by Anne, Melody
“I don’t want your help,” she bit out, wrenching her arm from his as she spun around.
Adriane was going to let her go back on her own, but then he saw the trembling in her legs, and he held out his arms just in time to catch her as her eyes rolled back and she fell against him.
Lifting her, he raced back up to the castle and called for the doctor to meet him in her room.
This time, she wasn’t out nearly as long as before. The doctor examined her, and found she still wasn’t eating enough, her body was working too hard, and she wasn’t getting enough rest.
“Am I making it worse by keeping her here?” Adriane asked, hoping the answer was no.
“Honestly, Sire, I don’t know. She’s having a difficult pregnancy, and she had these problems before you brought her to Corythia. I think she needs to have constant supervision until she gets stronger. If you think she will get that back home, then maybe it would be best for her to go there.”
Adriane stood outside her door and thought about that. No. His Rachel was stubborn and didn’t like to ask for help. She wouldn’t seek it out, leaving her and his child in danger. This situation might cause her a little more stress, but at least he could ensure she was taken care of while she was in his sight.
“Thank you. No. She won’t take care of herself. She is much better off here, with you to keep an eye on her,” Adriane said before dismissing his physician.
He paced up and down the hallway as he waited to go and see her. It wouldn’t do him or her any good if he went in there barking at her. He needed to make sure he had himself fully under control before he spoke with her.
After looking at her door, he turned and resumed his pacing. This might take a while.
Chapter Thirteen
Rachel paced, too, once she began feeling better. The crackers and warm tea had done amazing things for her body, giving her back energy and taking away all traces of morning sickness. She still didn’t feel at a hundred percent, but it would do.
Good enough for the next confrontation with Adriane. She knew it was coming.
As if on cue, the man stepped into the room, once again not bothering to knock. Why should he? the arrogant ass was no doubt thinking, if he was thinking at all. It was his castle and he felt he had rights to every room in the place. But if she was stuck here for a few days with him, he was going to have to learn that wasn’t the case. She valued her privacy.
“This fighting is not doing your body any good. Can we please come to a reasonable solution, Rachel?” he asked, his voice low, as if he were doing something foreign. She was sure he wasn’t used to asking for anything.
He’d be learning how to do so as long as he was in her presence.
“The solution is for you to accept the fact that I’m not marrying you — certainly not just because I’m pregnant with your baby,” she told him.
“That’s not a solution, Rachel. I’ve told you that I can’t abandon my child,” he said as he sat down on her bed.
Not good at all. Having him there was calling up all sorts of wrong images in Rachel’s head. She cursed at herself for feeling any desire for him. Why did she have to go through this every time he came close to her?
As she stared at him in his harem-inspired room, he looked more like a king than ever before. How had there ever been a time she’d thought him just a simple man? Even in Florida, he’d exhibited a grace no regular man could possess.
That’s why she’d been so attracted to him. Now, however, it was a thorn for her to deal with. OK, so she was drawn toward the wrong sort of man — obviously — but that was something she was determined to fix about herself.
“Look, Adriane, I’m not princess material. I’m just a woman — a woman who has lived a good life, with great parents. I don’t want to be responsible for a kingdom. I don’t want people to watch me beneath a microscope. If I feel like wearing workout clothes, eating ice cream all day, and not putting on makeup, then I want to do that. I don’t want to be all over the media, to have to think about every decision I make, to be worried that I may embarrass your country. I just want to be me,” Rachel said as she sank down beside him on the bed. Maybe she could make him see reason.
“It’s too late for that, Rachel. And you don’t have to worry. You won’t be a princess,” he assured her.
“I wouldn’t?” she asked, now confused. She thought that by marrying him, she would automatically become royalty, not that she knew much about it.
“No. You will be queen.”
Her stomach dropped.
“Yeah, that doesn’t help,” she said, her lips turning up the slightest bit. “If that was your attempt at humor, you need to practice a little more.”
Adriane’s gut clenched at her smile. She was so unbelievably beautiful. She also had strength, and that would make her a fine queen. Now, it was his job to convince her of such.
“You need not worry about royal protocol. We have teachers here who will guide you, instruct you in everything you need to know. In addition to the usual ceremonial duties, the queen normally does a lot of charity work and assures the people they are cared for. My mother is waiting to meet you, anxious to see whom I have chosen as my bride. She wasn’t from our country, either, and she looks forward to having an American daughter-in-law. I think the two of you will become very close.”
Rachel hadn’t even thought about his mother. A new fear filled her. She wasn’t cut out for any of this.
“Wouldn’t she remain queen even after you are married?”
“No. That isn’t how it works. She is the queen mother, and doing the duties you will perform until our wedding takes place.”
“Isn’t she upset about this? About having to give up her crown?”
“Not at all. She’s ready for the next generation to come in. Besides, you won’t replace her; you’ll assist her in projects she’s already started. However, she will get a little more freedom, be able to take more vacations and also be able to take some time to grieve the loss of her husband. She may even take some days to go without makeup,” he added with a grin.
His joke fell flat. She was in full panic mode now. It was obvious he didn’t want to let her go, but Rachel couldn’t do this, couldn’t be a queen. It was too much.
“Adriane, there is another solution; I know there is.”
“There’s not, Rachel. Being with me won’t be the hardship you think it is. I will take very good care of you,” he assured her.
“Look, no one knows about me yet, well, no one except your adviser and doctor. I won’t go to the media. Not a soul will know. Why don’t you just find a proper bride who will be more than happy to give you all kinds of heirs for your kingdom, and let me go and live in peace?”
Adriane looked at her for several heartbeats without saying a word. Then he stood and began pacing in front of her. Maybe he was considering it.
“Do you think so poorly of me that you believe I would be able to do something like that? What kind of man can walk away from his child? Even if I weren’t the king, I wouldn’t let you leave, Rachel.”
He stepped back over to the bed, stood in front of her before kneeling down. Lifting both his hands, he first placed them on her hips and then used them to cover her stomach. “This is my baby, too. Yes, you carry him, but he is mine, and I will be there for your pregnancy, his birth, and then for the rest of his life.”
The intensity of his expression left her unsure what to do or say next. The feel of his hands cradling her stomach made tears spring to her eyes.
She was in trouble. Serious trouble.
“You can’t force me to the altar, Adriane. I won’t walk down it willingly and I won’t agree to wed you. When the priest asks whether anyone protests, it will be me raising my hand. Won’t that cause more of a scandal for you?”
Adriane smiled as he continued to caress her stomach, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her belly. “I’m not worried. You will agree. It’s already been arranged.”
W
ith that, he stood, and he looked down at her with such confidence, she felt her own convictions waver. Was he going to get his way, no matter what she wanted?
“You can’t take away my free will!” She stood as she began pacing the room. Obviously, reason hadn’t worked with him, either. The man was an impenetrable wall.
He caught her quickly and held her close, his hands moving down her back, stroking her tight muscles, and though he was the one causing her turmoil, he was also the one comforting her. It made no sense.
“This will happen. No matter where you run to, I will find you and bring you back. No matter how much you deny this, it’s the right thing. Our child deserves a mother and a father. It’s a bonus that we are so compatible, because it will make the long nights we have together very enjoyable.”
He leaned down and kissed her, as if sealing their fates.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she would fall at his feet. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
Chapter Fourteen
Shots rang out from every direction, deafening and deadly. The enemy was determined to leave no survivors.
Shane Grayson was just as determined to disappoint them.
“Stay down!” he shouted at his men.
The radicals were firing from the side, not very organized in their strategy but still managing to make it damn hard for Shane’s group to reach its target. Worry wasn’t at the forefront of the soldiers’ minds yet, but they were cautious, always cautious when dealing with extremists like this who had nothing to lose.
“I’m going in for the hostage. Cover me,” Shane said, before getting ready to storm the warehouse.
“I’m coming with you,” River insisted.
Shane knew there would be no arguing with his teammate, so he simply nodded.
“We’ve got your back. Let’s fry these assholes,” Paul said.
Shane took off with River on his flank, staying behind anything they could as they approached the target. Men were hanging from the windows of the large warehouse, and his men easily picked them off as he and River moved forward.
“To your left,” River said and Shane spun around, firing his automatic, taking out two men with their weapons aimed.
“I don’t think they’re too happy with our arrival,” Shane said.
The two men made it to the building, both of them talking quietly through their mouthpieces, looking about for the next enemy band lying in wait.
“Yeah, and they’re going to be really pissed soon, when they no longer have a leader,” River said.
Yes, the situation was intense, but they’d been through worse. Every mission had the possibility of going bad in so many ways. The worst would happen if they grew too confident, let their guard down.
They went silent as they searched the building, peering down and through the aisles of merchandise, and hoping like hell that they reached the hostage while she was still in one piece. The extremists were trying to free their leader and had announced that the girl, a diplomat’s daughter, would be killed that day if their demands weren’t met.
Shane’s team was there to effect her release without giving the enemy a damn thing.
Shane and River made it to the back of the building, where they had good reason to believe that the young girl was being held. They stayed hidden behind a pile of industrial crates while they discussed their next maneuver.
“Shit!” Shane exclaimed when he saw about ten men all packing weapons with the girl tied to a chair in the corner — behind them, and looking terrified.
“You go right. I’ll distract them,” River said. Shane nodded, and River got into position, popping up and shooting the man up on a catwalk overlooking the warehouse floor.
The men in the back of the room erupted as they began firing their weapons toward River and the crates he was using as protection. River kept moving, staying under cover as he shot. Soon, the radicals were running around, not paying attention where they were firing, and one of them killed one of his own men.
Good; let them take each other out, Shane thought.
Rushing forward, he kept behind a wall as he aimed and began picking them off, one by one, careful not to hit the sobbing girl. A round from one of the enemy guns hit the wall two feet above her head, making Shane’s heart race. She was in a dangerous position right now, and he needed to get to her.
“River, you need to get them to chase you so I can extract her,” he said into his mic.
River showed himself, and the remaining four men tried to surround him, leaving the girl unattended.
Shane bolted toward her, slicing through the ropes holding her to the chair, then grabbing her without saying a word, flinging her over his shoulder and rushing toward safety.
The men turned just as he reached the wall, and a bullet shattered the wood just above his head. Sweat broke out on his brow. That was too damn close. But wasn’t it always?
“Please let me go,” the girl sobbed as she pounded against his back.
“We’re the good guys. Just trying to get you out of here alive,” Shane said, not taking any more time than that to explain. If she resisted, he’d have no choice but to knock her out. It was either that or let her be killed.
Hell, they could still all be killed. That was a part of their job.
River, after taking out the last four men, joined Shane as he and the girl were making their way back to the front of the warehouse. There, more of the enemy group was still exchanging gunfire with the rescue team.
Now the difficult part was going to be getting through the enemy and back to his men. It would have been much easier without carrying a girl over his shoulder — even a small one.
“I’ll cover you; make a run to the men,” River said.
Shane took a deep breath, alerted his men through his coms that he was coming, then took off, saying a quick prayer that he made it with no bullet holes in him or the girl.
He felt the heat of the gunfire as he wove his way back to the men, knowing River would cover his back. When he reached the men, he said a silent but fervent thank-you to them and to the powers above, then left the girl with his men as he got into position to help cover River.
Once River returned to their unit, they could get the hell out of there and have a cold beer to celebrate their success. Nothing had ever sounded so great.
“We’ve got you,” Shane said into his mouthpiece.
River popped up, and began the treacherous journey through the front parking lot, diving behind whatever he could find to take cover as he wove toward them. This mission had turned out to be easier than others, making Shane a happy man.
Of course, he knew not to think that until they completely were in the clear. It was just bad luck.
“Easy as usual…” River said as he turned the corner and began to kneel down with his team while they got into formation for their exit. That’s when their smooth mission went from easy to instant hell.
Before River could finish his sentence, blood spattered from his mouth as a bullet went through the back of his head.
“No!” Shane screamed, jumping up and firing in the direction the bullet had come from, wiping out the shooter, who had just rounded the corner of the warehouse.
“Shit! Where did he come from?” Doug yelled as he jumped up to look around, shooting down another man running from the same direction.
“We need to go now!” Shane yelled, gathering the girl.
But it was too late.
River was dead.
Their mission had just failed in all their eyes, even if they did get the girl to safety. They’d let down one of their own and Shane took the full burden on his own shoulders. It was his team — his mission to keep that team safe.
The men grabbed their fallen brother, who lay at their feet, his eyes empty. Doug threw him over his shoulder and they made their escape to the booming sound of gunfire. Three of their guys covered their backs, returning fire as they exited the industrial area.
Once they were all out o
f the danger zone, it was a solemn journey back out of the field as they carted the girl away. Yes, they’d completed their objective, but they’d lost one of their own.
There was no victory for them today.
Chapter Fifteen
“You did what?”
Adriane stood frozen as his mother berated him, making him feel like a child once again, a child who had just been caught undoing the straps on the guards’ horses for the third time. It had been amusing to watch the men fall off their steeds in front of the king when they’d been so determined to look and act worthy of guarding the royal family.
His mother, Queen Octavia, hadn’t been amused back then.
And she wasn’t too thrilled with him now, though he didn’t understand exactly why.
“I told her we would be wed — that there was no other way,” he said again. Maybe his mother had misunderstood him. Surely she could understand and support his refusal to let Rachel go. After all, Rachel carried the royal heir, his mother’s first grandchild.
“Oh, son. Where exactly did I go wrong in raising you?” she asked, shaking her head in disapproval and bafflement.
“I don’t understand why you are upset. Rachel cannot leave. Surely you can see that,” he said, raising his voice just the slightest in his frustration.
The withering look his mother sent him calmed him immediately. He was speaking disrespectfully not only to his mother, but also to Corythia’s queen. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“Hmm, if you are talking to me this way, I shudder to think how you have been speaking to poor Rachel. No wonder she is less than enthusiastic about your proposal,” his mother told him.
“Do you think that I should let her leave?” he asked, with his fingernails biting into his palms.
“I think you should try courting her instead of giving her orders,” Octavia replied.
“I am doing that!”
“Really? From what you have told me, you have kidnapped her, demanded she marry you, and not even allowed her to speak to her family.”