“Isn’t she upset about this? About having to give up her crown?”
“Not at all. She’s ready for the next generation to come in. Besides, you won’t replace her; you’ll assist her in projects she’s already started. However, she will get a little more freedom, be able to take more vacations and also be able to take some time to grieve the loss of her husband. She may even take some days to go without makeup,” he added with a grin.
His joke fell flat. She was in full panic mode now. It was obvious he didn’t want to let her go, but Rachel couldn’t do this, couldn’t be a queen. It was too much.
“Adriane, there is another solution; I know there is. ”
“There’s not, Rachel. Being with me won’t be the hardship you think it is. I will take very good care of you,” he assured her.
“Look, no one knows about me yet, well, no one except your adviser and doctor. I won’t go to the media. Not a soul will know. Why don’t you just find a proper bride who will be more than happy to give you all kinds of heirs for your kingdom, and let me go and live in peace?”
Adriane looked at her for several heartbeats without saying a word. Then he stood and began pacing in front of her. Maybe he was considering it.
“Do you think so poorly of me that you believe I would be able to do something like that? What kind of man can walk away from his child? Even if I weren’t the king, I wouldn’t let you leave, Rachel. ”
He stepped back over to the bed, stood in front of her before kneeling down. Lifting both his hands, he first placed them on her h*ps and then used them to cover her stomach. “This is my baby, too. Yes, you carry him, but he is mine, and I will be there for your pregnancy, his birth, and then for the rest of his life. ”
The intensity of his expression left her unsure what to do or say next. The feel of his hands cradling her stomach made tears spring to her eyes.
She was in trouble. Serious trouble.
“You can’t force me to the altar, Adriane. I won’t walk down it willingly and I won’t agree to wed you. When the priest asks whether anyone protests, it will be me raising my hand. Won’t that cause more of a scandal for you?”
Adriane smiled as he continued to caress her stomach, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her belly. “I’m not worried. You will agree. It’s already been arranged. ”
With that, he stood, and he looked down at her with such confidence, she felt her own convictions waver. Was he going to get his way, no matter what she wanted?
“You can’t take away my free will!” She stood as she began pacing the room. Obviously, reason hadn’t worked with him, either. The man was an impenetrable wall.
He caught her quickly and held her close, his hands moving down her back, stroking her tight muscles, and though he was the one causing her turmoil, he was also the one comforting her. It made no sense.
“This will happen. No matter where you run to, I will find you and bring you back. No matter how much you deny this, it’s the right thing. Our child deserves a mother and a father. It’s a bonus that we are so compatible, because it will make the long nights we have together very enjoyable. ”
He leaned down and kissed her, as if sealing their fates.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she would fall at his feet. She wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SHOTS RANG OUT from every direction, deafening and deadly. The enemy was determined to leave no survivors.
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Shane Grayson was just as determined to disappoint them.
“Stay down!” he shouted at his men.
The radicals were firing from the side, not very organized in their strategy but still managing to make it damn hard for Shane’s group to reach its target. Worry wasn’t at the forefront of the soldiers’ minds yet, but they were cautious, always cautious when dealing with extremists like this who had nothing to lose.
“I’m going in for the hostage. Cover me,” Shane said, before getting ready to storm the warehouse.
“I’m coming with you,” River insisted.
Shane knew there would be no arguing with his teammate, so he simply nodded.
“We’ve got your back. Let’s fry these ass**les,” Paul said.
Shane took off with River on his flank, staying behind anything they could as they approached the target. Men were hanging from the windows of the large warehouse, and his men easily picked them off as he and River moved forward.
“To your left,” River said and Shane spun around, firing his automatic, taking out two men with their weapons aimed.
“I don’t think they’re too happy with our arrival,” Shane said.
The two men made it to the building, both of them talking quietly through their mouthpieces, looking about for the next enemy band lying in wait.
“Yeah, and they’re going to be really pissed soon, when they no longer have a leader,” River said.
Yes, the situation was intense, but they’d been through worse. Every mission had the possibility of going bad in so many ways. The worst would happen if they grew too confident, let their guard down.
They went silent as they searched the building, peering down and through the aisles of merchandise, and hoping like hell that they reached the hostage while she was still in one piece. The extremists were trying to free their leader and had announced that the girl, a diplomat’s daughter, would be killed that day if their demands weren’t met.
Shane’s team was there to effect her release without giving the enemy a damn thing.
Shane and River made it to the back of the building, where they had good reason to believe that the young girl was being held. They stayed hidden behind a pile of industrial crates while they discussed their next maneuver.
“Shit!” Shane exclaimed when he saw about ten men all packing weapons with the girl tied to a chair in the corner — behind them, and looking terrified.
“You go right. I’ll distract them,” River said. Shane nodded, and River got into position, popping up and shooting the man up on a catwalk overlooking the warehouse floor.
The men in the back of the room erupted as they began firing their weapons toward River and the crates he was using as protection. River kept moving, staying under cover as he shot. Soon, the radicals were running around, not paying attention where they were firing, and one of them killed one of his own men.
Good; let them take each other out, Shane thought.
Rushing forward, he kept behind a wall as he aimed and began picking them off, one by one, careful not to hit the sobbing girl. A round from one of the enemy guns hit the wall two feet above her head, making Shane’s heart race. She was in a dangerous position right now, and he needed to get to her.
“River, you need to get them to chase you so I can extract her,” he said into his mic.
River showed himself, and the remaining four men tried to surround him, leaving the girl unattended.
Shane bolted toward her, slicing through the ropes holding her to the chair, then grabbing her without saying a word, flinging her over his shoulder and rushing toward safety.
The men turned just as he reached the wall, and a bullet shattered the wood just above his head. Sweat broke out on his brow. That was too damn close. But wasn’t it always?
“Please let me go,” the girl sobbed as she pounded against his back.
“We’re the good guys. Just trying to get you out of here alive,” Shane said, not taking any more time than that to explain. If she resisted, he’d have no choice but to knock her out. It was either that or let her be killed.
Hell, they could still all be killed. That was a part of their job.
River, after taking out the last four men, joined Shane as he and the girl were making their way back to the front of the warehouse. There, more of the enemy group was still exchanging gunfire with the rescue team.
Now the difficult part
was going to be getting through the enemy and back to his men. It would have been much easier without carrying a girl over his shoulder — even a small one.
“I’ll cover you; make a run to the men,” River said.
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Shane took a deep breath, alerted his men through his coms that he was coming, then took off, saying a quick prayer that he made it with no bullet holes in him or the girl.
He felt the heat of the gunfire as he wove his way back to the men, knowing River would cover his back. When he reached the men, he said a silent but fervent thank-you to them and to the powers above, then left the girl with his men as he got into position to help cover River.
Once River returned to their unit, they could get the hell out of there and have a cold beer to celebrate their success. Nothing had ever sounded so great.
“We’ve got you,” Shane said into his mouthpiece.
River popped up, and began the treacherous journey through the front parking lot, diving behind whatever he could find to take cover as he wove toward them. This mission had turned out to be easier than others, making Shane a happy man.
Of course, he knew not to think that until they completely were in the clear. It was just bad luck.
“Easy as usual…” River said as he turned the corner and began to kneel down with his team while they got into formation for their exit. That’s when their smooth mission went from easy to instant hell.
Before River could finish his sentence, blood spattered from his mouth as a bullet went through the back of his head.
“No!” Shane screamed, jumping up and firing in the direction the bullet had come from, wiping out the shooter, who had just rounded the corner of the warehouse.
“Shit! Where did he come from?” Doug yelled as he jumped up to look around, shooting down another man running from the same direction.
“We need to go now!” Shane yelled, gathering the girl.
But it was too late.
River was dead.
Their mission had just failed in all their eyes, even if they did get the girl to safety. They’d let down one of their own and Shane took the full burden on his own shoulders. It was his team — his mission to keep that team safe.
The men grabbed their fallen brother, who lay at their feet, his eyes empty. Doug threw him over his shoulder and they made their escape to the booming sound of gunfire. Three of their guys covered their backs, returning fire as they exited the industrial area.
Once they were all out of the danger zone, it was a solemn journey back out of the field as they carted the girl away. Yes, they’d completed their objective, but they’d lost one of their own.
There was no victory for them today.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“YOU DID WHAT?”
Adriane stood frozen as his mother berated him, making him feel like a child once again, a child who had just been caught undoing the straps on the guards’ horses for the third time. It had been amusing to watch the men fall off their steeds in front of the king when they’d been so determined to look and act worthy of guarding the royal family.
His mother, Queen Octavia, hadn’t been amused back then.
And she wasn’t too thrilled with him now, though he didn’t understand exactly why.
“I told her we would be wed — that there was no other way,” he said again. Maybe his mother had misunderstood him. Surely she could understand and support his refusal to let Rachel go. After all, Rachel carried the royal heir, his mother’s first grandchild.
“Oh, son. Where exactly did I go wrong in raising you?” she asked, shaking her head in disapproval and bafflement.
“I don’t understand why you are upset. Rachel cannot leave. Surely you can see that,” he said, raising his voice just the slightest in his frustration.
The withering look his mother sent him calmed him immediately. He was speaking disrespectfully not only to his mother, but also to Corythia’s queen. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“Hmm, if you are talking to me this way, I shudder to think how you have been speaking to poor Rachel. No wonder she is less than enthusiastic about your proposal,” his mother told him.
“Do you think that I should let her leave?” he asked, with his fingernails biting into his palms.
“I think you should try courting her instead of giving her orders,” Octavia replied.
“I am doing that!”
“Really? From what you have told me, you have kidnapped her, demanded she marry you, and not even allowed her to speak to her family. ”
“I have just let her know that there’s no other choice. ”
“There’s always a choice, Adriane. This isn’t the old days; things need to be done a bit more diplomatically now. Yes, I understand that you don’t want your child to grow up elsewhere. I agree with you on that. What I disagree with you about is the way you are going about it. If you want this woman to stay loyal to you, you will have to give her a reason to be so. ”
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Adrian turned and looked at his mother. What was she trying to tell him? He was lost. Was his courting not up to snuff? If not, what exactly did she mean by the word? He’d never had to woo a woman before; they just naturally wanted to be with him. Of course they did; he had been a prince of Corythia, and since age seventeen, the future king. Now that he was king, there was a line of women who would be more than willing to be his wife.
A line of women that didn’t include the one who carried his child.
It was exasperating!
“How did you and my father come together?” Adriane had never cared to ask such a question before now.
“Now, that is a good question. ” She sat back with a soft smile on her face. “I’m surprised that I haven’t told you this before. Your father was visiting the United States to get advice on improving Corythia’s economy, and he was a featured guest at a glittering fundraiser. I and a number of other American actors and actresses were there, and when I met him, his dark eyes, his stature, and his strong personality swept me off my feet. ” Octavia stopped for a minute or two, and sighed. “Yes, a very strong personality. He did the barbaric thing that you’ve done: he kidnapped me. Not smart. ”
“But you married him, Mother. ”
“Yes, I did. But his actions almost turned me completely against him, attracted to him as I was. I let him know in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t an object, a treasure he could add to his collection. When he calmed down and actually courted me, I fell in love almost instantly. The story is longer, of course, but the bottom line is that he didn’t win my heart until he showed me he had one of his own. Once he did that, I didn’t leave his side. ”
“Why do women need this? I don’t understand. I will provide well for her, give her a life most women would envy. Why isn’t that good enough?”
“Because women should be cherished, son. A good woman at your side will complete you, make you the ruler you are meant to be. She will be strong when the rest of the world has abandoned you. She will know you better than anyone else. She will embrace you when the weighted decisions of this country hang heavy upon your shoulders. You need to cherish her, love her, and give her a reason to hold you tight even through the strongest of storms. ”
“How do I do that?” Adriane could figure out his country’s problems, but he didn’t know how to open his heart to Rachel. Hell, he didn’t feel a need to.
“How did you win Rachel’s affections in the first place? You must have done something right if she carries your child. ”
Adriane stood silent for a moment as he thought back to his time on the beach. “I didn’t do anything different from what I normally do. She was swimming. I thought she was drowning and I ‘rescued’ her, though when she stopped laughing at my valiant attempt to save her life, which irked me just a bit, there was an obvious connection. I invited her for dinner. She didn’t leav
e for a week. ”
“What did you do that made her want to stay with you for the week?”
Why all these questions? He didn’t want to think about the past. It was time to move forward, think of their future. But he knew his mother wouldn’t stop interrogating him until he gave her something.
“We just got along well. I spoke to her more than any other woman I’ve taken for the night. I wasn’t expecting to be with her all week. It was just that one day melted into the next. ” Adriane threw up his arms.
“Then be that man again — the man who made her choose to stick around for a while,” she said, as if speaking to a young child.
“I don’t know how to do that. At that point in our relationship, we were both just looking for a good time; neither of us was worried about the future. Now, I need to persuade her to marry me willingly,” he said. “Besides, if she would fall back into bed with me, maybe I could persuade her more easily,” he mumbled under his breath, grateful when his mother didn’t hear.
Everything had been easier, though, so much easier. When they’d spent their week together in Florida, they hadn’t fought. That must have been because they’d been in bed half the time.
“You will have to give her something, Adriane, or she won’t stay, no matter what threats you issue. ”
“What do I give her? What will make her stay?”
Why did his mother need to talk in riddles? This was important. She needed to guide him, not sidetrack him with silly talk of love. This wasn’t about love — this was about a child the two of them had created together, a child who deserved a mother and father in his life. A child he desperately wanted.
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“That, my son, you will have to figure out on your own. And, I fear, until you do, you won’t ever earn her heart. You will never truly hold her. Yes, you can refuse to let her go, but at the first opportunity, she will be gone, taking your child with her. It is a privilege to hold a woman’s heart, and you had better figure out how to take care of it properly, or it’s never going to be yours, no matter how much you demand it of her. ”
Women. His mother couldn’t be right. There were other, better ways to make a marriage work besides this love so many spoke of. He and Rachel had laughed together, spent passionate nights together, gotten along swimmingly. Love was simply an emotion that people professed to feel in order to get something from someone else. He’d never been in love. He never would be. They had something far better than love — they had companionship.