I arrive at the royal dining hall at 7:00 p.m. A note from Nikolai arrived not long after I returned from my ride with Damien requesting that I join the Lorentz family for a group meeting at that time. I want to tell them all about the new idea bursting my heart, that I establish an equine therapy program for underserved Edenvale children, but something in the brusque tone of the note has me on edge. This could be nothing but a simple family meal, but that hopefulness extinguishes as I take my seat at the long, mahogany table.
I’m the last to arrive.
The king is at the United Nations attending a diplomatic meeting, so Nikolai is seated in his place at the head of the table and staring daggers into my husband.
“Good evening, everyone,” I murmur, opening my napkin and folding it over my beige sheath. Kate and Evangeline were busy in my absence, because my closet is now well-stocked with a range of elegant yet understated clothing boasting labels from Europe’s top design houses. I don’t have time to thank them before Nikolai snaps.
“I wouldn’t say good.”
Damien slams a hand on the table, the reverberation echoes to the rafters. “That’s your one warning. Take your anger out on me, brother,” he snarls. “Not my wife.”
My brows fly up. “What’s happened?” I ask my husband, my pleasure at the fact he rose to my defense overriding my concern for any misstep I’ve made.
“How do you think Nightgardin is going to react when they see this?” Nikolai lifts a tablet from his lap and taps something on the screen. “Ah, here it is. A Royal Mess: The Banished Prince of Edenvale Corrupts the Nightgardin Heir.” He glances up, nostrils flaring. “It’s from the Rosegate Tattler. What were you two idiots doing feeding the gossip magazines fresh fodder?”
“Wait a second,” Damien says. “That wasn’t someone from the Edenvale press? Juliet told me you all thought we should have a public outing—show the world that Edenvale and Nightgardin were a united front!”
He glances at me, the mistrust in his eyes all too familiar.
“I didn’t lie,” I say firmly.
“No,” Nikolai snaps. “But I would think both of you should know the difference between a palace reporter and a Rosegate paparazzo.”
I clear my throat. “We were—distracted. We didn’t ask for his credentials.” My cheeks flame when I think of Damien’s cock between my legs, my breasts, and I squirm in my chair. “I’m sure the reports are exaggerating.”
“There are pictures!” Nikolai spins the tablet around and there we are, locked in a passionate kiss atop our respective horses.
“Looks like holy matrimony suits you both,” Benedict quips from across the table.
“Don’t you start.” Nikolai lifts a warning finger.
“Darling,” Kate protests, reaching for her husband’s hand.
“I’m sorry.” My hackles are up. I push back my seat and stand up. “We made a mistake, yes. But we went to the stables to do what you all wanted us to do. Just because that Rosegate photographer beat yours to the punch doesn’t mean my husband or I should be held at fault because the story isn’t spun the way you want it. And how dare you judge, Prince Nikolai.” I practically spit his name. “I lived in a veritable cloister in Nightgardin and tales of your womanizing exploits even reached my scandalized ears. You all wanted a united front, and that’s exactly what we gave you, no matter what the article says.”
The room falls silent.
“She has a point,” Kate murmurs, her cheeks as red as her fiery hair. “You’re hardly one to wag your finger.”
“Let Rosegate do their worst,” Damien growls, rising to stand beside me, taking my hand. “I’ll defend me and mine.”
“A laudable sentiment, brother, but forgive me if I remind you that if our theories are correct, the last time you encountered the Nightgardin Black Watch, you came out worse for wear.”
Damien’s laugh is a harsh bark. “You almost sound worried about me.”
“I was,” Nikolai says quietly. His admission doesn’t come easily. “You might drive me halfway to madness, but you are still my brother.”
“Father sent me away, but you disowned me,” Damien says, his voice tight. “Both you and Benedict did.”
Nikolai rakes a hand through his hair. “The days after Victoria died, I wasn’t at my best.”
“It was a hard and confusing time for our family,” Benedict adds quietly. “I’m not proud of my behavior and have tried to make amends.”
“Hard? Confusing? That’s a diplomatic way to say I murdered my brother’s fiancée.”
“Life is full of dark times,” Evangeline finally speaks up. “Our choice lies in how we face the darkness. I’ve found that we can defeat the shadows only with light.”
“Well said, angel.” Benedict takes her hand.
Nikolai’s phone rings. “Yes? Fine. Good. Right now.” When he hangs up he turns to face me. “X wants to debrief you. He’s picking up on Black Watch chatter. They are planning revenge for today’s perceived slight.”
“What will they do?” I ask in a strangled tone, hating to put anyone here in danger.
“It’s Nightgardin.” Nikolai shrugs. “X is hoping you can tell us.”
“But... I don’t know anything about the Black Watch.” Does he think me a spy? Will I forever live under a cloud of mistrust and suspicion?
“You might know more than you realize,” X announces, appearing through a secret door in the paneling. “There may be things you saw. Phrases you heard.”
“If you’re taking my wife for interrogation, then I’m coming, too,” Damien says in a tone that brooks no dissent.
“I expected as much,” X answers mildly. “And made the necessary preparations.”
This man is an enigma. Always so calm. Would anything ever ruffle him?
“Preparations? What preparations?”
“The Eurocopter is waiting on the roof’s helipad.”
“Where are you taking us?” I demand as Kate summons a servant and orders a basket of rolls and cheese packed for our trip.
A small frown creeps into X’s features. “I cannot say. Not here.”
“But we are among family,” Damien protests. “Surely you don’t think Evangeline or Benedict is on the Nightgardin payroll.”
“No,” X says carefully. “But the walls might have ears. We don’t know how the palace might have been infiltrated. We’ve had some—breaches recently. It might be just a precaution, but it’s one I’m prepared to take. Better to think of all outcomes and be unsurprised
