Royal Inheritance

by McKenna James

  Obviously, that isn't me. No money. No title. Just a smidge of stability, provided by my years of security training and survival skills. It’s just not enough.

  Sometimes second sons or daughters could marry outside of royal blood, but that is because there is no direct line to the throne. This isn’t the case with Raina, and we both know it.

  “Well, no need to trouble yourself right now. I'm fine. Thank you. Worry about what happens once we get home, and what the hell I am going to tell my parents when I talk to them.”

  “As you wish. Your Highness.” I cringe as her formal title slips out, and I notice Raina stiffen at the remark too.

  I wish I could explain to her why it has to be this way. She already knows, I'm sure of it, but I hate the formalities now. It feels wrong, feels cold. And that's the last thing I want to be to Raina, is cold.

  We don't talk anymore after that, just keep trekking through the endless snow, having walked a good few miles already. We stop a couple of times for Raina to rest her ankle. She stubbornly refuses to allow me to assist her in any way. The sun is flying high in the sky when we finally hear a sound.

  “Helicopter,” I announce with a relieved grin.

  “About freaking time. I feel like we've been walking for hours and hours.”

  “Not quite.”

  “Does it know where to land, or where we are?”

  “It's about to.”

  Reaching into the bag I’m carrying where I’d packed the survival supplies, I pull out the flares and break it open until it sparks red. Then I wave it in the air, high above my head. With the snowy backdrop, we should be more than visible. And finally, about sixty yards away, the helicopter goes down, landing in the clearing we've been aiming for these past few miles.

  Ignoring all Raina’s pending protests, I heft her up into my arms, fireman style, and rush over to the waiting helicopter. I duck as we near it, gently putting Raina back on her feet. I usher her under the spinning blades with a hand to her head and into the aircraft. I get glared at, no doubt, for helping, but I don't really care. I grin in response and belt us in before it takes off in an almost deafening whoosh.

  It's too loud for Raina to call her family just now, so she'll have to wait until we get to the resort, which she has no idea we are still going to. I didn't have it in me to correct her when she got it wrong, then have to explain everything while she's still mad at me. Raina isn't great at listening when she's angry. Previous experience has taught me this the hard way.

  I recognize where we are, or more specifically, what we are flying over, and get Raina's attention before pointing out the window. Thanks to the sun being out for most of the morning and afternoon, it has melted some of the snowfall during the storm, and we are able to get a clear birds-eye view of the crash site.

  “Holy shit,” Raina whispers, though I don't hear the words exactly over the helicopter engine and blades, but I do catch the shape of her mouth and recognize what she said.

  I can only nod in agreement. Holy shit indeed.

  I don't think either of us realized just how close we came to sliding off the mountain edge and into the forest below. Even with Raina's state-of-the-art SUV, there is no way we would have survived that fall. We'd have been dead on impact, or very close to it. Either way, the odds of us surviving were next to none.

  Raina takes my hand and squeezes it tightly, my thoughts no doubt playing out similarly in her mind. She’s very smart, but it wouldn't take a genius to figure out we were incredibly lucky. Beyond lucky to survive.

  We both remain silent for the rest of the journey to the resort. No doubt each lost in thought. Mine stuck on the bitter, cruel twist of fate that brought us so close to death, only to be saved, allowing us our small, amazing moments of weakness together, that under normal circumstances would never have happened. Only to be ripped back apart by reality and circumstances.

  Fate, or whatever you want to call it, sure likes to mess with people. It's a cruel bitch, that's for sure.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Raina

  After seeing the crash site from a distance through the helicopter glass panels, I don't really remember much of the ride after that. I zoned out, the journey a complete blur, but somehow it still managed to feel like it took forever before it was ready to land. I'm all keyed up to face the music, at least that's what I'm telling myself when I go to step out of the helicopter only for me to realize we didn't land at home. We’re at the resort.

  Well that's just fancy. I didn't even know they had a helipad. But what the hell?

  “What are we doing here, Gavin?”

  “What we’ve planned on doing. Getting your money back.”

  “But Gavin, you rang my parents. How on earth did you get away with not bringing me home instantly?”

  “They trust me.” is all he says. He steps out of the helicopter, waiting for me to take his offered hand.

  I bite my tongue, figuring I’ll hear about it all when I check in with my parents. Because I know there is no way I'm getting away without calling them.

  We reach the hotel entrance and are immediately greeted by the concierge and you guessed it, treated like royalty.

  “Welcome to the Mountain Side Resort. We are so glad you were able to join us, Your Royal Highness.” I didn't catch his name, or what his name tag says as I'm too caught up on where he says we are. Something fishy is going on, and I plan to get to the bottom of it.

  “Yes, well, we would have been here sooner, but as you heard, no doubt, we had a bit of car trouble.” I manage to keep any bite or malice out of my voice, and keep a straight face. Go me.

  “Yes, terrible, terrible that. We heard all about it.”

  Great, I wonder how long that will take to get in all the papers. Royal princess freak snowstorm accident. Locked away in a cabin doing naughty, naughty things with her sexy, broody bodyguard. Not the last part, at least. They can't know that. No one can.

  “I take it the royal guard had confidentiality agreements drafted and faxed over this afternoon?” Gavin interjects.

  “Ah, yes. I believe so,” the man drawls, seeming not too impressed by this fact.

  “Great. We will need them signed by all in regard to the delay of checking in as soon as possible.”

  “Of course, of course.” He bows low as he says this, and I fight not to laugh. When Gavin uses his business voice, shit gets done.

  “Good. We will also need to have a physician sent up to the Princess' suite immediately. This too will be covered by the agreement.”

  I want to protest, but I know better than to arc up in front of anyone. But I will once we are alone, that's for sure.

  “Right away, sir. Right away.”

  Familiar luggage I didn't know we had, presumably extra sent with the helicopter when it came to collect us, goes pas us and onward to our suites, as indicated by the concierge. Apparently there is no need to check-in like normal civilians; it's already done for us. All we need to do is follow our bags.

  It's this information that makes me realize that I don't think I've ever traveled without one of my parents. They usually handle all of this, so I've never had to think about it. God, I really am sheltered.

  Gavin and I follow our new to us luggage to our side by side lux suites on the top floor of the resort. Neither of us saying a word, but my head is drowning with all that I want to say and ask. Like, what happened to being slightly low-key? And a confidentiality agreement? What the hell. What has he been telling my parents?

  The bellboy unlocks my room first and ushers me in ahead of him which I am glad for when my eyes bug out of my head as I take in the room’s huge size and insane view. It's incredible, one of the most amazing views of the ski slopes, with the large mountains all freshly covered in snow. I bet it looks amazing at sunset.

  The man places my luggage by the drawers and wardrobe, then unlocks Gavin's room, adjoined with my suite. He deposits Gavin’s bags before reentering my room.

  “Will that b
e all, Your Highness?”

  I turn around, my cool as a cucumber face in place, and slip the bellboy a few bills before waving him off with a thank you. He seems surprised by the gesture, and I wonder if that was the done thing or not. It’s what they do in all the movies. I guess it's not.

  Once the bellboy leaves, I follow Gavin into his room and hit him with all my questions, managing not to blast him with verbal diarrhea.

  “Where shall I start?”

  “You could try unpacking first.”

  “That is not why I’m talking about at all.”

  “Then I don't know what you mean.”

  “Okay, how about we start from the beginning. Why are we here, Gavin? And how are we paying for these ten-star suits?”

  “We are here because we are hunting for your fortune, which you already know.”

  “Yes, I know that. But this isn't where we’d originally been going to stay. We didn't book this.”

  He raises an eyebrow at me, and I want to smack him.

  “You weren't expecting me to notice, huh? Well, I'm not an idiot. Of course I'd notice.”

  “Princess, I know you are not an idiot. I've not been treating you like one. I am slightly surprised you did notice the change of location, but that was because you didn't seem to be paying any attention when we were talking about the resort in the first place.”

  “Fine. Why the change of locale, and how are we paying for this?”

  “We aren't. When the booking was arranged the resort upgraded us automatically and fitted the bill. The change of location is because I've had some friends of mine looking into our mystery man, and it just so happens that he is staying in this very resort, under a pseudonym of course.”

  “Oh my God, Gavin! You're kidding me?”

  He shakes his head, but when I go to speak he puts his hand up, stopping me.

  “I will explain more about all of that once you've called your parents.”

  “Ah, yes. My old balls and chains. What have you told them?”

  “Will you just call them, please? Then we can talk. They are expecting you and will grow anxious if they don't hear from you soon.”

  I relent, because after hearing all that has happened, I have no doubt they will be worrying non-stop until they hear from me. Their legacy is at stake.

  “Okay. Fine. But I want to hear all of it once I get off the phone. No exceptions.”

  A small grin twitches the edge of Gavin's mouth, but he seems to refuse to break into a smile. “Okay. I'm going to shower and change while you are on the phone. Do not leave these rooms. Do you hear me?”

  “Aye, aye, captain.”

  He frowns, but takes me at my word. I steal myself, mentally preparing what I need to say, and if I should ask what Gavin has told them. Well, here goes nothing. I dial home on my cell, not wanting to leave our private number on an unsecured line. It answers on the second ring.

  “Raina?” My mother bursts out before the phone has fully connected.

  “Hi. Sorry I didn't call sooner. We’ve not long gotten into our rooms.”

  “It's so good to hear your voice. When we hadn't heard from you in so long, and then Gavin calls to tells us about the accident…” She trails off, and I don't miss the tremor in her voice. “Well, we are so relieved you are all right. That you're both in one piece.”

  “We’re fine. It wasn't that bad really.” I lie through my teeth. “Never fear, your future queen will live another day…”

  “Raina,” she scolds. “You know that is not what we were most concerned about. Your safety above all else is paramount to us. You must know that.”

  “I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.” But I guess I did a little. It was nice to have her dismiss it so readily, though. “Should I come home?” I ask my mother.

  “You can’t. As much as we want you back here so we can see for ourselves that you are in one piece, and not just take Gavin's word for it, you have to find some of the money if you can,” she reminds me. She sounds sad.

  “How did you know I wasn’t off skiing for the weekend?”

  There's a moment’s pause, and a few of the puzzle pieces start to form a picture in my head before my mother even voices them.

  “Well, you didn't really think at a time like this we would have sanctioned you trotting off for a weekend getaway, did you?”

  I did. Maybe I am an idiot after all. But then—Gavin. Of course. God, he's so infuriating.

  “When Gavin went to your father and explained what you both were doing, and what you planned to achieve; well, it made it incredibly hard to say no to.

  “Your father trusts Gavin, obviously, or he wouldn't have been entrusted with your life these past six months. He has contacts that we are all hoping pay off. We trust you too, Raina. We have faith in you both to be able to right this wrong.”

  “Gosh, that's a lot of pressure. I’ll do my best.”

  “I know you will. Find him. Don’t ski, never mind keeping up that pretense. Visit the new children’s ward at the local hospital while you are there, though. I believe it's only a few miles from where you are staying. It's important we do our duty still. But if you can squeeze it in, go to the chocolate factory. Bring some home to us, please. Oh, don’t forget the bank, we have it on good authority that there is a high probability that if the money was stolen, it will be in the big bank there,” she murmurs sadly.

  I could tell all of this was taking a toll on her. Still, her advice was sound. I am here for a purpose. That can’t change because of the accident, or because of last night. I need to succeed. My family needs for me to succeed.

  I look up to find Gavin stationed on the other side of the room, standing soberly by the door. All freshly cleaned, shaved, and dressed. Fully resuming his usual position as my bodyguard.

  My chest pangs.

  “Alright, Mother, we’ll do as you've asked. I won't return home until we’ve succeeded.”

  “That's my girl. We’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Bye. Give my love to Dad.”

  We hang up, and I look back to Gavin. The need to give him a piece of my mind ebbing. I understand why he did it. Like he says, he's doing his job.

  He mentioned when we'd been planning this escapade that while we had our own rooms, he’d be out in the living area of mine, guarding the door. The two rooms were just for appearances sake. We don't want to start any rumors if we can help it.

  He has already gone through and secured both rooms. And I’d stood silently by, letting him do his thing. I just wished one of the things he was going to do ... was me. It’s clear that ship has sailed, and we are back to boring Gavin.

  “So, I see you’ve kept my parents informed about my whereabouts, my plans, all along,” I gripe.

  If I didn't know any better, I'd say he looks guilty, but he defends his actions with all the conviction of a man in the right.

  “My sole job is to keep you safe, above all else. That includes going against your wishes when the occasion calls for it. If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have had those supplies, and certainly the helicopter wouldn’t have been so readily available. We could have died, Princess.”

  It stings every time he calls me by my title. Even after everything we’ve been through, we are back to that formality again. My mind automatically goes back to him whispering my name, my real name, and all the delicious things he was doing to me. I can't help but wonder if he’ll ever call me Raina again.

  “Okay. I'll let it go. But, Gavin, stop lying to me.” I hold up a hand, stopping his protest before he can voice it. “Omission is the same thing. You can't keep things from me, not anymore. You say it's important and all about my safety. Well, I say I need to know. Everything. Please stop treating me like a child, or some precious thing that needs to be wrapped up in cotton wool. I won't break. I'm not a china doll.”

  “Okay. That's fair. I won't hold back.”

  I'm surprised he relents so easily, but I keep my face blank, not letting on how I feel. “Okay.
Did you hear my conversation with my mother?”

  “For the most part, I caught the tail end of it.”

  “Then you know what she wants. We need to arrange to go to the hospital and the bank.”

  “And the chocolate factory,” he says, fighting a grin.

  “Yes, well. Mother has always had a crazy sweet tooth. But before all of that, there's one thing we need to do first.”

  Gavin's brow furrows, clearly not keeping up with me for once. “And what is that, Princess?”

  “You are going to tell me everything you know about our mystery man and all that you've found out.”

  Gavin opens his mouth to respond, and my heart lurches to my throat. I am so eager for all the information I’ve clearly been missing, but before I can get my answers there is a knock at the door.

  I frown, and Gavin looks pleased. Ah shit, it's the doctor.

  “Damn it.”

  “Saved by the door.” He titters.

  I scowl as Gavin answers the door, letting in a slender, gray-haired woman in her mid to late fifties with an incredibly soft and warm face. I'm already at ease, and she hasn't even opened her mouth. That's a first.

  “Hello, Your Royal Highness, I'm Doctor Vagnar, but you can call me Aleina.”

  “Well, in that case, call me Raina, please.”

  “As you wish. What can I assist you with this evening?”

  I explain the accident in vague detail, and then go over the pain and swelling I've been having the last twenty-four hours. Gavin interjects every so often to add his two cents, if he thinks I'm downplaying anything. The lady doctor frowns, clearly concerned. Damn it, don't be broken…

  “On a scale of one to ten how bad has the pain been?”

  I bite my lip, not wanting to give away to Gavin just how much pain I've been in, but I can see them both drilling holes in me. There's no way I can get away with lying. But I try anyway. Always the rebel.