Bonds

by Susan Copperfield

  “You’re due for dinner and rest, and I’d like to remind the doctors present that today is not when you test your patient’s general endurance.”

  The king and his daughter snorted their disapproval of the agent’s edict.

  “He can handle it,” the king announced, climbing out of the back of the SUV. “He’s not even tired, but you’re correct about him being ready for dinner. He was ready for dinner several hours ago. Send word to the kitchen that he should have a protein drink to go with dinner. He needs the extra calories.”

  “Dad,” Melody protested.

  “I’m stealing your patient,” the king announced.

  “You can’t steal my patient.”

  “I most certainly can, and I am.”

  I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle, wondering what alternate universe I’d stepped into. Before I made it more than a step, the king slung his arm around my shoulders before capturing me in a headlock.

  “Dad!”

  “I’ve just stolen your patient. Agent Laurel, please notify the RPS of my new patient’s reassignment.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Kevin replied, and he shot an apologetic glance at Melody. “Sorry, Your Highness. This is a beneficial arrangement for all parties involved.”

  I had questions, but with the king’s arm wrapped around my neck, I decided the safest course of action was to keep quiet. Kevin wrangled my kitten, slinging her carrier over his shoulder. Melody stomped her foot, crossed her arms over her chest, and scowled.

  “For once in your life, could you please listen to me without arguing?” the king asked, his tone mild. “I won’t do anything nefarious to Mr. Alders.”

  “You’ll hold him hostage and question him. I know you. You’re pure evil.”

  “Yes, I do have to ask my patients questions to build a proper medical history. I’ll only hold him hostage if it’s necessary for his health. I’ll be a benevolent doctor and allow you to participate in physical therapy—physical therapy I oversee.”

  “You’re really stealing my patient!”

  “Yes, I am. Inside, little girl. You have reports to file. Go with Kevin and get Mr. Alders’s kitten settled into his suite. You should be grateful I’m permitting you to handle his overnight monitoring.”

  “You are?” Melody scowled at her father. “Why?”

  “It’s easier to manipulate you when I have full control over my patient’s situation, and I’ve learned it’s easier to trap women with honey than vinegar unless there’s a salad involved.” The king laughed. “You’ll thank me later, Melody. You’ve done good work. Go make sure his suite is comfortable. Shoo. I’ll talk to the kitchen about steak and lobster.”

  While Melody hesitated, she ultimately obeyed, and she took my kitten from her RPS agent and stormed into the castle.

  The king didn’t release me until she disappeared inside. I straightened and rolled my shoulders to work out the kinks. “What was that about, Your Majesty?”

  “She takes doctor-patient relationships seriously, and if I can’t get that girl married off through traditional venues, you’ll do.”

  “I’ll do?” I echoed, wondering if the plane had actually crashed and I suffered from some catastrophic head injury.

  “Forgive a desperate old man who met the potential in-laws yesterday. They’re nice people, although I’m afraid they’re a little overwhelmed. They’re in the guest house trying to come to terms with the situation. After some verification, we determined it was the wisest course of action to pull your entire family out of Florida. We were able to find substantial proof of your family’s claim.”

  “You were? How?”

  “DNA testing. During the civil war, all royal families founding or taking over a state had DNA samples taken. The DNA evidence verifies the claim.”

  “But it’s only been a few days. I thought it took a long time for DNA samples to be confirmed.”

  “Not so long, and royal verifications are bumped to the front of the line. Melody already had a blood sample from when she was treating you, and her RPS agents began the verification process as soon as they found out about your claim. The results came in the morning you left France. France has one of the vaults with a full collection of royal DNA samples, so it was trivial to have the sample tested. Since you have a valid claim, I thought it was wise to put protections in place until the RPS can create a full detail for you and your family.”

  It amazed me that the royals had been able to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. I worked in a field where every second mattered. I assumed Maine had begun the process of retrieving my family from Florida shortly after I’d opened my mouth. I assumed the RPS had concluded I wasn’t lying and put various balls into motion before confirming my claim through DNA testing.

  I focused on my breathing so I would remain calm. “Is now a bad time to mention I have an allergy to all things royal?”

  “With your talent? You’re allergic to yourself. I’ve reviewed your file. You make me look like I’m from the shallow end of the gene pool. I have no idea how you got away with playing at a borderline elite in Europe, but I have two functional eyes in my head, and I know how to use them.”

  “Hardly. Your family’s talent is incredible.”

  “And yours is on the scale of preventing catastrophic disasters, as evidenced by the stunt you pulled with that oil tanker. You’re damned lucky Melody was in England, or you’d still be in critical condition in the hospital and a candidate for a trip to the morgue. I’d say it’s not a competition, but it really is. I’ve been informed you’ve been told about the issues within my family.” The king placed his hand on my back and gave a gentle push in the direction of the steps.

  As it was too late to run away or attempt an escape, I nodded and obeyed his request to get a move on. “Melody was rather blunt about her concerns.”

  “Well, her concerns are accurate, and she deserves better than to live her entire life wondering when she’ll be targeted next. So, I have a proposition for you.”

  I noticed, much to my amazement, we were alone on the steps. I gave the king credit; he’d positioned himself to make a request without anyone potentially monitoring him in person—and he spoke softly to avoid anyone listening in.

  If he wanted to play ball, I’d play ball. “Does it involve me pretending I’m her bond, becoming bait, and luring out the true culprit behind this threat, assuming the threat is real?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. I’m prepared to verify the high possibility of you being bonded with her, which will justify me taking over as your physician.”

  “And Melody’s claims you’re trying to marry her off?”

  “Completely accurate, and I’ll continue to throw her at the absolute worst candidates I can think of until she gets off her ass and picks someone she actually likes. I’d apologize for using you to force her hand, but if she doesn’t pick, ultimately, someone will pick for her. I thought I did well conspiring with a New Yorker. If you know of any particularly heinous elites or royals I could toss her at to get her on the move, do tell.”

  “I think she’s figured out she has to take matters into her own hands at this point in time,” I muttered.

  “Already eyeballing you as a potential candidate, is she?”

  I had no idea if I wanted her to, if I wanted to make a run for it, or if I wanted to get involved and encourage her to knock sense into her father’s skull. Of the available choices, having a chance to get to know her better appealed. “You’re a master manipulator, aren’t you?”

  “It’s my joy as a father to manipulate my children into doing things that make them happy.”

  Huh. Hell had frozen over, and I’d found another royal I was at high risk of liking. “Consider me signed up to be bait, Your Majesty, because I have a serious issue with anyone willing to threaten Melody to take a throne.”

  “As do I, and while I love my brother, if I find out what I’ve been hearing—and suspecting—is true, my da
ughter always comes first, as do my sons. She thinks my brother will act directly. I don’t. He’s conspiring with someone, but I don’t know who. My agents don’t know either, which is a serious problem. I also appreciate your protective tendencies. Melody deserves a man who’ll watch her back.”

  I understood the need for having someone watching my back; I’d spent so long watching out for myself I longed for a space where I could relax, confident I wasn’t the only one watching out for me.

  A good father wanted that for his daughter.

  I needed to change the subject away from me before I said something I regretted. “Melody told me about her brother’s bond. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not. I’m proud of the choices my son has made. He will pay the ultimate price for them, but until the bitter end, I am proud of who he is and what he has become—and I’m proud of the man his bond is, too. Because my son selflessly saved a life, his bond in turn saved many other lives. Knowing what will come hurts. I’m his father, after all. But I will never be sorry for the moment he made that choice. It’s a part of who we are. You’re proof Melody is prepared to make that choice herself.”

  Something about his tone made me think I was missing something. “Your Majesty?”

  The king chuckled. “It’s amazing just how many questions you asked using just my title, but I suspect the most important one is about Melody and her choice. You’re a legitimate candidate to be her bond. I’ve reviewed your medical file, your health situation up until she arrived at the hospital, and the potential severity of your talent exertion. For members of our line, the bond is not nearly as important to us as the willingness to commit to going straight to the brink in the fight against death. I’ve no doubt Melody did that with you.”

  “How do you know? How can you confirm a bond exists? You can, right?” I asked.

  “To confirm if you’re bonded with Melody, I’d have to put you in a life-threatening situation and wait for the fireworks,” the king said with so much cheer I worried. “Extreme pain is a good way to tell, as that triggers the body’s reaction to a death-like situation. That will reflect through the bond, even if you don’t have any form of empathy talent. The same will apply for her to you. I could test it on my daughter, but honestly, I would much prefer to test on you. I am her father, after all, and would not want to put my daughter through hell. Once you’re more recovered, I’ll do the test myself. Melody likes to believe bonds are obvious things, but they really aren’t. I suspected I was bonded to my wife after the accident, but I didn’t have a confirmation until she was delivering our firstborn. When a woman tells you it feels like her baby is trying to rip out of her womb through force and that she faces the pain of death, believe her. Please. And smile even when she’s trying to break your hand by holding it so tightly. That shit hurts.”

  “You experienced your wife’s labor pains?”

  “Let me tell you something, Jack. All I experienced was an echo of it, and I wanted to go crawl into a corner and cry. Kings, apparently, are not allowed to crawl into corners and cry from pain. I just thought you would like to know.”

  What had I gotten myself into? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. “I’ll keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

  “See that you do.”

  Chapter Nine

  The clinic in the castle had every piece of medical equipment imaginable, including an MRI machine. After notifying the kitchen what we were having for dinner, I got a round of tests along with several vaccinations. I narrowed my eyes and observed His Royal Majesty prepare the syringes.

  “I thought I was up-to-date on my vaccinations.”

  “Sure, for Europe. Europe does not have a rabies or Lyme disease problem compared to Maine. It’s been ten years since rabies has shown up there; they managed to eradicate the disease in the wild animal populations and quarantine all animals from elsewhere. Maine has ongoing issues with rabies and Lyme disease, which is what these vaccinations are for.”

  I blinked. “There’s a rabies vaccination for humans?”

  “Welcome to Maine. We’re ahead of just about everyone on the vaccination front. The rabies vaccine is mandatory for residents here, right along with the cats and dogs. Until we can get the ten-year vaccine hammered out, you’re stuck with a yearly jab. Beats getting rabies, though. The vaccine is 99% effective.”

  “Should I be concerned that you’ve figured out the vaccine is 99% effective?”

  “Some idiot in Boston didn’t vaccinate their dog, it got rabies, and slobbered on a bunch of people. Since rabies can be spread through saliva, it exposed a lot of people. The takeaway? Don’t kiss a stranger’s dog on the mouth.”

  “Seriously? There was a rabies outbreak because of people kissing someone’s dog?”

  “Yep. It could have been a lot worse, but some of the folks exposed had gotten the vaccination; they didn’t contract rabies, but the unvaccinated did. At that point, we were still in case studies for reactions to the vaccines. Human trials are always touchy, but it’s not like we haven’t vaccinated cats and dogs for decades. Anyway, the treatment for rabies is not pleasant. That started a movement to get the general populace vaccinated following the conclusion of the second human trial. Apparently, people are more concerned about contracting rabies than other diseases.”

  I would never understand people. “Did I miss any other vaccinations?”

  “You’re due for your tetanus and diphtheria vaccination, which I’ll do after these two.”

  Damn. My arm would ache for a week after the tetanus booster, and I sighed. “Anything else?”

  “On the vaccination front, no. Tomorrow, I’ll run you through the allergy tests and see how you do.”

  “I don’t have any known allergies.”

  “Keyword: known.”

  I sighed. “After the allergy testing?”

  “Nothing too strenuous. I’ll start you on some light exercise, mostly to annoy my daughter.”

  I wondered what would have happened if I’d just pretended I hadn’t critically overused my talent and crawled home after dealing with the wrecked oil tanker. Death seemed probable, but had I known just how big of a royal mess I’d become involved in, I might’ve taken my chances. Worse, the king saw me as a way to get at his daughter. “I’m the prize of a new feud, aren’t I?”

  “Essentially. I’ve tweaked her professional pride, and she’s conflicted about your viability as a suitor.”

  Some things I didn’t want to hear, and me being a viable suitor for a royal topped the list despite having put some serious thought into just that myself. “She is?”

  “Don’t look so disturbed. I do have quite the advantage. Kevin is an empath, and ultimately, as Kevin’s job is to ensure my child’s wellbeing, he reports to me whenever she finds someone interesting. When she does, I investigate the situation. As I’ve found your record suitable, here we are. I’ve had you vetted. I take my daughter’s happiness very seriously. When Kevin notified me about your interest in resolving the succession issue we’re facing, I had the RPS look even closer at your situation.”

  Crap. While I thought I’d done a good job masking my interest in the princess, an empath would’ve seen right through me. “I’m so busted right now, aren’t I?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a man having a healthy interest in a beautiful woman. I’m the first in line to admit my daughters—all of them—are beautiful women. Melody is the prettiest of them all, too. I’m biased, however. Once Melody’s safely married, my next eldest single daughter shall be the most beautiful of all. It’d be more unusual if you weren’t interested in her. However, Kevin is sensitive enough to be able to tell the difference between lust and other emotions. He notified me of your mutual interest when he first noticed. I’ve decided it’s wise to pursue this match. I’ve also decided you’ll prove your mettle with helping to deal with this threat to Melody. Since you’re already used to doing a dangerous job, I figure you’ll be able to defend yourself. I’m not the kind to risk lives
unnecessarily, but the situation demands it.”

  One thing I didn’t doubt: the king loved his daughter. What intrigued me was that the king wasn’t certain who was truly behind the potential risk to his children—and ultimately, himself. “I would think you could just verify your brother’s loyalty and ambition using a truth seer. Why not just call Montana and put the issue to rest?”

  “Unless I find substantial evidence, I can’t. I have to have proof of wrongdoing before I can level any accusations. While my entire family is convinced my brother would, he walks a straight and narrow line. Unless he slips or I find a money trail linking incidents to him, I can’t make the request. How familiar are you with truth seers?”

  “Not very,” I admitted. “Melody and Kevin disclosed their arrangements with Montana.”

  “She’s got an unhealthy dose of paranoia when dealing with her agents. I’ve tried to get her to accept therapy, but it hasn’t worked well. She remembers too much from when she was kidnapped and betrayed by an agent. I suspect that’s why she’s able to trust you; you’re not an RPS agent.”

  “And I’m willing to put myself in the line of fire on her behalf.”

  “Don’t think poorly of her. She’s tired of the situation we’re in. Sometimes, I regret having taught her to be so ethical, as it would give her a chance to go somewhere else and enjoy life for a while. We have a higher than normal rate of incidents, which is fueling her paranoia.”

  “A bomb in France, and a long list of weekly incidents, plus your attempts to marry her off aren’t helping that situation much.”

  “And that’s only scratching at the surface of it. Incidents will start happening around you, too. Give it a few weeks. There’s always a delay of a few weeks before potential bonds of the royal family begin facing inconveniences and hazards.”