Playboy Princes: Royals of Arbon Academy

by Eve, Jaymin

  He winked. “Knew that, but I wanted to warm you up with an easy one.”

  “How many have you visited?” I asked, returning his snort.

  He had to think about it for a minute. “I think almost all of them. Lots of royal engagements growing up, especially in my younger years.”

  “I can’t imagine it,” I said, shaking my head. I legitimately couldn’t. “We grew up worlds apart. How the hell am I even here now?”

  “Not all of our worlds were that far apart,” Rafe said without inflection.

  I nailed him with a stern look. “Are you going to explain that or just continue with your random cryptic statements?”

  He tilted his head like he was considering it. “I think I’ll continue being cryptic,” he said decisively.

  I fought the urge to punch and kiss him. I really wanted to do both.

  “Okay, next question,” Nolan said, interrupting. “Who is better in bed, Rafe or Jordan?”

  His green eyes were alight with mirth, but beneath that, I could genuinely tell he wanted to know.

  Two sets of eyes, other than his, were locked on me, and I fought against the nervous smile that wanted to cross my face. “I’m definitely not answering that,” I finally said. “I agreed to play with Jordan, not you.”

  Nolan turned pleading eyes on the New American heir, but only got an annoyed glare in return.

  “Okay, so what is your favorite memory?” Jordan said, bringing us back on track.

  I had to stop and sift through all my memories. “Outside of events at the academy,” I finally said, “It was when my sensei gifted me my wakizashi blade. I had been working for months to prove myself worthy of the weapon, and at times, I never thought I’d make it.”

  I could remember the moment with a startling clarity. My emotions had been so strong, so bitingly strong, that I doubted I’d ever forget.

  My greatest achievement.

  “You wield it like the old masters,” Rafe said. “It’s right to be proud of that achievement.”

  One more compliment from him and I’d probably die of shock. Or possibly jump him right here on the plane.

  Thankfully Jordan asked me more questions, most of them easy to answer.

  My favorite drink: Water or grape juice.

  My favorite food: Fruit Loops. The one treat I got growing up, and one of the few cereals to survive the Monarch War.

  What I wanted to be when I graduated Arbon: Sports therapist.

  Then a few harder ones…

  My worst fear: Small, dark spaces. Rafe knew the reason why, but no one else did yet. They didn’t push me, but I knew they wanted to know. Thankfully, like true friends, they let me be.

  And finally, the one that had been breaking my heart for most of my life: Where did I see myself in ten years?

  It was the age-old question, the one asked to try and give someone goals and something to strive for. Or years to dread.

  “I—” I cleared my throat. “I used to think about that question, and… honestly, for a long time, I just hoped to still be alive. And sometimes, in my darkest moments… I hoped I wouldn’t be.”

  Fuck, that had slipped out when it shouldn’t have. It was too late to take it back now, so I hurried on, pushing through the tense silence.

  “Now, I’m just hoping to be happy. Content. Maybe have a little money and my own place. Working in some job I don’t completely hate.”

  Simple dreams, but I was a simple girl.

  “Not fucking married to Alex,” Mattie piped up, lifting her mask. I wasn’t sure if she’d been sleeping or just pretending to, but either way, I was glad for her breaking up the tension-filled moment.

  “And especially that,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Never gonna happen,” Jordan growled, and I had to admit, it was nice to see that fire. He might have a gentle side, but I knew there was a will of steel beneath it. When it came out to play… yeah, I liked that a lot.

  “Please take your seats, we will be landing in approximately eight minutes.”

  The pilot’s voice filled the cabin, but since none of us were out of our seats, we didn’t move. The flight so far had been smooth; I’d almost forgotten I was even on a plane.

  As we descended, I closed my eyes, composing myself as best I could. I was about to meet the most powerful royals in the world. And I was wearing jeans and a pretty knit sweater. I had hardly any makeup, hair down in long, unruly curls, and zero knowledge of etiquette. Oh, and a fresh bruise on my face. Fantastic.

  Arbon had not prepared me for this because the royals were not treated that way at the school. I mean, some of the staff bowed and addressed them with formal titles, but for the most part, they were just like any other student.

  It wouldn’t be the same here, and my mind was blanking on what I should do. Did I bow? Curtsy? Wait for them to address me first before I said anything?

  This was not going to be pretty, and I could only hope they would forgive my ignorance.

  “Make sure you tell me when to bow or curtsy and shit,” I muttered to Rafe from the corner of my mouth. “And what fork to eat with.”

  “Stop stressing,” was his reply. “You’ll be fine.”

  Yeah, right. Story of my fucking life.

  The private airfield we landed at was still about thirty minutes away from the palace. Apparently it was hard to get a long enough runway up in the mountains, so the next leg was in a fancy black SUV.

  Rafe held the passenger door open for me, and I shook my head. “No, it’s okay, I’ll get in the back.”

  Before I could push that further, he wrapped his hands around my waist and basically threw me—somewhat gently—into the seat, and then he… was getting into the driver's side.

  Shit. I hadn’t expected that.

  Didn’t princes have staff to do shit like that?

  “I like to be in control,” he said as way of answering my confused expression.

  Our friends piled into the back, all of them rubbing their hands together at the chilly air. We were clearly more elevated than at Arbon, with the huge, snow-capped mountains all around us as the car started to wind along a narrow path.

  We eventually moved onto a wider, more established road, and I spent the drive with my face pressed to the window, taking in the absolutely spectacular views.

  I’d never seen anything like it, white mist coating most of the land as we ascended into the mountains.

  When Rafe’s home finally came into view, I actually gasped, pressing a hand to my mouth. Mattie hadn’t exaggerated; this was the sort of palace fairy tales were written about.

  “You grew up here?” I whispered.

  The sprawling estate was nestled into a mountain range, and we drove down toward it, giving me an uninterrupted view. It was exactly as Mattie had said, a huge, crystal clear blue spring surrounded one side. The side we were approaching. Steam rose in attractive arcs above that water, and I was already imagining how delicious it would be to swim there.

  The palace itself was very white and very modern, with lots of sharp angles, high ceilings, and glass from ceiling to floor so that from the inside, one would not miss any of these views.

  It went on further than I could see, and even though it wasn’t like the castles depicted in long-ago movies, it was definitely as large as any of those royal abodes. Security waved us through the gates, and I noted there were dozens of the smartly dressed men and women scattered about. They were wearing the same uniform as those who had crashed the fights.

  I averted my eyes so it wasn’t obvious I was checking them out. I knew, logically, that none of them would know I had been at the fights. But it still felt like I should be keeping a low profile.

  “You’re safe,” Rafe said, turning the wheel to pull into a large circular entryway. “No one will hurt you here, and best of all, none of the considerable enemies you’ve amassed in your short time in our world can reach you here.”

  I laughed. “Very reassuring, thank you.”


  When the car stopped, someone opened Rafe’s door, bowing as they did. “Welcome home, Your Highness,” the young man said. He stepped back then, allowing Rafe to exit the car.

  My door was opened by a different attendant, and I was greeted as Ms. Spencer. I blinked at his formal tone. “Thank you,” I replied as he stepped back to let me out.

  Out into a fucking world that was not for me. But I was going to enjoy it all the same.

  Here’s hoping I didn’t lose my head in the process.

  Chapter 31

  King Felipe and Queen Jacinta were both waiting for us in the formal entry. The entrance had glass walls on either side, one showcasing mountains for days and the other a small section of the hot springs. I couldn’t gawk at that, though. I was about to meet some royals.

  Rafe didn’t wait to be introduced, hurrying forward to throw his arms around his petite mother. He was a big guy, and it was clear from looking at his father where he got it from. But his mom, she was stunning, like a perfect doll, standing all of five feet two.

  She had black hair like Rafe’s, and her features—eyes, hair, skin tone—were all bronze. Rafe’s dad, though, was the one sporting bright blue eyes. From seeing him on television, I’d always thought his eyes were midnight blue, but they must lighten and darken with emotions, like Rafe’s. Because right now they were quite bright. He also had silvery hair and was a picture of health, looking handsome and robust. He was Rafe in thirty years, and it was a good look.

  I was surprised when he embraced his son in the same sort of warm hug, and I was starting to see that this royal family was nothing like the creepy Australasian one.

  “Where are the twins?” Rafe asked as we waited a little back.

  His mother shook her head. “Jean is swimming, and Lucy is having a lesson. We haven’t told them you’re coming; we wanted to surprise them both. They’re going to be so excited.”

  Gah, this family. They had to stop being so nice—on first impression—or I might beg them to adopt me.

  Rafe must have remembered we were still there; he stepped back and turned to wave us closer. Jordan got the same hugs as Rafe, and it was clear he’d spent a lot of time with this family. Mattie and Nolan were treated as somewhat familiar, receiving warm smiles, and then that left me.

  I sort of fumbled through a curtsy, Rafe’s smirking face on me the entire time.

  “Oh, please, no, sweetheart,” Queen Jacinta said, waving my ridiculous attempt at etiquette off. “We don’t stand on anything too formal inside our own home.”

  She took a step closer to me, hand held out for me to take. “We’re so happy to finally meet you, Violet. Rafe has told us a lot about you.”

  I resisted the urge to side-eye glare at him because he should have warned me about what they did and didn’t know.

  “It’s an honor to meet you,” I replied, swallowing hard. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”

  Rafe’s father laughed. “Any friends of Rafe’s are always welcome here; you can remember that.”

  Hmm. That was a little odd—almost felt like there was a deeper meaning there. Or maybe not.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” I said formally.

  His eyes twinkled, and I couldn’t figure out how any two people were so instantly likeable—not to mention attractive, down-to-Earth, and running a tip-top kingdom. No wonder they were the most powerful nation on the planet. Who could say no to them?

  "Now then." Rafe's father—King Felipe—clapped his hands together and raised his brows expectantly. "We've got about half an hour before the twins work out that you're here. Shall we have an aperitif and discuss the rather disrespectful communication I just received from King Steve?"

  My stomach dropped to the floor and rolled.

  Rafe shot a quick, reassuring look at me. It didn't work. I was about three point four seconds away from vomiting with anxiety right there on Queen Jacinta's designer shoes.

  "Mattie, Nolan, you know the rules," King Felipe said, giving the Guay's twin royals a pointed look, to which they looked resigned. "You can go find your rooms and wash up for dinner. We'll keep this brief."

  "Yes sir," they both huffed, disappointed but not angry at being effectively dismissed.

  I was all kinds of confused. They knew everything that was going on. Why were they not being included?

  "Jordy, my boy," Felipe continued, clapping Jordan on the shoulder like the New American prince was his own son. "Nothing has changed with your authorization?"

  Jordan flashed the king a winning smile. "No, sir, not that I'm aware."

  "Good." The king nodded. "Shall we?" He indicated for us to follow him, and Queen Jacinta hung back, taking my arm so that we walked together.

  "It's not as bad as it seems," she told me with a gentle smile. "But when our kids are friends with the next generation of future world leaders, certain protocols and permissions must be observed. The leaders of the Guays haven't given their children authority to enter into political alliances or negotiations on their behalf, so unfortunately they must excuse themselves when we speak on international conflicts and treaties."

  I nodded slowly. I didn't totally understand, but my friends did. So that was all that mattered.

  Queen Jacinta smiled again and patted my hand on her arm. "I'll get you a drink. You look like you need it."

  The empty armchair beside King Felipe was clearly intended for Queen Jacinta. So, with my head reeling, I sank down onto the soft white sofa in the only logical seat left available. Between Rafe and Jordan. Damn, if I didn't sit there like I had a steel post glued to my spine.

  "Violet, there's no need to look so panicked," King Felipe assured me with a kind smile. "We already know a lot of the story from Rafael, but without the security of face-to-face communication, we've been hesitant to delve any deeper."

  If anything, that made me panic harder. I licked my dry lips and shot Rafe an accusing look. He talked about me with his parents? What the hell had he said? That I was some annoying, gold-digging slut chasing after a prince and a title? I mean, obviously not. They wouldn't be treating me so kindly if that had been the case, but... I doubted he had been gushing over some girl he was into. Rafe and me... we were just sex. Right? Friends with benefits at best.

  "Why don't you give us an abridged version of events, Violet?" Jacinta suggested, coming over and setting a tray of small glasses on the table. They were all filled with a clear liquid, and when she handed me one, I could smell peaches.

  "Uh..." I looked to Jordan and Rafe for reassurance, but both of them were casual and relaxed. Trusting. Not only were they confident that Felipe and Jacinta were the kind of people we could trust implicitly, they also trusted me to speak for myself without my boyfriends chiming in.

  It was refreshing.

  I sucked in a deep breath. "Okay. Abridged version." To collect my thoughts, I took a gulp of the drink, then started coughing as it burned the whole way down my throat. It was deceptively potent, but exactly what I needed to get this story out in the open.

  Keeping my eyes locked on the table between us, I started telling them everything. The ballot, meeting Alex, the creepy nurse and the forced IUD insertion. I glossed over the whole relationship I'd had with Alex, back when I’d thought we were in love. I also glossed over the relationship I'd had with Rafe—the one where he was nasty as fuck to me and I took every opportunity to piss him off more.

  When I came to the part about overhearing Alex and Claudette, my voice hitched, but a warm hand grasped mine, providing silent strength. So I continued. Only after I got to today, with Alex's parents demanding to meet me, did I trail off and swallow the rest of my peach-flavored firewater.

  No one spoke for a moment, then King Felipe made a thoughtful sound and turned to Jordan. "Tell me more about this virus you created. Can you be sure it won't be traced back to you?"

  "Yes, sir," Jordan answered with complete confidence. He then went on to explain the more technical specs of his design—details that
Felipe seemed to both understand and be interested in—while I tried to calm my body down from the brink of panic.

  "Here," Rafe murmured, his voice a soft rumble as he released my hand and passed me another glass of liquor. He took my empty one and replaced it on the tray, while his mother watched us curiously. "You okay, Cinderella?"

  "Mm-hmm." I nodded. My cheeks were warm, and for the first time I didn’t care about the stupid nickname. At some point it had stopped being an insult and was now almost a term of… endearment—something his mom seemed to notice too, her gaze lingering longer on us than was comfortable.

  Jordan continued his discussion with Felipe about the virus, the hacking, the data... but something kept bugging me—the one part of my story that I'd left out, and I was dying to ask the guys more about it.

  The Resistance.

  Rafe and Jordan had said they were part of the group to keep an eye on happenings for their parents, but since no one had mentioned it out loud, I wasn’t sure how much their parents actually knew. On instinct I’d decided it was safest not to say anything, no matter how much I wanted more information.

  But then King Felipe was the one to bring it up when he asked, “Any new intel about the Society?”

  Despite my slightly fuzzy head from the potent drink, I was paying very close attention now.

  Rafe stretched his long legs out, relaxing into the couch. “Nothing new from my last report. Their attacks are ramping up, but it seems to be an extremist wing that’s taking some matters into their own hands.”

  “Any truth to the rumor that they’ve developed a new version of the natural disaster technology?” Queen Jacinta asked. She was nothing like Alex’s mom, in that she was smart, shrewd, and contributed plenty in the small political discussion I’d been privy to.

  Jordan and Rafe both shook their heads. “Nothing in the official channels,” Rafe said.

  The king and queen didn’t look reassured by that, and I wondered if a natural disaster technology was good or bad. I’d have to remember to ask about it later.

  The conversation moved on to less heavy topics after that, and around halfway through my third peach drink, we wrapped everything up.