The Reluctant Prince

by Candice Gilmer

  The prime minister glanced at Sydney. “Ms. Martinson, you are lovely.” He leaned over and kissed the top of her hand.

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling.

  “Enjoying yourself,” he asked, the crows feet around his eyes crinkling as he smiled.

  “Oh yes,” Sydney said, “though I’m so overwhelmed, Prime Minister. So many people here… I don’t think there were this many people at my high school graduation.”

  The prime minister grinned, then glanced at Hadrian. “How quaint.” And he disappeared into the crowd.

  Sydney leaned into Hadrian. “Did I say something wrong?” she asked, her face lined with worry.

  “No, you’re fine,” Hadrian said, patting her hand.

  “He’s an asshole,” Michel chimed in.

  Heather smirked. “He’s just British.”

  Sydney glanced at Heather. “But you’re British, aren’t you?”

  “All the more reason for me to know the behavior.”

  The music changed, and Hadrian felt relief wash over him. It was time for their dance.

  “My lady,” he said to Syd. “I think it’s time we take the dance floor.”

  “Great,” she muttered, “dancing.”

  Hadrian walked her onto the dance floor. “Relax, this isn’t any different than any other dance.”

  “There wasn’t a bazillion people watching me.” She glanced around nervously as Hadrian held her hands up in a waltz position.

  “You can do this, like we practiced.” And they had practiced off and on the last couple of days. In between his cooking in the kitchen, trying to create new ideas for his show, and getting ready for the wedding, they’d almost danced a track in the ballroom floor.

  “Ready?”

  Sydney stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Later,” he said with a wink. “One, two, three, one two three, one two three.” It took a few steps for Sydney to find the groove, but in a moment, she had it, and followed him around the dance floor perfectly.

  It would have been perfect if she wasn’t counting to herself.

  “Relax,” he told her again. “It’s a simple move. Da, da, da.”

  “Simple for you,” she said, tensing in his arms.

  “You’re doing brilliantly. I think you’re charming the dignitaries as well.”

  “I sound like a moron.”

  “You’re not a moron. You are a brilliant woman.” As he finished the sentence, she stepped on his foot.

  “Who can’t do the waltz.”

  Hadrian laughed. “Oh, I have a question for you.”

  “I’m getting to be scared of your questions.”

  “Why?”

  “Every time you ask me one, I wind up moving.”

  Hadrian laughed. “I was thinking about that, actually.”

  “What?”

  “Well, how do you feel about going back to school?”

  Sydney stared at him like he had a booger hanging out of his nose. “For what?” This actually helped, because she was much less tense while they danced, he could control her movements much better.

  “For doing makeup and hair for television.”

  She blinked. “Like working on your show?”

  “Yes. Not mine, though, the network has rotating people who move from show to show. You could do that. But you’d have to go to classes first.”

  “Well, I… I don’t know. How much are the classes? I’m pretty broke.”

  “They’re not bad. About ten thousand.”

  “How long are they?”

  “Twelve weeks, I think.”

  “That’s a lot of money for twelve weeks of school.” She glanced at the floor, and almost stumbled again. “I don’t know, Hadrian, it’s a lot.”

  “You forget, that you’re my wife. And as California law states, you’re entitled to half of what I have.”

  She met his gaze. “Let me think about it.”

  “Of course. It was an idea. I didn’t know if you wanted to move in that direction with your career.”

  The music came to a stop, and as they walked off the dance floor, she squeezed his hand. “It would be an amazing opportunity, that’s for certain.”

  “Well, just think about it.”

  “I will.”

  Man, I was hot.

  After I left the dance floor with Hadrian, Lindsey scooped me up and started ushering me around the room, between all these different people who I had no idea who they were.

  Some of them I’d heard of, but others were just faces. Maybe later, if I watched the news or something, I’d figure out who they all are.

  I even met some American dignitaries—the Secretary of State, and the Vice President. That was kinda awe-inspiring. I hoped I didn’t sweat on them, I was so hot.

  Lindsey glanced at me after we moved past the last few people. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m exhausted. My face hurts from smiling.”

  Lindsey laughed. “Go get a lemon and suck on it.”

  “Eww.”

  “It is hot in here.” She fanned herself. “Go get some air. I don’t think anyone will find fault with you if you did.” She glanced around. “Who’s shadowing you?”

  “Nico,” I said, seeing him through the crowds. “He’s over there.”

  Lindsey saw him and waved him over.

  Nico appeared in a flash. “Yes, Your Highness?”

  “Sydney’s hot, take her someplace less crowded to get some air.”

  “Aren’t you coming with me?”

  She shook her head. “I promised Prince Henry a dance. Ahh, here he comes.”

  Now this particular prince, I did know. “Wow, he’s gotten quite handsome,” I said. I’d been introduced to him earlier, but it was very brief, and I barely got a good look at him, because others wanted his attention.

  Lindsey waggled her eyebrows. “And with any luck, he’ll make my boyfriend jealous, and he’ll spend all night pampering me.”

  I shook my head. “You’re so bad.”

  She grinned. “Nothing gets a man off his rump faster than jealousy.”

  Henry heard her last few words as he approached. “Who are you making jealous, Your Highness?” His eyes twinkled with mirth.

  She grinned. “Hopefully my boyfriend.” She held out her arm. “Shall we?”

  The prince nodded, but glanced at me. “Sorry to steal your partner in crime, Ms. Martinson.”

  I smiled. “It’s fine, it’s time for me to get some air.”

  He had a most charming smile. “Well, escape while you can.”

  I laughed, and turned to find Nico standing next to me. “Oh, hey, Nico.”

  “If you would come with me,” he said. His voice was stiff, almost mechanical as he escorted me away from the ball. His grip on my arm was tight, almost too tight, yet he maneuvered me through the crowds easily.

  He still held my arm as we made it to the perimeter. “This way,” he said, leading me toward a pair of double doors that led outside.

  I tried to pull my arm free. “Nico, really, you can let go.” I jerked my arm out of his grip, rubbing it where he’d held on.

  I walked out the doors, Nico behind me. Already the cool breeze hit and I started to feel better.

  There were a few people around, visiting quietly. I couldn’t help noticing the ones that were standing a little too close together, whispering and generally focused on each other more than anything.

  My gaze fell on one couple, and I was pretty sure they weren’t together inside.

  I motioned Nico over. “Isn’t that that lady from Germany, and that man, from…” I couldn’t remember where, but it wasn’t Germany.

  “Prague, Your Grace,” he whispered.

  I stared at him. “Shh, someone might hear you.” I didn’t want someone to overhear him calling me that, since we were not supposed to be married yet. No one had yet to leak our wedding to the public. I didn’t want something being overheard and blowing everything.

  Nico said nothing, then
pointed toward a fairly deserted part of the courtyard.

  I’d been back here enough with Hadrian. I knew the spot.

  I grabbed the edges of my dress, raising it up as I walked, heading for the little corner.

  The stars twinkled, and as I got closer, the voices around outside faded away. It was very peaceful. A water fountain gurgled to my left as I stepped down the path, it the only other sound besides my footfalls on the rocky path and the swishing of my dress.

  I let the breeze wash over me, cooling me down as I thought about Hadrian’s suggestion.

  Makeup and hair for television? That would have to be pretty darn cool. Though I also knew I’d have to work really, really hard. I mean, I’d be walking into the job. I’m sure it took a heck of a lot of talent and experience to get in that position. And I know how I’d feel if I had worked my butt off for something, and some gal came in, married to a star, and got a job.

  “I’d have to be doubly good at everything,” I muttered.

  The smell of cigarettes hit me before the words did. “You seem to be doing pretty good on your own, commoner. Or should I say Your Grace.”

  I spun around.

  Alicia stood there, her corkscrew curls perfected, her makeup smooth and a press pass hanging around her neck.

  “Alicia,” I whispered.

  She smoked a cigarette, the smoke wafting into the air, a haze staining the moonlight. It wasn’t an American cigarette—something foreign was mixed into the haze, cloves maybe?

  I glanced at Nico. He wasn’t moving.

  “Nico?”

  Alicia glanced at him. “Thank you, Nico, for bringing her here.”

  Butterflies danced in my stomach. “What’s Nico got to do with this?”

  “Everything.” She glanced at him again. “Why would I know that you and Hadrian are already married?”

  I took a step back, trying to maneuver back toward the ball. “What do you want?” My hands shook, and I felt cold and clammy all over.

  “Why to remove any distractions.” She countered my maneuver. And she pulled a gun out of her pocket.

  I stared. “What is it with people waving guns at me?”

  “You seem to have that problem.” Alicia moved closer to me. “Now, here’s what we’re going to do. We are going to find Michel, and we are going to finish this.”

  She took another step toward me, and my heart thumped so loud, I thought for sure it would be heard inside. “Finish this? Why?”

  Alicia stared at me, as if I was the dumbest person in the world. Her eyes were cold, but her expression pure disbelief. “When I do a job, it is finished.”

  “So you’re going to shoot the Crown Prince of Koros?” I asked, my voice getting higher as I spoke.

  “No, silly girl,” Alicia said. “You are.”

  Blood drained from my face, realizing what she was planning—somehow she was going to pin this on me. And wouldn’t I be convenient? The little woman Hadrian picked up in Vegas the weekend his cousins were attacked? A little odd that he happened to be distracted by me when this was going on.

  At least that’s what the press would think—how they would spin doctor this. Especially Alicia. She’d come out of this unscathed.

  Jesus.

  The gloves she wore squeaked against the metal of the gun. And she was determined.

  She was going to pull this off or at least die trying.

  My stomach threatened to upchuck all over her.

  All I could think was where was the security? Where were the thousand royal guards who’d been everywhere I turned since I arrived. How had she gotten in?

  My mind ran like a crazy wild fire, trying to see someone. Anyone in the area. People were lingering about everywhere. Surely someone saw her. She couldn’t have gotten in here without help.

  Then I stared at Nico. And it clicked together. “You. You helped her get in here.”

  Nico wouldn’t look at me.

  Now I really did feel my food in my stomach trying to come back up. Where was Hadrian? Where was Robert? Where was anyone? Surely I’ve been gone too long to be appropriate to be getting air.

  “Of course Nico did,” Alicia said, jarring me out of my thoughts. “He’s been my lover for a couple of years now, haven’t you?”

  I glanced at my bodyguard. “You betrayed me,” I whispered, my hand going over my stomach, feeling a feeble need to protect my baby. “You were supposed to protect me.”

  “I did my job,” Nico said.

  I didn’t think so, but who was I to argue? I didn’t have a gun.

  Alicia reached my side, and propelled me along the path. My gut screamed I needed to stall for time. For something. Yet her grip on my arm didn’t allow for much.

  “You’re not so lippy when someone sticks a gun in your back,” Alicia said, pushing me forward.

  All I could think of was stalling—keep her talking. Isn’t that what everyone done in those action movies? “Why are you doing this?”

  Alicia let out this strange laugh. “Because I should be Queen of Koros. Why else?”

  “And why do you think that?” I asked. The gun jabbed me in the center of the back.

  “Because I’m me,” Alicia said. “I ran his life. I controlled his every move, until you came in the picture.”

  “You had his cousin killed, and now you want to kill the other one?”

  The smell of American cigarettes hit my nose. I looked down the path.

  Hadrian had come outside. He saw me and grinned, moving forward.

  I shook my head.

  He didn’t slow down.

  No, you idiot, go back. Go back inside, I screamed with my mind.

  Of course, Hadrian didn’t realize I was trying to do the Vulcan mind link. He kept coming.

  Alicia, being shorter than I was, couldn’t see him on the path, she stayed right behind me, my big pink dress probably shielding her from sight.

  Nico was in the rear, behind Alicia, and I was sure he had to have seen Hadrian enter the path.

  I didn’t know what to do, so I did the only thing I could think of.

  I stumbled, dropping down to one knee. In a flicker of understanding, Hadrian saw Alicia behind me, and he dove into the bushes.

  “Get up, what is wrong with you?” Alicia demanded, jerking me up by my arm.

  Maybe she hadn’t seen Hadrian. Maybe he’d gotten away. He could bring help, get some security.

  “The Duke dove into the bushes,” Nico said.

  I wanted to punch Nico in the face.

  Alicia groaned. “Of course he did.” She wrapped her arm around my neck, using me as a shield. The gun jabbed against my temple. “Come out Hadrian. Come out, come out wherever you are.” The singsong tone of her voice sounded incredibly sick and wrong in the pretty much silent courtyard.

  A twig snapped to our right, and Alicia jerked me around, tangling herself in the dress.

  She lost her balance in the layers of fabric.

  I grabbed her wrist, and the momentum of her stumble sent me spinning around. My other elbow was out, and as I spun, I hit her dead in the side of the head.

  She groaned, her head bouncing like I’d punched her, and she started to fall. But she hadn’t let go of me.

  Hadrian burst out of the bushes right in front of us.

  When Alicia fell, I went down with her.

  I forgot about the gun.

  It went off in a blinding explosion next to my ear. I couldn’t hear anything except a ringing, a painful ringing. Even my eyes seemed out of focus, I was so jarred.

  Everything seemed to move in slow motion. I was jerked off Alicia, into Hadrian’s arms. Someone, Nico, I thought, yanked Alicia off the ground, kicking her gun out of the way. He pinned her arms behind her back.

  Blood ran down her face from where I’d hit her in the side of the head.

  She wasn’t unconscious, but she wasn’t firing on all cylinders anymore, either. She yammered to Nico, but I couldn’t hear it, the buzzing in my ears blocking
out most of the sound, Nico said something back to her.

  It looked like he told her to go do something anatomically impossible.

  Hadrian brought my face to his. He was saying my name, over and over.

  It sounded like he was trying to talk to me through a bucket of bees.

  “I’m alright,” I said. “I’m okay.”

  From out of the black, a dozen royal guards appeared, and Alicia was crated off.

  Hadrian was speaking again, and I put my hand on his arm.

  It was sticky.

  I screamed, at least I think I did. He kept shaking his head at me, but I couldn’t understand. I saw the blood. Robert appeared, and he escorted us inside, straight to a doctor.

  I didn’t faint.

  I was rather proud of that.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “I’m fine, dammit,” Hadrian snapped, jerking away from the doctor. In point of fact, he really wasn’t fine. His shoulder was bleeding pretty well, and burning like a son-of-a-bitch, but he didn’t care. The bullet had grazed him. It had only been a scratch, but it hurt like Hell.

  Probably why he was so angry.

  Couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that this wasn’t how things were supposed to go. This was their engagement ball. They were supposed to be having a wonderful time, hob-knobbing with strangers, not getting shot at.

  Sydney was across the room, being treated by a doctor. He was asking her questions, writing down some of them, and holding up a pad.

  Hadrian didn’t like the look of that.

  The doctor managed to get a bunch of salve on him, which didn’t feel very pleasant, and a bandage before Hadrian was finally allowed to get up.

  He was at his wife’s side in a moment. “Baby,” he whispered, kissing her shoulder.

  She smiled at him, though she was very pale. She was still a little shaky, her fingers still twitching as she laced her hand in his.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s all right,” he whispered to her. Though he was pretty darn sure she couldn’t hear him.

  He glanced at the doctor. “She’s pregnant,” he whispered.

  The doctor nodded. “She seems fine, but I want to do a full exam.”

  “Whatever you need to do.”

  The king and queen appeared, and the queen, showing more emotion than Hadrian had ever seen in her, came running across the room. “Are you all right?”