“One thing at a time,” she said with a guilty smile.
“One kiss at a time,” I said, knowing I still had plenty left to prove. And I had every intention of doing just that, which would start with another kiss.
39
Victoria
Prince Byron didn’t want to let me leave the Yellow Room, and I had to admit there was a large part of me that didn’t want to either. I wanted to believe everything he was telling me. He was here for me and would stand beside me going forward, despite the complications with Queen Hart aiding and supporting his Kingdom. I knew the decision couldn’t be easy. Time would tell what he’d do when served with future ultimatums.
As much as I wanted to stay with him, I needed to see my sisters. When I finally convinced him it was time, between quite a few kisses, Prince Byron checked the hallway before leading me out by the hand. Only a few doors down was Bethany’s room—the Orange Room.
I opened the door and stepped in first.
I was greeted with an unfamiliar face, but the accompanying voice was very familiar.
“Victoria, I knew you’d come back!” Piper squealed.
“Let’s not go screaming her name too loudly,” Prince Byron said as he closed the door.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, jumping up and throwing herself into me.
I had to fight to keep my balance as she crushed me in a hug. Once she let me go and I finally got a good look at her, I thought she was even more beautiful now.
Bethany ran up from behind her and embraced me just as forcefully. Piper joined back in, so we were all three a tangle of arms.
Then I saw another unfamiliar girl step out from the washroom; I could only assume this was Constance. She didn’t attack me in either sense of the word, but approached with some semblance of appreciation to see me.
“You here to save the day?” Constance asked, her voice giving her away as she offered me a hug. I was taken aback and it took me a moment to reciprocate.
“I first wanted to see how you all were holding up.”
“At least when I look at you, I don’t see myself anymore,” she said.
“You look amazing,” I said. “You both do.”
I sat with the girls on the couch and Prince Byron brought a chair closer. We talked about what had happened to each of us since the infamous Choosing Ceremony. Then I got into what I intended to do next.
“So, you have the Princess?” Bethany asked.
“And the Queen already knows?” Piper added.
“Well, not me exactly…” I said.
“Who else is helping you?” Constance asked. “Besides Jimmy, of course.”
“His real name’s Kale,” I said. “Kale’s father and Duke Mackenzie have also been integral to the plan.”
“Isn’t that interesting…” Constance said. “That son of a bitch better stay far away from me.”
I understood Constance’s hatred for Duke Mackenzie, which was on par with my hatred for Master Ramsey. And I didn’t trust him whatsoever, but he’d been helpful, even on the night in the limo.
“How can I help?” Bethany asked. “No matter what the Queen has now given me, I don’t want to simply stand by while the rest of you are fighting for your lives. I want to be a part of this.”
“I’m glad you asked,” I said. “Because what would be the most helpful thing is to allow me to be you, so I can move freely about the palace while awaiting the arrival of my group. You’ll need to remain hidden in the meantime.”
“Victoria’s old room is the best place for that,” Prince Byron said. “And if a switch needs to be made, then you’ll be nearby.”
“I know just the person to help with that transformation,” Bethany said.
“Victoria did pretty well today already. The Queen didn’t suspect a thing.”
“You saw the Queen?” Bethany asked.
I nodded. “She took me down to Princess Amelia’s new room. It was… heartbreaking.”
“Why?” Constance asked.
“Despite what she’s done to her daughter over the years, Amelia is her weakness,” I said. “She practically crumbled at the real possibility of losing her.”
“Good,” Constance said angrily. “It serves her right for what she’s done to all of us—what she did to the others.”
I thought of telling them what else I’d seen in the lower levels, but didn’t even know how to explain it and figured it was still better for Prince Byron to quietly inquire first.
Bethany left to make a phone call while the rest of us continued to talk. When she came back, she asked, “Is anyone hungry? I’m putting in an order.”
The consensus was that no one was hungry, but we all could eat something. And when the food was brought about twenty minutes later, I was floored at the sight of Kimera entering with the large tray.
“Miss Victoria, I hoped to see you again,” she said after setting the tray on the coffee table; she gave me a long hug. “With the tangerine dress and if I didn’t know any better, I would have mistaken you for Miss Bethany.”
“And here I thought it was simply orange,” I said with a smile. “I’ve missed you.”
Kimera surveyed Bethany and me. “There are some noticeable differences—not that they’d stand out much looking at each of you separately—but I believe I can take care of them. Make you both look one and the same.”
“I wish I could put in a good word for you—give you a good reference,” I said.”
“I just want to help,” she said, smiling shyly and fidgeting.
“I promise not to get you in trouble,” I said. “Bethany will look out for you as well.”
“You have my word,” Bethany said.
“Then we have a plan,” Prince Byron said.
“I’ll be back at seven tomorrow morning to fix you up,” Kimera said. “All ready for the Foundation Day celebration.”
Once Kimera left and we had eaten the wonderful assortment of food she’d brought, Prince Byron cleaned up after each of us, returning all the empty plates and silverware to the tray.
“You two shouldn’t stay together for too long,” he said, carrying the tray over to the desk to await pickup.
“Is this your way of trying to get me alone again?” I asked with a chuckle.
“I’m just looking out for your safety, m’lady,” the Prince responded, sounding a little too smug.
“It’s a big day tomorrow,” I said. “We should all get some sleep.”
“Can’t wait,” Constance said with her usual sarcasm.
“I guess I’ll see you at seven,” Bethany said.
Prince Byron and I went back to the Yellow Room. He looked as nervous as I felt, pacing the room like a captive animal. I guess we all were in a way—even him.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know you’re not alone,” he said. “I am with you and will not stand idly by again. Damn the consequences.”
“You can’t say that,” I said. “I now know what’s being held over you—the power the Queen really holds.”
“She only has the power we give her.”
“She who holds Princess Amelia holds the power,” I said, only half joking, and smiled.
“That’s probably pretty accurate,” Prince Byron said, finally stopping by the bed. He looked at the massive four-poster bed, then back at me. “I should let you get some sleep.”
“You should,” I replied but didn’t really want him to leave. I didn’t know how much time we truly had left and I didn’t want to squander it by sending him away when he so obviously wanted to stay, and I—maybe not so obviously—also wanted him to. “And you can still let me sleep, but you don’t have to go. Wait here.”
I went to the closet to find a nightgown, then undressed and fixed my makeup in the washroom. I could have used Kimera’s expertise now, but my limited skills would have to suffice.
When I emerged from the washroom, Prince Byron was lying on one side of the bed. He had removed his boots and shirt, lying abov
e the covers bare-chested.
“I’m not being presumptuous,” he said matter-of-factly.
“You’re going to let me sleep,” I said, strolling into the room, adjusting the spaghetti straps of the nightgown to keep the v-neckline from hanging too low. “I’ll sleep better with your arms wrapped around me.”
I turned off the lights and slipped under the covers beside him. There was a rustling on his side of the bed as he did the same. Then I felt his warm body against mine, his rough skin against my quickly flushing skin.
His lips met mine in the dark. His hands grazed my hypersensitive skin and explored my body, making me tingle all over. He couldn’t see the scars across the backs of my bare legs, and for the first time I could remember, they longed to be touched. In that moment, I truly felt beautiful, desired, and needed. I focused on kissing him back and tried to push away all my worries of tomorrow.
40
Byron
I awoke next to Victoria feeling so at home. I scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her. As I snaked my hand in between hers, she began to stir, which hadn’t been my intention. I wanted her to continue sleeping, but now it was too late. I smoothed her hair down and nuzzled up to the back of her head.
“Good morning, sunshine,” I said.
“What time is it?” she asked, groggily.
“Too late. Too close to getting up.”
“No, seriously,” she said, turning and looking past me to the alarm clock. Then she sighed. “Kimera and Bethany will be here any minute.” She sat up in bed, allowing the sheets to fall to her waist.
The thin strap fell off her right shoulder; the lacy top of her nightgown hung dangerously low. It was hard to only glance at her breasts threatening to peek through the white lace.
I didn’t know if she noticed me looking or was simply self-conscious in the morning light, but she quickly lifted the strap and adjusted the fabric.
I sat up, reached a hand behind her neck, and pulled her in for a kiss. She kissed me back, but it was short lived.
“I need to jump into the bath so I can be semi-ready for when they arrive,” Victoria said, throwing the sheets aside and hopping down from the bed. Then she stopped, climbed back onto the bed on her knees, and pressed her lips to mine. “It meant a lot for you to stay with me last night. I just want you to know that.”
And in a flash, she rushed off to the washroom and closed the door. I didn’t have a chance to respond, and even if I did, I didn’t know what I would have said.
I wanted to tell her I loved her but didn’t think she was ready to hear it. I knew I still had a lot to prove and didn’t want to spook her.
My shoulder was sore from how my arm was extended under her for much of the night. And I was beginning to feel the burning throughout the left side of my face again. The night with Victoria had muted the pain, but now it was back with a vengeance.
I stretched and reached for my phone on the nightstand. When I looked at the screen, I was surprised to find I had seven missed calls and three messages. Between last night and this morning, six of the missed calls were from Kale. Then one from less than fifteen minutes ago was from Tabatha.
How did she get this number? I thought as I started Kale’s first message.
“Hey, it’s me. Victoria didn’t come back with the others. Even Mackenzie came back separately. And he said she fell behind or something. Did you find her? You didn’t know about this when we spoke, right? God, what happened? Is she with you? I was nearly there; I shouldn’t have turned back. Call me as soon as you get this so I know she’s all right.”
I could only assume the next message was more desperate. I didn’t want to listen to it, so I skipped it and listened to Tabatha’s.
“Prince Byron, Queen Hart insists on finishing the meeting from yesterday early this morning. Please call me right away so I can coordinate a time with the others. There is a lot going on with today’s celebration, so she wants this business taken care of as early as possible. Call me.”
My calm from waking up beside Victoria was effectively gone.
I first called Tabatha back and told her I’d be ready whenever the meeting was set up.
Before I had the chance to call Kale, there was a knock at the door. I threw on my shirt and cautiously answered it, relieved to find Bethany and Kimera standing in the hallway. Kimera curtsied and I quickly ushered the girls inside before they were seen.
“Victoria’s in the bath,” I said. “I need to take care of some things. I trust you can take it from here?”
“Not to worry,” Kimera said.
“We’ll be fine,” Bethany seconded.
I nodded to Kimera and gave Bethany a hug. “Be safe,” I said, peered into the hallway, and made my way to my room one level up.
Once safely back in my room, I called Kale back.
“Where have you been?” he questioned angrily.
“It’s been—busy here,” I said. “Victoria is safe. She’s with me and everything’s fine.”
“Let me talk to her.”
“Well, she’s not with me at this very second,” I said. “She’s in her room right now with Bethany and Kimera. She’s staying out of sight.”
He seemed to calm down after my reassurance. “Yeah, things are crazy here as well.”
“Victoria said something about your father coming to join her in confronting the Queen. Is that true?”
“Yeah,” Kale said. “We’ll be leaving soon. We need to get this over with.”
“I agree. I’ll be going into a meeting later this morning about attacking your people. I’ll lead them astray, but it will only work for so long. We need everything out on the table as soon as possible.”
“It’s going to be quite the Foundation Day celebration.”
“I can’t say I’m in a celebratory mood,” I said.
“That makes two of us. I’ll call you when we get there, then I think I owe you a phone.”
“Keep it. How’s the Princess?”
“A little confused, but other than that, I guess she’s good.”
“I hope you guys know what you’re doing.”
“My father seems to think he does,” Kale said, sounding skeptical. “And I’ll back you guys up with whatever happens.”
“Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.” I hung up and simply stared at the phone for a long while.
I’ll do what’s necessary, I told myself. I repeated it over and over until the sentence became an incantation I was starting to believe.
I hurriedly cleaned up and changed clothes so I’d be ready when Tabatha called back. When she did, I marched down to the council room, where Queen Dorothea, Brock, Dr. Crane, and Dr. Sosin were waiting.
“Besides you obviously wanting her back, it’s important to get the Princess back as soon as possible to keep up her treatments,” Dr. Crane said. “I know you’ve been disappointed with the progress, but I can assure you, without the treatment she’s currently on, she would be in much worse condition—deteriorating at an alarming rate.”
“And whatever decline occurs, will you be able to reverse it—get her back to how she was yesterday?” the Queen asked.
“There are no guarantees,” Dr. Sosin said.
“Which is why it’s imperative to get her back as soon as possible,” Dr. Crane emphasized.
“Our option to blow up the camp is gone,” Brock said. “This is a retrieval mission now.”
“I didn’t know that was ever on the table,” I said.
“I wouldn’t want that now anyway,” the Queen said. “I want them to suffer for what they’ve done.” She turned to me with an anguished fire in her eyes. “Byron, look at the maps again. Retrace your journey here—home—something must look familiar. It will at least be a start. They’re not that far out. It was less than a day’s drive for you.”
“We have teams already scouring the desert. The wolves are searching, recording everything they see. They can’t remain hidden for long,” Brock said. “But it could
greatly speed things up if you’d be able to narrow our search radius.”
I gazed at the maps on the table, then the computer images on the wall. Soldiers were already beyond the fence, and wherever I sent them, it wouldn’t take them long to get there. I knew I had to lead them somewhere, and even without my help, they’d find the camp on their own. I needed to buy Kale and his group enough time for them to get here… then they could negotiate with the Queen for themselves.
The Queen was staring intently at me, waiting for me to say something. Her face was awash with anticipation, anxiety, and something else. Disappointment? There was an assurance to her gaze—like she knew something.
41
Victoria
Bethany and I stood side by side, gazing at ourselves in the long washroom mirror. Kimera was standing off to the side, smiling.
As much as I’d wanted the emerald dress, we all agreed that wouldn’t be wise. Instead, Kimera had chosen what she described as a lace trim pintuck cocktail dress with slight cap sleeves and a shark-bite hem. Kimera called this one apricot. She’d given me the diamond tiara Queen Hart had given her.
Bethany was in a similar dress, hers a slightly darker shade of peach and longer lace-patterned sleeves. She wore one of the many tiaras from my closet.
With our hair done up the same and with identical makeup, we truly looked like clones. Bethany’s hair was cut a few inches to match the length of mine, while Kimera had even given me several more ear piercings to mimic Bethany. I could look in the mirror and to the girl standing beside me—and it was difficult to determine who I was really looking at. I’d been disturbed by the whole clone revelation, but this likeness was eerie.
“As long as you keep your mouth shut, you should have no problem passing for me,” Bethany said and we both laughed.
Royal Replicas 2: Royal Captives Page 20