I was done with fighting and curled my arms over his shoulders to keep him from leaving me, even if it was only for a few more moments. The way my body responded to him, immediately melting in his arms, served as another reminder of a subconscious part of me that remembered him from our relationship before all this craziness with princesses and clones.
My head was swimming and I imagined us in this room—but it was our room, in our own trailer that we had all to ourselves. Kale would never hurt me. I knew that. He would slowly guide me to the bed and gently lie me down while continuing to kiss and explore my entire body.
His lips left my mouth and trailed down the side of my neck… and then left my skin and simply hugged me tightly.
“I wish I didn’t have to go,” he whispered.
“Then don’t,” I said, knowing that wasn’t possible.
Kale’s eyes found mine and he looked at me like he might never see me again, which I didn’t want to even consider as a possibility.
“I’ve missed you,” he said. “I’ve missed us.”
I smiled shyly, feeling my skin grow warm. I felt I could finally be happy, and here he was, about to leave.
“I want to continue this when I get back,” he said with a mischievous grin.
“Then hurry home,” I said, matching his yearning and eagerness.
His smile widened, then he kissed me one more time before fleeing the room.
I dropped onto Kale’s bed. My whole body felt weak but in the best possible way. I didn’t know what Duke Mackenzie would discover or what plan would be devised the next day, but at least Kale and I would have tonight. That’s all I wanted to think about; the whole night, in each other’s arms.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself, the Prince was out of my system now. That relationship was over. I could tell this place would become my home. Kale would become my home.
17
Byron
I found what Kale had called the devil’s tree. It was twisted and deformed, orphaned by the forest it stood before. It was quickly approaching twilight, but still light enough to see there was no one there.
I’d brought three of my soldiers with me on this mission. Mark sat beside me in the front, and Pax and Rod almost took up the entire back seat of the SUV. There wasn’t much room for returning home with Gabriel, let alone him and Kale. But that was an issue for later. First, we had to see how the meeting went.
“Is that it?” Mark asked.
“It has to be,” I said, applying the brakes as we approached the abomination of a tree. As we got closer, carvings on its bark came into view. Not just a few, but hundreds of them—tattoos that nearly covered the mess of trunks.
Once stopped, I stepped down from the vehicle and walked up to the tree to get a better look at the markings. They were initials—initials of couples declaring their love to the world, or offering themselves up to this evil specimen. Circling the tree, I found the initials continued all the way around and up into the canopy where someone would have had to climb to reach.
“Where are they?” Rod asked. He was the largest and oldest of the group. He also had a family—two cute little kids—so had the most to lose.
I needed to deter gunfire from my team at all costs.
Then I saw movement in the forest and a group of men stepped out from the trees. Kale led the pack, Gabriel close behind. And Duke Ramsey—he was in shackles, restrained by two other men.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
“Safely in my camp,” Kale said.
“That wasn’t the deal. She was supposed to be here. I have a message to deliver from the Queen.”
“Give me the message and I’ll take it back to her,” Kale said.
“I can’t do that,” I said. “The message is for her personally. Take me to her.”
Kale shook his head as I knew he would.
“Gabriel,” I said. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“She’s using you. Your whole family. All of us,” Gabriel said. “I’m not standing for it anymore. She is my enemy—a true enemy of Easteria. And if you can’t see that, if you’re truly on her side, then we are no longer on the same side.”
“You’ve turned your back on both kingdoms,” I said. “And there’s no coming back from that.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Gabriel said. “I know I can’t go back. I’ve made my peace with that. Kale and his clan have taken me in and I have a good place there.”
I shook my head. “I have to take you back. I am responsible for trying you for treason.”
Gabriel’s pistol came up faster than I even imagined. I knew he was fast, but his draw was like lightning. Then, guns were raised by everyone present but me. I was out in front of my men, and they started to make their way to shield me.
“Don’t move,” Gabriel said. “One more step and your prince is going down.”
“You can’t take all of us,” Rod said. He showed no fear, but I could imagine what was running through his head. He didn’t want to die for me, but he would.
“I don’t have to,” Gabriel said. “I only have to take down the Prince. Everyone else is inconsequential.”
“After everything we’ve been through?” Rod asked. “Don’t do this.”
Gabriel kept his eyes on me, unwavering like the soldier I met over a decade ago. “I’m not going back,” he said. “And the Prince isn’t going to back down. Are you, Prince DuFour?”
I shook my head and took a deep breath. I hesitated before saying, “I can’t go back to the Queen without you.”
“Then you won’t be going back,” Gabriel said.
I anticipated the shot, which came from Gabriel. The bullet ripped through my side with an explosion of blood. Pain surged as I instantly lost the strength in my legs, which collapsed from under me. The force of the bullet threw me backward and I thought I’d be hitting the ground. But strong arms caught me before impact and lowered me more gently.
I hoped there’d be no more gunfire, but I was in too much pain to care about anything else as my blood pooled on the ground. I was so glad Victoria wasn’t here to witness this.
Rod’s hands pressed tightly against the entrance wound but the bullet had gone right through me; I felt the warm liquid spreading at my back.
“What did you do!” someone yelled. The voice was close, so it was one of my men, but I could no longer make more of a distinction than that.
He did what he was supposed to, I thought. But it didn’t make it any easier.
“No one has to die today,” someone far away said. I think it was Kale. He sounded closer than I remembered. “Hand over your guns.”
“The Prince needs help,” Rod said, still kneeling over me. “There’s a med kit in the SUV. We need to stop the bleeding.”
“The longer it takes you to hand over your weapons, the closer the Prince is to bleeding out.”
“Hand over your weapons,” I said, but I didn’t know if anyone could understand me. The words in my head sounded nothing like what I heard escaping my mouth.
“Run and get it!” Kale said.
Someone at the corner of my darkening vision took off running.
I was now looking up at Kale standing beside Rod, who was still diligently trying to keep my bleeding under control, but failing.
“I’m sorry for this,” Kale said.
Rod looked up just as Kale bashed him in the back of the head with the butt of his gun. Rod crumpled forward, landing on top of me. Most of his two hundred-plus pounds bore down on me. Breathing had been difficult before, but now it was completely cut off. I thought this was it—the end. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Kale, with the help of one of his men, dragged Rod’s unconscious body off me.
Then Gabriel was beside me with the med kit. “It’s going to be okay.”
“What’s happening?” I croaked.
“Don’t try to talk,” Gabriel said. “Everything’s under control. Your guys are out and we
’re setting them in a safe location. We’ll be long gone before they wake up.”
“Piece of cake,” I said, and coughed, which sent bolts of agony through my entire body. I closed my eyes and tried to block out the pain as they quickly patched me up. “You… found… him.”
Before passing out, I heard Kale’s voice slice through the haze. “We’re even.”
18
Victoria
I was getting ready for bed when Kale barged into the house, accompanied by an entire procession of men. Mina was already in bed, but not yet asleep, and I was just about to join her.
“We need Dr. Stetson, now!” Kale yelled atop all the commotion.
I wandered into the living room to see what was going on and saw an injured man being carried in. Kale was barking directions. I was immediately relieved he wasn’t the one being lifted.
Natalie threw towels down on the couch before the bleeding man was gently lain over them.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I’ll get him right now,” Frank said and bolted out of the door.
“Bring him some water,” Gabriel demanded.
Natalie ran to the kitchen and returned in a flash with a glass of water with a straw.
I tried to see through the semicircle of people blocking the couch, to get a glimpse of the injured man.
“Victoria, why don’t you go crash with Mina in my room,” Kale said, appearing beside me amidst the chaos. “I’ll come in and see you as soon as everything’s under control.”
“What happened? Who is that?” I asked.
Kale looked weary, stressed, and nervous. It was obvious he didn’t want to answer the question.
“Kale, who’s lying on that couch?” I asked, more directly this time.
Instead of answering, he stepped aside. When I pushed through the crowd, I saw what I wished I hadn’t—what Kale was probably trying to protect me from.
“Price Byron, oh my God,” I gasped. I dropped to my knees beside him.
He was covered in blood, bandages taped to his stomach. His shirt was ripped open for better access to the wound and the bandages. He was sweating, writhing, and groaning. Seeing him like this was a terrible image that would haunt me. His eyes were wide, but his gaze was vacant. He seemed to have no idea I was right there beside him.
“Move aside! Move aside!” a man yelled, rushing to the Prince. The bystanders parted, to let in the newly arrived man. I also complied, getting to my feet and stepping back. I continued backward in a daze until I collided into Kale.
He wrapped his arms around me to keep me from retreating further. “It’s okay,” he said into my ear. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How is this okay?” I cried.
“Dr. Stetson’s the best. He’s taken care of many gunshot wounds. He’ll have the Prince patched up and good as new in no time,” Kale said.
“What happened out there?” Tears were streaming down my face now and I buried my face in his chest. I didn’t want to hear Prince Byron in pain anymore but then noticed he was quiet. I lifted my head, concerned. “Is he still alive? I don’t hear him.”
“He’s okay,” Kale said. “Doc gave him a sedative to knock him out while he works. Let’s get away from here. You don’t need to see this.”
I nodded and Kale led me to his room. Mina was no longer there, so we checked in Ariel’s room and found them huddled together in bed. While I stood frozen in the doorway, Kale went in and reassured the girls everything was fine. He tucked them both in, ushered me into his own room and closed the door.
“Are you going to tell me what happened out there?” I said, wiping away the remaining tears. Why had the Prince been shot and then brought here? It didn’t make any sense. If he was shot by someone on our side, the Prince would have been left there—unless he had become a hostage. Was that what was happening?
“I swear, I didn’t know this going in,” Kale said. “The Prince had called me and asked for a trade. He said to meet him at—”
“What kind of trade?” I interrupted.
“He didn’t give specifics. He told me the less I knew, the better. But he was adamant about you not being there.”
“Was he shot intentionally?”
“He’d set up a plan with Gabriel to shoot him and overtake his group without killing any of them. We knocked them out and took the Prince here. It certainly is a lot easier getting through the fence with his access.”
“What do you mean?”
“He has access to control the gate, the sandworms, and the Mekka wolves—eliminating all conflict on the way home.” Kale searched my face for my thoughts on the whole situation.
“Couldn’t there have been another way—a better way?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Did Prince Byron really have to be shot? Couldn’t he have worn one of those vests?”
“He wanted it to be convincing,” Kale said. “He wanted it to look like he failed his mission without appearing a traitor to the Queen.”
“Like Gabriel?”
“Exactly, which is why Gabriel had to be the one to do it.” Kale led me to the edge of the bed and motioned for me to sit. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. I’m sure there will be a lot going on tomorrow.”
“Have you heard from the Duke yet?” I asked.
“The Duke?” Kale’s expression contorted into some mixture of confusion and guilt. Then he continued, “Oh, Mackenzie. No—I don’t know. He’s probably contacted my father, but I haven’t heard anything yet. I’m sure I’ll hear about it in the morning—once the Prince isn’t the priority.”
I gazed up at him, curious. He was either really distracted with all the chaos or was hiding something else.
“Lie down,” Kale said. “Try to get some sleep.”
“But I want to help—I’m here to help,” I said.
“There’s really nothing for you to do right now. Byron will be moved to the medic trailer soon and he’ll rest there for the night. There will be a lot to do tomorrow, so the best thing you can do is get some rest so you’re not dead tomorrow.”
I shot him a disapproving glare.
“I didn’t mean—that wasn’t—I’m sorry,” he said, deflating, unable to really recover. “I’ll be back soon. I don’t want to pull an all-nighter either.”
I did as he asked and crawled under the covers, which smelled like Mina. He said good night and pressed his lips to mine, but the passion wasn’t there—for either of us. We were both too preoccupied with the madness of the evening to properly focus on each other. He closed the door on the way out, leaving me in darkness.
I could still hear a muffled commotion from the living room and did my best to block it out, try not to decipher what was being said, but I couldn’t help myself. I could make out very little, but it didn’t stop me from trying.
I couldn’t believe Prince Byron was there. What would I say to him when I had the chance? Did I want to even see him? Seeing him in so much pain made my heart ache. Was it aching for him or from the fact I didn’t want to see another person in that kind of agony? I had never been shot but knew all too well what it was like to be in terrible pain.
I had been looking forward to spending the night with Kale and now wanted nothing more than to check in on Prince Byron. Why did he have to come here? Why tonight?
After a half hour and a few slams of the front door, the house was quiet. I could hear people outside, but those sounds soon quieted as well. The night finally became still, but I was anything but.
I tossed and turned in the bed multiple times before finally giving up. There was no way I could fall asleep now.
19
Victoria
I opened the door a crack and peered into the short hallway. From there, I could see into the main living space. Only one dim light remained on in the kitchen, acting as nothing more than a nightlight for the rest of the house.
All was still.
Ariel’s door was closed, so hopefully, she and Mina were asleep. The do
or to Kale’s parents’ room was open and the room, dark. It seemed they were out taking care of the chaos as well.
I ventured out of the bedroom and tiptoed to the front door. I pulled back a corner of the curtains next to the door and scanned the visible vicinity of the house. There were people walking around, but not anyone I recognized. Their lack of urgency convinced me they weren’t knowledgeable about what was currently happening.
I finally decided it was safe to slip outside. The overhang provided some shadows. The path just past the overhang was lit from lanterns on the nearby houses and trailers. I crept in between Kale’s house and the next, which kept me covered.
I moved swiftly from one house or trailer to the next, keeping to as many shadows as possible. I was probably more conspicuous traveling this way, but I wanted to avoid anyone who’d recognize me.
It seemed no matter where I went, I couldn’t escape the secrets. This place was no different than the palace—everyone held tight to their secrets, agendas, and motivations. I got the feeling Frank was no better than the Queen. I felt confident Kale was looking out for me, but even he was holding back information. And I didn’t believe he didn’t know.
I reached a trailer at the edge of the camp. Around the back was a vineyard, stretching far into the darkness. I found an opening to travel down the first row of vines, to more easily move without being noticed. When I saw movement or heard voices, I stopped and crouched until those people were farther away.
I passed by several camp fires, crawling until I felt at a safe distance. All the people I passed seemed engrossed in their own business, having nothing to do with my Westeria drama.
Then I saw a door to a trailer open and two men stepped out.
“What are we going to do with him?” one asked.
“I don’t know yet, but let’s keep this quiet until morning. He’ll be fine until then. I need to talk to my father.” This voice sounded familiar—Kale.
Royal Replicas 2: Royal Captives Page 10
