Behind Palace Doors

by Jules Bennett

  Easing back from him, she shook her head and toyed with the tissue she had clutched in her hand. “No.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  Again she shook her head.

  “Victoria would be happy to get you something, or you can go and we will stay here,” he offered.

  “I can’t leave,” she told him. “I can’t even think of eating. I just want someone to tell me for certain that Mikos will be fine. That he’ll be able to walk again, talk again and not be a vegetable.”

  That meant his brother obviously had a brain trauma.

  Stefan took her hands in his. “Does he have swelling in his brain?”

  Karina nodded. “They drilled holes to alleviate some of the pressure, but all we can do is wait. They put him in a drug-induced coma.”

  Stefan closed his eyes. How many times had they been rock climbing in Kalymnos? Countless. It’s what they did. Anything to be reckless and adventurous.

  “He’ll be fine,” Stefan said, squeezing her hands. “He’s tough, and there’s no way he won’t fight to come back to you.”

  Karina sniffed. “I’m pregnant.”

  Stefan sat up straight in his seat. “Excuse me?”

  “I just confirmed with the doctor while Mikos was out climbing. I was going to tell him when he got home. What if…”

  Again she collapsed against him and sobbed.

  Dear Lord, a baby? Stefan couldn’t imagine his brother not pulling through, but even if he did, what would they all be faced with?

  His baby brother was just as strong and determined as he was. So there was no way, even if he woke up and couldn’t walk, that his brother wouldn’t move heaven and earth to get back on his feet…especially with a baby on the way.

  Victoria rounded the corner and took a seat across from them. “The nurse said the doctor would be out shortly to talk to us. He’s actually in Mikos’s room right now evaluating him again.”

  “Thank you,” Stefan told her.

  “Can I get you guys anything?” she offered. “I saw a lounge down the hall. Coffee, water?”

  Both he and Karina declined and Victoria nodded as she eased back in her seat. In no time the doctor came down the hall.

  Stefan stood and extended his hand. “I’m Stefan Alexander. How’s my brother?”

  The doctor shook his hand. “I know who you are, Prince Alexander. I’m happy to tell you that your brother made it through the surgery better than any of my colleagues or I thought he would. We will be keeping a close watch on him, but even in his drug-induced coma, he’s responding to us being in the room.”

  Hearing such positive news had Stefan expelling a breath he’d been holding for quite some time.

  “So where do we go from here?” he asked.

  “Well, I think it’s good that you’re all here. He needs strength and support from his loved ones to encourage him. I can let you visit, but only one at a time and not for very long.”

  Stefan nodded. “I understand. When do you believe he’ll wake up?”

  “That really depends on the swelling, when we will back off the meds, and how his vitals are when we try to bring him back from the coma. This could be a long process, but right now all we can do is pray and hope he’ll fight the rest of the way.”

  Stefan had no doubt his brother would do just that. “Thank you, Doctor.”

  “Go see him,” Stefan urged Karina. “Tell him your news and give him something to fight for.”

  Karina smiled. “You think I should tell him before he wakes up?”

  “Absolutely.” He leaned in, kissed her damp cheek. “Go on. We’ll be here.”

  She all but ran down the hall, and Stefan sank to the sofa. Scared, helpless, yet optimistic, he really had no idea how to feel or what to do next. He just wanted his vibrant brother to be up on his feet and celebrating the good news of the baby.

  “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?” Victoria asked, sitting beside him.

  “Yes.”

  “Bless her heart. I can’t imagine how scared she must be.” She rested her delicate hand, the one that held his diamond ring and wedding band, on his leg. “What can I do for you?”

  Stefan wrapped an arm around her, pulling her against his side. “Be here. Don’t leave me.”

  She tilted her head to look up into his eyes. “Stefan, even if we weren’t married I would’ve dropped everything to be with you.”

  And he knew in his heart she meant that. Which made her invaluable and precious. He’d always known she was the best thing in his life, but now he knew he couldn’t get through another trying time without her. Yet if he couldn’t commit to loving her the way she deserved, what did that possibly mean for their future?

  Fourteen

  “Can you tell us about your brother, Prince Stefan?”

  “Is he going to pull through?”

  “Was this an accident or a suicide attempt?”

  That last question from the slam of paparazzi stopped Stefan cold outside the hospital as he and Victoria were trying to make their way to his car waiting at the curb.

  “Excuse me!” Victoria shouted with her hands up. “But my brother-in-law is in there fighting for his life. We request that you respect our family’s privacy. There will be a formal announcement on his prognosis later, but for now you can put on record that this was in no way a suicide attempt. We would appreciate if you would get facts straight before going to print.”

  Victoria looped her arm through his as she led the way, plowing past the flashbulbs and reporters screaming questions. Thank God she was experienced in handling the media circus. Being one of the famous Hollywood Danes, she was no stranger to the chaos.

  She held tight to his arm as she pushed through the crowd and slid into the awaiting car. Before another question could be shouted their way, his driver slammed the door to the busybodies.

  “They’ve never known the meaning of the word privacy,” Victoria muttered. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re apologizing after that?” he asked, turning to look at her. “I can’t thank you enough for handling that mess.”

  “That suicide comment was uncalled for.”

  He shifted, staring straight ahead. “Yes, it was. But you handled it beautifully.”

  “I hope it was okay that I mentioned a formal announcement later. I just assumed…”

  Stefan glanced over to her as she closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the seat. She was exhausted. Only yesterday she’d put in nearly twelve hours designing, then they’d made love until well after midnight and had woken up at five in the morning to fly to Greece. He was tired, but she was exhausted. He’d had his adrenaline to keep him pumping forward, but he had no clue what she was running on.

  “That was fine. The media will spin a story or make up one if the truth isn’t juicy enough. Letting them know there was more to come will pacify them for a bit,” Stefan told her. “Once Mikos comes to and can speak for himself, this will be easier to handle.”

  Eyes closed, head still back, she gave a slight nod. “Yes, it will. Just tell me how I can help.”

  Stefan smiled. Even when she was dragging and on her last leg, she was still putting herself out there for him and his family. She was the strongest woman he knew and perfect to be reigning as queen…if she stayed.

  No, he couldn’t think about that right now.

  “The best thing you can do is rest,” he told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her down to his side. “Once we get back to the palace we’ll both try to get some sleep.”

  And then he planned on staying at the hospital until his brother showed a vast improvement. He needed to give Karina some time to eat, to sleep, but once the doctor had assured them all that Mikos wouldn’t be waking or likely showing much change for the next day or so, they’d all promised to go home, rest, shower and refuel and return the following morning.

  Stefan glanced at his watch. He was so confused on time. Between not getting enough sleep before arriving and
the time difference, he didn’t know what time he thought it should be. But his body knew it was time for sleep.

  By the time they reached the palace, Victoria had a soft, steady snore going. He smiled. He’d tried telling her once when they were teens that she snored when she’d stayed for a movie and had fallen asleep. Like any young lady, she refused to believe that she could do something so rude…or normal. So he’d let the moment go, until they’d fallen asleep once while on an evening picnic. They’d stayed out late and lain beneath the stars talking when she had drifted off and started snoring. She occasionally joked that maybe she did snore, but it wasn’t loud like he claimed.

  And every night for the past three months, he’d been lulled to sleep by those soft purrs, as she liked to call them. She may think it was a catlike purr, but it was more like a tiger growl.

  When the driver opened the door, Stefan carefully slid her into his lap and eased from the car to carry her inside. The palace wasn’t a small place and his room was at the end of the long corridor, but that didn’t matter, not when he held such precious cargo.

  He wasn’t about to wake her to make her do the zombie walk of exhaustion up to the room. Besides, she didn’t weigh much, not when he was used to pulling his own body weight up while rock climbing.

  Would he ever be able to climb again? If his brother didn’t make it, he honestly didn’t know. But he couldn’t think like that. He wasn’t scared to tackle the rocks again, but he didn’t want to do it alone when he’d done it for so long with his brother.

  Victoria was being strong through this process; he needed to mimic her actions in order to get Karina through this tough time.

  The weight of Victoria in his arms felt so…right. He didn’t know how he would’ve gotten through this initial shock of his brother’s accident without her. She may have not done much, but being by his side, refusing to leave the hospital until he did and then handling the paparazzi like that only gave further evidence that she did love him.

  But did she truly love him as deeply as she thought she did? Part of him wanted that to be true, but the friend side wanted her to be mistaken. He could admit his feelings for her had deepened since their wedding, but…love? No. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—go that far.

  For years he’d wanted to explore their friendship to see what could come of it, but he never thought love or marriage would be a step in their lives.

  Maybe fate didn’t want them together since the timing was always off. Or maybe fate knew just when to throw them together for maximum support and impact. Between his father’s death, her scandalous breakup and now his brother’s accident, he knew they needed each other now more than ever.

  Not to mention the upcoming coronation. Yes, they were always there to offer support and for consoling, but that’s what friends did, right? All of that did not allude to love.

  Stefan entered his suite, closing the high double doors behind him, and crossed to the bed, where he laid her down.

  He stood over her, looking at all that pale blond hair spread across his navy, satin sheets. She was such a beauty, such an angel to have come into his life to save him over and over again.

  How could he truly ever repay her?

  Love had never been on his bucket list, had never been a priority. Love was something his brother had found, Victoria’s brothers had found. Love wasn’t something for a man who enjoyed women as much as he did or who didn’t plan on marrying and settling down.

  Yet here he was married to the most precious woman in his life. And, if he were being honest with himself, he’d admit that being married to Victoria was amazing. But they’d not really been married long and they’d been jet-setting back and forth. They hadn’t lived in a realistic wedded atmosphere—or as realistic as it could get with being thrown into the proverbial spotlight as royalty.

  As he slid off his own shoes and stripped down to his boxers, he slid in beside her and held her against his chest.

  How would he manage if she stayed? Could he give her the marriage she deserved? She’d been engaged before—she obviously believed in happily ever afters—so why had she settled knowing he couldn’t offer her a bond any deeper than their friendship and sex?

  There were no easy answers, and Stefan had a sickening feeling he was going to hurt her before this was over.

  * * *

  Victoria had been working via phone and email with her staff back in L.A. Between a few mishaps on the set of her brothers’ film that her assistant had to take care of and a glitch in the Italian silk she’d ordered not arriving on time, Victoria was ready to pull her hair out.

  Added to all of the work tension, she was worried for Stefan. His brother was showing remarkable progress, but Stefan was so dead set on staying at the hospital to give his sister-in-law breaks whenever she needed them. Like any loving, dedicated woman, Karina wasn’t leaving Mikos’s side. Victoria envied their love.

  On a sigh, Victoria sent off another email to her assistant to remind her to check on the dates for the bridal expo she hoped to be ready for…if that blasted silk would arrive.

  As she was looking at possible backup outlets for material, her cell rang. Grabbing it from the oversized white desk in her suite, she answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Tori,” Bronson said. “So glad I caught you.”

  Her stomach sank. “There’s another problem with a piece of the wardrobe?”

  His rich laughter resounded through the earpiece. “Not at all. Your assistant did an amazing job coming to our rescue the other day. She deserves a raise.”

  And she was going to give her one, for all that poor girl would probably have to take on in Victoria’s absence.

  “So if it’s not the wardrobe, what are you calling about?” she asked.

  “I’ve been trying to reach Stefan, but it keeps going to voice mail. Are you with him by any chance?”

  “No. And he keeps his phone off while he’s at the hospital.”

  “How’s his brother doing?” Bronson asked.

  Victoria sank back into her cushy chair and dug her toes into the plush white carpet. “The doctors are astonished at the progress Mikos is making only two weeks after a near-death experience.”

  “That’s great. You guys must really feel relieved.”

  “Stefan is still like a mother hen,” Victoria told him. “He spends his days and evenings there. I think he’ll feel better once Mikos is released and a nurse is with him at home.”

  “I hate to bother him,” Bronson said, “but when he gets a chance could you have him call me?”

  Victoria drew her brows together. “Something wrong?”

  “Not at all,” he assured her. “I just wanted to discuss that documentary we are going to be working on.”

  Victoria sat up straight. “Documentary?”

  “Yeah, the one on his mother’s death? Anthony and I are thrilled he came to us and trusted us to take on such a project.”

  Stefan went to her brothers for a film? And didn’t say anything to her? A sliver of betrayal and dèjà vu spread through her. Had she been used again for her family name?

  “Anyway, just tell him no rush,” Bronson went on, no idea of the instant turmoil flooding through her. “He can call me when he gets a chance.”

  Victoria hung up, laced her fingers together and settled her elbows on the desk. Her forehead rested against her hands and she refused to let her past relationship make her have doubts and fears about this one.

  Stefan was not Alex. Alex had used her to gain an upper hand in Hollywood. To be part of the Danes, to be on camera whenever possible and to gain access to her famous brothers.

  Alex had never loved her the way she had him—or thought she had—he’d only been with her to see how far he could get with his goal of becoming famous.

  A ball of dread filled her stomach.

  Was Stefan using her? He’d technically used her to gain his title, but she knew about that and was happy to help. But was he using her as a way to get
to her brothers? To make sure that he was in the family and make it that much harder for Bronson and Anthony to turn him down?

  And what was this documentary about his mother’s death? She had no idea he was even thinking such a thing. Oh, she’d known about the scandalous way the media had portrayed the accident, but Victoria had never believed the late King Alexander had anything to do with his wife’s death. The media just wanted to make it a Princess Grace type of story and glamorize something that was so tragic.

  So why hadn’t he told her? And what else had he been hiding?

  Had he lied about other things—like all those calls from other women? Had he not answered them because she’d been sitting right there?

  Oh, God, she was going to be sick.

  Before her humiliation with Alex she never would’ve entertained such terrible thoughts about Stefan and wouldn’t be analyzing this situation so hard, but she’d been burned so badly, she was still scarred.

  On a groan, she dropped her arms, headed to the desk and tried to come up with some plausible explanation for all of this. But she couldn’t defend him. He’d taken her already battered heart and pressed harder on the bruise.

  Victoria had to confront him, and she knew if he told her he had indeed used her, lied to her, she would not be able to stay married to a man who had humiliated her like that.

  She’d thought Stefan was different. How could she have made the same mistake twice?

  Fifteen

  When stress overcame Victoria, she did what she knew best. She designed.

  She grabbed a notepad and pencil from the drawer of Stefan’s desk in the master suite and took it to the balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The tranquility, the peacefulness of the crystal-blue water ebbing and flowing to the shore should’ve calmed her nerves.

  Unfortunately when you were lied to, even by omission, nothing could relieve the hurt and betrayal. Not even the beauty of the country she was legally the next queen over.

  But the deception wouldn’t have been so bad, so crippling if it hadn’t come from her best friend…the one person outside her family she depended on, cared for. Loved.