by Ashlee Price
My eyebrows crease.
What is up with this ring? Why is it such a big deal?
"I never thought you'd show up at the Palace, of course, but it's good that you did. Your presence works in nicely with my plans."
"What are you planning?" I ask him through gritted teeth.
He laughs.
My eyes grow wide.
That laugh...
"You're the one I heard plotting to kill Steff in that alley, aren't you?"
He frowns. "My, my. I was sure we were alone. I guess I'll have to kill you, after all, after I kill your precious prince."
Anger erupts in my chest.
"You won't get away with it," I tell him. "No. You won't succeed. Steff won't let you."
His eyebrows arch. "You think Steffan can defeat me?"
He comes even closer to me.
"Let me tell you something, since you don't seem to know anything." He leans forward. "I'm the only one who's ever defeated Prince Steffan."
My eyes widen in horror.
No.
"And I can do it again."
"No!" I shout. "You won't succeed! You won't be able to lay a hand on him!"
"Are you sure?" He touches my chin. "Can you really say that when I have you here, the woman with his ring?"
My eyes grow even wider.
No way. He's using me as hostage. And if Steff finds out he has me, then...
"Now you understand?" The man in front of me gives a wicked grin.
Calm down, Jess.
"You're the one who doesn't understand," I tell him. "Steff and I have nothing going on. I came here to return the ring."
"Really? Well, that's unexpected and unheard of. Poor Steff."
"I mean nothing to him."
I say the words firmly. So why don't I believe them? And why doesn't this man seem to believe me?
He just grins. "I guess we'll find out, shall we?"
He grabs the flashlight and leaves the room.
I let out a deep sigh, but it's not one of relief. My heart is racing even faster now in the darkness.
I can't let this man use me as a hostage. If I do, then I'll be the one putting Steff's life in danger.
As soon as I no longer hear his footsteps, I lift the chair behind me and head to the corner. I lean to the side to get the bottle from the floor. I nearly fall but manage not to. I grip the bottle between my fingers.
Now I just need to break it.
I can't make a sound, though, so I decide to put the bottle down on an old rug. Using my feet, I wrap the bottle in the rug and step on it. Then I slowly lay the chair down on its side and reach for one of the shards.
Some of the smaller ones dig into my arm and I wince at the pain, but I keep going.
Finally my fingers close around a shard large enough to cut the rope. I start trying to, biting my lips to hold down a cry each time I cut skin instead of hemp.
After a few minutes, the rope gets loose. I give it a tug and it breaks.
I get up and stare at my hands.
Blood. Lots of blood.
I tear off my sleeves to wrap my hands and stop the bleeding. Then I step onto one of the crates and crawl out the window.
It's a tough squeeze, and for a moment I fear I'm stuck. Still, I manage to wriggle through. I rub my belly after.
I'm sorry, baby. I hope you're okay.
I glance around quickly, and when I don't see anyone, I start running through the gardens. My eyes search for a door, a way out.
How do I get out of here?
Suddenly, someone grabs me. A hand wraps around my waist and another clamps over my mouth.
I can't breathe. My limbs start shaking.
Have I been caught?
"It's alright, Jess," a familiar voice whispers in my ear.
As the hand on my mouth falls away, I turn around.
My jaw drops as my gaze meets Steff's.
"Steff!" I throw my arms around him.
I'm so happy to see him I can't put it into words.
Then I pull away. "What are you doing here?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he asks.
"I came after you," I explain. "I..."
He holds a finger over my lips.
"We can talk later. For now, let's get you out of here."
I nod. "Good idea."
We can't have that horrible man catching up to us, after all.
Steff grabs my arm and leads me through the shadows further down the garden. We reach a hedge maze and I follow him through it, running as fast as I can. My heart hammers in my chest and my breath leaves me in gasps.
Still, I run.
Suddenly, though, as we reach the middle of the maze, someone grabs me again. As my hand is wrenched from Steff's, a knife presses against my throat. I feel the cold blade against my skin as I swallow.
"No!" Steff shouts. "Don't hurt her."
The man behind me laughs.
"Ah. You mean something to him after all," he says in my ear.
He steps forward and Steff's eyes grow wide.
"Good evening, Your Highness."
Chapter 34
Steff
"Osvald?"
I stare at the man standing in front of me with wide eyes.
"You're working with Lord Kester?"
I never suspected he'd be working with his father. After all, I know for a fact that they hate each other. Yrena told me so on several occasions. But I suppose blood is blood. And even though Osvald may be Lord Kester's bastard son, they still share the same blood.
Osvald laughs. "You really think I'd work for that filthy old man?"
My eyebrows arch.
Ah. They're not working together, which means...
"It was never Lord Kester, was it? It was always you."
After all, he was the one who told me about the man with the scar and where to find him. Being close to Viktor, he must have known about Viktor's condition and seen an opportunity. Also, now that I think about it, he and Natasia did spend a lot of time with each other.
Besides, Natasia would never take an old man for a lover, not even a duke. But someone like Osvald...
"Steff, watch out!" Jess screams.
I turn around, but it's too late. A knife stabs my shoulder and pain spreads throughout my chest. I grip it as my knees hit the ground.
"Steff!"
"Quiet!" Osvald warns her.
I glance at my shoulder and see the blood streaming out. I look up and see the man with the scar above his nose standing above me.
"You..."
"That's payback," he says with a grin.
"I believe you've met my brother, Edmur," Osvald says.
"Brother?"
"Well, half-brother. We share the same whore of a mother."
"I should have killed you before," Edmur says. "I wasn't ready. Now, you bet I am."
My hand clenches into a fist.
"Now, now, don't fight back," Osvald warns me. "If you do, your precious woman is going to get hurt."
I glare at him. My nostrils flare.
"Don't you dare hurt her," I tell him.
"It's up to you. Stay still and let Edmur kill you and she might live."
Might.
"Fight back and she dies for sure."
I look into Jess's eyes. They flicker with fear beneath the moonlight.
No. I can't risk putting her life in danger.
But I can't die here, either. If I die, I'll lose her just the same, and I can't have that.
Think, Steff. Think very carefully.
"You'll have me killed?" I ask him in an effort to stall him as I wait for an opportunity to strike back.
"It's your fault for coming back," Osvald says.
"And you think your father will finally accept you afterwards? You think he'll let you get away with this?"
"In the morning, your corpse will be found in this garden and your blood will be on my father's hands."
"And why would anyone believe he killed me?"
"Because you hurt his daughter."
Shit.
"Yrena will..."
"Do whatever I ask her to do," Osvald finishes. "And so I'll finally have vengeance on my father. You out of the way. Vengeance. Two birds with one stone."
"And Viktor? And the King and Queen? And my sisters? Are you getting rid of the entire royal family?"
"Not the entire family," Osvald says. "Maybe I'll spare your sisters. Maybe I'll give one of them to my brother. Or both."
Edmur laughs.
My gut coils.
"And of course Princess Natasia will live. She will be the new Queen, and our child will be the next ruler of Brelv."
"What of my parents?" I ask him with my jaw clenched.
"They're old. They won't be hard to dispose of."
My chest tightens.
"And Viktor?"
"He could be dead right now," Osvald answers. "If Natasia does her job."
I hiss through my teeth.
"How could you do this, Osvald? You grew up with my brother. He treated you like a brother, too. He..."
A boot hits my stomach. I wrap my arms around it as I curl on the ground. It hurts to breathe.
It hits me from the side next, and I lie down on my back. A punch lands in my jaw and I taste blood.
"Ste-!" Jess gives a muffled cry.
I force my eyelids open and stare up at the moon. I force air into my lungs and try to ignore the pain.
"Finish him off," Osvald orders.
Edmur stands above me with his knife in his hands. He looks into my eyes and he laughs.
I crane my neck to glance at Jess. I see the tears in her eyes.
I suppose this is goodbye.
I start to mouth the words 'I love you' but stop as I hear an extremely loud electronic shrieking noise.
It seems to be coming from Jess's hand.
Osvald looks too-and suddenly a bright flash of red light leaps from her hand and hits him in the eye. He lurches backwards, the knife clatters to the ground, and Jess picks it up.
Finally, an opportunity to strike.
I ram my knee into Edmur's crotch. As the knife drops from his hand, I catch it by the hilt, turn it around and press the blade into his chest. I kick him off me as he dies.
As I get on my feet, I see Osvald trying to wrestle the other knife away from Jess. He punches her across the face and the knife falls. Jess crashes to the ground as well.
"No!"
I run over to her as Osvald runs away with his knife. I cup her face in my hands.
"Jess."
"I'm fine," she tells me weakly. "I'll be okay. Go after him."
I hesitate.
"You have to go after him," Jess repeats.
I press a kiss to her forehead and stand up. I pull the knife from Edmur's corpse.
"And Steff," Jess calls after me. "Don't die."
I nod.
I start after Osvald through the maze, walking slowly and listening for the slightest movements, for the sound of footsteps, for the rustle of leaves.
Something rustles behind me and I turn just in time to parry a blow from Osvald's knife with my own. The weapons fly into the air over the hedge.
He hurls his fist at me and I duck. I swing at his stomach, but he twists his body to the side. Then he lands a quick punch on my wounded shoulder.
I cry out as I grip it. Fresh blood seeps through my fingers.
"You think you can defeat me?" Osvald challenges. "I defeated you before, remember?"
"Yes, I remember," I tell him. "But I'm not the man I used to be."
When he tries to punch me again, I grab his wrist and pull his arm so that he ends up behind me. He wraps his arm around my neck and begins choking me. I can barely breathe, but I summon all my strength to hurl him to the ground.
He groans.
I climb on top of him to wrap my hands around his neck, but his knuckles fly towards my chin. He kicks me off and I land on a hedge. The twigs prick my back.
I grip my shoulder and gasp for air.
As Osvald runs towards me, a memory floods back to my mind.
At the last moment, I turn my body out of the way. Osvald crashes into the hedge. Then I lift my leg and swing towards his head. The tip of my boot hits the back of his neck just as he turns his head.
He falls to the ground.
Panting, I sink to my knees. I check Osvald's body for a pulse and find a weak one.
Good. He's unconscious but alive, just as I want him to be.
To think that I'd defeat Osvald with a move Keith taught me.
"Steffan!"
Danni suddenly appears in front of me.
"Is Viktor safe?" I ask her.
She nods. "The Princess is confessing her crimes to the King and Queen right now."
I nod. "Good. Take Osvald away."
She kneels down and ties his wrists. I lean against a hedge and grip my still bleeding shoulder.
"You're hurt," Danni says.
"I'm fine," I tell her, even though I feel on the verge of passing out myself.
"We need to get you to a doctor."
Maybe, but there's one more thing I have to do.
I force the strength back into my legs and run back to Jess.
Chapter 35
Jess
I open my eyes to find myself staring into the depths of turquoise pools that seem to go on forever, like a cloudless sky above a grassy meadow.
At first, I think I'm dreaming. But then I feel the warmth of a palm against my cheek and I smile.
This hand, this warmth is real.
"How are you feeling, Jess?" Steff asks me.
His voice sounds like a perfect melody to my ears.
"Okay," I answer.
"Are you in pain anywhere?"
I shake my head and place my hand over his. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
I glance at his shoulder and see the bump of the bandages beneath his shirt. The sight brings back memories I would rather never remember again.
I kiss his hand. "Are you alright?"
Steff nods.
"What happened to... Osvald?"
I can barely bring myself to say the name of that monster.
"He will be punished appropriately," Steff assures me. "Though the Royal Council has agreed to wait until my brother wakes to decide exactly how. The Princess will be stripped of her crown and exiled."
"Exiled? But what about the baby?" I ask. "Didn't he say he and the Princess have a child?"
"The Duke of Olvant has promised he will look after the child," Steff explains. "He is probably more shocked by Osvald's action than anyone."
I rub his hand. "Well, at least the plot didn't succeed. The royal family is safe. Your family is safe."
Steff kisses the back of my hand.
"You're right. My family is safe." He kisses my belly. "You and my baby are safe."
My eyes grow wide.
He knows?
"I know," Steff tells me. "The doctors told me."
Oh.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was going to tell you after the show, remember?" I remind him. "But you disappeared."
"I had to come home because of what happened to my brother," Steff explains. "Because of what was going on. I couldn't take you because I wasn't sure you'd be safe here. And I was right."
I frown. "You didn't tell me."
"But I left a note."
"You mean that note that said we're not meant to be together?"
His eyebrows crease. "What?"
I take the note that I've been carrying in my pocket and hand it to him. As I do, I notice the ring on my finger.
"Your ring," I say as I lift my hand.
"I put it back," Steff tells me. "It belongs on your finger."
"Everyone seemed to be making a fuss over it and I didn't even know why," I tell him. "What does it mean?"
He draws a deep breath. "Every Brelvan male has a ring, and he only gives it to the woman he's
chosen to spend the rest of his life with, the woman he's pledged to protect."
I touch the ring. So that's what it means.
"And this ring happens to be distinctly mine. It was given to me at my coronation when I was sixteen. The whole kingdom saw it, so everyone knows it's my ring."
I gasp. "So every Brelvan who saw it thought I belonged to... the Second Prince?"
Steff nods.
Unbelievable.
And to think I practically yanked it off his finger.
I look at him. "Why didn't you tell me you were a prince?"
"I was going to after the show."
I nod. "Right."
"How was that show, anyway?"
"A disaster. I heard the band didn't perform that song I wrote. Also, they're all mad at me now."
"I'll talk to them."
I shake my head. "We've got more important problems, don't you think?"
Steff says nothing. He unfolds the note I've handed him and reads it.
His eyes grow wide.
"This is not my writing," he says. "This is..."
He crumples the note.
"It doesn't matter. What's written there is not true, and we're together now."
"But we can't be together, can we?" I ask him. "Isn't that why you didn't tell me you were a prince even though you had countless chances to do so?"
Steff lets out a deep breath.
"I didn't tell you because I was scared that you wouldn't accept me, that you would run away."
I blink.
That was what he was afraid of?
"But I was wrong." He clasps my hand between his. "Jess, I should have trusted you. I should have trusted in us."
Steff looks into my eyes.
"I should have told you the truth."
"You were afraid I wouldn't love you anymore if I found out you were a prince?" I ask him.
He nods.
I scratch my cheek and look away. "Well, I guess I am kind of scared knowing I'm in love with a prince. And I guess I'm tempted to run away."
Steff squeezes my hand. "But I'm still Steff, your Steff."
"Are you sure?" I look at him. "Steff, you belong to your kingdom. And I don't belong here."
"You belong by my side. You and our child."
"But..."
"I love you," Steff interrupts. "When I thought I was going to lose you, it hurt me so much I almost wanted to die."
I say nothing.