Hugo. But not the Hugo she knew. Not the man in the worn jeans and button-downs who was happy rolling on the ground with Ned, watching her collect honey, or sitting on her stairs staring towards the horizon chewing on a blade of grass.
This was Hugo the Prince. His stark jaw was clean-shaven and he looked dashing in a slick three-piece suit with such bearing, composure and self-assurance he was barely human. Behind him stood a big, hulking bald man in black, watching over him like a hawk.
She hoped no one noticed how hard she clenched her fists.
“Your Highness, good evening, sir,” said Councillor Pinkerton, the friendly note of her voice making it clear it was not the first time she’d set eyes on the man.
Hugo’s deep voice rang out across the room. “If I may?”
Councillor Pinkerton waved a hurry-up hand. “Up you come, then. State your name for the record. And your purpose.”
While Amber had had to climb over a tangle of legs to get to the lectern, the crowd parted for Hugo like the Red Sea.
He slowed as he neared, his head cocking ever so slightly in a private hello.
Amber hated the way her cheeks warmed at the sight of him, her heart thumping against her ribs as if giving the death throes of remembered desire. Nevertheless, she held her ground, waiting until the last moment to give up her position. Then, with an exaggerated bow from the waist, she swooshed out an arm, giving him the floor as she backed away.
Laughter coursed through the crowd.
Hugo’s smile eased back, just a fraction. Enough for Amber to know she’d scored a hit.
All’s fair, she thought, in love and war. And this was war.
“Councillor Pinkerton,” he said, “Council members, good people of Serenity. I thank you for this opportunity to introduce myself to this community.”
His hand went to his heart on the last few words, and Amber rolled her eyes.
But the crowd? They were hooked. Straining forward so as not to miss a word spoken in that deep, hypnotic, lilting voice. And he was ramping up the accent. Big time. Playing the dashing foreigner card for all it was worth.
“It has taken me far too long to return to the home of my mother’s family, but in the days I have spent wandering the hills and vales your home has come to hold a special place in my heart. And I cannot wait to tell my friends and family about this gem of a place. To invite them here to meet all of you good people. To give the world a taste of Serenity.”
Amber rolled her eyes again. But when she looked out over the crowd she saw even members of the commune listening with interest. Including Sunflower, who looked entranced. And then came a smattering of delighted applause.
Enough. Amber marched back up to the rostrum and gave Hugo a shove with her hip, ignoring the wave of heat that rocked through her at his touch. She grabbed the microphone so roughly that the feedback quieted the room.
“Really?” she said, her voice echoing darkly around the room. “A taste of Serenity...? It’s like a cheesy brochure.”
Hugo laughed. And she knew she had surprised him. He licked his lips, swallowing it back, but the light of it lingered in his eyes.
“He,” said Amber, pointing an accusing finger towards the Prince, “is not one of us. His words might be pretty but his plans are not. And I can’t stand to—”
Something lodged in her throat then. Something that felt a lot like a swell of deep emotion, the kind that preceded tears.
Come on! She wasn’t a crier! She breathed out hard. And managed to keep her cool.
“It would be a grave injustice to see Serenity lost under the overwhelming influx of tourism that would come by way of a resort. I hope, I believe, that you are with me on this point: Serenity’s future must be allowed to evolve as it always has—organically.”
If Hugo’s words had been met with happy claps, Amber’s were met with a standing ovation, and a cheer that all but lifted the roof off the place.
The gavel banged several times before Councillor Pinkerton regained control. “Assuming that’s all the new business, we will keep further discussion to next week’s town meeting. Date and time as mentioned earlier. Meeting adjourned.”
With that, Councillor Pinkerton and the others made their way back behind their private closed door, leaving the people of Serenity to ease off their numb backsides, stretch their arms and talk excitedly amongst themselves.
Hugo stepped in and took Amber’s elbow. Gently. Respectfully. But that didn’t stop the sparks of heat from travelling up her arm and making a mess of her synapses as he tilted his head to murmur near her ear.
“You can’t possibly believe I want Serenity to suffer.”
“You have no idea what I believe. You don’t know me at all.”
His eyes didn’t move but she imagined them sliding up and down her body as a slow smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You have a short memory, Ms Hartley. Or perhaps selective would be a better description.”
“You want words? I can think of so many words to describe you right now, Your Highness. We could go on like this all night long.”
Hugo’s eyes darkened. And yep, she’d heard it too. Dragon fire gathered behind Amber’s teeth as conflict and desire swirled through her like a maelstrom. But behind it all, the need to protect her town, her people, herself.
“Game on,” said Hugo as he was swallowed by the crowd.
Bring it on, Amber thought as she crossed her arms and backed away. Bring. It. On.
HUGO TUGGED HIS cap lower over his eyes and hunched into his shoulders as he made his way up a gravel path winding through the quaint market town of Serenity. The kind of place where business hours varied daily and where as many animals sat behind counters as people.
Prospero—the bodyguard Hugo’s uncle had insisted upon—was not happy about it. He did not like being in the open. Or moving slowly. Or places with tall buildings. Or cars with open windows. He particularly didn’t like the fact that Hugo had ditched him in Vallemont a couple of months before and had only just made contact again, requesting his presence, now that he had been outed.
But for all the big guy’s efforts at keeping Hugo safe, Hugo blamed him for the sideways glances and double-takes. The size of a telephone box, dressed in head-to-toe black, a clean-shaven head and Men in Black sunglasses, he looked like a soccer hooligan on steroids.
Otherwise there was no way the locals would make the connection between the guy in the ripped jeans, Yankees cap and skateboard shoes and the Prince in the three-piece suit from the meeting the night before.
Though it wouldn’t take long for that to change. There was no doubt the story of Hugo’s public life was being shared and
