by Lina Jubilee
The exchange students didn’t seem too bothered by it, though, each accepting the handshake with a barely noticeable reluctance.
“I’m going to serve as the chaperone for your dates,” said Sage.
“You’re what?” I did a double-take.
Sage ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Since they’re official sanctioned events and all.” He winced and sent me a brief apologetic look. “Besides, the princes are sure to have their own bodyguards. Mom and Dads asked—”
I slapped my own face. Of course. Hurry up and find a husband, dear daughter, but do so with an audience.
“Ah, yes,” said Trey. “Dads? That is a rather interesting situation. You have four fathers, do you not? The king of Nelia shares his consort with three Earth commoners?”
Instinctively, I flipped a chunk of my hair forward over my shoulder to make sure my ears weren’t showing. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” said Trey with a smile. “Horses for courses and all. Each to their own. It’s not unusual for a Nelian, is it?” His gaze lingered at the side of my head, as if hoping for a peek at the pointed ears. Then his eyes darted pointedly to the cut of my tee, the smallest hint of cleavage revealed at the dip of the V-neck. I wanted to be turned off, but annoyingly, I was overcome with a flood of longing to check him out from head to toe.
As if I’d give him the satisfaction.
As if I’d be able to with my brother breathing down my neck.
“How do you want to do this?” I asked.
The three princes exchanged a look. Trey spoke. He seemed to be the unofficial spokesman for the group. “Eager to get this sorted, I see.”
Rio stepped forward. “I thought we could have dinner on my yacht,” he said, his hands clasped behind his back. He wasn’t entirely disinterested, but there was something so formal about the way he asked, like it wasn’t his idea of a good time, either.
“You have a yacht?” I asked. “On the lake?” Didn’t people usually keep those confined to the oceans?
“My parents frequently have business in the area,” he said. “It’s very environmentally-friendly, I assure you,” he added. “Runs on solar power entirely.”
It was true that fossil-fuel-guzzling vehicles were no longer allowed, as they’d once been. But that hadn’t been my objection.
“Sure,” I said, tapping my foot. “That sounds… lovely. When?”
“Tonight,” said Rio, nonplussed. “Meet me at the docks at seven?”
I examined one man after the other to see if anyone had an objection, but no one did. In fact, Trey was watching me carefully, as if this response was part of some kind of test, and Zeke was pretending to look out at the yard, but I caught his gaze flickering my way every few seconds.
“It’s a date,” I said, plastering on a toothy grin.
Rio reached for my hand and put his lips to the back of it. His kiss was soft, like a feather tickling me, and sweet somehow, my hand warming even as my cheeks did. I knew it was a formality, but I felt suddenly underdressed in the casual clothes I’d tossed on without putting much thought into the choice.
“Until tonight,” said Rio, his voice low and surprisingly seductive.
As I watched them go, I clutched the hand he’d kissed to my chest.
“I should have told you earlier,” said Sage. “About the chaperone thing. Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” I said as the bell overhead rang. “If someone has to come with, I wouldn’t want it to be anyone else.” I sent him a sly look. “I trust you to know when to back off—or step in.”
“The thing is,” said Sage, though I was only half-paying attention. Hazel and Sheila stepped out of a classroom at the end of the hall almost too perfectly timed since they ran right into the princes. “I’m not the only one Mom and Dads asked. And since I have a date tonight…”
I waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Can’t keep the lovebirds apart for even one night, can I? It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting any escort anyway.”
Hazel and Sheila were both curtseying now, Sheila rather clumsily. Hazel kept her back ramrod straight, like she’d done this before.
“Thank you!” Sage clasped his hands together. “I’ll be there for the other ones, I promise. Lacey just wanted to tell her brother tonight, and she wanted me there for it.”
Prince Trey’s face brightened, a sudden look of realization dawning on him, and it was evident the British brat of Veras Academy must have met her sovereign’s kin at some point before this. He took her hand in his and laid a kiss on top of it as Rio had with me, and my body tensed.
“I’m sure Derek can handle it just fine on his own,” said Sage, his voice distant, and I whipped around to find him already several feet away, headed toward the door leading outside. “But just call me—or tell Zander—if you need me, and I’ll head on over!”
“Wait, what?” I sputtered, but it was too late. Sage was stepping out into the sunshine.
Derek had agreed to chaperone me? When? Why hadn’t he told me? And after last night, did he still even want to?
An already awkward situation was just about to get a thousand times more embarrassing.
“Okay, so I take back what I said about envying you having to date three princes,” said Rajani between sips of her iced cappuccino. “This is about as romantic and enviable as dating someone on national TV.” Her heavy-lidded gaze slipped pointedly around the café to the four Nelian guards just standing there by the front door. Then there was Derek three tables over, cradling his black coffee silently, his back to us as if he were in place as an undercover bodyguard. He’d brought along a tablet to continue his studies, perhaps as part of the “disguise.”
Who was I kidding? It was more like he didn’t want to talk to me.
I hadn’t said a word to him, either. In fact, I’d asked Rajani to tag along at least this far in order to avoid even the possibility of awkward silence between us.
We did make a strange pair, though, Rajani in a skin-tight jogging outfit, her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. I’d made an effort to pretend there was at least a chance of this date going well and had on a slinky black dress that stopped just above the knee and left a wide dip of pale fawny skin uncovered in the back. My hair had been ironed straight, my makeup almost heavy enough to justify a night at a club, though with more subdued shades of brown and rouge. A little black sequined clutch had all my essentials—my paper-thin phone, some tissues, a granola bar in case my hunger overcame the dry mouth and quivery, twitchy muscles that comprised my nerves at any point.
“You eat that shit up,” I said, reaching for the cup of iced tea in front of me with trembling fingers. “Bachelor shows on TV.”
Rajani grinned and grabbed my free hand. “Maybe so. But I’m not sure I want to be reminded that it’s all an illusion—or at least that there are dozens of crew members just out of shot watching it all go down.” She lowered her voice. “It’ll be fine,” she said, but then she grimaced. “Awkward as hell, but fine.”
We both went silent for a little while longer, Rajani’s eyes drifting above the lid of her cup pointedly to Connak near the door. I focused instead on the projection TV above her head, the weather report predicting a clear, unusually warm spring night. The anchor—handsome, his yellow hair pomaded like plastic atop his tanned, symmetrical face—had moved on to a story about a farmer’s market in the area, how King Alarik of the Nelians had paid it a visit, rewarding the farmer who’d produced the biggest tomato in the area with an additional government subsidy. My gaze darted down to the window instead, my stomach knowing before my brain that just now wasn’t the best time to be reminded of my royal connections.
Though it was hard not to be with the guards posted at the doors.
“It’s about time,” said Rajani, nodding toward a digital clock projected on the wall behind me. At the same time, the whirr of an espresso machine snapped me back to the moment.
“Yeah,” I said, getting up and pushing my chair back in.
“So I guess this is goodbye for now?”
“You make it sound so final,” said Rajani, chuckling. “You’ll get through this.” She scooped both our paper cups up and put them in the proper compost receptacle. Daddy Alarik had pushed once for reusable cups only that everyone would have been responsible for carrying around and washing themselves, but my uncles had talked him down to more biodegradable options. No more plastic, though—at least not for wasteful one-and-done deals like drinks.
“Text me if you need anything,” said Rajani, slipping earbuds into her ears. “I’ll be running, but I have my messages set to auto-dictate.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said, not totally believing the words slipping out of my mouth myself. I was about to say more, but the TV caught my attention.
“This just in. There’s been a breakout at the Halfsmith State Penitentiary,” said the anchor, and my ears perked up at the sound. The Natch prison. I knew of one prisoner kept there.
“The escaped inmate is the only Nelian kept in custody on Earth,” continued the anchor. “Xerxes, perpetrator of the Second Hope institution incident during the ceasefire that put Earth and Nelia back on shaky footing for a time.”
An image of the Nelian I’d never really seen before came on screen. Just visible from the chest up, it was clear he was stockier than most Nelians I’d ever seen, broad-shouldered but still fit. His green hair was cropped close in the picture, his smooth fair brown skin clashing with the orange of his jumpsuit. The tips of his pointed ears lined up perfectly with a pair of dark green brows narrowed in contempt over large, round, dark eyes.
Rajani was looking up at the screen, too, the Nelian guards devolving into hushed tones as they came to life and spoke to one another.
“Isn’t that your aunt’s ex?” asked Rajani. Not the way I’d define him first thing, but yes. That, too.
“Your Highness,” said Connak, slipping in beside me. “Perhaps it’s best we cancel the evening’s activities.”
“I thought that jail was hundreds of miles away,” I said, squeezing my clutch until a sequin dug into my palm.
“It is,” said Derek, suddenly at my side and actually speaking to me. “But—”
“And what was his power again?” asked Rajani, tapping a finger to her chin. “Compelling people to tell the truth? Not sure why he was ever much of a threat, to be honest.”
The discussion had drowned out much of what else the anchor had to say, the whirr of that damned espresso machine not helping any.
“We can handle it, right?” I said, glancing from Connak to Derek and back. Derek’s face fell just as he was hailed on his communicator device on his wrist.
I stood there awkwardly, fidgeting as Derek spoke in hushed tones to whatever member of Veras had called to check in with him.
Sighing, he ran a hand down the back of his head. “They’re not too concerned,” he said. “Just gave instructions to be more watchful. A strike team is going to check it out and will get back to us when they know more.”
“Then let’s go get this over with,” I said, straightening my back and heading for the door.
Chapter Eight
At the dock, the four men in black suits and sunglasses who lined our path toward the yacht were no doubt royal Japanese bodyguards, though I couldn’t tell at a glance if they were Natch or Typical. The yacht the wooden planks led to was sizable and ornate without being ridiculously grandiose, enough room to comfortably host a gathering for a small group of friends and not a raging party. The thought comforted me, that His Highness embraced a less ostentatious way of living it up, though I was quickly struck by the fact that there wasn’t going to be room for half our combined guards, let alone all of them.
“His Majesty King Alarik has been in touch,” said a grave voice, clipped and careful. Prince Rio descended the steps of the yacht, his trim figure complemented nicely by the slightly baggy khakis and the pale blue polo shirt he wore. I felt incredibly overdressed.
“As the criminal Xerxes has made a target of your parents before,” continued Rio, “they’re on high alert until they can help the authorities apprehend him. However, they feel certain that they themselves would be the primary target, should Xerxes be planning anything.” He spoke to one of his men in Japanese, and the man nodded, slipping past me to pass on the instructions to Connak in hushed tones.
Rio, the man of super speed, moved slowly, almost deliberately, as he held his arm out for me. “I see no reason why we can’t still enjoy ourselves. We’ll be safe out on the water—safer than we could be anywhere else.”
His sturdy, toned arm was warm beneath my hand, and a wild flush of heat soared up from my core to my head and down again. “Our bodyguards will be on a second boat behind us,” he said. My mouth gaped open, my gaze shifting over my shoulder, where Connak and the other Nelians seemed to be agreeing with whatever Rio’s man was instructing them to do.
“Come. Let me introduce you to the captain and the chef,” said Rio.
Derek shifted uncomfortably behind Connak, his tablet tucked under his arm. I supposed he couldn’t object if everyone else thought it prudent.
I didn’t know if I relished the idea of him with Rio and me in such close quarters regardless. The steps were tightly packed, and I stumbled slightly at the top, leaning unintentionally entirely into the prince’s arms. His lips parted slightly, his gaze growing wistful as we stayed with my breasts flush against his firm chest for just a beat too long than was proper before I thought to jump back. My heart threatened to drown out all other sounds assaulting my ears.
Taking my hand in his, he led me toward the front of the boat. The cool breeze off the lake was chillier than I’d anticipated, and I shivered, wishing I’d thought to wear a shawl.
Rio leaned toward me, his dark eyebrows drawing together. “Let me get you something to keep you warm.”
He disappeared into the wheelhouse of the boat for a moment, and my attention was drawn to the men working below to disengage the boat from the dock. I turned out to the red-tinted horizon, the smell of water and fish hitting my nostrils as I took in a deep breath of beautifully fresh air. I’d always lived close to a lake but had never gone out on it.
The boat rocked slightly as Rio returned, a blanket in his hand.
“You look stunning,” said Prince Rio, holding the blanket out like a cape for me to step into.
“I thought you princes weren’t interested in an arranged marriage,” I said, slipping into the blanket and feeling its warmth immediately as his strong hands helped wrap it in place around my shoulders.
“That does not mean I can stop myself from commenting on beauty when I see it.” His gaze lingered on mine for just a moment and then there was a twitch in his jaw as he stared out at the expanse of the lake. If I didn’t know that it ended after about a hundred nautical miles, I would have imagined it went on and on for eternity.
“Let’s be off,” said Rio, turning on his heel and descending into the wheelhouse. After a minute, I followed, figuring I ought to meet this captain and chef. There didn’t seem to be room for many more crew than that.
The boat took off smoothly, but out of instinct, I still gripped the handrail hard for the first few minutes, watching the shore grow smaller and smaller, noticing when another boat, just as small, also decked out with plenty of solar panels, took off after us, housing Rio’s guards and the Nelians, no doubt. I wondered if Derek would be on board. I supposed my parents and his couldn’t have known when they’d asked him, but it was almost as good as asking Hazel or one of her cronies to come along. Just another person who thought I was destined to be promiscuous.
The wind jostled my hair, sending a chunk of it flapping over my face, reminding me that I’d decided not to care what people thought. I could have a fun time with three handsome princes. Afraid of commitment, apparently, there was no way for me to please everyone.
I finished descending and stepped inside the wheelhouse, the vacuum of the pressure practically shovi
ng me inside.
For the second time in under twenty minutes, I stumbled right into the figure in front of me.
“We’ll have to see about getting you your sea legs,” said Rio, turning slightly over his shoulder, then focusing back on the wide window in front of him.
He was gripping the wheel, and as I looked around the room—my grip still lingering on his strong bicep—I realized there was no one here with us.
“You’re the captain?”
He bit his lip, likely trying to clamp down a smile. “And the chef,” he added, gazing at some of the instruments.
“‘Let me introduce you to the captain and the chef,’” I parroted. “Clever.”
We picked up speed a little and I held on tightly to the dashboard, widening my stance even as my skirt rode up my thighs a few inches. He could think what he wanted. I wasn’t about to tumble into him for the third time.
Despite the raucous sound of the boat cutting through the water, despite the chill of the outside air, the wheelhouse seemed to grow more and more steamier, Rio’s shallow, even breaths somehow both disciplined and amorous all at once.
He fiddled with some more controls and levers and we slowed down. Turning, I saw the shoreline far off in the distance, the other boat still quite some distance behind us. When I turned back, Rio’s eyes snapped up as he flicked on the cabin lights, and I looked down to realize I was still clutching and crouching, my skirt even tighter against my skin, ridden up higher than I’d realized.
I bolted upright with a start.
Rio cocked his head but didn’t comment. “Just give me a moment,” he said, heading toward a small set of stairs leading downward. “We’ll eat on deck.” His voice grew smaller as it carried up to me.
There was a rustling and a series of clanks.
I headed to the staircase, my legs still a little wobbly, even though the movements of the boat were more subtle now, just an easy, rocking sway.
“I can help.” I froze in surprise. With how narrow the staircase had been, I hadn’t imagined the galley would be grand. There was a bedroom area, partitioned from the rest of the cabin—and though the king-sized bed took up the majority of the space, the way the twilight streamed in through the windows made it seem as if you could be sleeping out in the open air. On the other side of a bamboo screen was a lounging area, complete with a white sofa that took up the length of nearly all the window acting as a wall. Beyond that was another door, leading out to the deck at the back of the boat, a small table and two chairs no doubt bolted down to the surface to keep them in place.
