by Anne, Melody
“I will make this up to you. I will prove to you that you can trust me, that I will never keep anything from you again,” he vowed.
“It may be too late, Shane. I just don’t know,” she sighed, feeling more drained than she could ever remember feeling before.
She wanted nothing more than to rush into his arms, but she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t keep letting him hurt her so badly.
Maybe they just weren’t meant to be. As much as she loved him, she couldn’t change him, couldn’t erase the past, and couldn’t undo what had already been done. That meant she might have to let him go forever. He would take a piece of her, but at least if they parted now, there would still be something of herself left to rebuild from. If she stayed with him, she might just fade away.
“I will prove to you that we are meant to be, Lia. I swear to that.”
Shane stepped forward and leaned down, his lips capturing hers in a sweet kiss that made her eyelids droop.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing alone in the room, longing coursing through her body as a deep loneliness filled her. Was that really it? It was what she wanted, wasn’t it?
As she walked into the quiet hallway in search of Ari, Lia just didn’t know anymore. This was all too much for her to deal with.
Trying to keep her head high, she took a breath before opening the door to the room that held Ari and Rafe. Even if she hadn’t known which one it was, she couldn’t miss her brother’s loud and frustrated voice coming through the thick wood.
At least she didn’t need to explain what had happened with her and Shane. Rafe had to deal with a very missing Rachel. Lia wasn’t worried about her little sister. She was concerned about her, of course, but she saw the light that entered Rachel’s eyes when she spoke of Ian, or Adriane, or Adriano — whatever the heck the man’s name was — so she knew Rachel would be fine. This was just another journey that Rachel seemed destined to take with the man who had caused her to do something so against her cautious nature.
The thought was almost enough to make her smile. Time did heal all wounds, right? She’d soon find out. OK, soon might be the wrong word.
Chapter Six
Sometime in the late afternoon, the plane landed and an extremely exhausted Rachel was transferred to a vehicle. There was no fight in her as she was tucked in the back seat with Adriane at her side.
Ian, the man she’d grown feelings for, the man who had been so carefree when she’d met him on the beach, was long gone. Now, she was having a child with a king, Adriane, or Adriano of Corythia. She’d wanted to do some living and she certainly had done just that — but not in the way she’d planned.
The medicine the doctor had given her did its magic and she fell asleep again, drifting against Adriane’s chest as he cradled her securely. She could hear Adriane speaking, but his words came to her faint and distorted as she gave in to the medicine and rested.
“Sire, is this a wise choice?”
Adriane turned to Nico, a question in his eyes. His adviser resumed speaking.
“I don’t wish to speak out of turn, but she was raised in America at least half the year, and attended college in an American university. She doesn’t understand our culture or what would be expected of her as our queen. You have a list of potential brides who are supposed to start arriving here — a list that has been approved by the council.”
Adriane knew that his adviser was simply doing his job, counseling him in matters of state, but he still didn’t appreciate the man’s words.
“As Ms. Palazzo carries my child, none of that matters. Would you have me deny my heir?” Adriane asked with a deadly calm.
“Of course not, Sire. But do we know for certain that the child she carries is yours? You haven’t been with her for months,” Nico reminded him.
“Yes, Nico, I am very aware of that fact, and I won’t allow a statement like that to be made again,” Adriane warned. Nico backed off immediately, and he handed Adriane a folder containing documents for him to go through and sign.
Adriane’s country was in a fragile state at this moment and he really didn’t have time to cater to Rachel, but because she was carrying his child, he also couldn’t afford not to. What he was doing was less than ethical, but in his mind, it didn’t matter. His biggest concern was getting her to see reason, having her accept that as she was carrying the heir to the Corythian throne, the only way for them to move forward was for her to remain with him as his wife.
Her brother would be a problem. Adriane had known Rafe for some years now, and he knew he wasn’t a man to back down. As king, Adriane surely didn’t want a major diplomatic disaster, but he’d do what he had to do. And Rafe would have to admit that he’d behave in the same way if it were his child a woman carried.
It was time to speak to the man he considered a friend and occasional business associate. If Rafe could just see reason, maybe they could avoid an international scandal.
Both he and Nico were lost in thought as the car moved through his country. It was a beautiful land, one that he’d always been proud to belong to. The hills were lush with foliage, and the fields were abundant with crops.
Their country’s main source of income was tourism. The island offered several large, exclusive resorts that catered to the rich and famous, giving them a private place in paradise to escape from the media and from fans and stalkers. These visitors were free to walk the islands with no one bothering them or taking pictures.
They also spent a good deal of their money at Adriane’s casino, his pride and joy. He’d fought a lengthy battle with his father to build it, and he had finally won the argument five years before. It had brought much wealth to Corythia.
The villages all prospered with seasonal fishing, and they offered quaint restaurants and authentic souvenirs. Though Adriane’s country wasn’t large, it was hardly the smallest in the area.
The country and its wonders would be around long after his death, long enough that his line could rule for centuries to come.
Though Adriane hadn’t wanted to be king, his brother had left him no choice. Still, his initial reluctance to ascend the throne didn’t mean he wouldn’t fulfill his duties to the fullest. The people were a good people and he would never show them disrespect by leading them with a heart that wasn’t true.
Adriane smiled as the car passed an orchard. It was good to be home, even if not all was going as planned in his life.
Nico wasn’t happy, but his adviser would get over it. Nico had learned long ago that Adriane would listen when it was truly needed, but he was a man and now a king who didn’t lean on others, didn’t let himself get strong-armed into positions he wasn’t comfortable with.
His council had butted heads with him on more than one occasion — and they’d lost.
Their car reached the dock and Adriane scooped Rachel into his arms before striding to the awaiting boat.
There were only two ways to get where he planned to take Rachel. By boat or chopper. Tonight, he preferred going by boat.
This was where he parted company with Nico for now. The man had a lot to get done over the next few days, and Adriane had a plan. As he smiled down at Rachel’s softly lit face, he knew there would be hell to pay when she awoke.
It would be well worth it.
Chapter Seven
Desperately trying to calm herself, Rachel walked back and forth the huge room for the thousandth time, or at least what felt like it.
When she woke up a few hours before, she’d forgotten for a few moments where she was and had simply luxuriated in the comfortable bed, and in the fact that her too constant companion, nausea, was taking a leave of absence.
Then it had all come back to her, and anger had quickly taken over.
Trapped.
She was trapped in a gilded cage that was disguised as a large room, and there was nothing, absolutely nothing, she could do about it. Pounding on the doors, issuing threats, begging. None of it had worked. The men and women who had bro
ught in food and drink either didn’t speak English or Italian, or just pretended they didn’t; no one would talk to her.
They simply smiled, offered her items, and then quickly scurried away. When she’d made an attempt to get past the guards — yes, actual guards — they had gently but firmly shut the twelve-foot-tall doors after mumbling something in French.
It was decided. She would have to murder Adriane.
Yes, she’d either be executed or spend the rest of her days in prison, but it would be well worth it. The man needed to be murdered. He was begging for it.
Furious with Adriane for bringing her here and then leaving her alone all day, Rachel looked around for possible weapons. But when she stopped and took a moment to think about her murderous intentions, she sagged against the couch.
Of course she wasn’t going to kill him. But throwing a glass at his head — that was a real possibility. He deserved to be hit. King or no king.
Rushing over to the closed and locked doors, Rachel raised her voice, yelling as loudly as possible. “I swear by all that’s holy, if you don’t get your worthless, kidnapping, traitorous king into this room right now, I’ll break every priceless item in here! And I’ll start by smashing one of these vases over the head of the first person who comes in to try to calm me down!”
“The guards tend to frown upon visitors who threaten their king. As a matter of fact, they like to throw said ‘threateners’ into the dungeons for some much-needed attitude adjustments.”
With a gasp of shock and outrage combined, Rachel spun to her left to find Adriane standing in the middle of the room, looking far too smug and pleased with himself.
Chest heaving, she took a menacing step in his direction, her eyes darting to one of the crystal vases nearest to her.
“I would advise against that, Rachel,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he were enjoying her tantrum.
“Then you’d best talk fast, Adriane. If you don’t set me free this instant, I will carry out my promise and this room will look like a tornado has swept through it.”
“You are spectacular in anger, do you realize that?” he gasped as he met her halfway, then stopped, standing only a foot from her trembling body.
Why didn’t he just say, “You’re pretty when you’re mad?” His statement was bad enough, but she was angered further by the attraction she felt toward this man, a man who had taken her basic rights away. How pathetic. All she should have felt was contempt and outrage, not even the barest inkling of lust. But with his dark eyes crinkled at the corners, and his smooth shirt molded to his perfect chest, she was having a difficult time not appreciating his beauty.
Those midnight eyes were trained on her right then, and the heat pouring from them was enough to singe her skin.
Leaning her head toward the floor, Rachel inhaled, trying to get her temper and her hormones under control before she spoke again. To continue yelling at him obviously wasn’t going to do her any good, so it would be best if she tried another tactic. Maybe she could make him see reason.
Through gritted teeth, she began: “You bring me to your country and then I wake up and am left in this room for hours! Your loyal servants have tried to force-feed me all afternoon, but no one will speak to me, let me near a phone, or give me any answers. I’m getting more and more irritated by the minute, and according to your doctor, that’s a bad thing, so you need to back the hell off.”
Darn. Though she’d tried controlling her temper, she wasn’t doing very well. Yet if she didn’t get to a phone soon, her fury was going to spike another few notches.
“I do apologize for not being here when you woke from your nap. I had some matters of state to attend to. They’ve all been taken care of, so for the rest of the night, you have my undivided attention,” he said, as if that were something she wanted.
Rachel’s mouth hung open.
“Are you expecting my gratitude because you are granting me — a measly peasant — your undivided attention? Are you kidding me, Adriane?” she snapped.
His carefree expression evaporated; his lips thinned and his dark eyes narrowed. King Adriane obviously didn’t like to be mocked or spoken back to. Well, too damn bad!
“You would be wise to try to hold your tongue instead of just letting any asinine statement pop from your beautiful lips.” He tried to look down at her with a sneer, but he had to fight the smile that was twisting his mouth in the wrong direction.
“That’s it!” Rachel shot over to grab the vase. It was going straight for his head.
“I don’t think so, Rachel.” Adriane easily caught her and held her hands trapped against his chest as he pulled her to him.
She leaned her head back so her glare would hit his eyes dead-on.
“I’ve had enough, Adriane. I mean it,” she warned him, almost hyperventilating. She chose to believe it was from her temper alone and had nothing whatsoever to do with being pressed up snugly against his hard body.
“Oh, Rachel. You haven’t had nearly enough of me. I don’t think either of us can possibly get enough of each other,” he said, his tone silky smooth as he lowered his head, bringing his mouth just a centimeter away from hers.
“Don’t you dare kiss me, Adriane. Believe me, you will regret it,” she said, struggling against him.
To her surprise, he released her, and Rachel stumbled backward before regaining her footing. She looked at him suspiciously before she searched the room with her eyes and spotted a door that was cracked open — the secret door he must have snuck through.
“I wouldn’t try it. I’m not letting you leave.”
The foot that was lifting to make a run for it dropped as she looked at him. “You can’t keep me prisoner, Adriane. I have family and friends who won’t stop until they see me safely home.”
“I’ve already spoken with your brother. We came to an…understanding,” he said with a slight wince.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Surely Rafe wouldn’t allow this to happen.
“We have a week to work out our differences before he storms the island with the United States military,” he said with a chuckle.
“What? He’s not coming to get me for an entire week?” Rachel gasped, feeling utterly betrayed.
“Don’t get me wrong, Rachel. It wasn’t easy to convince him that you were being well taken care of. He had to speak to my doctor, adviser and prime minister. It helped that both Ari and your sister felt we should try to work this out. I think I quite like them.”
“Those traitors,” Rachel gasped, and she now looked for a phone.
When she managed to speak to her family, they were all in serious trouble. How dare they leave her with this pompous jerk of a man?
“I don’t believe you,” she said. It couldn’t be true.
“It really doesn’t matter. If you are still opposed to our marriage in one week, then it looks as if Corythia is going to war,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Rachel stared at him in horror before her eyes narrowed again. There was no way the country would go to war. Yes, there could be an international incident, but Corythia was small and this matter wouldn’t cause a war. If it did, they’d be wiped out instantly. Adriane wasn’t that stupid.
“I am not an uneducated woman, Adriane, and I don’t appreciate you treating me as such. If you want a war, I sure as hell will give you one,” she promised with fire shooting from her eyes.
“I’m up for the challenge,” he said boldly, taking another step closer.
A little over three months ago, she hadn’t wanted to crawl from this man’s bed. Now, he had changed into a person she didn’t know and certainly didn’t like. He was arrogant and unfathomable, and he was holding her captive.
Why then was her stomach knotted with a strange desire? She should want to bash him over the head with any blunt object that came to hand and flee his presence; to feel even the remotest form of passion for him was just bizarre.
Still, she was stuck here for the time being, with no i
dea precisely where she was. Did she continue to fight him, or did she try to win back her freedom another way? She needed to think. Obviously she was all on her own.
That was a depressing thought.
“How do you think this can work, Adriane?” she asked. Maybe he’d see reason.
“I want it to work; therefore it will,” he stated firmly. He spoke as if his words were law. Of course, here in Corythia, what he said probably was law.
“I was raised in both Italy and America so you’re not my king. I’m sorry, but I don’t allow dictators to tell me what to do. I make my own decisions. I certainly won’t marry a man because he demands it or tells me that’s the way it’s going to be. You will release me, and then, and only then, will I consider what I will do next. Right now, you aren’t gaining any points with me in the father department. I won’t be jerked around just because I’m your living incubator. Do you understand me?”
Her breathing was heavy as she finished speaking. She’d wanted so badly to keep calm, but the more he looked down his arrogant straight nose at her, the more upset she became. He wasn’t listening to what she was saying.
Sure, he was letting her speak, but he certainly wasn’t paying attention. He thought he was too important to listen to the peasant, obviously.
“Oh, Rachel, I am so grateful that if I am to have a child before I am ready to have one, it is with you. I will never tire of your temper; nor will I ever grow bored with you. Everyone all around me agrees with everything I say. I need your dose of reality in my world,” he said with a smile.
Rachel’s face heated as he chuckled while bending down to pick up a glass. Then he began to fill it with bourbon as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He was seriously going to turn his attention from her while she was steaming mad, and laugh at her on top of it?