by Angel Payne
“Hospital?” As lovely as their manners were, especially their efforts not to look at my chest, I shoved to my feet and pushed them back. “Ohhh, no-no-no. I don’t need the hospital, just the transport van. There’s a plane waiting for me at the airport.”
I spun, trying to even find the transport again. Whoa. How much time had really passed since Novah stopped us? The road was a totally different scene. Emergency trucks. A couple of cars bearing the logo for the kingdom’s newspaper. Another for the blog. At least a dozen town cars. Sheez, even a military Hummer spewing a few of Samsyn’s guys.
“Wow,” I muttered. “Talk about a splashy entrance.”
But I only wanted to make an exit. Quietly. Quickly.
“Miss Saxon.” The burly one—I think he was Ellis—pounded over, blocking my way while thrusting a clean T-shirt into my hands. “We have to insist.”
Peeved glare. “No. You don’t. Just tell Novah thank you for her concern, but—”
“Our orders are not from Lady Novah.”
The way he folded his arms, with an air of serene authority and a regal twist of lips, didn’t make my follow-up query necessary. I knew exactly who called their shots now—but couldn’t figure out how to feel about that. Miffed? Touched? Exasperated? Excited? Every time I tried to step out of Evrest Cimarron’s way, he insisted on stepping into mine.
And God, did I love him for it.
As if the chaos of my thoughts willed it, there was a fervor up on the road—a black town car weaving through the others, Arcadian flags flapping from the front bumpers, tires spraying water as it came to a sharp stop. A second later, he bounded out the back door.
And holy shit, did he look good.
Clearly, he’d come from duties at the palais. Though he’d shucked his suit coat and tie, his dress shirt was bespoke to the inch, his dark pants equally perfect. They flowed with him as he hopped the guardrail without a break in stride—and kept coming down the sand like he had the first night we met. No sideways glances at anything else. Not a care about the press members, now running to keep up. Not a backwards look at his dozen staff members, doing the same thing. Not concerned about the rain that drenched him, plastering his shirt to that magnificent torso, dripping in his thick eyelashes as he blinked hard—
Pure pain etching every plane of his face.
Even then, he still looked amazing.
But my stomach wasn’t getting the same memo. “Wh-what’s wrong?” I managed.
His chest heaved. Once. That was enough. “Wrong?” His eyes flared. His lips parted. Hell, his teeth were clenched.
“Evrest. Whoa. What the hell?”
He raised a hand toward the Bull Rocks. His fingers shook. “You could have died. I almost died out there!”
“And your mother would have been destroyed, just like Novah would be now.”
“So you jumped in? Without waiting for the damn rescue teams?”
Time to break out the inner Elphaba. “Waiting wasn’t the right thing to do. I’m a strong swimmer, Evrest, it wasn’t like I was—”
“Thinking?”
“Stop it!” My own teeth were clenched now. Despite how he’d flown off the proverbial handle, I was more than aware of the press taking their fun little notes just a few feet away. “You don’t get the right to stress about me anymore like that.”
“The fucking hell I do not.” He stepped—correction, stomped—closer. “You. Could. Have. Died. For what?”
“For my son, Your Majesty.”
Novah had come over, one hand on Tochi’s shoulder, the other tangled in his dark blond hair. She attempted a small smile at Evrest, for which I silently thanked her. It mollified him, at least a little.
“King Evrest, this is my son, Tochi.” Her eyes welled once more. “I am so, so sorry…for not being forthcoming about this. My family has kept him a secret since his birth, when I was fifteen. To avoid the scandal in our little town, my aunt and uncle feigned her pregnancy, then raised him as their own.”
“And Enock is his father?” I asked.
She nodded. “Since we were all so close, Tochi has been raised by him and me as much as my aunt and uncle…behind closed doors. We knew that once we were married, we could be more open about Tochi’s true roots. When I was selected as a Distinct, we intensified our guardianship of the secret.” Her voice cracked. “And it was hell.”
“A hell you no longer have to endure,” Evrest assured—but his next words broke apart worse than hers, joined to his taut gaze back into mine. “Sure as the Creator lights the sky, I understand the hell of hiding your heart.”
“But you should not.” Novah pushed forward by another step, her head held higher now. “Why, Majesty, does it have to be this way?” A harsh sound erupted from her, half harsh cry, half outraged grunt. Though the burst was unique, it didn’t prepare me—or clearly Evrest—for what she did next. “Can anyone answer this question for me?” she shouted to every person gathered on the shore. “Why the lies?”
Just as the rain died down, the confused mutterings of the crowd swelled. I wondered why it seemed so loud, until noticing the group wasn’t just emergency responders and court personnel anymore. The remaining ten members of the Distinct had caught up to Evrest. About fifty Arcadian civilians had stopped to watch the circus, too.
Circus. A pretty good descriptor now, judging by how things were proceeding.
Until Evrest raised a hand.
By the time he reached the height of the move, fingers poised at elegant command, even the wind fell silent.
“Lady Novah has issued an excellent protest—one I happen to agree with.” As he moved out, the crowd shifted back, creating a semicircle of space—as if they already knew he was about to shift more than sand on this beach today. “If it is time for Arcadia to move forward and open ourselves to the world, why are we not open with each other? Why are we all sacrificing ourselves for rules and laws that have no place in our heads, our hearts?”
He watched the questions race across each face in the crowd…returning those questioning gazes with the unflinching belief in his own. I stared at his profile, never more awestruck—or proud—of him as I was right now.
“My duty to Arcadia has always been the priority and joy in my life. As her king, I have been passionate about making her into someplace better, bolder, happier, more prosperous for all. I also know that my duty begins with honoring the laws of her traditions. All my life, I have studied those traditions, making them part of my heart, my spirit—which is why I would never break one of them without deep, thorough consideration.”
I swayed on my feet. Damn. Damn. He was not going there. Here.
Yeah.
Yeah, he was.
I was forced to open my eyes as he reached a hand back, beckoning toward Novah and me. The little blonde nodded at me with knowing encouragement.
My knees turned to quicksand as I stepped forward.
My heart turned to thunder as our hands locked.
My soul…turned into peace.
I looked up, letting his gaze lock mine down. If anything could get me through this moment, it was going to be a shot of the conviction in those beautiful eyes. Too bad I couldn’t order a chaser of bone-melting sex along with it.
Behave.
With our hands still twined, he pivoted toward the crowd. “With all here today as witnesses, I, King Evrest Cimarron, hereby propose a new law for our land. Let the twelve of the Distinct still be selected and honored for Arcadia, though these amazing women will be chosen for their talents of serving our country, not just its king. They shall all be free to love whom they choose—as will their king.”
He turned back toward me. Tripped my heart up all over again with the strength in his stance, the adoration in his smile, and the possessiveness of his touch. “I can only rule this land as a true and devoted leader with the woman I love by my side…a woman with the boldness, bravery, and generosity of a true queen in her heart. Camilia Diana Saxon, you are that woman. You ha
ve been that woman since the moment I walked across that ballroom and slipped my hands around yours. I know you have only been here a week, but I am going to feel this way in a year. In ten years. In ten thousand years.”
I gasped. The crowd did, too. As my heart burst and my soul soared, he dipped his head, taking my mouth as passionately as he could without tempting my hands toward his ass. How did he know just that breaking point…
We pulled apart, breathing hard. The throng was so rapt, they could hear us.
“Stay with me, Camellia,” he murmured. “In my home, in my bed, in my heart—”
“In our hearts,” Novah inserted.
“In our land.” He sealed that with another kiss. “Together, my love, we can change the world.”
Long moment.
Once more, not able to breathe.
Once more, not really caring.
Was this really happening? Had he really just said all that? Vowed to change his life, his rules, for me?
Hell. The very least I could do was vow he’d never regret it.
This time, I leaned up and kissed him.
As I did, the crowd went ballistic. Even more so when Evrest took advantage of the liplock, sweeping his tongue in to properly ravish me.
My giggle finally broke us apart. Awesome timing. The wind started carrying the squall away, bringing rays of golden sun across the beach—and Evrest’s noble, beautiful face. Envious of the light that danced in his hair, I joined in the fun by threading my fingers through the thick waves, too—then jumped up to wrap my legs around his waist, launching the press into a photographic feeding frenzy. With my lips against his, I whispered, “Take me home, Your Majesty.”
A gorgeous grin parted his lips as he wrapped both hands around my thighs. Hell, what that grin did to so many parts of me. Had I really thought I could survive across the world without that smile? These arms? This man?
I didn’t want to think it. I didn’t have to anymore.
As he carried me back up the beach, he spun me around and around until I screamed with dizziness and joy…and a love I never thought I’d realize. A love so powerful, it made the world fall away, the shadows into magic, my life into lightning.
Destiny? Some, perhaps many, would speculate about that in the days, perhaps years, to come. I wouldn’t go there. Didn’t matter. Evrest and I would be too busy changing the world—and loving each other.
And oh, how I loved him. Completely. Passionately. Obsessively. My lover. My partner. And now, my king. Commanding my heart. Ruling my body. Loving my soul…
Even the dark parts.
Especially the dark parts.
Epilogue
‡
My fingers shook as I signed my name on the last page of the realtor’s packet that had been dropped by courier plane yesterday.
“Done.” I released an equally unsteady sigh, looking past the veranda of my office to the ocean. Zen, find me now.
Gah. I’d really done it. Finally cut the ties on a huge piece of home—though a little over three months to the day I’d arrived in Arcadia, I couldn’t fathom California being “home” again. Sure, I’d been a little homesick when the movie finally wrapped and everyone left, despite Harry keeping me on the production team as an under-the-radar “consultant” at Joel’s earthier-than-usual insistence—but Evrest ended my funk in his wonderful train-without-brakes way. A week into my funk, he’d ushered me into what used to be the film production office, freshened with new décor and a stack of new files on the desk. I’d met his gaze, as dazzling as the sun on the waves outside, wondering what the hell he was up to.
Time to get to work, little lightning.
He’d handed over a key card on a lanyard: my security badge for the palais employee entrance. His reward was my squee—and an attempt at a kiss. I was on the clock. No PDA until I clocked out, he explained.
Devastating. Mesmerizing. Stacked like an MMA fighter. Hung like a porn star. And now, cunning as a tech mogul. Since we were waiting on announcing an engagement until the Distinct selection laws were officially ratified, I couldn’t go to work for Arcadia as his fiancé, so he simply put me on the payroll. Since then, my days never lacked for challenges to tackle, ways to make every minute count—
Opportunities to changes in the world.
“Regrets?” Novah murmured it while taking a sip of her tea. Thank the Creator, she’d accepted my offer of staying on at the palais—Enock and Tochi in tow, of course—to be my personal assistant.
Gawd. “Personal assistant”. It sounded a lot better than “show the new girl everything she needs to know about this place, and we mean everything”—but it amounted to exactly that. Novah had been indispensable in that capacity and so many others.
“No.” My answer was sincere. “There are just moments when it all feels more real, you know? Or maybe surreal.”
She set down her teacup. Contentment tilted her lips. “Or maybe too good to be true.”
Her expression was clearly justified. On the sand below, Enock and Tochi played catch together. It still weirded me out a little, looking at Enock. He seriously could’ve been Novah’s brother, his tousled hair just a shade lighter, his lanky body matching her Twiggy frame. No wonder Tochi looked like a walking piece of driftwood with a spray of yellow wild grass on top.
I laughed. “Yes. That too, arkami.”
She smiled in approval. “You learn new words every day—but that one is very pleasing…arkami.”
I grabbed her hand and squeezed. Very soon, I was certain she’d even be my bonami—best friend, not just a pal. We had the total beginnings of a Rachel and Monica, proved out this morning alone. The hours had flown while we finalized plans to turn the palais into a Christmas wonderland soon, complete with new books as presents for the children and island vendor gift certificates for their parents. I was stunned it was already noon.
Better surprise? The man who walked into the room, stopping the air a little more with every prowling, perfect step he took. As every drop in my bloodstream responded, including the teasing pulses between my thighs, I bounded to greet him.
“Merjour, Novah.” Though his tone was casual, he stuck to decorum in kissing my cheek. His gaze? Way different story. It already had me sprawled and screaming on the desk beneath him.
Woo-hoo.
“Merjour, Majesty.” Thank God the woman was bright. She already had her binder and phone packed up. “Stopping in for a midday meal break with your queen?”
I shot her a glower. Explaining the law of jinx hadn’t gotten to Novah. She still insisted on using the term, despite my discomfort with it.
“Hmm?” Evrest’s head jerked as if she’d startled him from a dream. He’d barely heard what she said, anyway. Good. “Ahhh, yes,” he finally mumbled. “Midday break. Of course.”
“I believe I shall retire to our cottage, then,” Novah said. At the end of the north wing were a dozen private cottages for preferred royal staff members. “It appears my men will be famished soon.”
“Famished.” Evrest growled it suggestively, never taking his eyes from me. “I know the feeling.”
He continued the theme the second she left, delving his mouth against my neck until I moaned from the arousal he drenched through every inch of my body. “King Evrest,” I managed to gasp, “for shame. What have you told me about behavior while on the clock?”
He snarled harder, whipped the lanyard off my neck, and hurled it out to the patio. I was beyond caring as he suckled down between my breasts, turning my nipples into rock candy and my sex into a puddle.
“Okay then…just fire me.”
If so, this was a damn great pink slip. Good thing I’d unpacked all my clothes from home over the weekend and discovered this wraparound-style blouse, instantly sensing the royal approval it would receive. His savoring snarl, vibrating through my left breast as he nuzzled, confirmed the view. So hot. I could watch him like this, savoring my skin with his head to my chest, for hours.
In anticipati
on of his next move, I quivered to my toes, ensconced in my favorite pair of platform heels. Yes, it was crazy but true. I was now a regular heels girl. Guess it had to happen sometime. The look was more grown-up, and—
Who the hell was I kidding? I just liked what the sight of my legs in heels did to him.
Though somebody had hit the disconnect button on that one today.
To my bewilderment, Evrest straightened and stepped back. “I actually did come over…in an official capacity.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t wean out all my surprise. If we needed to discuss “official” things, he usually called me to his office, not the other way around. His noncommittal tone didn’t give me any more clues. “Should I be scared?” When he didn’t match my chaser of a snarky laugh, I pressed, “Evrest? Should I be scared? Is it Chianna? Did you find her?”
“No.”
He rushed it out in reassurance. A week after news had gone public that Chianna had been stripped of her pendant, the woman had gone to ground. Though Samsyn’s elite forces were taking their woman-hunt seriously, she’d truly vanished, likely into the wilderness at the far side of the island. If there were any new developments, I wasn’t getting them out of the king today.
At least it cleared the way for a new realization.
“You’re here about something bigger, aren’t you?”
He kept up the purposeful cloak. I fought the urge to grab his gorgeous red silk tie and strangle it out of him. He was in full power suit mode today, the tie offset by a three-piece Armani set that had me yearning to strip it off him before he even left our suite this morning.
He reached up, running one elegant finger along the pendant at my throat. My tourmaline lightning bolt. I hadn’t taken it off since the day I put it on.
“You know, Tochi still thinks this has magical powers.”
I smiled. “Well, he’s right. It does. It was given to me by a man with great powers.”
Even my suggestive glance at his crotch didn’t shake him. What the hell was going on?