Cold Flame

by Susan Copperfield

  “You’ve been doing just fine, thank you.”

  “While I appreciate that, you need better than just fine. You need training, I need training, and His Royal Highness’s agents will need to train with you until you have a detail of your own.”

  “Vince? Is that true?”

  “It’s true,” Ethan’s agent replied. “And that is not a slight against your rat guy. It’s just the truth. He’s done very well on his own, but that’s a much different skill set than protecting you during an active situation in confined spaces while working with a team. It’s resolvable through scenarios and training, but you both need a lot. Your physical condition will bar you from participation in a lot of the scenarios unless we start with you acting as dead weight.”

  “Unconscious or incapacitated?”

  “Precisely, Your Highness.” Vince left his post by the door and looked me over. “We can test a scenario tonight, Terry. We’ll use the gym at the palace. It’ll be a good chance to confirm a bond with His Royal Highness at the same time. We’ll get authorization for drugs from Dr. Stanton; it’ll allow us to observe her in less-than-ideal conditions. If we have the full emergency kit on hand and use a safe sedative or combination of sedatives, it should be fine.”

  “There’s such a thing as a safe sedative?”

  “It would be the equivalent of a sleeping pill, Your Highness. It’ll make you drowsy and lower your reaction times. You might not even lose full consciousness, but it’ll make it ideal for working with you in this type of scenario. If we don’t notify His Highness we’re running the scenario, we can confirm if you’re bonded when the drugs start kicking in and we startle you. We’ll also use several attuned suppressors to keep accidents to a minimum. Flameweaving and airweaving at a minimum. That’ll let your empathy operate at full strength. Sedation typically evokes a rather unique reaction in bonded couples. The stronger the bond, the stronger the reaction. Adrenaline triggered by dangerous situations also evokes interesting reactions.”

  “What do you mean by unique and interesting?”

  Terry snickered. “His Royal Majesty of Montana goes on a rampage. First, he must locate exactly where is wife is and check on her. Once he’s found her, he becomes excessively protective. It usually takes an hour or two for him to unwind once he reacts to her. His talent as an empath is strong enough to bond but not much more than that, so he gets a lot of false positives for dangerous situations. We track incidents, and I get notified about the more amusing ones. It helps us figure out what is actually an emergency.”

  “What counts as a false positive?”

  “There are a lot of stubbed toes. Shortly after she gives birth, stairs are a unique peril. His Royal Majesty does not allow his queen to carry any children down the steps for the first month following delivery. That way, she’s the only one who damages herself when she can’t get her feet to do what she wants.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “For her? Yes. Apparently, she calls it delivery brain, and she just forgets she has to pay attention when on any steps. The last I heard, His Royal Majesty was considering organizing the palace so his wife would never have to take the stairs. The elevators are typically reserved for staff, but she’ll probably be forced to use them in the future.”

  “That sounds crazy.”

  “That’s an apt description of life in Montana.”

  “I don’t usually fall down steps. That’s something, right?”

  “Definitely. Go get ready, Rachel. If you want to hear embarrassing stories about His Royal Majesty of Montana, I’ll indulge you on the way.”

  “I’m doing this under protest and in exchange for blackmail material.”

  “It’s not good blackmail material. He’s usually first in line to share those stories because they’re funny, and nothing helps break tension in a room more than a good laugh over yet another silly incident involving Her Royal Majesty. Sometimes, I believe she’s a master manipulator who stubs her toes and trips over her own feet on purpose just to make him dance to her tune. But it works for them. That’s what matters.”

  I agreed, and I wondered what would work for me and Ethan.

  It amazed me we might have a chance to find out.

  Fifteen

  What do you mean they come in different sizes?

  I liked shopping a lot more when Terry took pity on me and picked out clothes he felt would surely offend the prudes of the congress. The tank top showed off too much of my shoulders for my comfort, and the gauzy skirt I wore over black jeans would finish driving them crazy. Buying makeup sucked, but the lady in the cosmetics store simplified the process. She had me change into the clothes I’d be wearing and offered to do my makeup for me.

  An hour and two hundred dollars in cosmetics later, I escaped the store with smoky eyes, painted lips, and my hair freshly tamed as the lady couldn’t stand the thought of my hair being messy after fixing my face.

  “She really fixed my face, Terry!” Every time I came across a window, I halted to check my reflection. “Look. It’s all nice. And rebellious. This smoky eye business is the makeup of rebellion.”

  “Most women consider it seductive and alluring, Rachel.”

  Huh. “Really?”

  “I expect I’m going to have to do my best to ignore His Royal Highness’s emotions once he gets a good look at you. While his rather lustful emotions are appropriate for the situation, some things I don’t want to experience.”

  “Has he been bad to be around with your talent?”

  “He’s been exactly what I’ve expected from a desperate concentrated empath on a warpath and aimed towards the success of his long-term goals. Frankly, he’s the one who needs to be sedated.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I suspect I could just prescribe him as your general therapy plan and get decent results without the help of an actual therapist. He’s very determined.”

  “Is his determination going to be bad for my health?”

  “No, but I recommend you invest in condoms unless you wish to join the trend of princesses welcoming new members of the family prior to marriage.”

  I thought about that. “You’re not at all embarrassed by this conversation, are you?”

  “Not at all. There’s no reason for either one of us to be embarrassed. The way I see it, if I’m comfortable discussing this with you, you’re more likely to be comfortable coming to me if there’s a problem.”

  “Including where condoms are purchased?” I muttered.

  Vince and Ethan pointed at a nearby pharmacy.

  Well, then. I shot both RPS agents a glare, hauled my new clothes and makeup in the direction of the pharmacy, and went inside on a mission to keep from being yet another tally on the pregnant princess chart.

  After searching half the store, I found a bewildering selection of condoms, and upon closer inspection, I realized I faced more problems than I could readily handle. At an utter loss of what to do, I set my clothing and makeup purchases down, turned to Terry, and pointed at the offending rack. “What do you mean they come in different sizes?”

  For the first time in my life, I witnessed not one but both RPS agents lose their cool. Vince snickered first, which set Terry off, and within a mere minute, both men were reduced to laughing messes.

  My face burned. “It’s not that funny.”

  Vince recovered first, coughed, cleared his throat, and straightened. “Should he say something offensive to you, present a package of the small ones. You want the regular sized ones, however. Most men fit those without issue. The extra larges are decoys to make weak men feel better about their sexual prowess. If we were discussing His Royal Highness’s ego, you would need the extra large package.”

  “Still wouldn’t fit,” I grumbled, taking the man’s advice and swiping a packet of the small and several of the normals off the shelf. I examined the offerings, tucked several of the packages under my arm, and snatched a box that proclaimed the condoms glowed in the dark. “Seri
ously?”

  “If you think the glowing ones are bad, they come in fruit flavors, too.” Terry pointed at some on the top row.

  I had a choice of strawberry, raspberry, and banana. As I only lived once, and I suspected I’d die laughing around the same time I investigated the contents of any of the boxes, I selected the raspberry one. “I don’t care if I’m buying too many.”

  Terry snorted. “You’re a probable empath. He’s a probable empath. Get two extra boxes. You’ll need them.”

  Wow. I checked the label of one of the boxes to discover they held between twelve to twenty-four per box. “Is empath another word for rabbit?”

  Vince grinned. “Considering the number of children other empath pairs are producing, it’s possible.”

  “Please tell me there’s nothing else I need.”

  “Need, no,” Terry replied, and at the same time, he pointed at a bottle on the shelf. “You’ll appreciate the body oils and warming lotions, however. Once you start physical therapy, you’ll want back rubs with benefits, I’m sure.”

  I heeded my agent’s advice and grabbed as many as I could carry. “Okay. I’m ready to go now.”

  Terry retrieved my bags, shaking his head while laughing. “Thank you for not being horrifically embarrassed by the existence of condoms.”

  “I am horrified they come in flavors and glow in the dark.”

  “Yet you bought both.”

  “No one, at least in my recent adult life, has accused me of sanity. I’d laugh at them if they tried.” Hauling my stockpile of condoms to the cash register, I dumped the lot on the counter.

  The woman blinked, stared at my selection, and gaped at me.

  “I’m not going to use them all at once,” I assured her. “That would be weird. Weirder than my inability to settle on just one and buying them all so I don’t have to stand in the aisle for an awkwardly long time deciding which one to get.”

  Laughing, she reached for the first box and went to work scanning my purchases. “I can’t say I’ve ever bought half the stock to avoid standing in the aisle for too long, but I might borrow that the next time I go shopping.”

  “It’s expensive yet effective.”

  “That it is.” The cashier told me the total, and I grimaced at losing over a hundred dollars to condoms and oils and lotions. The payment terminal beeped, confirming my bank account could handle the financial assault. “Have a great night, ma’am.”

  I took the bag from her and peeked inside. “With this many condoms, if I don’t, I’m going to be very disappointed.”

  She laughed, and once I escaped the store, Vince helped Terry with my other bags. The RPS agent snickered, shaking his head. “On one hand, I feel like warning His Royal Highness might be wise. On the other hand, perhaps some things should be discovered naturally.”

  “Please tell me I don’t have to carry a bag full of condoms into the congress session.”

  Terry shook his head. “Of course not. We’ll leave it in the SUV. You can even hide it under the seat if you’d like. Bring as little with you as possible.”

  “Is me, myself, and I as little with me as possible?”

  “You might want to bring your clothes.”

  I considered the condoms. “Maybe I should have gotten a pack of the extra larges.”

  “You don’t need a pack of the extra larges, Rachel.”

  “But I could take those, in the glow in the dark variant, into the congress session and use it as a prop. The prudes might fall over dead, sparing me from having to light them on fire if they try to protest my admittedly impulsive acceptance of a Californian prince.”

  Terry and Vince exchanged long looks before Vince handed over my bags to my agent, turned on a heel, and returned to the store.

  “He’s going to buy more condoms, isn’t he?”

  “It’s every RPS agent’s dream to watch an entire gathering of congress suffer seizures from a princess making a mess of their session.”

  “I can’t help but notice you neglected to mention the use of condoms.”

  Terry grinned. “Rachel, I don’t know another princess bold enough to actually take condoms to such a meeting let alone actual wield them as weapons. I don’t think it’s ever been done. There have been princesses and queens who have challenged their congresses, but never with condoms. Her Royal Majesty of Texas did threaten—and use—birth control in her favor, but never condoms. It’s a joy watching the ladies hold their own against politicians, period. I have high hopes for this afternoon.”

  “It’s not just condoms. They’re extra large ones that glow in the dark.”

  “That only makes it better. Also, I will deny any and all enjoyment of this incident, and I will also deny any accusations of encouragement.”

  “But will Vince?”

  “Of course. We are stoic professionals. We do not participate in such schemes.”

  “Sure. I’m pretty sure anyone who has met you would understand that’s a load of crap.”

  “Yet you could tell everyone, and no one would believe it because all RPS agents are stoic professionals.”

  “This sounds like a challenge, Terry. I may not be a good New Yorker, but I’m New Yorker enough I have problems refusing a challenge.”

  “I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor, Your Royal Highness.”

  “Well played, Mr. Rat Guy, but I refuse to lose to you.”

  “That’s a good start.”

  Before I could come up with a suitable comeback, Vince returned with a bag, and it looked far larger than necessary for a single box of extra large condoms. “What else did you get?”

  “Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and some cotton candy. I thought you might appreciate some ammunition, should it be required.”

  “Everyone is going to think I’m a kinky hussy if I bring that into the session and start putting it on display.” I peeked into his bag to discover he’d also gotten some other items. “Clothes pins? Tasseled bookmarks? What on Earth?”

  “DIY kink, Your Highness. You can take it however far you want. There’s also a dog collar and leash for your amusement.”

  “The pharmacy sells dog collars and leashes?”

  “We’re educated pet lovers with an adventurous side here in California. Please enjoy your stay.”

  I needed adult supervision, but the adult supervision with me had zero inclination to control my impulses. As a result, I packed my condom collection and tools of sexual mischief into a brand new black leather tote bag Terry promised looked professional. The bag bulged, and I wondered if it would survive through the day.

  Considering its horrific price tag, I hoped it lasted for years.

  Royals and those who knew them needed to stop wasting so much money, and I needed to leave the ranks of money wasters. Tomorrow, I’d behave. I’d also bust ass to make sure I never had to go clothing shopping again.

  “Now that we’ve assaulted my bank account in cruel and unusual ways, what’s next?” I hoped we’d finally be able to escape the shopping center.

  After my morning, Terry’s threats of going shopping for self-deprecating behavior held a great deal of weight.

  To my relief, Terry pointed in the direction of the parking garage, and he waited until I walked in the right direction before falling into step with me. “We need to go meet your therapy animals. Dr. Stanton has made arrangements, and she’s going to meet us at the congressional hall for the introduction. Her animal empath friend is there, and he’s brought two promising animals. He’s hoping both of them will take to you, as they are litter mates. They’re rescues from the fur trade, and they aren’t suitable for release back into the wild. Their previous owner had hand reared them, and they’re socialized to people. It’s probable the prior owner was an animal empath and had bonded to them, which has made the animals view humans as family members.”

  “What sort of asshole animal empath bonds with animals and then kills them for their fur?”

  “I don’t have an answer t
o that. Considering your personality and inability to treat animals poorly, this should be a good fit, and they’re very intelligent. Magic has played a role in that, too. Magic doesn’t just influence humans, or so we’re beginning to learn. They’re unfit for the wild, and they’re also unfit for life in a zoo. They’re too smart and too reliant on humans.”

  “The more you tell me about the animals, the more worried I become. Also, I’m concerned I’m their therapy animal.”

  “That’s not an inaccurate thought. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. It’s a unique situation, and should this work out, you and His Royal Highness will need to undergo a lot of training for their care. But your pets will be safe from them, so please don’t worry about that.”

  “But how do you know?”

  “You’ll understand soon enough.”

  “That is very foreboding, Terry. If you’re trying to make me feel better, you’re failing miserably.”

  “It gets worse.”

  “How could this possibly get worse?”

  “They’re a critically endangered species.”

  “Who the hell would trust me with a critically endangered species?”

  Terry glared at me. “You have just earned yourself one full day of shopping, which is probably a good thing, as you’ll need attire appropriate for their exercise and general care. As for who would trust you to handle a species like this, anyone who has met you and seen how meticulous you are with the care of your rats. Fortunately for you, these animals are far more resilient than infant rats, and you’ll have a team of people helping make certain they’re healthy and happy. They’re both female, and we’re hoping with the help of the animal empath, they can breed in the future to help reestablish wild populations. That means you won’t be able to keep or handle the babies, and that the animal empaths will have to be careful with their general handling when born, but it’s a chance to breathe new life into the species. A royal owner will give them the best chance at a good life.”