Reluctant Prince

by Dani-Lyn Alexander

  She looked back in time to catch the indecision in his eyes before he turned them back to the road.

  “How can you ask me to trust you, if you aren’t going to be honest with me?”

  “You’re right, and I want to be completely honest with you, but I don’t want you to get scared and run before I’ve had a chance to explain everything.”

  Perhaps she should listen to his explanation. If Mia was in danger, she needed to know about it. She could always tell him to get lost afterward. She’d give him one chance. If he answered her honestly, she’d hear him out. If not…

  “I asked you a question. Are you human?”

  He tugged at the neckline of the borrowed scrubs. “Not exactly.”

  * * * *

  He tried to gauge her reaction each time they passed beneath a streetlight, watching her face light in the glow of the streetlamps then slip back into shadow as they passed back into darkness. Light, dark, light, dark, the hypnotic effect captured him, held him.

  “Look out.” She threw her hands up and braced them against the dashboard.

  Jackson yanked his gaze from her and found headlights barreling toward him. He overcorrected as he pulled back into his own lane and swerved onto the shoulder, sliding in the sand as he hit the brakes.

  When the car finally rocked to a stop, he shoved it into park and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Sorry.”

  Mia clutched the door handle in a death grip, a look of terror frozen on her face. “Is it back?”

  The tiny whisper knifed through his heart. “No, kiddo, everything’s fine. I just wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. I’m sorry. Are you all right?”

  She nodded and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

  “Are you all right?”

  Ryleigh finally released her hold on the dashboard to face him.

  “Yeah, I’m okay.” Her hand shook as she brushed her hair behind her ear. “Watch where you’re going.”

  The reprimand caught him off guard, and laughter escaped before he could suppress it. “Yes, dear.”

  Her answering smile clenched his stomach. For a flicker of time he allowed himself the illusion that everything between them could be normal. Reality quickly intruded, though, and he shoved the car into gear and guided it back onto the road.

  “So tell me, if you’re not human, what exactly are you?”

  The sarcastic bite of humor in the question ignited a small flame of hope. How much should he tell her? He didn’t want her to run, but at the same time he couldn’t protect her if she didn’t understand the danger she was in. A quick check in the rearview mirror showed Mia listening intently. Oh well, best to get it all out in the open. At least then they could make some decisions about how to handle the whole bizarre situation.

  “My name is Jackson Maynard. I’m from a land called Cymmera.”

  “I’ve never heard of that. Where is it?” Mia grabbed the seat backs, slid forward to perch on the edge of her seat, and peeked around to study his face.

  A quick check of Ryleigh’s features showed only interest, so he continued. “Cymmera is another realm. My people are able to transfer between our realm and yours.”

  “Can humans go to Cymmera?” Ryleigh’s eyes held curiosity but a little fear as well.

  “Not if they are alive.” Was that true? He had a sneaking suspicion it might be only partially true. “Actually, I’m not a hundred percent sure about that. Until now, no human has ever passed into Cymmera by choice.”

  Shadows and suspicion turned her blue eyes a deep, stormy gray. “What do you mean by choice?”

  He pulled over in a small parking lot not far from where she’d parked. “Please, Ryleigh. You have to understand and give me a chance to explain before you get upset and run away. Promise?”

  Her turbulent eyes held his, and she nodded once.

  That would have to be good enough for now. He shifted the car into park. “Give me your keys and wait here. I’ll run and get your car, so you don’t have to answer any questions.” Emergency vehicles littered the lot and the street, lights flashing, even though the sirens no longer blared.

  “You can follow me back to the hospital so I can return the car. We’ll clean up and settle Mia then we can sit and talk all night if you want.”

  “Fine.”

  He got out, went around, opened Ryleigh’s door, and held out a hand.

  She handed him the keys, climbed out, and stood staring at the destruction down the street. “Everything looked so normal by the hospital. How could there be so much damage here?” A tremor coursed through her.

  He left her leaning against the car surveying the damage and strode toward the lot. He’d never thought of the destruction his people left behind. Sorrow filled him, and he hung his head, ashamed. How could he ever tell her his people had caused this mess? What would she think of a race who held such little value for human life? Maybe he could explain the reason they were so bitter first, and then perhaps she could have some compassion for them. Did they deserve it, though? He stopped and spoke to an investigator, then got permission to take the car. Even without any special powers, he could be quite persuasive over humans.

  He returned to Ryleigh, not wanting her alone any longer than necessary. “Come on, let’s get Mia in the car and go somewhere warm.” He helped the girls into Ryleigh’s car. “You’ll follow me?”

  “Yes, but I’m not making any promises other than I’ll hear you out.”

  “Fair enough.” He closed her door and returned to the stolen car.

  He tried to organize his thoughts as he drove. No matter how he phrased it, he couldn’t change the fact that the inhabitants of Cymmera had been enslaving humans for hundreds of years. Would she understand? Forgive him? And what did the future hold? Would he be able to continue on the path the Cymmerans were currently following?

  What about Kai, that bastard? And Daygan? Had it been his soldier Jackson had disposed of in the parking lot, or one of Kai’s men? He’d have to ask the warrior when he saw him next. He rubbed the back of his head, winced at the pain, and returned his hand to the wheel. Well, maybe after he taught the cocky bastard a lesson.

  He searched behind him in the rearview mirror. Good, Ryleigh was still back there, and as far as he could tell, no one else followed. When he pulled into the parking lot, he gestured for Ryleigh to wait where she was, then held his breath while he parked the borrowed car and ran back to her. He opened the driver’s door. “Move over, I’ll drive.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “It’ll be fine, I’ll pay attention.”

  She glanced around but remained in the driver’s seat.

  “Your feet have to be killing you. Just move over. I’ll drive, and you can rest them.”

  She finally shrugged and got out and limped around.

  He followed and opened the door for her. With one last look over his shoulder, he climbed in and hit the gas.

  She laid her head back against the headrest. Strain lined her face, dark circles cradled her eyes, her hair hung limp and tangled. Her eyes drifted closed. Maybe she was offering him a reprieve.

  He reached toward her to soothe some of her tension.

  “Start talking.”

  No such luck. He heaved a deep breath in, and let it out on a whoosh. “Cymmera is dying, has been for hundreds of years. Since the death of our Queen.” Jackson thought of his mother, as he often did. He’d only been a small child when she died, and several hundred years had since passed, yet he remembered her vividly, the radiance of her smile, the warmth of her embrace, the flowery scent always surrounding her. He missed her terribly still. Grief filled him, the only emotion Jackson fully understood.

  “Daygan’s army attacked the farthest reaches of the Kingdom, a day’s journey at the least. The king had already left to lead his warriors into battle. They’d hoped to defend the outlying areas, head the invaders off and stop them before they reached the city itself.
It should have worked, would have, if not for the army of humans.”

  “Wait, I though humans couldn’t enter Cymmera?” Her head still rested against the headrest, but now she stared at him. Dirt covered her face, smeared where she’d wiped her tears away.

  “They can’t, not voluntarily and not alive in the sense that you understand it. Our enemies are strong. Their leader, Daygan, is an incredibly powerful sorcerer, but he’s filled with evil and consumed by hate. He found a way to collect humans and enslave them. He brought them to Cymmera to attack the city while the Cymmeran soldiers were occupied elsewhere.” Rage threatened to surface, but he inhaled deeply, fought it back.

  “The city of Cymmera is more like a very large village surrounded by a huge stone wall. The castle sits upon a hill in the center of the city. With the soldiers gone, mostly women and children remained within the confines of the wall. Some of the older boys, who were not yet warriors, lined the front wall of the city in a valiant effort, but everyone knew they would be no match for the onslaught. So Queen Dara left the safety of the castle.” A difficult enough memory without having to give voice to it. The helplessness the small child had suffered still plagued the man. He’d secreted himself in the highest window of the castle, witnessed his mother’s journey across the lush green field.

  “She walked across the field that surrounded the wall and met the army commander. She spoke to him for a few minutes as the invaders moved into position, surrounded her. She waited until she stood in the center of the enemy army.” He paused, forced back the scream begging for release. She’d stood with her chin held high. Her defiance and pride had mocked the invading mass.

  “Make a right here, and pull into that driveway.” Ryleigh gestured toward a small house.

  He pulled into the driveway, put the car into park, folded his hands on the steering wheel, and rested his chin on them.

  “She removed her crown.” He’d known then what she would do. Even then, he’d known. “Took two stones from it, replaced it atop her head, and lifted the stones high into the air. When she smashed them together over her head, they exploded. She felled an entire army that day, except for Daygan, and saved the city and its inhabitants. She sacrificed herself to save her kingdom.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Tears flowed unchecked down Ryleigh’s cheeks, but she stayed quiet and waited for him to compose himself and continue.

  “The entire kingdom died with her. The lush green grass of the fields turned brown and brittle, the trees and flowers wilted and died, a cover of haze fell over the land. Darkness and shadow overtook spaces that were once filled with sunlight and color.” The memory of what Cymmera had once been was more distant, elusive, more difficult to envision.

  “What happened to Daygan? Why didn’t he die with them?” She spoke quietly, affording him respect and reverence he didn’t deserve.

  “He’s a powerful sorcerer, and his prophet is always at his side. His seer must have known what she had planned. Maybe they’d staged the whole thing to eliminate the queen. Who knows? But an instant before the stones crashed together, they both vanished.” It still tortured him.

  If Queen Dara had realized the two of them would disappear, would she have stopped? Probably not. She had a kingdom to defend, children to protect. Taking Daygan with her would have been a bonus, but she still had to eliminate the immediate threat.

  Would he have the courage to sacrifice himself to save the people of Cymmera? He thought he would, or he would never have trained as a warrior, wouldn’t be next in line to inherit the throne. He shifted in his seat.

  “What happened after that?” Mia leaned forward between the seats.

  He had no doubt he would sacrifice his life to protect this child. “When King Maynard returned—”

  “Maynard? Are you a descendent of the king?” Ryleigh twisted her fingers together. Nerves? Or was she having a hard time believing him?

  “Yes.” How much to tell her? “A direct descendent of the King and Queen.” Not a lie. He held Ryleigh’s gaze.

  “What happened when he came back and found out what the queen had done?” Mia’s rapt interest saved him from answering the further questions he sensed Ryleigh had.

  “We sent—”

  Ryleigh sucked in a breath.

  Oops—”a rider to inform him.”

  Mia remained still, though, and Ryleigh didn’t call him on it, so he continued.

  “He was heartbroken…more than that.”

  His father had been inconsolable.

  Queen Dara had been the light to his dark, the kindness to his ferocity. Her sensitivity had balanced his strength and power. Without her, he became a dark, brooding figure who ruled with an iron fist and a heavy heart.

  “He sent out a team of assassins to kill Daygan, but the sorcerer eluded them every time. The inability to send an army to Argonas to punish Daygan ate at King Maynard, caused him to become even more bitter, more angry. But his hands were tied. No less than an army would make it past Daygan’s savages, yet he couldn’t send all of his warriors and leave Cymmera unprotected. His bitterness festered. Until one day…” He blew out a breath. Would they hate him? Hate his father, his king? Could they understand?

  Jackson took a moment, opened his senses, searched for any sign of danger. Nothing, but without his extra senses he couldn’t be sure. They seemed safe enough for now.

  Ah, well. “Cymmera’s seer, Elijah, approached King Maynard. He relayed a vision he’d seen in which humans fought alongside Cymmeran warriors. Not just any humans, specially trained men who were experts in the art of battle. The King wasted no time assembling a team of Death Dealers to retrieve the humans from the vision. And so it began. Each time Elijah had a vision of who was needed, the Death Dealer squad was sent to acquire them. Humans can’t be transferred to Cymmera alive, so the team was aptly named. Once the humans were reborn in Cymmera, they had no hope of returning to your realm. They were all given a choice.” Some choice. “They could survive eternity as slaves, or fight for Cymmera and receive all the glory due a warrior. The Cymmerans are good people.” He silently pleaded with Ryleigh to believe that. “All of the humans eventually joined us, even the ones who initially held out.”

  That was the worst of it, well almost anyway. “Come on, let’s get Mia inside, and I’ll tell you the rest.” He needed a break, if only for a few minutes, a little time to collect his thoughts, reign in his grief, prepare himself for her rejection.

  Neither of the girls argued. They probably needed time to digest it all as well.

  His protective instincts ratcheted up as they crossed the pitch black of the front lawn and climbed the stairs to the porch.

  Chapter 4

  “I need a shower.” Ryleigh unlocked the front door, opened it, and stepped aside to allow Mia to enter first.

  “Me too, but I’m so tired.” Mia rarely whined.

  Tonight Ryleigh understood. Hell, if she didn’t get off her feet soon, she’d start whining. She flipped the switch beside the door, bathing the small, comfortable living room in light, bringing instant warmth. “You’ll feel better once you’ve had a shower. You can go first, use extra conditioner and comb it through your hair while you’re in there.”

  Mia nodded and trudged toward the bathroom. She stopped before entering the hallway and turned back to Jackson. “Wait for me before you tell Ryleigh the rest of the story, please?”

  “Sure, you bet.”

  They both watched her go.

  “She’s a strong young lady.” Jackson’s eyes filled with admiration as he looked after Mia.

  A surge of pride rushed through Ryleigh.

  Mia possessed incredible strength for such a young girl, though most of it came from necessity. Mia had suffered far too much pain and worry for a girl her age.

  Sorrow joined the pride. Ryleigh turned on more lights as she limped through the living room toward the back of the house. “Can I get you something to drink?�
��

  “Sure.” He followed her to the kitchen.

  A pang of grief struck her as she entered the cozy room. She missed her parents, her grandmother. Her parents had been gone for so long, but their touch still remained in the home they’d created. The yellow paint she’d helped roll on the walls, the curtains her mother had sewn on the machine and allowed Ryleigh to help her hang. She fingered the white lace, now yellowed with age, and looked out the window into the darkness of the small back yard.

  The lamp by the door cast only a small circle of light, but she didn’t need light to see the layout. The swing set her dad had built still occupied the same corner, though she and Mia had long since outgrown it. The picnic table and the barbeque, which hadn’t been used since her father had grilled hot dogs the night before that tragic day, all still as they’d been.

  She’d only been in kindergarten when it happened, but she’d known something was terribly wrong. Her teachers, Miss Karen and Miss Lacey, were usually so happy, but on that particular day their eyes had been filled with tears, and they both carried crumpled tissues around all day.

  Grandma had come to pick her up with Mia in the stroller. Grandma’s eyes were filled with tears as well, and they had spilled over when she explained to Ryleigh that Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t be coming home.

  Not wanting to uproot the girls, her grandmother had moved into the small house and taken care of them. Recently, as her grandmother’s illness had progressed and Ryleigh took over the responsibilities of the house, she found out the house was in foreclosure. Everything her parents had worked so hard for would go to the bank if Ryleigh couldn’t find a way to save it.

  She swiped angrily at the tears pouring down her cheeks. This wasn’t the time for self-pity. She had to figure out what was going on and make sure Mia stayed safe.

  She swallowed a sob. How had her life turned so upside down in less than a week? Not yet ready to face Jackson, she turned on the cold water, scooped some onto her face and dried off with a dishtowel from the drawer. When she lifted her head, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and cringed. The mess that stared back at her mirrored the chaos her life had become.