by Diana Ames
***
Alondra sighed as she watched Damian sleep once again.
Two nights ago, he’d shown up at her apartment and proceeded to drink until he passed out. When he’d woken up the next morning, he’d picked up right where he’d left off. Alondra had started to wonder if he was trying to commit suicide via alcohol poisoning.
She’d finally managed to get the whiskey bottles away from him at about ten the night before. After half an hour of not guzzling liquor, his stomach had finally protested, and he’d managed to vomit all over her coffee table. Alondra had been furious. She’d dragged him into the bathroom, and once he’d stumbled into the shower fully dressed, she’d turned on the cold water.
That had sobered him up pretty fast, and Alondra had made him clean up his own vomit as he’d explained this bender he’d chosen to have in her presence. She hadn’t been shocked to learn that he had been endangering his marriage by spending every waking moment stuck up her ass. She was saddened but not shocked. By the time he had finished telling her about the trip, Alondra had been ready to kick him in the balls for not being at home with his wife, packing his bags.
The look on his face when she’d told him how long he’d been in her apartment would have made her laugh if the situation hadn’t been so serious. Damian hadn’t wanted to return to his apartment in his condition—still half drunk and dressed in her robe. He’d made a few calls and arranged for clothes to be packed after Mellissandra left the apartment in the morning. Then, he’d said he needed to sleep, and he’d promptly passed out on her couch once again.
“Damian!” Alondra yelled directly into his ear.
She should have known better than to lean in so close. He jumped, and his forehead smacked her hard on the nose.
“Fuck,” she muttered, putting a hand to her bleeding face.
“Are you okay?” Damian rose to his feet, and her robe on his body fell open, giving her more of a view than she’d wanted.
“Good lord, cover that thing up, would you? No one wants to see that,” she told him. “Someone just brought you fresh clothes. I’d appreciate it if you got dressed and got the hell out of here.” Her words were muffled slightly by the hand pinching her nose, but she knew he’d understood her.
“God, I’m sorry. Did I do that?” Damian attempted to move her hand to see the damage.
“It’s just a bloody nose!” she shouted. “Your wife is waiting for you!”
Spurred into action by her angry words, Damian grabbed the garment bag with his fresh clothes and dashed for the bathing chamber. Ten minutes later, he returned to the living room, looking more human.
“Thank you,” he said to Alondra.
“For what?” she asked incredulously.
“For not throwing me out on my ass,” he said. “You had every right to do so. Also for sobering me up last night and for waking me up this morning.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know…just fucking thank you.”
“You realize you just basically thanked me for being a decent human being,” she told him with a laugh. “And it was a very poor thanks at that.”
“Sorry,” he said, chuckling a little himself. “I just—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Just get out of here. Your wife and children are waiting for you.”
***
Anton was waiting for Mellissandra when she arrived at the garage. He helped her load the children into the black SUV and then took the stroller to stow it into the back while she got in. He was disturbed by the melancholy her face displayed.
Getting into the driver’s seat beside her, he reached for her hand. “Where’s Damian?” he asked. “I thought he was coming down with you.”
“I don’t know,” she said softly. “I haven’t seen him in two days. I didn’t get to tell him that we were leaving or even say good-bye.” She blinked rapidly as tears formed in her eyes.
Anton blankly stared out the windshield. He’d noticed his rage was slower to form these days, but right now, he felt like the top of his head was going to fly off. One of the babies fussing in the backseat snapped him back to himself.
“Take care of Arabella,” Anton said. “I forgot something.” He didn’t give Mellissandra a chance to respond. He just got out of the vehicle and took off toward the castle.
***
After nursing Arabella, Mellissandra burped her and latched her back in the car seat.
She could tell Anton had been angry that Damian hadn’t shown up to say good-bye because his grip had tightened on her hand until she’d wanted to yank it away from him. Thankfully, Arabella couldn’t stand sitting idle for long, and she’d chosen that moment to whine. Then, Anton had bolted from the vehicle like he was escaping a deadly fire.
It had been almost twenty minutes, and Mellissandra was getting anxious. If they didn’t get moving soon, they would have two crying babies in the vehicle. She was worried Anton had gone to find Damian. Mellissandra had decided she didn’t want to know if he’d spent the last two days with Alondra instead of with his family. She was sure it would destroy her.
Mellissandra said a silent prayer for Anton to hurry back. The sooner they got on the road, the sooner she could forget the mess she was leaving behind.
***
Damian rushed from Alondra’s apartment, hoping he hadn’t made Mellissandra wait too long. He came to an abrupt halt when Anton rounded the corner and charged down the corridor like an angry bull.
“You spent the last two days with that reporter?” Anton screamed at Damian. “You spent two days and nights with that woman while your wife cried her heart out to her pillow? Even now, she’s sitting in a vehicle, ready to leave for three months, as she thinks you don’t care enough to even tell her or your children good-bye!”
“I—” Damian began.
But he didn’t get a chance to say anything before Anton started screaming at him again.
“I hope you enjoyed your fuck-fest because I have absolutely had enough of you and how much you hurt the best woman ever born!” Anton’s eyes flashed with fury. “I am going to make it my mission on this trip to show that woman just how much she is worth, and—”
“Would you shut the fuck up?” he screamed back at Anton. “I spent the last two days drunk off my ass!” Damian took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. “I was so pissed at myself that I couldn’t face Sandra, and I went to Alondra’s apartment. I spent the next—I don’t know—thirty-six hours or so trying to drown myself in whiskey. Last night, Alondra managed to sober me up enough to realize that I was supposed to be leaving with Sandra this morning.”
“So, why the fuck didn’t you go home last night?” Anton demanded, still angry.
“Because part of getting sobered up included puking all over the place before taking a cold shower in my clothes,” Damian said. “Alondra loaned me a robe, but there was no way in hell I could go home like that.”
“Swear to me, Damian,” Anton said through gritted teeth, “swear to me right fucking now that you didn’t touch that woman.”
“My cock hasn’t so much as twitched in her presence, Anton,” Damian said earnestly. “I doubt massive amounts of alcohol changed that.”
“You’re not telling me what I need to hear.”
“I don’t remember everything,” Damian said with lowered eyes. “I was so drunk that I didn’t even realize time was passing. But I have no desire for her, and I had no post-coital feelings. In fact, I gave her a bloody nose before I left.”
“What the fuck?” Anton asked sharply.
“She yelled in my ear to wake me up, and my forehead smashed her nose pretty good,” Damian explained.
“Mellissandra is waiting,” Anton said with a sigh. “Arabella is already pitching a fit about being strapped in, so you’d better go. Don’t fuck this up, Damian.”
Damian rushed through the castle to get to the garage. He knew this trip was his opportunity to make things right with his wife, and he’d already screwed up the departur
e. He quickly found their black SUV and slid himself into the driver’s seat.
“What are you doing here?” Mellissandra incredulously asked him.
“Well, I heard my wife was taking my children and running away for three months, so I thought I’d tag along,” he said, trying to be charming. He took a peek at her face to see if it was working.
“Anton did this, didn’t he?” Mellissandra questioned. “He shouldn’t have done this.”
“Anton did tell me about the trip,” Damian confirmed. “The question is, why didn’t you?”
There was no accusation in his voice, just morbid curiosity. It was almost as if he needed to hear her say that she thought their marriage was over.
“I told you last week that we were planning a countrywide tour,” Mellissandra said stiffly. “I didn’t know exact days then, and…and I haven’t seen you since I got the details.”
Damian rested his head against the back of the seat and wished he could punch himself in the face. He knew he’d been preoccupied while spending a lot of time with Alondra, all in trying to do what was best for his family, but there was really no excuse for not listening to his wife.
“You don’t have to do this, Damian,” Mellissandra said. “I know you’d rather make sure Alondra keeps her nose clean while she’s here.”
Damian turned to Mellissandra and took her hands in his. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly before whispering, “There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than right here with you and our babies.”
He pulled away slowly when she didn’t respond. He noted the tears in her eyes and the tremble in her lower lip.
“I know I’ve handled this situation wrong,” Damian said. “In my efforts to keep you all safe, I’ve been a bad husband and a terrible father.”
“Damian—” Mellissandra began, only to be silenced by his finger over her lips.
“I have tested your love and your patience and found them both to be endless. I have forced you to defend my actions to those who love you, isolating you even further. I will never make up for the damage I have done to you in the last few weeks.” He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he reopened them, he knew they were bright with unshed tears. “But I will spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you. You are everything to me, Mellissandra.
“If you don’t want me on this trip with you, I’ll understand. I can barely stand myself right now, but I am asking you, begging you, to allow me the honor of your company while you perform a great service for our country.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I would love nothing more than to have you with us on this trip. I love you so much, Damian,” she said with a sob.
Damian slid across the seat and took her in his arms until her sobs quieted. Then, he kissed the tear streaks on her face and gazed deeply in her eyes.
“I don’t deserve you,” he said. “I don’t deserve you, but I can never give you up.” Then, he moved back to his own seat and started the engine. “Let’s see the country, my love.”
CHAPTER 19
Anton stood in the hallway long after Damian had disappeared. Anton was torn between wanting to find himself a hole and a bottle of liquor as Damian had done for the past two days and the promise he’d made to keep an eye on Alondra. He already felt an unhealthy mix of desire and resentment toward the woman. She was stirring up trouble while causing strife between the two people he cared for most, and she was his responsibility until Damian returned or until she decided it was time to leave.
Anton had considered just throwing her out of the country, but Damian had pointed out that they’d already given her enough ammunition to bring the tabloids down on their heads in full force. They could contain one woman who was trying to find a needle in a haystack, but a flock of vultures who might be willing to make up anything would be impossible to stop. It wasn’t like Colania had tight border control to stop the troublemakers before they entered the country. So, they were stuck with the black-haired vixen.
Anton sighed and knocked on her door, figuring he might as well face his demon now. Putting off the inevitable wouldn’t change anything. It would just give him time to dread it more. The door swung open at his knock, and he was face-to-face with the woman who was currently the bane of his existence.
“Prince Anton?” she questioned when he didn’t say a word. Her head was bent down with blood dripping on her hands as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “Damian told me there was an accident.”
“It’s just a nosebleed,” she said with a choked laugh. “But the damn thing won’t quit. I was going to call someone to take me over to medical to have it checked.”
“Do you have bleeding problems? Why are you bent over like that, shouldn’t you hold your head back?”
“I never have before, but I think he might have broken my nose,” Alondra told him. “And it’s head down. Head back doesn’t do anything except make the blood run down your throat.”
Anton gently pulled her hand away from her face to examine the injury. Enough blood was on her face to assume that it had been gushing at some point, and even though it was still dripping, it seemed to have slowed with the pressure. A large lump in the middle of her nose made it look slightly bent.
“You definitely need to get that checked out,” he told her. “Your nose is crooked on your face.”
“Fuck,” she muttered. “Come on in. I have to get dressed.” Leading him into the apartment, she asked, “Would you call someone to escort me while I dress?”
“I’ll be taking over Damian’s position as your chaperone,” he told her, aggravation clear in his voice. “I’ll take you over to medical.”
***
Anton tried to calm his breathing as they passed through the double doors leading to the emergency section of medical. He had managed to completely avoid this area since everything that happened with Gilly. Even after all this time, her signature was boldly stamped here. When the babies had been born, he’d taken back stairwells and personnel hallways to get to the maternity ward, so he hadn’t had to deal with the reminders of what he’d done to Gilly.
“Are you going to pass out?” Alondra asked, a concerned frown marring her features.
Anton’s breathing was hard, and from the light-headed feeling, he was sure his face lacked color. “I’m fine. Let’s just get your nose checked out and get out of here.”
He wasn’t fine though. Guilt was tearing at his guts, and he was nauseous. He’d never dealt with Gilly personally after their last encounter, and he felt like a coward on top of being the villain who had robbed her of her sanity.
“There is nothing wrong with me, Anton,” Gilly screamed again. She was fisting her hair in her hands in panic. “There’s nothing that your love won’t fix.”
“You are my sister!” he shouted at her. “I cannot—I do not love you the way you want me to. I am so sorry for all the ways I’ve wronged you. Let me make it better.”
Anton could still hear the angry shouts, the pleading for him to just love her. Even as he had told her she was his sister, he’d wanted to take her in his arms and make everything right for her. They had been so close their entire lives. She had been the one person who never judged him for the things his mother had made him do, for the things he’d chosen to do.
Before Damian had revealed the truth about her parentage, Anton had even wondered why he had never married Gilly. She had saved herself for him, given him her virginity, allowed him to beat her, only to end up locked away for the rest of her life.
She would never hold the child she’d worked so hard to conceive. She would never even know if he’d managed to abort it or if it had been born. That was yet another thing Anton felt guilt over. He’d wanted to destroy the life Gilly had created. Even the woman she’d kidnapped and forcibly impregnated hadn’t wanted to abort the child. All he had been able to focus on though was the fact that the child was part of him and part of his sister, and that made it unwholesome.
Thankfully, Mellissandra had asserted herself and forbid him from destroying the child. At least he didn’t have to live with knowing he’d ended an innocent life—a life he now had to admit was beautiful and healthy and perfect in every way.
“They’re taking me into that room, Prince Anton,” Alondra said, capturing his attention, as she pointed. “You can wait out here.”
“I’m not leaving you alone,” he said gruffly. He took her by the arm and all but dragged her into the exam room.
“I’d prefer to be examined in private,” she said, jerking her arm away from him.
“You’re in my country and at my will. You have no privacy.” Putting his mouth near her ear, he lowered his voice to a husky growl as he said, “If I feel it necessary to follow you into the bathing chamber while you relieve yourself, I will do so. If I feel it necessary to have you searched every time you leave your apartment, it will be done. If you don’t like it, you are free to leave anytime.”
“You have no right—” she began to protest.
“I am the crowned prince,” he told her angrily. “I have every right to do anything I damn well please, especially where snooping reporters who try to break up marriages are concerned!”
“I never tried to break—”
“Shut up! Just shut the fuck up, and get your face looked at!” Anton grabbed her again and shoved her into the room. “Can you do one thing without causing a problem?”
***
Alondra could only gape at the enraged man who had just tossed her across the room. She didn’t know what she’d said or done to make him so angry, but he was damn scary—and exciting. His nostrils were flaring, and his dark blue eyes were filled with icy rage. Alondra wasn’t sure how to handle him. He was not like Damian. He wasn’t like any man she’d dealt with before. Even the hardcore gang leaders who’d given Alondra her first big story had treated her with some form of respect, sexual innuendoes aside. Alondra had a feeling her usual bravado wasn’t going to cut it with this man.
