by J. S. Scott
“What possessed you to sleep with a man you’d just met at the ball? If you were a virgin, that doesn’t make any sense.”
I sighed. “A very bad plan and a ton of alcohol.”
I quickly explained to Jessica why I’d wanted to divest myself of my virginity.
The princess laughed, speaking only when she’d recovered. “It’s actually brilliant. If you weren’t saving it for some reason, it makes some kind of strange sense to rid yourself of what was holding you back from exploring the island. But it could also have been dangerous.”
I nodded. “I know. Luckily, Alex was a decent enough man. It was a crazy thing to do, but I can’t do anything about it now.”
“I can’t say I recognized him,” Jessica mused. “I remember meeting you at the ball, and you were flushed and happy. Unfortunately, your escort said very little. But blond men are unusual here. Maybe he isn’t Rubarean. Are you willing to take that chance?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. The chances are too good that he’s from the island. What else would he be doing here?”
“You said he was a nice guy,” Jessica said.
“He was. He was funny and nice. But I have no idea what he’ll do if I try to marry Nic. He could step forward out of loyalty.”
“I suppose he might,” Jessica acknowledged. “But are you willing to give up your future happiness on a possibility?”
“I am. It was stupidity that put me in this situation. It’s up to me to avoid any further damage. But I had no idea I’d even find Prince Nic tolerable. Turns out, he’s every woman’s dream.”
“He’s your dream because you two are perfect for each other,” Jessica replied. “And I think I’m going to hate myself for letting you get away from Nic.”
“It’s my choice,” I reminded her.
“I know. But I care about Nic,” Jessica answered. “I want him to find the right woman, and I’m rather afraid he already has found her.”
Tears flowed freely down my face. “But you know it can’t happen. You’re in love with your husband. Wouldn’t you sacrifice to see him stay safe?”
“Of course. I’d do anything to protect him and vice versa. He didn’t let me ride in the parade today because I just found out I’m pregnant,” Jessica said with a faraway look in her eyes.
“Congratulations,” I said sincerely.
She smiled at me. “Thanks. My husband and I are both excited, but I think he’ll drive me crazy with all the things he’ll royally forbid. He is starting to treat me like fragile glass because he knows I’m pregnant.”
“And do you obey?” I asked curiously.
“When I can. When I agree with him,” she answered. “If I don’t see the reason behind his decisions or orders, I make my feelings known very loudly to him. You can take the woman out of America, but you can’t take the American out of the woman. Ballasare and I have to compromise, but he’s also going to be the future king, so I know when I need to give in.”
“I suppose it’s different for your husband,” I observed. “Nic has a ton of responsibilities, but he doesn’t need to worry about being the future king.”
“Both of Ballasare’s brothers are completely loyal to Rubare Virgina, and they fulfill their duties well. Nic has always been extremely busy with the businesses. And his animals take up a lot of his time when he’s home.”
“He’s an incredible guy,” I answered, my voice shaky with remorse.
“So is his older brother,” Jessica answered. “I know Rubare Virgina seems like it’s in the dark ages, but I’ve been here long enough to know that it really isn’t. The people here are wonderful, the island has almost everything a person could want, and the citizens are genuinely happy. I know some of the traditions are crazy, but overall, I’ve come to love it here.”
“I think I could, too,” I said sadly. “It’s not like I have any real friends back in the States, and there’s only my mother now since my dad passed away before I left high school.”
“You don’t make friends easily?” Jessica questioned.
“Not usually. I’ve never fit in with my peers. They’re rich, just like me, and their wealth has decided their fates before they were born. Mine would have been decided too if I hadn’t rebelled. My father would have let me have my freedom if he was alive, but my mother can be difficult.”
“I had problems with acceptance myself,” Jessica shared. “I was way ahead of my classmates, and gifted. It didn’t bode well for friendships. I got mocked and teased. Nobody wanted to be friends with the freak.”
“I never would have known,” I told her truthfully. “You look like exactly what you are: a beautiful princess.”
“Believe me, my self-confidence is still challenged sometimes, but I don’t think about it much anymore. I’m accepted by my husband, his family, and the people of Rubare Virgina. But I understand what it’s like to never feel like you fit in.”
Jessica was the first woman I’d ever met who could lay her vulnerability out there on a platter, and I respected that. “Really, the people who already care are the ones who matter,” I said insightfully, finally starting to recognize that the people who made fun of my crazy eyes, my sad hair, and my body were bullies. They didn’t deserve my time to even consider what they thought.”
We were silent for a few moments before Jessica spoke again. “Are you sure you want to leave? I’d love it if you stayed. I think all of us would. Nic is going to incredibly unhappy.”
“Will it put you in a bad position with him?” I asked, not wanting to make Jessica’s life miserable, especially when she was pregnant.
“Maybe at first. I doubt I’ll tell him that I was an accomplice in getting you away from Rubare Virgina. Eventually, he might understand why you couldn’t stay. Have you ever told him the whole story?”
“No,” I admitted. “I feel like an idiot about my master plan right now.”
“Do you want to see him one last time before you go? I think you should. Maybe he’d be willing to risk humiliation if it meant you could be together.”
“I can’t risk it,” I said, sounding panicked.
“Okay then, let me see what I can work out,” Jessica said reluctantly as she reached in her small clutch purse to pull out her cell phone.
“I’ll get packed,” I announced flatly.
My heart ached so badly it nearly dropped me to my knees. I packed in a rush, tossing items into the suitcase without much thought.
I was leaving Rubare Virgina and the man I loved. Nothing else seemed important except my broken heart.
CHAPTER 9
Nic
Celebrations and holidays didn’t usually irritate me. But today had been a long day, time wasted that I could have spent with Diana.
Even though she’d told me she wasn’t sure if she’d be attending the anniversary festivities, there had been a part of me that had hoped she’d show up anyway.
She’s not packing.
She’s not leaving.
After what had happened the night before, I sure as hell hoped that she’d realized that we belonged together. Surely she’d recognized the fact that she couldn’t leave, and that we had to marry.
I arrived at the Colossal Hotel later than I would have liked. And my mood wasn’t improved by Theo when he stopped me before I could get on the elevator.
“Your Highness,” Theo greeted me as he stepped in front of the lift that I really wanted to ride.
“What is it, Theo? I’m in a bit of a hurry.” I was anxious to find Diana. We had things we needed to straighten out.
“Miss Longmont isn’t here,” Theo informed me. “She asked me to give you this.”
He held out an envelope, and I swiped it from his hand and stuffed it into the back pocket of my jeans. “Did she say anything? Where in the hell did she go?”
“She simply said she had
to leave tonight, Your Highness. That was all she said.”
I looked at Theo, trying to see if he was telling me the whole truth. He didn’t know it, but he always did some weird thing with his eyes when he wasn’t being completely forthcoming.
There was no looking away for a moment as he spoke. Theo’s gaze had been steady. He didn’t know anything else.
“Never mind. I’ll find her,” I answered, being as nonchalant as possible before I turned and exited the hotel. Theo could be a busybody when it came to royal business, so I tried not to share any of my personal information with him. Not that I’d really had much of a personal life before I’d met Diana.
I got back into my SUV with the letter in hand, not caring if I was parked in a No Parking zone. Fuck it if I used my royal privilege right now. I needed to discover what had happened to Diana.
Why in the hell had she left? She knows how I feel about her.
As I pulled the paper out of the envelope, something fell into my lap. When I lifted it up, I instantly recognized the heart pendant that Diana always wore around her neck.
I quickly opened the letter:
Dear Nic,
I know I’m being a coward by not saying goodbye to you in person, but I’m not sure that I can, so I had to resort to written words.
Last night was the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me, but I can never be your wife. I’m not eligible, but I hope you find the perfect partner.
I wanted to give you something that actually means something to me: the last gift I received from my dad. I hope it brings you luck in your search.
Please pick yourself a bride before the Arcano gets restless. I wish you all the happiness that a person can possibly have in the future.
Best Wishes,
Diana
“Shit!” I cursed, tossing the letter in the passenger seat. “How in the fuck did she leave?”
It wasn’t like Rubare Virgina had normal airports. She couldn’t just pick up the phone and book a flight. Somebody, a citizen, had to have helped her get off the island.
I hit the button to start the engine of my vehicle, both fury and sadness warring inside my body as I thought about her letter.
I should have talked to her last night. I should have told her that I loved her. I should have made sure she was going to stay.
Refusing to accept her brush-off, I headed to the only place I knew that might have answers to my questions.
I wasn’t choosing another bride.
I’d already found the woman I wanted.
I just needed to know why she didn’t want me.
“Where is Diana?” I asked my father, eldest brother, and my sister-in-law after I’d arrived at the main residence.
If my woman had gone missing, one of them knew exactly where she was. An invited guest wouldn’t leave this island early without assistance from someone in the royal family.
All of them had gotten to their feet in the great room when I’d arrived. My father was the first to speak. “Where is she? Why don’t you know where she is? The Arcano sent a warning this morning. They grow impatient. An announcement was expected this afternoon.”
“I don’t care about the Arcano,” I answered gruffly. “I just want Diana.”
“I thought she was with you,” my father bellowed. “I was under the impression that the marriage situation was settled. If there’s no announcement, your life is in danger. We’re down to only a few days, Niccolino.”
There was absolutely no reason for my father to lie right now. He was counting on an announcement, and instead of being angry, he actually looked worried.
“I can only make the Arcano happy if I can get my perspective bride to agree. It appears that she’s left the island,” I answered unhappily. “I’m going to have to go after her.”
“Don’t, Nic,” Jessica pleaded as she stepped forward. “Diana has her reasons why she can’t marry you. You have to pick another woman.”
It only took me a moment of surveying her guilty expression before I asked, “It was you? Did you help her fly out of here?”
A tear trickled down her cheek as Ballasare gripped her firmly by the waist and pulled her to his side. “Jessica thought she was doing the right thing, and I agreed. Diana couldn’t marry you, Nic. She’d put you and the royal family at too much risk.”
I was tired of hearing about duty, honor, and doing exactly what was expected of me. I looked at Ballasare as I replied angrily, “In what way does she put you at risk? I’ve done everything I’ve been asked to do my entire life, and all I wanted was one single thing for myself. I love Diana, and I think she loves me, too. She must. I can’t possibly feel this way alone.”
“She does love you,” Jessica answered grimly. “She left to clear the way for you to marry someone eligible.”
“She was eligible,” I argued. “She was perfect. And even if she wasn’t, I’d find a way for her to become my wife.”
“She slept with somebody else on the first night she was here, Nic. A man named Alex. Diana knew very little about him, but if he’s a Rubarean, he could expose the truth.”
The indignation I’d been feeling suddenly vanished. “That’s why she left? She thinks that she tarnished herself and that being married to me would hurt me?”
Jessica nodded. “Yes. I’m so sorry, Nic. She loved you so much that she wanted to protect you.”
“I have to find her, Jess,” I told my sister-in-law. “I can’t explain right now, but I can guarantee you that Diana didn’t sleep with another man. I know that because I took her virginity myself.”
“Before the wedding?” My father looked around the room and then sagged with relief as he realized we were completely alone.
“It happens,” I answered irritably, knowing that my elder brother had almost certainly been guilty of the same offense. Oh, he’d never admitted it, but I knew he had cared too much about Jessica to leave her alone until the wedding.
“Yes, it does,” Ballasare admitted sheepishly. “If a man loves a woman that much, it definitely can happen.”
“It never happened to me,” my father rumbled.
“The point is, Diana was a virgin,” I continued. “And she is going to be my wife.”
“What if you’re wrong?” my father challenged.
“I’m not wrong,” I said, annoyed. “Jessica, is she gone? I need to know her route.”
“Nic, are you sure?” my eldest brother asked urgently.
“Would I ever risk one single hair on my family’s head? Have I ever? If there was any possibility that I was wrong, I wouldn’t be asking for the information.”
Jessica quickly told me what she knew, and then I turned around, desperate to try to intercept my future wife before she got too far.
“Where are you going?” my father called as I jogged out of the great room.
I rose my voice and yelled, “I’m going to kidnap an American wife.”
I heard my father’s snort of disapproval as I strode through the main entrance, and I couldn’t help but grin.
Diana loved me enough to give up her own happiness.
Yes, maybe I did need to talk to her about making sacrifices like that, but right now, I was relieved. Jessica’s information had given me hope that I could clear up this mess and marry Diana as soon as possible.
Maybe she’d miss being in America, but I’d make it up to her. We’d travel together, and I’d make her so happy that she’d never regret giving up so much to be with me.
I was making plans in my head right before I felt the worst pain I’d ever experienced rip through the left side of my chest. It brought me to my knees, and I turned only to see a shadowy figure disappear into the wooded area that surrounded my father’s castle.
I clamped a hand to my chest, then pulled it away to find my fingers covered in a thick coat of bl
ood.
“Dammit!” I said in a pained, graveled voice.
I wasn’t entirely sure who my attacker was, and I was beginning to not give a damn because my head was spinning. My blood continued to flow, and I could see it drenching the denim I was wearing as my body lost its battle with gravity and I finally hit the ground, spilling the colorful pavement in front of the palace red with my blood.
“Your Highness!” I heard one of the door guards shout.
Apparently he’d seen me fall, and I was grateful that I wouldn’t have to lay here for long.
I struggled to stay alert, but the persistent, buzzing sound in my head kept growing louder.
“Nic! Oh, my God! What happened?” a female voice screamed.
It was Jessica, and I felt her presence as she knelt down beside me.
“What happened?” Ballasare asked in an unusually panicked voice as he too lowered himself to the driveway to look at my wound.
I grimaced, then tried to speak. “Not sure. Got me from behind,” I rasped. “Diana…”
“I’ll find her, Nic. I promise,” Jessica answered in a tearful voice. “I helped her get away. I’ll bring her back.”
“I love her,” I told her with the last energy I could muster.
“I know,” she said grimly. “Just try to be still. The ambulance is coming.”
“He’s bleeding too much,” I heard my father comment.
“I know, dammit,” Ballasare replied as he tore at my shirt. “I can’t even tell exactly where the wound was initially struck.”
Sirens wailed in the distance, and voices started to become part of the buzzing in my head as I finally gave in to the darkness that was beckoning me to close my eyes and be still.
CHAPTER 10
Diana
I buckled my seatbelt, wishing some kind of numbness would set in after my constant state of crying. Wasn’t there a point when it stopped, when the pain started to ease?
For me, there was nothing except a profound emptiness.
Maybe I’d feel better once I was off the island. Jessica had only been able to get a pilot, a jet and a small crew ready so quickly without notice or preparation, and I’d been at the airport for several hours.
