by Goode, Ella
“They are enjoying retirement. The last I heard my father was taking art classes. He had to find a hobby before my mother committed some heinous act against him.”
“I did send them an invitation, but given your father’s health, perhaps he was not well enough to travel?”
I see she’s fishing for information. “They’re both doing great, thanks for asking. I see that some of my retinue is flagging after the cross-country trip. Perhaps we could discuss our family in greater detail after my people are situated. I want to hear all about your delightful daughter.”
Karin Vieth had hid her daughter away, only to deploy the girl at the right moment to lure Aidon into an alliance. It was as if the daughter had been created for that entire purpose.
“The newlyweds are swimming in happiness. You will see at the breakfast tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You don’t sound that enthused.”
I pat my mouth as if covering a yawn. “I’m fatigued, and that is the only reason that I’m not conveying the full scope of my delight. Tomorrow I promise you will see a different man.”
At that, Zero starts to move which means we all move. Karin has to either step away or be mowed over. Irritation flashes across her face and then calculation. I guess I’ll be paying for this perceived slight in some way.
“Be steady,” I say quietly to Zero, remembering how the woman downstairs had affected my man.
“Yessir.” His neck pinkens.
Well, shit. Am I going to have to send Zero home? The staff file into their own rooms, leaving me with the bodyguards, my chef, and my butler. Two bodyguards remain outside while the other two enter the room, sweeping it again.
“Everything’s clear,” the head announces to Zero. They then melt away, presumably to guard the entrances. The chef takes my order for food while the butler lays out my shaving kit and evening clothes.
“Will you be having guests tonight?” Parker asks.
“No. I’ll shower, have my meal, and review some paperwork. I’d like to see the floor plans of the Palace and review the security detail. Do you have the guest list?”
Zero nods.
“Perfect.” I roll up my sleeves. “Let’s get to work. I want to plant a spy here.”
“Do you think that they’re planning something against you?” Parker asks in an offended tone.
“Maybe? Let’s be on the alert.” I draw Zero aside. “Do I have any reason to be concerned?”
His face turns to stone. “No, sir.”
“Okay. I mean, there’s nothing wrong in admitting you’ve encountered an enemy that poses a threat to you. After all, it took less than a week for Aidon to fall into the hands of Vieth.” I clasp Zero’s shoulder. “If you need to go, there’s no shame in that. After all, that’s what these Vieth Orphans are trained to do. Bring men to their knees.”
Chapter Four
Mackenzie
“I can’t breathe.” It’s bad enough the contraption she has me wearing to try on these dresses is trying to suck the life out of me. Never mind how fitted the dresses are on top of that.
“That’s the point,” Jewels says through laughter. I don’t know how they wear this stuff all the time. They make it look easy.
“There is no way I’m going to be able to wear this all night.” Jewels huffs out a breath but unzips me. The relief is instant. “I think this is a sign that I shouldn't go.”
“You’re going.” Paulina jumps in, grabbing another dress for me to try on. This one is covered in diamonds at the top, the bottom flaring out all the way to the ground. I might be able to get away with not wearing heels in this one. It’s a stunning yellow that reminds me of summer.
I let the other dress drop to the floor, taking the next one. The problem is I’m a little thicker than the rest of the girls. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to fit into anything of theirs. No matter how much they try to stuff me into one of them. I step into the dress, pulling it up. I have to give a small wiggle to get it over my hips.
“Wow,” both Jewels and Paulina say at the same time.
“That looks good against your skin. You’re glowing,” Paulina says.
“Some girls have all the luck. That’s not even a spray tan, and she never goes outside. How is she so golden?” Jewels pretends to be annoyed. I really think she’s trying to make me feel good about this. Besides, I don’t know what she’s talking about. Jewels is a knockout. She is the one that has all the luck.
Paulina zips the back up for me, and I’m happy to report that I can still breathe. I turn to look in the full-length mirror at myself. I do look like I’m glowing. I spin around, making the dress flare out for a moment. I don’t think I’ve ever looked this beautiful before.
“I feel like a princess.” I’m actually getting excited about the ball now. I move my hips, letting the dress sway back and forth. I think I might even look sexy.
“We’re queens, girl.” Paulina bumps her shoulder with mine. “So we have a winner.” She unzips me so I can step out of the dress, and hangs it back up. “We’re also going to do your hair and makeup. You’re going to look killer. So your little ass better be here this afternoon.”
“Going to be lots of hot men there tonight.” Jewels wiggles her eyebrows at me. I shake my head. I think Jewels forgets there is also going to be a ton of stunning women there tonight as well. I pull on my sweater and yoga pants before putting my shoes on.
As much as I love everyone here, I don’t think I’d want to be with a man from this world. All the bloodshed and tears. The constant worry and the fear of losing them. I already lost my parents. That was hard enough on me.
“I’ll be back later.” I slip out of Jewels’ bedroom, heading toward the kitchen. All of us came to the hotel to stay for a few nights. The place is breathtaking. It reminds me of a castle. It’s a touch outdated, but it’s full of history, I’m sure. I’ve never been here before. My office and spare room are at the warehouse. I don't get out much except when I go stay at my condo, which is boring. I hate being all alone.
I round the corner, trying to find the kitchen. I pause when I hear laughter. I know that laugh. It’s Cora. I spin around, following the sound. I peek into the dining room area to see Cora, Aidon, and Karin there. They are also with a few other people I’ve never seen before.
My eyes land on the man in the suit. I can’t seem to stop looking at him. He doesn’t glance my way at first. He continues sitting there as I take him in. He’s handsome. He might actually be too handsome, if that is a thing. He looks familiar, but I can’t place him. I’m usually good with names and faces. He starts to turn his head my way, but I’m jerked back before he can see me.
I’m pulled back into the hallway. My stomach drops when I see it’s Milly that has rudely pulled me from the room. She hates me for some reason. If we’re in a group of people you’d never know. It’s only when we’re alone that she needles at me.
I don’t know what her problem is with me. Everyone else here is sweet and kind. They are to me, at least. But Milly treats me as though I were an outsider. I’ve heard her whispers of me thinking I’m better than everyone else. That couldn’t be further from the truth, but I know I’m not going to change her mind. So I choose to ignore her for the most part. Sometimes she makes that really hard to do.
“What are you doing sneaking around?” She glares at me.
“I wasn't sneaking, I was seeing who was here.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Sov is my target so don’t get any ideas.” She points her finger at me.
“I have no idea who that is.”
“Don’t play dumb. There is no missing him. You were checking him out.” Oh. My stomach twists for some reason. The thought of her with my handsome stranger doesn’t sit well with me.
“He’s your target or date?” I ask, wondering what Karin might want from him. For the first time in my life, I get jealous of how pretty Milly is. I don’t think it will take her much to get him under h
er spell. She has always been good at flipping her personality. I know that more than anyone else.
“Both.” She smirks. “Not that you’d have a chance anyway.” She laughs as she walks off. She never misses an opportunity to take a shot at me. I wish I could say that it doesn’t hurt, but it does. I turn to leave but run into a wall of a man. I grasp on to the lapels of his suit to regain my balance. I can’t help but pick up on his scent. It’s woodsy and reminds me of sitting in front of a fireplace. I swear I have the urge to snuggle into him, but instead I tilt my head all the way back to look up at him. Sov. Oh crap. My mind finally puts it together. He’s Sov Charmont.
“Don’t touch her.” A deep rumble comes from him. It’s then I notice a man next to him. He drops his hand away from my arm. Sov’s eyes stay locked with mine. I get lost in them for a moment. What is he doing to me?
I step back, but he doesn't let go immediately. When he finally does I dart off without saying a word.
Chapter Five
Sov
The girl from earlier today lingers in my mind as I ready for the celebratory ball. Parker slides the jacket onto my shoulders, ties my bowtie, and draws a brush across the wool a few times.
“A lot, and I mean, a lot of smoking hot honeys here,” comments one of the valets. Josh, I think his name is?
The other valet shoots a quick glance at Parker, who is glowering.
“The prince does not consort with Vieth Orphans,” Parker sniffs. “He will marry a woman of noble birth with suitable looks and temperament to be a Charmont just as his mother was of the royal line of Hartzordan.”
“What’s wrong with a Vieth Orphan?” queries Josh. “And I’m not saying our Sov here has to marry anyone, but a little something something ain’t wrong. These girls probably know tricks that I haven’t even thought of.”
I can see Parker mentally re-assigning Josh. He rotates the valets every six months or so operating under the theory that we can’t be too trusting. They get training somewhere, come to fold clothes, run baths, iron shirts, and then get shuttled off into other service in the organization. I don’t keep track, but Josh isn’t going to last more than this trip. He’s too loud. Valets should be seen and not heard, according to Parker.
I give Parker a small nod to let him know that he should be done fussing. “There’s nothing wrong with the Vieth Orphans other than the fact that while they’re fucking you, they’ll be thinking about all the ways to kill you.” I slip on my signet ring and take the knife from Zero to slide into a sheath strapped around my ankle.
“But what a way to go,” Josh moans.
“The prince does not sully his body on the beds of prostitutes,” Parker snaps.
“I don’t think they’re prostitutes, Park. They don’t sell sex. They give it, and should you lose your fortune in the process, that’s on you.” I pat the small man on the shoulder, hoping he settles down a bit. The man is a serious snob, but he’s served the family for almost forty years, so I endure. “Thank you for making me look presentable.”
“Presentable?” He scoffs. “There won’t be a better dressed, better looking person in the ballroom.”
I like how he orders it: dressed first as that is what he is responsible for and then my looks second. Zero’s straight face cracks a tiny bit. He’s amused by Parker as well. Before I leave, I turn to Josh. “If you can’t get your head out of your shorts, this might not be the right assignment.”
He stammers out an apology, but I’m not in the mood to listen to it. As I’m closing the door, I can hear Parker laying into him.
“I think you’ll have a new valet tomorrow,” Zero observes.
“Yes, I think you’re right.” I tug at the tight collar wishing I didn’t have to go down there dressed in my military finery and dance with women I’m not interested in and make small talk with people I don’t care about.
“Ready?” Zero points toward the elevator, where two of my men are waiting.
“And if I said I was not?”
He shrugs because I am the prince, but I also have obligations as the prince, which means I always have to be ready. The celebration is in full swing when we arrive. The crowd parts as I step into the ballroom. It always does. It may have something to do with the four bodyguards I have surrounding me or Zero, who towers over everyone here. At least the music doesn’t come to a stop as it did at the one state function in Monaco. That was unnerving. I scan the room. It’s full of Vieth Orphans and their marks. I suppose some of the marks are Aidon’s people as he has a mostly male crew. How the mighty have fallen.
A ball of yellow sunshine sparkles by in the arms of one of Aidon’s men. My eyes fall and catch on the stones molded around her tits. Her golden hair, half brown, half blond, all of it sun-kissed, is piled high on her neck. She’s laughing as she spins and dips and twirls. I recognize the thug as one of Aidon’s inner circle. The girl I don’t know, but I will by the end of the song.
“Find out who that is,” I direct Zero.
His eyes widen in alarm, but before he can stop me, I step in the path of the dancing couple. The girl pulls up sharply, and the man frowns.
“Golden girl, I’m sorry I’m late.” I pull her out of the man’s arms. “Thank you for entertaining my girl, but I’m here now. You can go.” With that dismissal, I whisk my golden girl across the dance floor to a dark alcove, where a Vieth Orphan is feeling up one of her victims. “Leave.”
The two take off immediately.
“That’s impressive,” says the girl. “Do you know them?”
“No.” I peer down at the ray of light standing before me, her head tilted, her lips curved into a questioning half smile. “Years of experience.” I’m used to ordering people around and having those orders followed.
“Nice. I wish I could have that superpower.”
I lean forward, blocking out her view of the rest of the room. “Is that all you wish?”
She peers up at me through her lashes. “Are you a genie granting them? If so, how many do I get?”
“It’s endless if you wish for the right thing.”
“What if I wished to go back to dancing with Pole?”
“That would not be the right thing.” No other men for her. I don’t know why I feel this way, I just do. I’m a selfish creature, raised alone with all my whims catered to. I do not share. Once I see something that should be mine, that is the end of the story. It becomes mine. Forever and always.
Chapter Six
Mackenzie
I smile up at the charming handsome man. Paulina was right. The men have been all over me tonight. I guess yellow really is my color. First there was Pole and now Sov Charmont. Not to mention the two guys Pole stole me away from earlier.
Though Pole is only a friend, he’s my favorite out of Aidon’s men. He can always make us all laugh. A lot of the girls have a crush on him. I’m not so sure he’s their type, but I don’t want to kill their dreams, so I keep that to myself.
“You dance well. I suppose I can stick with you instead of Pole,” I point out. His hand that is holding on to one of mine tightens. He danced well, and in a short time he’d moved me across the room and into this corner.
I said the first thing that popped into my mind. Unlike the other Vieth girls, I have no real experience with having conversations with men that I’m attracted to. He stares down at me with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t know what it is about this man, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel some sort of pull to him.
A bunch of Aidon’s men came over throughout the week to learn to dance. It was fun teaching them. When the two families joined, everyone thought that we were going to be like oil and water. I think once everyone saw that Aidon and Karin were not only on the same page but Cora was the glue holding it all together, they quickly accepted it. If Cora and Karin trusted them, then we did without question.
Not to mention the fact that we see how Aidon treats our Cora. I didn't think men like him existed outside of the
books Cora is always shoving at me to read. But Aidon is real, and so is his love for her. I would have never believed the most feared man in the city was a pile of marshmallow in the center until I saw him with Cora. Now she is the only one that can get to that fluffy center, but it’s there.
“Perhaps you should show me?” I suggest, trying to get him to talk more. His stare is so intense. As though he’s trying to strip away the layers that I have in place for a reason.
“My mother made me take classes.” He pulls me back onto the dance floor. “I hated them until now.” He spins me around quickly before pulling me into him once again. The man towers over me. There is something different about him. He’s more clean-cut around the edges. I wonder if that has something to do with him being a prince? Soon to be king once he is married. That is how they are supposed to appear, I guess.
I know firsthand kings might look regal and pretend to be so, but they are as deadly as men like Aidon. Aidon and Karin do not hide who they are. It’s out there for everyone to see. There is no act. You know what you are getting. That’s what makes me think Sov is more dangerous. I push the thought away. It doesn't matter. This is only a dance. One Milly is going to kill me over if she sees. I also shouldn't put this man in a box with my own father. I don’t truly know him. But I hear a ton of talk among the girls about men like him.
“I think I need a drink,” I say as we start to dance into a third song. I’m really not that thirsty, but I am starting to notice a lot of people are paying attention to us. Most of the women in the room are watching Sov. Not that I can blame them. He’s not only handsome but an eligible bachelor that promises you a crown if you can snag him. I can see the appeal in that for some women, but that’s not what I’m looking for. Call me old-fashioned, but I want true love.
I could also feel who I’m guessing is his security staring holes into me. I am likely in the safest place in the city at the moment, but it’s making me feel awkward. I’m not one that enjoys having attention on me. Blending in and watching is more my speed. It’s what I’ve always been good at.
