by B. B. Hamel
“Your Highness, you’re bleeding.”
I checked my shoulder. He was right.
“Surface wound,” I said. “He clipped me. Take care of this.”
I tossed the gun aside and quickly went to Bryce. She was huddled on the ground next to the bed, her eyes wide.
“It’s okay,” I said to her. “It’s okay. I’m going to get you some clothes and then we’ll get out of here. Okay?”
“Who was that man?” she asked.
“An assassin,” I said. “This was probably the real plan. The attacks were just a distraction.”
“Trip,” she said softly, “you saved my life.”
I shrugged and got up as more security people started to come in.
“Everyone,” I barked, “get the fuck out. Secure the perimeter. Search the castle room by room. Any unauthorized people are to be taken to the dungeons. Lock the doors. Nobody in or out until I say so.”
The men reacted to my command instantly, relaying orders over the comm system. I got a pair of sweatpants and a shirt out of the closet for Bryce and handed them to her before getting dressed myself.
Once she was clothed, I helped her up. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly against her.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said to her. “I promise, assassins are not a common thing these days.”
“Trip,” she said, “you killed him.”
“He’s not the first man I’ve killed,” I said softly.
I pulled her back and kissed her lips gently. “Come on. Let’s get into the other room, away from him.” I picked her up, swooping her off her feet, and carried her into the living room. I didn’t want her to have to step over him, or risk her stepping in his blood.
Once there, I put her down on the couch. I got her a blanket and began to make tea.
“Sir,” Al said, “the castle is locked down. We’re beginning the sweep now.”
“Update me every five minutes,” I said. “When the sweep is complete, update me every fifteen.”
“Understood.”
“And get someone to clean up this fucking body.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Al disappeared back outside.
Once the herbal tea was finished, I carried it over to Bryce and placed it down in front of her. I sipped from my cup, frowning at her.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I think so,” she said. “I mean, I’m not hurt. Just in shock.”
I nodded. “Of course. That sort of thing should never happen here.”
“It should never happen anywhere.”
“Of course, but my security failed. I was too cocky.”
“Trip, this isn’t your fault.”
“I wanted privacy,” I said, angry with myself. “I dismissed our guards because I wanted to be completely alone with you. That was foolish.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “It’s this war.”
“It is this war,” I said, feeling the anger rise. “It’s this war and those violent bastards in the south.”
“Are you sure it was them?”
I laughed, nodding. “Of course.”
“I heard someone say that nobody unauthorized was allowed in or out of the castle today,” she said.
“That’s true.”
“So how did that guy get in here?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “We’ll find out who he is soon.”
“Trip, what if someone let him in here?”
I stared at her for a second. “Only ministers and high-ranking officials were allowed in here today,” I said slowly, “plus you and your family.”
“We didn’t let him in,” she said.
“Then someone in my administration did.”
She nodded but was silent.
I stood up. “Fuck,” I said. “Fucking fuck.”
Who would betray me like this? There were so many possibilities. I knew some of my ministers had democratic leanings, but I didn’t think any of them were out-and-out traitors.
I knew I was unpopular. People wanted Leo, my perfect older brother. They thought he would have been the perfect king and ruler, but they were stuck with me. Nobody was happy about it, least of all the ministers and the democrats.
But I never in a million years imagined that my own ministers would try to have me killed. Or at least I never thought someone would turn against me like this.
“Who do you trust?” Bryce asked me.
I clenched my jaw. “Max. Lynette. Richter, to an extent.”
“Bring them here. See what they know.”
I looked at her. “Are you giving the king advice?”
“I’m trying to help Trip, not the king.”
I cracked a small smile. “Very well. I’ll consult with them. For now, you need to go back to your room. I’ll have George stand guard.”
“No,” she said. “I’m not leaving you.”
I went to her and knelt down in front of her. I took her hands and kissed her knuckles. “You’re strong,” I said, “but you’re a foreigner still. This is a crisis, and right now I can’t have whispers about you. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she said softly. “People might think something bad about me.”
He smiled and nodded. “You hit me once already.”
She smiled softly. “True.”
I stood up and walked to the comm panel. I hit some buttons. “Send George,” I said.
A minute later, there was a knock. I let George into the room.
“Your Majesty,” he said.
“George, would you die to protect Bryce?” I asked him.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “If commanded, I will obey.”
“George, take Bryce to her room. Put her inside, close the door, and stand guard. Nobody enters or exits for any reason. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Put a similar detail on her parents’ room.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Wait outside.”
He left. I walked over to Bryce. “Okay,” I said. “You should go.”
“Okay.” She stood and frowned at me. “I’ll be okay.”
“I know.” I kissed her quickly and then she left the room. I caught a glimpse of George leading her back to her room, his weapon at the ready.
She’d be safe with George. Besides, Bryce wasn’t the target.
I was.
Somebody wanted to kill me. I knew that in the abstract many democrats in the south wanted me dead, but there was a dead body in my room, someone sent to kill me. We only survived because he didn’t respond when I had called, and because I happened to be a fucking paranoid sleeper.
I shook my head, angry and confused. I didn’t know how this had happened.
But Bryce was right. I needed to consolidate my power, and quickly. I called for Max, Richter, and Lynette, and then I got an update from Al.
We’d come up with a plan, the four of us. We’d figure out who the traitor was, and quickly.
And then we’d hang that fucking bastard from the ramparts for the whole fucking city to see what we did with traitorous dogs.
19
Bryce
When I decided to come to Starkland, I figured it would be a fun, easy vacation. We’d do some sightseeing, maybe go to some museums, probably eat some new foods.
I never thought I’d end up sleeping with the king, let alone watching him kill a man.
I’d never seen death before. I’d actually never seen someone shoot a gun. It was loud, really loud. Nothing like in the movies at all. The gun had looked dangerous and powerful, not like one of those little peashooters in the movies.
I couldn’t believe it had happened. As I sat there alone in my room, George just outside the door, I kept going over the moment in my mind.
Trip had grabbed me and pushed me away. That was his first instinct, to protect me. Next, he dove down on top of me, further protecting me. He almost got killed because of that.
And then
he grabbed that gun and shot back.
If he didn’t have that gun, we’d be dead. Al wouldn’t have gotten to us in time. We just wouldn’t have survived without Trip.
Only minutes before, I’d felt the best I ever had. In his arms, blissed out on an orgasm, I felt so at peace and incredible that it was hard to describe. Trip made my body feel things I never could have imagined.
And then that damn assassin had to go and ruin all of that.
I sat down on the couch and flipped through Starklandian television. It was a little weird, but I couldn’t understand anything they were saying anyway. In the castle, people mostly spoke English, or at least they did around me. It was easy to forget that people in Starkland didn’t speak English as their primary language.
I sat there staring at the television, trying to forget about what I had seen. The man’s body, lying on the ground. He was tall and thin, with a large, crooked nose and dark, scraggly hair. He hadn’t said a word, just began to fire as soon as he saw us.
Those moments played through my mind, again and again, over and over. I wished I could go see my parents, but I knew I had to be confined to my room as long as the castle sweep was ongoing.
Minutes trickled by and turned into hours. I should have gone to sleep, but I was way too wired for that. I thought about texting Trip, but he was probably busy enough.
At around two in the morning, I heard a soft knock at my door. I got up and pulled the door open.
George nodded at me. “I wasn’t sure if you were awake, miss.”
“I’m awake.”
“The king is on his way down. Just thought I’d warn you.”
“Oh. Okay. Is everything okay?”
“The lockdown is over,” he said. “We’re safe.”
“Thanks,” I said. I went back into my room and waited for Trip.
My stomach was a knot of tension. I wondered if he had taken my advice or if I had overstepped the line by even offering it. That didn’t matter, though. Ten minutes later, there was another knock, and then Trip came into my room.
“Trip.” I went to him and threw my arms around him.
He looked tired. “You shouldn’t be awake,” he said softly.
“Oh well,” I said.
“Listen, Bryce. We need to leave the castle.”
I pulled back. “What?”
“I have a house in the country. Well, it’s more like a fortress,” he said, laughing. “We’ll go there for the time being.”
“Are we in danger?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I spoke with Max, Richter, and Lynette. We agreed that I would go to the country with my closest advisors until we can figure this out.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
“There’s one small issue.”
“What’s that?”
“We can’t bring your parents.”
That felt like a hammer blow to the chest. “Why? I can’t leave them here.”
“They’re safe here,” he said, “but we can’t risk bringing them.”
“Do you think they’re involved?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why not bring them?”
“Because I don’t want to be accused of anything. It’s bad enough that I’m bringing you. Frankly, I had to insist, and quite loudly.”
“Trip,” I said softly, “I can’t just leave them behind.”
“I promise on my life, nothing will happen to your father and your stepmother.”
“I know you wouldn’t let it, but I would feel horrible leaving them. I just—I can’t.”
“You will,” he insisted. “I need you, Bryce. You already provided me with good counsel when I was in an angry state and couldn’t think properly. I need you close by right now to keep me centered.”
I stared at him, completely taken aback. I didn’t think I had done anything special, but apparently I had. I couldn’t believe he was saying that he needed me, but there it was.
Could I really leave my parents behind? Trip would keep them safe; I was sure of that. He would never let them get hurt. But I would be such an awful daughter if I left and they were forced to stay behind.
I was so torn. Trip needed me, but I wanted to be a good daughter.
“It will only be temporary,” he said. “We can bring your parents when things calm down. A few days at most.”
I frowned. “That’s a little better,” I said.
“Please. Come with me.”
I looked into his intense eyes and knew that I had no other choice.
“Okay,” I said. “Let me say goodbye to my parents.”
“Good. Pack now. George will bring them in. I’ll be back to get you soon.”
Trip turned and quickly left.
I sighed, shaking my head.
This whole trip had gotten so far away from me. I couldn’t really believe it, but it was happening. I had never expected to go from a normal American girl to being so involved with the king so quickly.
But events were moving so fast, and I couldn’t slow them down. I couldn’t slow down myself, or else I’d risk getting left behind.
I began to pack. I’d say goodbye to my father and Lucy, and I knew they’d understand.
They’d be safe here. They had to be.
The better question was, would I be safe with Trip?
My stomach felt empty, and worry filled the rest of me.
20
Trip
The wind bustled gently through the leaves on the trees as I walked slowly down the lawn. Ahead of me, a stream bent between a copse of bushes, and suddenly I could hear helicopters chopping overhead.
The country compound was like that. One second it was an idyllic and quiet space, and the next it was full of security agents and machines destroying whatever peace I managed to find.
There wasn’t much peace anywhere, as it fucking turned out. Maybe I liked it that way; maybe I thrived on the violence. But my people didn’t, and I needed to put them first.
Somebody had tried to kill me. That was about as much as we knew a day after the event. The assassin’s name was Roger Clark, and as far as we could tell he only had minor ties to the rebels in the south. How he became an assassin and how he got into the castle were still a mystery.
But they were mysteries we were going to solve. My team was already poring over the security records, and if someone had used their access that day, we would know about it.
I could handle a little attempt on my life. I was a king after all. It came with the territory. But what I couldn’t handle was getting Bryce mixed up in everything, too.
She’d been quiet since we’d left the castle. I couldn’t tell if she was angry about leaving her family behind or if she was still upset about the attack. I assumed it was a mixture of both, and that was understandable either way. There was nothing easy or simple about surviving an attempt on your life, especially the way it had happened that night.
Just after I finally felt her body, that bastard had to appear. It was almost as if someone had timed it perfectly. Almost as if someone were trying to pin it on a certain American girl of note.
I shook my head. No. I couldn’t let myself go there. Speculating wasn’t going to do a thing about it. Speculating wasn’t going to solve the mystery. It was only going to drive me fucking mad.
Although, I was already going fucking mad.
I fucking hated being at the country house. I hated the peace and quiet, and I hated that security was all over my ass. Of course they were going to be, considering someone had tried to kill me, but I couldn’t stand being treated like I couldn’t take care of myself.
Obviously, I could. I was the one who had taken care of the killer, not my security team.
I sighed, shaking my head. I looked back over my shoulder and waved at Al and the boys. They were hanging back a bit farther than they wanted, but they were always within sight.
I gestured and Al quickly came over to me, stopping and bowing slightl
y. He was clearly angry with himself for failing me and had been going really hard on the royal respect shit all day.
It was getting on my nerves.
“Al,” I said, “for the hundredth time, stop bowing.”
“Yes. Whatever you command, Your Highness.”
I sighed. “Get me Max,” I said. “I want an update.”
“Right away.” Al gestured at his team and a man was dispatched.
I leaned up against a tree, enjoying the shade.
“Have you seen Bryce today?” I asked Al.
“No, Your Highness,” he said.
“How did she seem, when you last saw her?”
He was silent for a second. “Upset, Your Highness.”
“Stop saying ‘Your Highness,’ damn it,” I said.
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
That was good enough. I probably wasn’t going to get better.
“Do you have any experience with this sort of thing?”
“What thing, sir?”
“Helping a civilian get over something like that.”
“Not exactly,” he said after a short pause. I raised an eyebrow, interested.
“Tell me,” I said. “If you want.”
“It was my sister,” he said. “It’s not an easy story to tell. She went through something during the border skirmishes ten years ago, when your father was still alive. It hit her pretty hard.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I was patient.”
I nodded. “I can do that.”
“But many people are fine,” he said quickly. “I don’t know Bryce, sir. She seems strong. She might be okay.”
“How’s your sister now?” I asked him.
“She does well, sir. She got her life back.”
“Good.” In the distance, I saw a golf cart coming toward us. Al’s man was driving, and Max was next to him. “Thank you, Al.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” He bowed again and rejoined the security team.
I sighed. He was going to keep doing that until he did something important, I was willing to bet. Could be a while at this rate.
Max climbed off the cart as soon as it pulled up next to me. “Your Highness,” he said.