by Eliza Ellis
Arthur smiled. “My name lives on, huh? Well, I supposed that’s something. We need more business-minded people.” His smiled slipped. “I missed my chance to be happy again with her. But…your mother was—is—by far the most exceptional of women.”
Daemon smiled. “I know, Dad.”
“Like Zuri.”
Daemon leaned over his father and kissed him on the forehead. “Rest now, Dad. We’ll get you some lunch soon.”
“You know I can’t eat. My body is eating itself.”
“Eww. Dad…”
“Daemon!” Arthur rasped. Daemon turned from the door. “You’re a good son. The best.”
Daemon chuckled. “I’m your only son.”
“And I’ve never wanted another.”
Daemon smiled. “I love you, Dad. Rest.”
“I love you too, son. And I can’t wait.”
Daemon quietly shut the door and sank to the floor. He stifled a cry of pain as he gathered his knees to his chest, hugged his legs, and buried his face. He hadn’t cried this much since his mother’s passing. He had wasted too much time not reaching his father sooner. He didn’t want to die with any regrets.
And if he didn’t get Zuri, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
Chapter 20
Two Weeks Later
Bendola
Zuri inhaled but didn’t release her sigh. Her gaze roamed over the men and women seated at the conference table in her meeting room at the presidential palace. People endlessly talking over one another, trying to determine the best way for their government to move forward.
Since the election, it had been nothing but daylong arguments with barely anyone agreeing on anything. Too many sectors of the government had been ignored by President Gohi, and all of them were competing for priority. If it weren’t for the aid of their neighbors and other countries around the world, people would be calling for another election to get rid of her.
It was times like this that she missed Daemon. His ready response, blunt and direct orders. He would know what to do and how to advise her. She had a wonderful ally in her friend David, and he was already earning his meager salary by establishing allegiances with their ally militaries.
But she missed being called Princess, even if her official title was now Madam President.
Her assistant exited the room quickly and then reentered a few seconds later. She came to the table and leaned in close to speak to Zuri. “You have a visitor, ma’am.”
“Who?” Zuri whispered back. She actually didn’t care. Anything to get a respite from the arguing would be welcome.
“I was told not to say.”
Zuri stiffened. Every morning, she received an official briefing from David on the state of her country’s security. Included with that briefing were all the known and potential threats to her livelihood. He was trying to put the fear of God in her about being assassinated so she’d take fewer risks with her life. She suspected he had been influenced by Daemon. Her ex-bodyguard would’ve made David promise that nothing would ever happen to her or he’d come back and haunt him from the grave.
Zuri’s eyes stung. She never got to tell the only man she had ever loved how much she truly loved him. And now he was gone. Shot to death because she risked coming back. There had been no time to grieve her father and no time to grieve for Daemon. Yet, she cried herself to sleep every night because of the intense loneliness she felt without them. She blinked a few times. No tears in front of her staff. They deserved a strong, capable ruler immune to the pressures of emotion.
She couldn’t take any more risks, or she’d lose another person close to her. Who would it be this time? Her assistant? David?
But if they had been allowed into the palace, then they must’ve cleared all security protocols. David had set them in place immediately after President Gohi’s men had surrendered. David’s top priority had been Zuri’s protection.
“Have my visitor wait in the sitting room. I’ll be there in a minute.”
After telling the leaders to continue hashing it out, she entered her sitting room and halted. The door closed heavily behind her, causing her to jump.
The broad shoulders. The light hair. Her right hand came up. If she could just touch his back, she’d recognize in a moment if it belonged to him or not. Her breath came in short gasps, her heart jolting painfully against her ribs.
The man turned around. The glow of the sun from the window behind him somewhat blinded her view of him. But her heart was certain of what her eyes couldn’t fully see. “Daemon…”
“Hey there, Princess.” He cleared his throat. “My apologies, Madam President.”
Her tongue moved around in her open mouth, but she couldn’t get words out. She was viewing an apparition. Her bodyguard was dead. Oh, no! I’m seeing things. I’m going crazy!
He smirked and slowly stalked forward. “You want help with your tongue?”
“No! Not from you.”
“Ah, there she is.” He grinned fully.
His eyes drifted down and she felt naked again. Wonderfully exposed. It was really him?
He kept coming forward, the gorgeous smile she missed filling her vision. What had she meant when she’d said “no”? Of course she wanted his help. She wanted all of him. “Daemon…” she whispered, tears wetting her cheeks.
His arms went around her waist. She rested her palms on his chest. “I’m right here, Princess,” he whispered. “It’s not a dream.”
“I…I thought you were… I was told…”
His lips covered hers. Warm, sweet, real. “Are you convinced?” he breathed against her cheek. Her arms slipped up around his neck. She clutched him tightly, crying softly into his neck. “It’s okay, baby.”
Sobs wracked her body, the grief she’d held inside flowing out in wet, salty tears. Daemon’s arms tightened around her. She’d missed his strength.
“Let it out, Zuri.”
She would be here for days if she did. All the tears for her father and Joqi, and ones she still had inside for Daemon. She didn’t know how much time had passed as he held her, whispering soothing words into her ear, his hands gliding gently up and down her back. Eventually, the tears ceased, and she was able to speak. “I thought I’d never see you again,” she said into his neck.
He angled his head to place a gentle kiss behind her ear. “You thought I’d go down that easy, Princess?”
She chuckled and leaned back to see his face. “David told me you were dead.”
Daemon’s expression briefly hardened as a shadow crossed it, but he smiled and said, “Always have more than one source.”
Zuri’s gaze narrowed. “What do you mean by that? Did David—”
He kissed her long and slow, and she melted into him. Whatever. She didn’t care. He was alive, and that’s all that mattered. “How long will you be here?” she asked before kissing him again.
“As long as you want me, Madam President.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like that as much.”
Daemon laughed loudly. “Noted, Princess. You’re looking at the new the CEO of Knight Industries. We’re here to present a few proposals—some you’ve already seen—and see if we can’t help usher Bendola into a more prosperous time.”
“You finally acquiesced to your father.” She scanned his face, looking for signs of regret. “How do you feel about that?”
“After taking two bullets for you, I think I’m good with sitting behind a desk for a while.”
“Daemon!” Two bullets? Her hands felt his chest, looking for wounds she couldn’t see through his clothes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He chuckled and leaned into her hands. “If I tell you I’m not, will you keep your hands on me?”
She grinned and then boldly kissed him on the mouth. “I don’t need a reason,” she whispered against his mouth. “I’ve never wanted to touch anything so much.”
He growled and took her lips more aggressively, lifting her into his arms. He carried
her over to the couch where he sat down and positioned her firmly in his lap. She saw him wince slightly and became alarmed. “What is it? You’re hurting.”
“Never mind, Princess. Kiss me.”
He leaned forward, but she evaded his attempts. “No! Daemon, if you are still in pain—”
“I was shot in the chest and the thigh.” He patted his left leg. “They’re still giving me some issues, but I’m healing. I’m good, Zuri. Don’t worry.” His gaze landed on her lips. “After all I’ve been through, you’re going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”
Her eyes moistened. “How can I not worry when you nearly died protecting me?” She tried wiggling off his leg, but he held her firmly in place.
“Stop moving. It’s better if you just stay still. And because I didn’t die. Nothing is going to keep me from the woman I love.” He cradled her face in his hands. “I love you, Zuri Msongo. And I want to be with you. Here, in America, wherever. Tell me I haven’t come all this way for nothing.”
Zuri smiled slowly, relishing the small show of fear in his eyes. The arrogant, know-it-all Daemon was finally at her mercy, and she was in control. If she didn’t love him so much, she’d take the chance to toy with him before giving in. How could she not?
She placed her lips against his, kissing him gently, still fearful of hurting him. She thought about slipping off his lap, but his hands went right back to her hips, holding her steady. In truth, if he could handle it, she was happy right where she was. “I love you too, Daemon Knight.”
His eyes locked with hers. “Marry me?” he whispered.
Her heart stopped. He proposed? Marriage? “You just want to be the First Husband.”
Daemon laughed. “Whatever you want, Princess. As long as I’m with you.”
She nodded and kissed him again. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I’m still in need of a personal bodyguard…at all times.”
“Hmm.” His grin was wicked. “All times? You don’t feel safe enough in the palace?”
“I do. Mostly during the day.” Her lips pressed against his. “But not so much at night.”
He pressed her closer. “Then I guess I better hurry up and marry you.”
Chapter 21
Zuri stared down at her gorgeous, heart-shaped engagement ring Daemon just happened to have on him when he unexpectedly returned from the dead. In a few short hours, she would be Mrs. Daemon Msongo-Knight—or Madam President Msongo-Knight.
They wouldn’t take a honeymoon for at least a few months. Daemon was in the process of relocating his main offices to Msongo, and Parliament’s first session had recently begun. The session promised to be a long one as the list of the most pressing needs of the country continued to grow.
The last of President Gohi’s men had been subdued. While law and order hadn’t been fully restored, most of the Bendolans had made the transition less stressful for the politicians, taking safety into their own hands and fighting against people seeing an opportunity to create unrest. Vigilante justice cases dropped to a nearly zero daily average after Zuri’s plea to let the young justice system prove itself.
She couldn’t believe that a month ago she thought Daemon was dead. Her life—although wonderful and fulfilling—could never truly satisfy her without the two most important men there: her father and Daemon. David had provided the support and encouragement she had depended on from a best friend, but her grief was fast surfacing and threatening to break down all her carefully constructed fortifications. She had to be seen as a sound and capable leader, despite her loss.
But Daemon had survived. He had later told her that David knew he’d survived the night they had returned to Bendola. For her sake, they’d both agreed to say nothing. Zuri had been furious at her friend for keeping that from her, but she understood why he had done it. She would’ve been consumed with Daemon’s recovery at a time when the country could only survive with all of her attention. But now that Daemon was alive, and the country was settling into its new course, she could take some time to marry the man who had won her stubborn heart and grieve for the one who wasn’t coming back.
Bayo Msongo never got to see his dream realized. His name would forever be remembered as the man who stood up to President Abdullah Gohi and whose followers won their independence. The new parliament had already memorialized the date of his birth as a national holiday. She hoped he was smiling from heaven and that he was proud of his daughter’s accomplishments.
Gohi’s long tenure as president of Bendola spearheaded the adoption of the United States’s two-term policy. Although her first term had hardly begun, Zuri was anticipating not running for a second. She wanted to set her country on a course that would familiarize her people with a change in leadership, after Gohi’s nearly twenty-year span. Although she thrived in leadership, Zuri wanted none of the fame. A job in the background would suit her just fine.
As would being a wife and a mother.
She smoothed the front of her traditional Bendolan wedding dress, the bright blues, yellows, and greens exciting her nerves even more. Marriage with Daemon promised to be exciting. With her as president and him running a global corporation, they would have their hands full juggling politics, business, and their family.
Zuri looked at her phone and frowned. Still no message from Daemon. He was supposed to have returned more than a week ago. He had left soon after proposing, citing his father’s failing health and desire to be by his bed when he died. His father had passed within hours of Daemon’s arrival but not before congratulating them on their upcoming wedding. Although Arthur Knight had creeped her out at their first meeting, Daemon had explained the root of the man’s loose behavior. Zuri hoped in death he might find some peace.
And then there was being the CEO of Knight Industries. Already it was eating into Daemon’s time. Zuri didn’t mind it so much as she had her own busy schedule as president of a country. For the foreseeable future, she would be flying all over the world to meet with leaders and solidify fledgling relationships. She didn’t expect them to be on the same page at all times, but she did expect him to be here for their wedding.
Neither of them wanted anything lavish, although Daemon being a billionaire meant she wouldn’t have to pay a dime, nor would they dream of passing along any expenses to the Bendolans. Instead, they would have a simple ceremony in the presidential palace and enjoy a meal and cake during another policy meeting. Daemon promised that when the two of them had a weekend free, he would take them on a cruise around the Indian Ocean and spend the night on a private island he’d inherited from his father.
Marrying a billionaire had its perks.
“Wow, Princess. Is that the dress?”
Zuri jumped at his voice. She saw him in the mirror behind her. Turning too sharply, she tumbled over the fabric draping the floor and fell into his arms.
“Still need my body to protect you,” he teased with a wink.
Zuri buried into him. “I’m so glad you’re here. Why didn’t you send word?”
“Wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, stop doing that. I might’ve ripped my dress.” She looked down at the floor to see if she’d torn it anywhere.
Daemon nuzzled her neck. “Don’t worry, it won’t be on long.” Zuri giggled as he tried to kiss her.
“There won’t be time for that. I have another meeting right afterwards.”
Daemon’s mouth slanted down to one side. “Madam President, it’s been a long flight. Could you please do me the honor of letting me kiss you?”
“Not until the wedding. Are you ready?” She looked him over. He was dressed in tactical pants but a traditional Bendolan shirt. They were merging their two worlds. In honor of his American tradition, she wore blue earrings that had belonged to his mother and her mother before. It was a tradition to wear them on their wedding day, and Zuri was honored to pass it along to their future daughter.
“Are you ready, Princess?”
She looped her arm through his. “I was born to be yo
ur wife.”
Daemon leaned in swiftly, capturing her lips. She playfully slapped him on the cheek. “It’s always going to be like this, isn’t it?”
Daemon grinned widely, clearly relishing in his victory. “You mean me giving orders and you completely ignoring them?”
“On the contrary. I was talking about me giving the orders and you doing what you want.”
“I can promise you an adventure, Princess, if you want it.”
She grinned and pressed her lips to his. “You know I do.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Daemon and Zuri’s story! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon here. One line is all that’s needed. This helps me continue to publish stories!
The Billionaire Scrooge—Charles and Freddie’s Christmas story—will release next month. Join my Reader’s Group for the release date. You’ll also receive a FREE novella when you do.
Time to write another romance!
Eliza
