His father went pale and sat on the edge of his bed. “You don’t understand, Xander.”
“No, you don’t. I refuse to follow in your footsteps. I will not bow down to the Arcano. Let them come for me. I will strike them down one at a time. I will rally those loyal to me and defeat them as you should have.”
“You will lose, and your choice will die along with you,” his father said in sad resignation.
“Where is your fight, Father? What kind of man are you?”
His father stood, a look of determination on his face. “A man who doesn’t want his eldest son to make the same mistakes he did.” He pressed a button beside his bed. “You think letting the public see Reanna will stop them from coming for her? You’re wrong. You must accept your fate, as I did, or I fear for you and your brothers. Do you really believe my brother, Ivan, died in a car accident? I don’t. He sounded just like you. As did I. His life was the price I paid for my arrogance. Hate me, Xander, but I cannot allow the past to repeat itself.”
The door opened and several guards entered. “Take him to the east wing. Tell no one. Make sure no one sees you.” When Xander struggled, his father said to the guards. “Use whatever force is necessary, but don’t harm him. You will each be rewarded well for your loyalty today.”
As Xander was dragged out of the room, he heard his father say, “Wake Simon.”
Chapter Thirteen
Still wedged between two uniformed guards in the back seat of the SUV, Reanna shifted angrily. “Are we waiting for Xander? Is he joining me here? Is that why we’ve been looking at that plane for hours?”
Neither guard broke their silence or even looked down at her, which wasn’t a surprise since they had sat like stone statues beside her once she’d been dragged from Xander’s room and deposited in the back of the limo. At first Reanna had been terrified. As time passed, she was also getting angry.
She turned to the stoic man on her right and said, “Blink twice if you think there is any chance tonight is going to end well for me.”
Nothing.
Reanna stopped caring if they were responding and started venting her thoughts aloud. “I knew Xander was too good to be true. There is a reason why no one I know has married a prince — it doesn’t happen to normal people. But that didn’t stop me from falling in love with him. Nope, for someone with a genius IQ, I can be pathetically optimistic sometimes. I wanted this to work out. I really thought I had finally found where I belong. What a joke.”
The man beside her nodded, not at what she was saying but at something he heard in his earpiece, and then he opened the door.
Reanna’s heart beat wildly in her chest. Had Xander finally arrived? She was torn between being furious with him and wanting to throw herself in his arms.
The frail old man who slid into the seat that the ox of a guard had vacated was a huge disappointment. When he didn’t say anything at first, Reanna thought he was going to ignore her as well. She skipped all formalities and demanded, “Is Xander here?”
The old man turned and looked at her. His gray eyes met hers with an unyielding composure, which contrasted with how wild and high Reanna’s emotions were running. “No, he is not. The king sent me to deal with you.” He looked across at the other guard and said, “Leave us.”
When they were alone, Reanna clasped her shaking hands in her lap and asked, “What are you going to do with me?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Xander won’t let you hurt me. He loves me.”
“He does indeed, but your fate is not in his hands.”
“Is it in yours?”
“If it were, I would put you on that plane and send you back to the States. My name is Simon. I am the royal family advisor. Normally, I am the eyes and ears of the crown. Unfortunately, today, I am also the arm.”
Reanna raised her chin. “I’m not afraid of dying. Living sucks a million times more than whatever the afterlife could hold for me. So, if you’re here to kill me, do it and get it over with.”
“Do you know you’re pregnant, Reanna?”
Reanna’s hand went to her stomach instinctively. “What? No. I’m not.”
“You are. That’s why you fainted at the royal palace. The royal physician confirmed it with a blood test.”
Reanna shook slightly at the news. “Then Xander has even more reason to come for me. And he will, no matter what you say.”
“He won’t. He thinks you are safely halfway home, and he knows nothing of your condition.”
Reanna glared at Simon. “You’re not a very likeable man, are you?”
Simon rubbed his chin. “I am a man who has been given a nearly impossible task. Reanna, how much fight do you have in you?”
Reanna turned more fully toward Simon. “I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“I’ve read your files, Reanna. I know who you are on paper. You have spent a lifetime running from confrontation. But is that who you are in your heart? If it is, you have no place in our country and lack the character to rule it. But if there is a fighter within you, there is a chance you could fix this.”
“I won’t go before the council and say I love Xander. Not if it means sentencing another woman to her possible death.”
“Not even to save Xander?”
“Save him? Is he in danger?”
“He has risked everything for you, Reanna. He defied our law, threatened his father, and is now being held in the east wing of the palace pending punishment.”
“From his father?”
“From those even more powerful. His father is trying to protect him. If you get on that plane and leave, Xander will not survive the night.”
Reanna’s eyes filled with tears, and she clutched her stomach. “No. That can’t be true.” She saw the truth in Simon’s unblinking gaze. “I don’t know what to do. There has to be something I can do.”
“I humbly put forth a suggestion. You must go and speak with the king. You must offer your life in exchange for Xander’s, and you must do it in front of the head of the council.”
“Will that save Xander?”
“I believe it will.”
“Will it save me?”
“It may.”
“Couldn’t we go to the news with this story? Wouldn’t that save Xander? Me?”
Simon shook his head sadly.
Reanna looked straight ahead. “That’s all you want me to do, huh? Just offer myself up on a platter to the king?”
“No, I also want you to fight for your right to live. You’re a smart woman, Reanna Fielding. Make them see why our country needs you.”
That’s all?
Reanna took a deep breath. “Should I use my condition to try to sway them?”
Simon knocked on the window and the limo began to move. “Use everything you have, Reanna. Fight.”
Chapter Fourteen
In the early morning hours, before the sun had come up, Reanna was led into the study at the royal palace where she had originally met Xander’s father. The king and another man turned as she entered. The other man was about the king’s age, and he stood with similar authority. She guessed he was the head of the royal council.
Simon had instructed her to enter into the conversation with a healthy respect for both. Reanna wasn’t exactly sure why, but she trusted Simon. He wanted the best for the royal family and his country.
The king nodded at Simon. “Good, you found her.”
Simon bowed his head and stepped to one side. “I did, Your Royal Majesty.”
The king turned to the man beside him. “I told you, there will be no scandal. We have everything under control.”
The councilman said nothing, but watched Reanna closely.
To Reanna, the king said, “I see Simon was able to talk sense into you, Reanna. I’m relieved. Now we can move forward with the wedding as we had planned.”
Reanna took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and said, “Your Royal Majesty. Honored Councilman. I love Prince Xand
er, but I will not marry him.”
The councilman’s head snapped back in surprise. “You know the consequence?”
Reanna held her head high. “I do. I understand that Prince Xander tried to spare me from it, but I can’t let him do that. I offer my life in exchange for his.”
The king was visibly shaken. “You love my son enough to give your life for his?”
