tape?”
“Of course. It is Natalia, though. She seems sure of an awful lot of things.”
Nic raises a hand toward me, then pulls it back. “You have a lot to lose. And she has everything to gain. We need to be careful. Trespassing and theft could create an international incident if she can prove who was behind it. What if that’s what she really wants?”
“Natalia wishes she could create an international incident.” I have to laugh. “Why would anyone care what she says?”
“The Fa family is held in high esteem in Lions. And by virtue of her father’s position, that villa is considered the sovereign soil of Andova while a Fa is in residence. This can’t be a simple smash and grab. The stakes are too high.”
I glare. “I’m a little better than ‘smash and grab,’ but thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. We just have to be careful. We can’t underestimate Natalia Fa.”
“You’ve got that right.” I scowl. I’m not making that mistake again. “Though I do wonder why she wouldn’t show me the whole video if she really had something on us. I mean, not knowing is torture, but I know she would love to see me at my absolute lowest. And if she really wanted me to leave, showing me an awful tape could make me. But left in this horrible limbo, I’m going to fight until I know what happened.”
“You think she’s bluffing?”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Or I’m in denial. There’s only one way to find out.”
Nic stares at the hedges, as if trying to see through them. I think he might be listening for unexpected footfalls. After a moment he relaxes, satisfied. “Let’s go.” He motions for me to take one of the exits from the clearing.
“I don’t know the way.”
“All the paths lead out, eventually.”
Remembering a trick I once read, I place my hand against the right wall. As long as I keep in contact with the wall, I’ll reach the exit. Eventually. And that’s what I’ll have to do once I’m out of the hedges. There’s an exit somewhere, as long as I keep moving forward. Hopefully I can reach the one I want, the one with Damon waiting for me at the end.
“So,” Nic asks, “what’s the plan?”
“I’ll think of something. Natalia just decamped to her villa. Can you tell me when she leaves again?”
He nods. “But what if she’s planning for this? Maybe not necessarily trying to catch us, but not giving us an opening in the first place? That would be her best move, especially if the tape is as damning as she claims.”
The leaves are rubbing my hands raw. “We’ll take the first opening she gives us. If she doesn’t have any reason to leave, we’ll give her one.”
There’s light ahead. My knees are weak with relief at the gap in the hedges. The exit. Somehow, I found the way.
“You go,” Nic says. “I’ll be out shortly.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“I have to sweep the maze again.”
“Of course.” I should have known. He’s welcome to stay in these awful hedges all day, but I need to get out of here. I step toward the light.
“Grace.” He’s silent for a long moment. “What if … What if we find that the worst happened? On the tape?”
My throat turns dry. “We’ll have to tell Damon. Well, I will. If I betrayed him, I want him to hear it from me.”
Nic grabs my shoulder, his gaze intense. “Good luck. To both of us.” Backing away, he melts into the hedges, leaving me alone in the gardens.
The ground quakes as hooves strike the earth behind me. I turn to find Damon astride Felix. The stallion halts, shaking his black mane. Stepping closer, he nuzzles my shirt.
“Sorry, Fe.” I pet his satin nose. “No treats from me today.”
Damon leans forward in the saddle. “I thought I’d find you out here.”
“You did?” I resist the urge to look back at the hedges.
“I know Natalia kept you cooped up all day. I thought you’d want some fresh air.”
“Oh. I’d love some.” There’s a pang in my chest. Damon is too good a man to suspect me of anything. I don’t deserve him, do I?
“Come on up.” The prince pulls me into the saddle behind him. “We’ll ride pillion, if you don’t mind.”
I lean against him, my nose filling with the scents of man and leather and horse. I wish I could hug him, but I’m afraid he might be able to sense that something’s wrong. Instead, I take hold of his sides.
Damon turns his head. “Are you okay?”
“Just take me away somewhere, please.” He knows me too well.
“You heard her, Felix.” He touches his heels to the stallion’s sides, and we’re off.
The prince takes us out of the gardens and into the fields that stretch far from the palace. The summer sun has turned most of the grass coarse and brittle. It cracks and whispers around us as Felix glides through it. If I listen closely enough, it sounds like Natalia gossiping about me.
I feel sick, and not because of the cantering horse below me. Maybe Natalia was right. Maybe I’m not cut out for this. I should have seen this coming. Right? But how could I have known that Natalia would stoop so low, and try to steal my groom? I didn’t know that people craved power and position that much. But if I couldn’t figure that out in time, maybe I shouldn’t be royal.
A wind sweeps over the grasses, making them sway until I’m dizzy. I wrap my arms around Damon, and breathe in his scent. He steadies me with his presence alone. Felix may be rolling beneath us, but beside my prince I feel like I’m on solid ground. I’m safe here. As long as I’m with him, nothing can possibly go wrong.
Taking one hand off the reins, Damon runs his fingers over mine. “What happened to your hands?”
Natalia, that’s what. “Just a few paper cuts.” I attempt to laugh.
He twists in the saddle, trying to see my face.
“Natalia had me make her origami swans. I’m not that good at it, as you can see.” I grin, but Damon’s not falling for it.
“She s
houldn’t be treating you like that. She could easily hire an expert.”
I wish I could tell him that Natalia finds blackmailing much more fun.
He kisses my hands. “If Natalia’s bothering you, I know how to deal with her. I wouldn’t have survived if I didn’t.”
“I’d like to take care of it myself.” If I can’t … well, maybe I shouldn’t marry into his world.
“All right.” He faces forward again, as if conceding defeat for now. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
I hold him tight. We’re so close, and we jolt together each time Felix falls back to earth. Damon’s back is so strong, and I can feel his muscles rippling against me. Moving closer to him in the saddle, I press my body to him. I want to show him what he means to me, to prove my love for him.
I kiss the back of Damon’s neck. Softly at first, but with a growing hunger.
“Grace?”
I kiss him again, moving my hips toward him. Reaching under his shirt, I run my hands over his chest. His heart beats rapidly.
“That’s not fair,” he says. “I can’t reach you.”
I’m filled with desire for him. “Then what are you going to do about it?”
He turns Felix back toward the stables at a gallop. I don’t relent, wanting to drive him wild. I think it’s working.
Damon is starting to flush by the time we reach Felix’s stall. Once we dismount, he hands the reins to a stable boy.
“Normally I like to rub Felix down.” The prince looks at me, his eyes blazing. “Today I think I’ll make an exception.”
I have the vaguest sense of servants stepping aside as he takes me back to our room. He shuts the door behind us, then pins me against it. His hands slide up and down my body, his fingers cool against my skin, making me shiver with anticipation. He presses his lips to my cheek, my throat, my collarbone. I feel like I’m burning up, and he’s the only man who can handle my fire.
Damon shrugs off his jacket. My fingers tremble as I undo the buttons down his shirt. Why are there so many? I want him now. At last I’ve conquered them all, and slide his shirt off his arms. I can’t help but feel the muscles along the way. They’re coiled, ready to grab me and fling me on the bed. But Damon restrains himself. He’s going to savor this, I can tell.
He runs a hand up my thigh, up under my dress. I gasp as he traces the line of my panties, follows the lace pattern to where it ends between my legs.
With his other hand he unzips my dress, his eyes glinting like he’s about to pull a heist. The dress falls to the floor. I step from it, leaving the rumpled pile behind me.
Looking up, I find Damon staring at me. “What?”
“You.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
I feel my face heat. “You don’t mean that.”
He puts a hand on my cheek, drawing me in for a kiss. “Of course I do. And I always will.”
As if to prove it, he runs his fingers down my back. Unable to help it, I arch into his touch. He’s set me ablaze again.
Grabbing his waistband, I fumble with his belt. The clasp is more complicated than I expected and Damon has to take over, consoling me with kisses. His pants fall, and only his silk boxers remain. I slip a hand down the back, exploring his incredible ass while he kisses my neck.
Pulling back, I inhale. This is it. Those hazel eyes have done me in. My bra and panties are about to fall. But I’m ready now. Ready to be bare before him. I’m his.
Damon draws in a ragged breath. “Shall I take you to the bed?”
“I think you’d better.” I tease a bra strap down my shoulder.
He has to stifle a moan. As if he can’t take it anymore, he sweeps me off my feet, carrying me to bed like I weigh no more than a feather. Setting me gently on the sheets, he straddles me, his hips pressing against mine. I want him so much, want to feel his skin against mine. If I don’t, I fear I’ll go mad. But I seem to have lost the power of speech. Hooking my thumbs into his waistband, I pull his boxers down as far I as can get them.
A phone rings.
Damon pulls down my other bra strap, then tugs at my panties. It’s as if he can’t decide which to pull off first.
The phone rings again. I let my head sink into the pillow. “Can you turn that thing off?”
“It’s not my phone.”
Sitting up, I readjust my bra straps. Is someone really calling me? Why of all the times would they call now?
My bag lies abandoned in a far corner. Setting it in my lap, I dig to the bottom. I never use my phone. I’m amazed it has any battery left. Who even knows this number?
I pull out the ugly antique flip phone, and freeze when I see the area code. I didn’t think I’d ever see it again.
Walking back to the bed, I sit on the edge farthest from Damon. As much as I’d like to be near him, I have the terrible feeling that this call could infect him somehow. I hunch over the phone half-naked as the number flashes on the screen. I feel like a kid again, scared and vulnerable.
“Grace? What’s wrong?”
His voice sounds so far away. I take a deep breath. They can call all they like, but they can’t find me here.
“I’m fine.” My trembling hands give away my lie. “I might have to take this call though.”
Do I really want to answer? We haven’t talked in years. In fact, I can’t remember a time when they called me. So why are they calling now?
My fingers hover until I can’t stand it any longer. I flip the phone open. “Hello?”
“Grace! We’ve missed you!”
I hate that tone they take on when they’re lying.
“Hi, Mom.”
“How are you, sweetie?”
I unclench my teeth. “Mom, I thought I told you not to contact me.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t have sent me an invitation, silly.”
My throat goes dry. “What invitation?”
She laughs. “We’ll see you in half an hour.”
“Wait … where are you?”
The line goes dead.
“Grace? Grace! Breathe.”
Damon’s beside me, his arm around me. He shuts the phone for me. It feels heavy in my limp hand. I throw it across the room, as if it could come to life and snap at me.
“What is it?” He forces me to look at him. “What happened?”
“My parents,” I say dully. “They said they had an invitation, and that they’d see me in half an hour.” I focus on him, my eyes narrowing. “Was it you? Did you invite them? Don’t lie to me!”
“It wasn’t me. I promise.” He grips my hands. “Grace, I would never lie to you.”
“I know. That’s what makes it worse.” I can’t stop the tears that spill down my face. This is perfect. Just like them. They have to ruin everything, don’t they?
Damon rubs my back. “Just sit with me a minute. It’s going to be all right.”
I start laughing, almost hysterically. “That’s the thing, if you knew them you’d see how funny that is. With them, nothing’s ever all right.” Now I’m laughing and crying at the same time, which makes me hiccup violently. I wipe my eyes. “And now you think I’m crazy, don’t you?”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. I do think things will be fine. Even if your parents are here, it’s not like my father would invite them to live here. They’ll have to leave eventually.”
One last hiccup escapes me. “I don’t know if they’re even here. They’d have to fly, and plane tickets would cost a fortune. They wouldn’t spend money to see me.”
“Let’s wait and see. If they do show up, we’ll all be civil.”
“That would only work if they knew the meaning of the word ‘civil.’”
He raises an eyebrow. “You don’t think they could behave even for one night?”
“It’s not even about behaving, which they won’t, by the way. They don’t care about me. They’ve made that quite clear over the years. If they’re going to abandon me again, I want
it to be on my terms.”
Damon smooths back my hair. “You said it’s been a long time since you’ve seen them. Maybe they really do miss you. At least give them a chance.”
I want to refuse, but I can’t resist those hazel eyes. “Okay. For you, I will.”
He checks his silver watch. “It’s almost time for dinner. Let’s get dressed.”
Collecting my dress and shoes, I’m grateful for the distraction of dinner. Once my parents called, my sensual mood was shattered.
Damon picks out a new suit and tie. It seems he can’t stand stepping into something the slightest bit wrinkled. I put his discarded clothes on a hanger for him.
“You don’t have to do that,” he says as he adjusts his tie.
“I don’t want these to get creased beyond repair, either. I know it would really set you back to buy another suit jacket.”
He smiles at me, offering an arm. “Ready for dinner?”
I frown at the door. I’m not sure I really want to go out there.
“I’ll be right there with you if they show up. And I’ll kick them out if I have to.”
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Damon’s promises are worth far more than mine, so I take his arm. We descend the spiral stair, crossing the main hall to the dining room. I scan the room, letting out a sigh of relief when I don’t see my parents lying in wait. Maybe they were just messing with me, but I half expected them to be lurking behind the curtains.
The prince takes a seat, but I approach the king. If my parents really are trying to crash a royal dinner, I need to warn him.
“Ah, Grace. I’ve been meaning to speak to you.”
“You have, Majesty?” Has he already heard about the invitation somehow? My parents haven’t tried to sneak onto the grounds, have they?
“Yes.” He glances over at Sarina, who is conferring with Marc in low whispers at the far end of the table. She looks up at me, piercing me with a glare. “I hear you dismissed Valda.” His voice is solemn. “May I inquire as to why?”
“Our fashion philosophies were not harmonious.”
“And?”
I gape at him until I find the sense to close my mouth. “And … I thought it best not to trouble her with such a burdensome task.”