“More than you know,” I breathe gratefully. “But it would be impolite to slip out without saying goodbye to Alden…” The dread in my voice is palpable. The thought of threading back into that crowd, pushing my way through the tangle of bodies to find him…
I shudder.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, Your Majesty,” Riggs says, a note of wryness in his tone. “Just say the word and we’ll get you out of here. I’m sure Sterling will understand. Hell, based on the amount of champagne he’s had, he may not even notice.”
Relief washes over me. “Well, when you put it that way…”
He signals to his men waiting in the shadows and, in less than a heartbeat, there’s a human wall of muscle between me and the rest of the world; four armed guards, surrounding me on all sides. Five including Riggs, who leads the pack as we start walking.
I feel like a pop star exiting a concert venue. The crowd parts fluidly around us. Every set of eyes is fixed on me. I can feel them burning into my skin with each step. Their hushed commentary surrounds me like fog in the air.
Is she leaving?
Back to her castle to hide out.
I’m surprised she lasted more than five minutes.
Shoulders steady, face composed, I walk onward — through the ballroom, down the hallway, into the atrium.
Leave,Ava sneers inside my head.No one wants you here.
I blindly accept my mink stole when Riggs hands it to me, sliding the fur over my bare shoulders as we step out the front doors into the cold night air. I’m so focused on watching my feet, trying not to trip on the silk train of my dress, that I don’t notice what’s happening in the driveway until we’re halfway down the manor steps.
“Sir, I’m not going to ask you again,” a cold voice barks, the order cracking out like a whip. “Move away from the vehicle or we’ll have no choice but to physically remove you.”
My head snaps up. My eyes go wide. The breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh as I see a second contingent of royal guards engaged in an altercation at the base of the steps. Their attention is fixed on the Rolls-Royce, idling in all its glory… and on the man leaning against its hood.
He’s the picture of casual elegance in a black-on-black outfit of dark-wash jeans and a leather jacket, blending in with the night so seamlessly, it’s hard to make out his finer details at this distance. Four of my guards surround him, guns trained, malice etched all over their faces as they tell him in no uncertain terms that it’s time for him to move away from the vehicle. Their sharp orders register belatedly in my ears, muffled like I’m listening to them from ten feet underwater.
Now, sir.
This is your last warning.
We will use force if necessary.
My world tilts so abruptly on its axis, I’m surprised I keep from toppling over. I don’t realize I’ve stopped walking until the guard at my back practically bumps into me. I don’t realize I’ve stopped breathing until my lungs begin screaming for air.
“Are you deaf?” The lead guard barks, advancing a step. “Move. Away. From. The. Vehicle.”
The man yawns, bored in the face of imminent danger.
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way, then.” The guard pulls out a set of handcuffs. His partner’s gun jerks a bit higher, until the barrel is trained directly at the man’s heart.
My very bones seem to quake at the sight of his finger lingering on the trigger. At the knowledge that we are a single flinch away from irreversible devastation.
“Stop!”
The word explodes out of my mouth before I realize I’ve shouted. It’s an unmistakable order, loud enough to bring all activity to a halt.
No one disregards the command of their queen.
The four guards by the Rolls-Royce turn in unison to face the steps, paling visibly when they see me standing there with their Commander. A second later, they’re bowing low, murmuring explanations.
I pay them no mind. All of my focus is honed on the man behind them, still leaning against the hood of my limousine. His posture is relaxed as ever, that devil-may-care aura emanating from his every pore. He is the master of studied nonchalance.
But as his eyes cut to mine through the small army surrounding me, I see fire smoldering in their depths — fever-bright with intensity — and my knees nearly give out.
Christ.