started to follow the man, then stopped. “Prince? As in a real prince?”
The butler inclined his head. “But of course.” He motioned her forward with one hand. “If you please. His Majesty is waiting.”
His Majesty? Oh my gosh. She was in a real castle with a real prince. Wait until Penny heard about this!
Knees quivering and curiosity driving her, Sara stepped into the room—a very large, regal office—and got her first glimpse of her benefactor.
The dark-haired man was standing with his back to her, gazing out at a panorama of green land and aqua sea. Legs spread, hands clasped at his back below a trim waist, his posture was as stiff as the butler’s, his shoulders wide and exuding strength. Though he didn’t appear much older than herself, an air of authority and power emanated from him. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, something about his well-honed physique looked eerily familiar.
The butler cleared his throat. If such a thing was possible, the servant’s carriage grew more erect and perfect as he snapped to attention. “Your Majesty, may I present Miss Sara Presley. Miss Presley, His Majesty Prince Aleksandre d’Gabriel.”
The name struck a chord of alarm in Sara as the prince turned and leveled an empty stare in her direction.
“So Sara,” he said quietly. “We meet again.”
Chapter Two
“ALEKS!”
The woman before him clutched her chest, her mouth open in shock. She had gone as white and still as the alabaster statues lining the palace staircase. Aleks fought down the unexpected and disturbing urge to cross the Persian rug, take her in his arms and offer reassurance. Only the stern mental reminder of her ruthlessness kept him standing rigidly behind his desk, his heart thundering in his chest. Though he had once loved her enough to give up anything to have her, that love had long since turned to loathing. She was here for one reason and one reason only. Nico.
“You are surprised to see me.” The sentence was a statement. He knew she’d be surprised. A surprise attack on one’s enemies always worked best.
“Aleks,” she said again and started toward him, one hand extended.
Aleks braced himself. Was that hope flaring in her sea-colored eyes?
He took a step back and forced a dark and forbidding expression. The woman paused. Her hand fell to her side. She looked lost and uncertain, and Aleks again fought the need to comfort her.
She was as beautiful to him now as she had been before, but he noted a subtle change, as well. The light had gone out in her. Where before she’d been vibrant and joyous, she now appeared older…sadder. Regret perhaps? Guilt? Or had life been unkind to Sara Presley?
He’d thought the terrors of war and near death added to the years of loathing had hardened him enough to face her. But he knew without a doubt he could not let her touch him. At least not now while his insides canted toward her like a seasick sailor.
“Welcome to Castle-by-the-Sea,” he said. “I trust your accommodations are satisfactory.”
Sara’s look of bewilderment was exactly what he’d hoped. He’d caught her completely off guard.
“You’re a prince?”
He inclined his head. “Ruler of Carvainia.”
It was imperative she understand his power and place and forget about the lovesick youth he’d once been. He must be in control, and now that he’d seen her again, this was going to be more difficult than he’d thought.
“You never told me,” she said. One hand went to her forehead and then fell to her side. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Considering her cruel abandonment, he was glad he hadn’t. “Would it have made any difference?”
“No, of course not, but—”
He didn’t believe her. “My country has enemies. To protect my friends and myself, I chose to attend college without fanfare, though I always had bodyguards at hand.”
“You did?”
She seemed genuinely stunned by his royalty. Would she have been less treacherous, less likely to abandon him and his son if she had known the truth? Or would she have used the information to her advantage? “Remember Carlo and Stephan?”
“I thought they were students like you. Friends from your country.”
“They were both.” The knot in his stomach twisted. Though the difference in stations had separated them to some degree, he and his bodyguards were friends, as well. And Carlo had paid the ultimate price for his loyalty.
Sara Presley, the woman who held Nico’s life in her unsuspecting hands, shook her head. Hair the color of cinnamon rustled against the shoulders of a simple yellow sundress—a dress that rose and fell with the rapid in and out of her anxious breathing.
“I don’t understand.” The tip of her tongue flicked out to moisten peach-colored lips. Aleks averted his gaze. No doubt her mouth had gone as dry as his, though for far different reasons. “What is this all about, Aleks? Why am I here?”
Though he felt no humor whatsoever, he offered an amused tilt of his head. “You are our grand prize winner. Remember?”
She scoffed. “Don’t give me that. Something else is going on here.”
He was not quite ready to reveal everything. “Sit down please. You seem…disturbed.”
“Disturbed? I’ve never been so confused in my life. You disappeared five years ago and now suddenly I’m whisked out of my bookstore and into a castle. Your castle. And I didn’t even know you had a castle. After all this time, I never expected to see you again.”
He could believe that. If not for Nico, she wouldn’t have. He almost said as much but knew he must be careful. His son’s future rested with this woman. He must proceed with great caution. The battle plan was working well so far. He must not become reckless like a new recruit and ruin everything.
Sara moved to the chair he indicated, and he noticed the slightest tremor in the hands she placed on the armrests. He turned his attention to her face. Even there he saw again the vulnerability. She was nervous and uncertain…and perhaps a bit scared. She was angry, too, though she had no right to be, all things considered.
She reached for her earring—a long chain of silver—and her fingers trembled. They were cold, too, he was certain, for he remembered the subtle nuances of her emotions. He didn’t need to touch her to know she was anxious, maybe even afraid. Memories of her had tortured him enough.
He hardened his heart. Any weakness she displayed would be used to his advantage.
“If you think I’ve brought you here because I couldn’t bear to be without you any longer, think again.”
A deep rose color flushed her pale skin. “After what you did, that much is a mercy.”
After what he’d done? “I don’t equate a white lie about my royalty
