by J. S. Scott
He trained his apprehensive gaze on her. “Not yet. It’s not safe until we’re married. I’ll go, but I’ll be back as soon as I figure out the main problem. My engineer isn’t being particularly forthcoming. I’m not quite sure what the problem is or how serious it might be. He’s not answering my text messages now.” His brows drew together as he punched the number to call his employee.
She could tell by his frown that there was no answer. “Maybe he’s in a bad zone,” Shea suggested.
Bryan hung up and grinned at her. “We have the cell phones Christopher designed for Dyholm. There’s no such thing as a bad zone. Any call connects.”
Shea didn’t have one, but the phones coming out of Rubare Collina from Dyholm were the latest technology, and the biggest thing to hit the technology market in years. Bryan was right. They should connect anywhere.
Seeing the worried look on his face, she told him gently. “Go ahead. Hayden and I will be perfectly safe here with Xander and Reanna. I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too,” he said regretfully, tipping her chin up to give her a lingering kiss that told Shea that he didn’t want to leave. “I’ll be back soon. I’ll just check out the problem and give instructions to my crew.”
The door opened, the immaculately clad driver extending his hand to help her out of the vehicle. Shea could see that Hayden was already talking her Uncle Xander’s ear off, and her heart soared as she saw him lift her daughter into his arms as he roared with laughter at something Hayden had told him.
“Come back soon,” she told Bryan over her shoulder, letting the driver help her out of the car. She was dressed in a very neat and tidy skirt and blouse with a pair of low heels, appropriate dress for an informal meeting with the royal family, according to Lily.
Shea was nervous as she exited the luxurious vehicle, the excited crowd beyond the barriers cheering her name. She fidgeted, wishing Bryan was going to stay, but the driver got back into the car and drove him away from her so he could go attend to his work emergency. She stiffened her spine. These were her people now, and this was her family.
I can do this. This is going to be my life now. I’ll be Princess Shea, just like the crowd is cheering.
She took Xander’s extended hand and curtsied formally as Lily had tutored her. Then she did the same to Reanna. Xander offered his wife his arm, and Shea dipped again and lowered her head in front of Bryan’s father before taking the arm he offered her to show her into the castle.
All of the protocol and the precedence rules she’d been given a crash course on from Lily were rolling around in her head as she reached the top of the steps. Although the rules were seldom imposed anymore, and family did not normally bow and curtsey except for formal occasions, with so much of the public watching, she tried to follow the proper procedure.
Princess Shea, Princess Shea, Princess Shea!
An enthusiastic crowd was calling her name, and on impulse, she turned and lifted her hand at the people waving at her. The crowd roared as she waved just as enthusiastically back at them before entering the castle.
“Bad protocol, I suppose,” Shea mumbled as she released Prince Francis’s arm and sagged with relief as the large door closed behind them.
The former king smiled at her. “You’re American. You’re allowed mistakes. And the people are obviously excited that Bryan is marrying. They’ll be happy that you didn’t snub them. Bryan is much adored by the people of Rubare Collina. He works among them, dedicates himself to helping the less privileged in our country. He oversees the construction of residences for people who cannot afford to build their own homes.”
Shea wasn’t surprised, but she wondered why Bryan had never told her that he did so much to contribute to the welfare of all of the citizens of his country. “He never told me.”
The prince shook his head. “He wouldn’t. Bryan has always considered it part of his duties as a royal living a life of privilege. He’s never seen anything he does as extraordinary.”
She followed the family into the great room. A fire was laid in the massive fireplace, and the colorful stones dotting almost every surface seemed to sparkle. “The beads and marble in here are incredible,” Shea marveled, turning her head in every direction only to see more colorful stones.
Reanna laughed. “They aren’t exactly stones. They’re gems. Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, topaz, and every other precious and semi-precious gem you can think of. Rubare Collina has a rather over-abundance of them.”
“Oh, God. I’m walking on millions of dollars’ worth of gems?” Shea looked down at her feet, trying to keep herself from stepping on diamonds. It was impossible. The floor was littered with inlaid jewels.
“You’ll get used to it,” Reanna said in an amused voice as she patted the seat beside her on the couch. “Come tell me about your visit to the summer house.”
Shea gave up looking at her feet and sat next to Reanna, letting out a sigh of relief that she wasn’t stomping on any precious stones.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine with all of this eventually. Bryan’s residence is lovely. It’s grand, but not like the royal main residence here. This castle was made to impress, with the royal emblems plastered everywhere. Outside the castle, life isn’t that much different than it was in the U.S. except on special occasions. Xander is a lot like Bryan, and he loves mingling and talking to the citizens. Everything is usually a lot calmer. Once you and Bryan are married, everything will go back to normal.” Reanna hesitated before asking, “You are marrying him, right?” Shea looked at Reanna, smiling at her weakly.
“Yes. We’ve agreed it’s the safest and best way to protect Hayden.”
“Is that the only reason?” Reanna queried softly.
“No. I want to marry him,” she admitted to Reanna and to herself out loud. “He’s the most incredible man I’ve ever known.”
“Of course you’re talking about me,” a mischievous masculine voice pronounced over Shea’s head. “But really, we haven’t even been introduced. I am, however, very flattered.”
Her head jerked up to meet a pair of twinkling blue eyes set in a dark, handsome face. Shea smiled at the unknown man. She couldn’t seem to help herself. “Christopher, I presume?” He was a slightly younger version of Xander, and could only belong to the Demande family.
“Stop being Prince Charming, Christopher and properly introduce yourself,” Reanna demanded with very little rancor. In fact, she sounded amused.
“Very well,” Christopher said agreeably. He reached for Shea’s hand and bent elegantly over it. “Christopher Demande…at your service.” He grinned as he straightened. “I assume you’re the poor woman who’s marrying my brother.”
Shea was just wondering if she should stand when Christopher seated himself next to her on the other side of the couch. Dressed casually in slacks and a buttoned-down shirt, he relaxed against the back of the sofa, his manner casual but his eyes assessing her boldly. Despite his arrogant comment, Christopher’s observation wasn’t carnal or sexual. He was looking at her as though he were trying to figure her out, wanting to know what was inside her thoughts.
She turned her head and met his gaze. “Poor woman?”
Christopher shrugged. “My brothers might be rich, but living with them is hell. Hence, any woman getting married to them is to be pitied. I should know.”
“Don’t mind him,” Reanna said teasingly. “He’s just jealous that no decent woman will take him on. He’s already married to Dyholm and his mad scientist experiments.”
“Scientific discoveries that have made this family the richest on earth, if you please,” Christopher grumbled to Reanna. “Speaking of my brothers and Dyholm…where is everybody? I went by the mine on my way here and nobody is there. Is it a holiday of some kind that I don’t know about?”
Shea shook her head. “You must be mistaken. Bryan is there. He had a work emergency and was headed to the mine. There was a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Chri
s asked gruffly, suddenly alert and completely serious.
“He didn’t say. The engineer wasn’t very informative and then he wasn’t answering Bryan’s calls. He had to go to the mine himself to check out the situation.” Shea’s heart accelerated, suddenly worried by the pensive look on Christopher’s face.
“The place is completely deserted. Something’s not right. All of the crew and managers shouldn’t be gone. And I didn’t see Bryan at all,” Christopher said curtly as he stood and strode over to Xander’s side.
Shea turned her head to give Reanna a puzzled look. “Is he right? Is something wrong?”
Reanna’s brows drew together as she looked at Shea. “It’s strange. The mine shouldn’t be deserted.”
“Oh, God. Bryan!” Shea gulped in a breath, trying not to panic. “We need to go. We need to find out if everything is okay. What if it’s the Arcano? What if it was a trap? Christopher said he didn’t see Bryan.”
Xander and Christopher stood across the room having a heated conversation. Shea could tell both men were debating what to do about the unusual situation at the mine.
Reanna clasped her hand, keeping her in her seat. “Xander or Christopher will go, and they’ll take backup. Xander will probably go since Chris doesn’t know about the Arcano yet. If this is something set up by the Arcano, we have another job to do, and we need to do it fast.”
“What do you mean?” Shea’s heart was hammering, her anxiety for Bryan’s safety out of control. “I have to do something, Reanna. He has to be okay.” Panic filled her senses and her eyes began to tear. She couldn’t bear to think of something happening to Bryan. Every moment was critical right now.
“We can do something,” Reanna said determinedly as she squeezed Shea’s fingers. “Are you ready to do whatever you have to do to get Bryan out of danger?”
“Yes,” Shea answered breathlessly with no hesitation.
“I have an idea.” Reanna jumped to her feet. “We don’t know right now if something really is happening at the mine or if it’s just a miscommunication. But if something is happening, we need to do something to pacify the Arcano.”
Shea stood and the two women looked each other in the eyes. She didn’t care what she needed to do. She’d do it. It didn’t matter if everything was a misunderstanding. She didn’t want to take even a small chance that Bryan could be in danger. “Tell me,” Shea insisted adamantly. “I’ll do anything.”
Reanna looked at her sharply and nodded. In that moment, the two women formed a bond that would never be broken; a cohesive, protective instinct to protect their family together, and the people they loved.
CHAPTER TEN
BRYAN KNEW HE’D been set up the moment he’d set eyes on his chief engineer’s face. He should have known something was wrong when he’d entered the site and every vehicle was gone except for Philip’s. His chief engineer’s brown truck was the solo vehicle sitting in the makeshift parking lot, which was devoid of any other vehicles. Usually, the place was humming with activity. Even after he’d seen the deserted lot, although his gut had been telling him something wasn’t right, he thought logically that Phillip had evacuated the site, so he’d brushed off his negative instincts.
He shouldn’t have. Not listening to his instincts was likely to be a fatal mistake.
His driver, Charles, had dropped Bryan off at his residence, from which he’d driven his heavy truck to the current mine site. The mining area was no place for a Rolls Royce, and he preferred to drive himself. It had given him time to fantasize about all of things he still wanted to teach Shea, the things he wanted to do to her and with her, and how he could make her love him.
Now, one of the things he regretted the most was the fact that he might never get the chance.
Bryan had only gotten a glimpse at Phillip’s maniacal face before he’d been slammed over the head with a piece of equipment large enough to make him lose consciousness. He was awake now, pissed off, and sporting a massive headache, his vision still blurry.
His back propped against a rock, he was trussed up in ropes from his shoulders to his waist, bindings that held him fast against the boulder.
Execution position.
All Phil had to do was swing the large machete that he was currently holding, slamming the blade through his neck and against the rock to take his head off. Bryan struggled against the bindings, trying to figure out a way to get himself loose.
“You should have married, Your Highness. You had warnings,” Phil spat out angrily, his face red with fury. “I’m marrying Shea,” he told Phil calmly, still unable to reconcile the man standing before him as the same chief engineer he’d come to know and like over the last several years. A man he had trusted…until now.
“She hasn’t declared herself, and you didn’t heed the orders of the Arcano,” Phil answered in a surly, hostile voice.
“King Xander announced that she has declared herself.”
“King Xander is a disgrace, a ruler who seeks to destroy us, the very citizens who have protected the crown for centuries. He’s not to be trusted,” Phil said in the paranoid voice of a killer. “She has not come out publicly. We have only a treacherous king’s word.”
“Kill me. But I’m not asking her to do it. She’s already consented to our marriage, and the ceremony is already prepared.” To save his life, Shea would declare herself to king and country. But she would be uttering a lie. Rubare Collina customs had been nothing but harsh to her so far, drugging her and kidnapping her against her will. And…she didn’t love him. She needed time, and he’d be damned if he asked her to lie to the people of his country. Everything so far had been unfair to her: raising their child alone, her financial hardship, missing so much of Hayden’s life because she was working to feed them, the drugging, the kidnapping, being held against her will. She’d agreed to marry him, and that would have to be enough. To him, it was a goddamn miracle.
Obviously, the Arcano didn’t deem it sufficient that Xander had announced that Shea was loyal and that she loved Bryan and wanted to marry him. The wedding ceremony taking place was already public.
“You will die,” Phil agreed. “And so will your child and your whore who finally agreed to the marriage, a woman who had your child without marriage or loyalty to Rubare Collina.” He swung the blade restlessly.
He’s fucking insane!
But Phil’s madness meant nothing to Bryan. “She’s a damn angel. And she is not a whore.” Bryan’s fury went just as deep as Phil’s insanity now, as he struggled with every bit of strength he had to escape his bondage. “Lay one finger on either one of them and my brothers will come for you, and you’ll die painfully,” Bryan growled, his face red with rage. “Do you think you’ll be able to hide yourself once you’ve slain me?”
“It doesn’t matter. My duty will be done to Rubare Collina,” Phil replied, his voice deranged and unstable.
“You have no duty. The Arcano are no longer recognized,” Bryan said fiercely. “Times have changed. There’s no need for the Arcano. There hasn’t been for centuries.”
“The Arcano will always be necessary. They’ve saved the royal line from extinction. We are the power behind the crown,” Phil snarled. “The present king refuses to see it, but we will be reinstated. We are needed. Only the Arcano can save this nation.”
Bryan finally got enough slack in the ropes to start slowly moving his fingers along the strands, hoping the bindings were looped with a single knot. He found the area where the rope was tied to the right side and behind him, and his fingers worked furiously to release the tangled bunch of rope.
Stall him. Make him keep talking. Get free and kill the bastard.
He ground his teeth as he said, “Maybe you’re right. Tell me why you think we need the Arcano back again.” It nearly killed him to utter the words because he loathed the Arcano and everything it stood for in his country, but it worked.
Phil started ranting, but while Bryan was forcing himself to look interested in what the man who had be
trayed him was saying, he wasn’t listening to the insane chatter. He was working the knot in the rope, finally getting it loose and starting to pull slack to his bindings. The process was too damn slow, requiring him to loosen one strand at a time without drawing Phil’s attention. But his captor was too busy bellowing about the sacrifices the Arcano had made for Rubare Collina to notice that Bryan was slowly freeing himself.
“So that’s why you will die. You will be an example to any who dare to defy or ignore the ancient laws of the Arcano,” Phil finished dramatically, raising the massive blade over his head to render the fatal blow that would sever Bryan’s head from his body.
Had Bryan lifted the loose strands of rope over his head one second later, both his arms and his head would be rolling on the ground. But his timing was impeccable as he lifted the ropes and rolled his entire body into Phil, bringing the man to the ground as he swung. The machete flew from the Arcano member’s hand as it hit the solid rock.
Bryan didn’t give him a moment to recover. He was on his betrayer in a second, a red curtain of rage clouding his brain.
The bastard would have killed me, killed my family without a thought. He would have killed Shea.
Phil was almost a match for Bryan in size and strength, and both of them had rage on their sides. But Bryan was fighting for love; Phil was fighting for an insane, archaic tradition. He punched Bryan, landing several blows to his face, but Bryan was so furious that he didn’t let the landed punches faze him, continuing to pummel the man who would have hurt Shea and possibly his innocent daughter.
“I fucking trusted you, and you betrayed me. You betrayed your country, and your madness continues to cause havoc in my country.” He grasped the man’s hair when Phil put his hands around Bryan’s neck, trying to choke him. Still caught in an adrenaline, near-death-experience frenzy, he started slamming Phil’s head against the ground.
