It had been until Princess Eloise turned out to be Elle. He’d tear the world apart for her, but it turned out the best thing he could do for her was rip out his own heart. In a few hours she’d be Elskov’s queen, and queens didn’t marry for love, unless you counted the love of country. They most definitely didn’t marry commoners who weren’t even citizens. She’d said she loved him. That was the one choice she couldn’t make as queen.
“Good-bye, Major, it’s been a pleasure.” He turned the key in the ignition. “Watch over her.”
Without waiting for a response, Dom yanked the comm unit out of his ear and dropped it out the car’s window before pulling away and driving until the castle was only a dot in his rearview mirror.
…
Whatever shot the doctor had given Elle had done the trick. Twenty minutes later she was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows and very nearly 100 percent herself. At least enough so that she’d kicked out everyone except Major Bendtsen.
He stood at attention at the foot of the bed, hands clasped behind his back looking every bit like the career military officer he was. Control. Determination. Power. No wonder Dom had picked him as his right-hand man. He was a force to be reckoned with…but so was she. And there was no way the man who’d rescued her could be anyone other than Dom. She’d woken up from the drugged haze knowing it with as much certainty as she knew the earth was round. Even though she already knew the answer, she had to ask. “Is he alive? Was that really Dom?”
The major hesitated for only a half second before his dark green eyes locked with hers. “Yes, Your Highness.”
She sank back against the pillows and let out a relieved sigh. “How? I saw the chalet come down.”
“It’s a good thing his backup plans have backups.” A rare grin from the major.
“Where is he now?” Because it sure as hell wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Not after everything they’d been through.
“He’s at the airport. He thought it best if he headed up the search for any remaining Fjende who may have fled Elskov.”
Before she had a chance to question him further, the door opened and a man entered. His hair was gone, his body bent with age and pain, but there was no mistaking the blue eyes, because they were the same distinctive shade as her own.
He hesitated at the door for a moment before crossing over to what used to be his bed. The tip of his silver cane tapped against the stone floor with each step, each one emphasizing how much the man before her was a shadow of his former self. Thin. Pale. Broken. It was like looking into a carnival mirror reflection of the man her father had been. It broke her heart.
Slowly, he eased himself down until he sat next to her on the bed, the mattress barely dipping under his weight. “Look at you, Eloise. Your mother would be so proud.”
Knowing he was alive was one thing—seeing him quite another. She didn’t know whether to push him away or pull him close. She kinda wanted to do both. “How could you?”
Tears in his eyes, he took her hand in his frail, thin one. “At first it was because I thought it was the best way to keep you safe until you were ready to come back home and do what needed to be done for Elskov. Then my body began to reject the transplants I needed after the assassination attempt. One by one, they started to shut down. What kind of father would make his child watch him die twice?”
The image of him bleeding all over the castle steps flashed in her mind. That was how she had always pictured him. Not the games of tag in the formal gardens or the late-night discussions about Elskovian history in the library or the songs they used to make up and sing on the way to royal appearances. She’d been so focused on the bad that she’d blocked out the good. Well, now she had a second chance with him, and she wasn’t going to lose it.
Glancing down at their intertwined hands, she swallowed past the emotion making her throat tight. “Will you stay in Elskov?”
Sadness and regret dimmed the blue of his eyes. “You know that can’t happen. In a few hours, you’ll be queen. Those loyal to the Fjende would have eaten up the sweet seventeen-year-old girl you were, but they’ve got a much stronger enemy in the woman you’ve become. You are Elskov’s best choice.” He squeezed her hand. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be part of your life. If you’ll allow it, I’d like to be as much a part of your life as I can. Believe me, if I could go back and do it differently, I would. I was so focused on my duty to Elskov that it blinded me to my duty to my daughter. It is my greatest failing. Can you ever forgive me?”
“I shouldn’t.” Her voice shook.
“I understand.” He started to get up.
She refused to let go of his hand. “But I do.”
He wrapped his arms around her, and they clung to each other as she let the tears she’d been holding back fall freely—they both did. He wasn’t perfect, but he was her father, and he’d done what he’d thought was the best thing for her and for Elskov. She couldn’t hold on to the anger that had twisted her up, not when she was making the same choice when it came to Dom.
He pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks before standing. “I’ll be watching the Kronig from the jet. I have to go back to Spain. If I stay here any longer, I could ruin everything for you.”
“I understand.” She stood, her legs a little wobbly but not enough to stop her from walking her father to the door.
He paused, his hand on the knob. “You’re more like your mother every day. She was strong and dedicated to Elskov, but she understood the importance of balance when it came to royal duty and love. I hope you’ll follow her example as a ruler rather than mine.”
“You mean Dom.” Her heart fluttered at the taste of his name on her
lips.
Her father nodded. “He didn’t have the choice to tell you about me. No one knows what that’s like more than you. Don’t let the crown and your duty blind you like it did me. He loves you.”
“How do you know?”