“Weird?” He laughed. “Hardly. They’re all a hell of a lot worse. Granny is the most sane of all of us. That’s why she hides out up here in the north woods.”
“Ah, there is magic in the woods. For instance, how would I know to go to that camp and find your girl for you?”
“You didn’t find her for me—” Rome shook his head.
“Oh, you believe what you believe but magic breathes in the wind if you listen. If you spend enough time with it, it will lead you where you’re meant to be.”
“Viking lore is full of this stuff. She lives and breathes by it.”
“I love it.” I grinned.
“Good.” He squeezed my hand. “You look right at home here, she’s right.”
“So, tell me, how are your brothers and sisters? They never come to see me, that’s why Romarik is still my crown prince.”
Rome’s eyes flicked across Granny's face and then over to me. He finally said: “The family is great, Granny. Mom wants you to spend the winter in Copenhagen so she can take you to doctor appointments and—”
“Bah, she worries too much. The woods are all I need. And babies, I could use some great-grand babies. I could live a hundred more years if I had a dozen more great-grand-babies to play with. They’re the secret to a long life, ya know.”
Rome sighed once, nodding in silent thanks when Granny passed him a hot tea cup.
“You didn’t do any matchmaking, baby-making funny stuff with this tea did you, Granny?”
Granny’s eyes twinkled and she grinned, casting her palms over his tea cup and mumbling a few words in Old Norse before she winked at him. “It is already done.”
She laughed then backed away, clapping her hands before pulling down another tea cup from the cupboard. “Tell me about that rogue father of yours, is he still in jail?”
I stiffened at Rome’s side.
“Ugh, yeah. Pixie and I hadn’t really gotten around to digging up the family skeletons, thanks Granny.”
She waved her grandson off. “Ah, your father was convicted over politics. He didn’t do a single thing that his own enemies weren’t doing. There’s no shame in your history, son. Your ancestors’ strength and valor runs in your veins, it does no good to deny it, even if it is bad PR for the Crown Prince.”
I tilted my head, realizing that’s the second time she’d used that term in as many minutes.
“Granny…” Rome shifted, looking anywhere but me.
“Wait, I must be insane to think this...but she doesn't mean the real-real Crown Prince right?”
The room hung silent, but Granny’s arched eyebrow spoke a thousand words. She finally shrugged and passed me a teacup. “Secrets breed more secrets, my darlings.”
“Rome—”
“I was going to tell you soon.”
“What?!” I jumped from the chair.
Granny moved to the door, almost evaporating into the ether to give us privacy.
“Really, it’s been on my lips, I just couldn’t find the right words.” Rome pulled me against him, locking me in his arms. “Surprise?” His grin was adorable, but I was too shook to register anything beyond one thought.
I was carrying the secret heir to the Danish throne.
A painful lump formed in my throat, fear displacing the anxiety.
Oh. God. What had I done?
My muscles began to tremble and itch with anxious adrenaline.
Rome tilted his forehead to mine, catching the skin at my neck in a soft kiss as he uttered, “Please, Pixie, don’t run.”
EIGHT
Rome
Pixie was running.
Literally, she was running out of Granny’s kitchen as fast and as far as her feet could carry her.
From me.
I’d fucked things up royally, no pun intended.
In all fairness, we’d only had one night where I could have confessed the curse of my royal blood to her. Before morning light, she’d run. Technically, I’d even given her my damn personal contact number at that Royal Academy mixer, she probably didn’t have it, but if she’d known then what was in her possession maybe she wouldn’t have been so quick to disregard it.
Disregard me.
“Pixie! Stop. I won’t let you run.”
“I’m not running, I just need...I need...I need to go back to my life before you.”
I winced at her accusatory tone. “I’ll have Sven drive you back, but please don’t shut me out, talk to me. When I said you mean everything to me, I meant it. Why else would I bring you to meet my favorite family member?”
Pixie shook her head, shock still tracing her features as she slipped into the backseat of the town car.
“Take me back to camp, Sven.” She breathed.
“I’m going with you.”
And I did go with her.
But it was pointless because she gave me the silent treatment the entire twenty minute ride back to camp.
When Sven pulled in, Pixie already had her door open and was jumping out with a hellbent look in her eyes.
I don’t know if she expected me to follow her, but I did. I always would.