by Ashley West
He…couldn’t have been wrong, could he?
What he’d believed to be the acts of the fragmented Reman military in the wake of the first war….they’d been the work of a specific terrorist group – one posing as the Reman army.
All in an attempt to restart the war.
To spread the proliferation of pain and suffering.
Garinia was an empire built on the spoils of war. Their cycles of battle and repopulation were written into the empire’s history – so much so that it had become a part of him.
That he had accepted the idea of the next war just as readily as he breathed.
But Danielle had challenged that thought. She’d encouraged him to find another way…to save the lives of even those willing to die…and he had refused her.
Now her life hung in the balance – and from his position, he was helpless to save her. The more he thought, the more he realized how plainly Zender wanted his plan to succeed. There had been complete communications darkness with the Reman government at Kael’s own stubborn command and the terrorist had used it to his advantage – to create an impetus for the ultimate conflict.
And now victory was within his grasp.
“It matters little what you say now, princess.” Zender spat, his smile wide and wicked. “What I want now is for you to say goodbye to your beloved husband and the end of peace. When your people find your lifeless body, they will rebel against this tyrannical system, and the Garinian Empire will began to fall apart at the seams. We will watch it all burn…and relish it.”
Zender’s arm tensed, and Kael could see the motion before he made it. A wide arc with all the strength of his arm that would slit his wife’s throat and spill her blood all over the palace floor as she bled to death.
She would die a political martyr, the human queen that had never been – and his son would die with her.
At that moment a wild cry issued from the open corridor to their right, ringing off the stone walls. Flinching, Zender looked just in time to snatch a knife out of the air – just inches from his ear.
Kael’s reflexes acted in seconds as he took his opportunity. He barked an order to his guards even as he let his weapon fly.
Several blades found their marks all at once; the guards’ knives piercing through the hearts of the four rebels on either side of Zender, while Kael’s sword embedded itself in the terrorists’ forehead – directly between his eyes.
As the man choked, swaying, his arm dropped – the knife he’d threatened Danielle with spinning away over the glossy floor.
At that moment, either side of the corridor erupted with Garinian soldiers, one column led by his brother Marc, and the other by Jalil. They were not warriors, but they had come to his aid.
As Zender dropped to his knees, his body lifeless, the Garinian soldiers engaged the rest of the rebels, and Kael leapt forward, closing the distance between he and his wife within seconds. Danielle swayed on her feet, blood leaking from the cut on her neck as her eyes fluttered shut, and he caught her as she collapsed into unconsciousness in his arms.
Her weight was warm and welcome, and he clutched her to him, trembling as he finally allowed himself to feel the emotions that had threatened to swamp him in the face of danger.
He could have lost her…and he would not have mourned simply because she carried his heir. He would have mourned because he treasured the way she smiled at him; treasured the way she scowled when he insisted that a queen must be more graceful…and he secretly adored the way she moved close to him in her sleep. He reveled in the stubborn jut of her chin when she argued, how she entered their chamber at night covered in dirt, and most of all…he admired how she stood for what she believed for even when it earned her the ire of her husband and prince.
She was brave.
More than brave enough to rule by his side.
And he would never take her strength for granted again.
Chapter Eight: Strength
She hurt.
Every single part of her body ached – and her throat felt as if it had been rubbed raw.
Coughing slightly, Danielle reached up to touch her neck, only to find the spot tender beneath her fingertips. Her eyelids felt leaden and heavy – and she had to force them open.
Even if the piercing white light beyond made her wish that she hadn’t. There was a split second in which her eyes adjusted to the brightness and she couldn’t see a thing. All she knew was that she felt awful…like she’d been run over by a steamroller.
Then, she remembered.
She’d been down in the holding cells, speaking to the prisoner that Kael had scheduled to execute…when a full scale attack had been launched on the palace. She’d been so intent on getting the information that she needed that she hadn’t noticed what was happening until it was too late.
The holding cells had been taken over by members of Zender’s terrorist faction – and they had released him…at which point he’d immediately taken her prisoner. Her death, he’d told her, could serve as a fine catalyst for the new war between Garinia and the Reman people.
The man was a monster. He deserved to die.
Danielle couldn’t believe she’d ever felt any pity for him.
He’d dragged her up to the main level of the palace, only to be confronted by the prince himself, and as Danielle had gazed into her husband’s eyes, she feared death for the first time in her life. When she had lived on Earth, there had been so many days she’d wished she could die…that dying would have been better than living on without those she loved.
But when she’d seen the panic in Kael’s eyes – the raw fear – she hadn’t wanted to leave him like that… believing he was the cause for her death.
But she’d been absolutely helpless. It had been all she could do to watch Zender bait her husband as he talked of how much he would enjoy killing her.
But now, Zender was dead.
It was the last thing Danielle remembered before she had blacked out – the man had seen a Garinian blade right between the eyes, and the corridor had been filled with noise as Garinian soldiers attacked from all angles.
And then she must have fainted.
As the ceiling of her chamber swam into her line of vision, she struggled to sit up with a low groan.
“You’re awake!”
She blinked, looking to the side of her bed to see Kaia sitting there attentively, with Hadric on her lap. The small boy was looking up at her as well, his eyes wide. As always, the Prince’s sister looked impeccable – not a single hair out of place. Her face, however, appeared paler than normal, and it was obvious from the wide circles beneath her eyes that she’d gotten little sleep the night before.
“Are you alright, Kaia?” Danielle winced at the hoarse croak that was her voice, even as her sister-in-law shook her head frantically.
“You mustn’t try to speak. There’s been some damage to your voice box, and your neck is still healing. The doctors don’t want to rush things…those tendons are delicate.” Reaching over to a nearby table, she poured the young woman a glass of water before handing it to her. The liquid was warm, and felt good going down Danielle’s throat.
“And I have to say you must have taken leave of your senses…asking if I’m alright. Are you alright? What on Earth were you thinking, sneaking away to talk to Zender! He was violent and mad! In the holding cells for good reason!”
Danielle winced. It seemed her secret jaunt wasn’t so secret any more. Zender had ruined any chance of that when he’d revealed to Kael that she’d come to him of her own will –that she’d sought him out.
She now realized how foolish and idealistic she’d been. Even if she had discovered something worth learning, she’d put herself and her unborn child in danger.
At the thought, the young woman’s eyes immediately widened as a hand went to her belly in alarm. “The baby.” The words slipped from her on a whisper. “Is the baby alright?”
Kaia placed her hand reassuringly over her sister-in-law’s with a
small smile. “The baby is perfectly fine. Growing healthily…even if his mother is terribly reckless.” The princess frowned, and guilt tightened Danielle’s chest.
“I’m sorry, Kaia. I wasn’t thinking straight…I only knew that I didn’t want the empire to go to war if there was another option…I didn’t want some unnecessary loss of life. I know that war is the way you guys conquer here…but truly…I don’t know if I can stomach it. If war is always the first and only option…how can I bring my son into that?”
“How indeed?”
Danielle jolted, looking past Kaia to see the long, taut form of her husband leaning against the wall, his expression unreadable as he gazed over her. Without a word, he made his way over to the sleeping pad with a glance at Kaia and Hadric. “Indulge me, sister…a moment alone with my wife?”
Kaia’s eyes immediately darkened and she nodded. Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss to Danielle’s cheek, allowing Hadric to follow suit. “We’re glad you’re alright.” She whispered the words before quickly taking her leave from the room, toting her son in her arms.
And then, Danielle was alone with her husband.
She remembered the hurt in his eyes when he realized she’d disobeyed him and her heart clenched. He would be furious with her – that she knew. Had this final disregard of his orders pushed her beyond the point of no return…would she lose the man she had just learned to love?
Kael stood at the edge of the bed, arms akimbo as he stared down at her, his eyes flickering from silver to green and then back again. “Danielle…what you did…it was absolute insanity. It was reckless and thoughtless. You endangered your own life and the life of my heir even as you betrayed my trust and disobeyed the orders of your prince.”
That pretty much summed up her direct violation of his wishes, yes. When he put it that way though…she began to wish that maybe Zender had taken her life. It would be worse than facing the disappointment in Kael’s eyes now – the knowledge that she had hurt him in a way that went beyond etiquette, duty and breeding…and in a place that resonated much more deeply.
She closed her eyes trying to suppress the hot tears that rose in them. “I’m sorry…” She managed softly. “I’m so sorry, Kael. The only thing I want you to understand is that I didn’t want to lose you…not in a pointless war that the empire could avoid. If there was any chance at all to prevent all that death…all that chaos…I wanted it. I wanted a clean start…a peaceful realm for our son.” She took a shuddering breath before coughing hoarsely, wincing at the pain it cost her. “I never wanted to hurt you…but I understand that I did…and that you might not be able to forgive that.”
For what seemed like an eternity, silence reigned in the chamber. Danielle could feel it coming…the prince would announce their marriage annulled…perhaps he would want his heir from her, but nothing more. When he had spilled himself to her, she had replied with reckless disregard for her own life.
And that was not queenly at all.
“Danielle.”
When the Prince finally spoke, his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. The young woman looked up to see Kael gazing down at her with a wealth of emotion in his gaze. Admiration, fear, longing, and affection all combined and she felt moisture streaming down her cheeks.
“I have to thank you. For all that you did…for all of your arguing and insistence – for the way you urged me to look to every possibility…and as much as I hate to admit it…even for your little trip to the holding cells.”
The prince took a deep breath before sitting on the side of the bed, cupping her face between his large hands as he continued.
“If it weren’t for what you discovered, I would have blindly started a war for the sake of tradition. I, who believe it is more Garinian to die for the empire than to live within it…it took something reckless for me to see the hypocrisy of my belief. You wanted us…me to live. I thought it selfish once…but I’m beginning to see that a good king preserves his people as much as he protects them.
That I must preserve my people…by holding their lives in highest regard…even if that means tradition must change.” Lowering his head, he pressed his lips to her forehead softly, tenderly. “Our son will be born into an empire of peace, I swear this to you…if only you will promise me that you will never…ever do something that foolish again.”
Danielle laughed through her tears, clinging to him as she turned her mouth up to meet his, tasting salt against his lips. Their tongues tangled slowly, lingeringly – and she thanked whatever deity that existed that she was still alive…that she could still feel this.
“When I saw that Zender had you…when I knew he would kill you…Danielle…a part of me would have died with you.” The prince’s gaze was fierce as he held her close. “I once swore to myself that I would never grow soft over a woman…that my family would always come second to my station. The moment that blade touched your throat…I realized the futility of such a notion. You are…everything to me, Danielle…and you are what this empire needs to flourish.”
Months ago, this man had banished her from his council chambers. He had declared her way of thinking too lenient…too ignorant of Garinian history.
And now he told her that he would be proud to have her as his queen. Danielle tried to stem her tears as he guided her back against the pillows, lying down on the bed beside her. “Are you saying you love me?” She teased softly, delighting in the customary frown she received in reply.
“If such petty words will please you then, yes, wife.” He brushed a lock of blonde hair from her brow, his gaze utterly sincere. “I love you. And I will love our son.”
“And I love you.” She reached up to stroke his chin, seeing in his expression that every hardship she’d ever endured – every loss she’d lived through – they were worth it. She was sure that Jordan would have approved of his brother-in-law, and that even now, he was laughing at her – the most dysfunctional princess in the universe – wherever he was.
“You know, Kael…” She murmured softly. “Love doesn’t make you weak. It lifts you up…and it lends you purer strength than any you’ve ever known.”
The strength to give a mourning race the time they needed. The strength to help them start anew- and they would. When they returned to Earth, their children would father the children of a new era – one that included Earth in the vast world that lie beyond it.
One ruled by a stubborn king, and his very unlikely queen.
About the Author
Ashley West was raised in a small Midwest town. She has always been a big fan of science fiction and paranormal books and movies. Her all-time favorite movies are the first three Star Wars movies. She started writing at a young age and has not looked back since. Ashley brings her worlds to life with vivid details and likeable characters. On her spare time, she enjoys painting, jogging, and curling up next to her favorite books. If you enjoy Ashley’s titles and wish to stay updated on all her new releases and free book giveaways, please visit her website and submit your email.
ashleywest.net
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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Chapter One: Conflict
Chapter Two: Invasion
Chapter Three: Engagement
Chapter Four: Isolation
Chapter Five: To Be A Queen
Chapter Six: Unrest
Chapter Seven: Love and War
Chapter Eight: Strength
About the Author
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