“I don’t know. But that doesn’t matter. I’m your father and your king, and it’s my job to keep you safe. When you grow up and have kids of your own, you’ll understand that.”
“See? Listen to your words—‘when I grow up.’ Even now, you don’t see me as an adult, or as a woman. I’m still your little girl, a child that you have to look out for every moment of the day. But it’s not like that any longer. I can make my own decisions.”
I felt good to finally assert myself after all these years.
“We will talk about this later,” he said sternly. “Right now, I want you back in Europe where I can keep track of you. Jurgen’s still out there, you know, and keeping you safe from him is the whole reason why I have you with those men.”
He had a point. “You’re right. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned being here with these guys, it’s that they care deeply about me being safe. I’m in good hands. They’re good soldiers and great men.”
“That’s good to hear, darling.” I could sense hesitation in his voice like he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the way I was talking about the men.
“All the same, I do want to talk about this when I get back. I understand that you want to keep me safe, but I can’t be kept under a glass jar any longer. I’m a grown woman, and I have my own goals and wants.”
More silence. “We can talk about this when you’re back. But I’m going to be on top of you until you’re at least near Candara, preferably at Blanc Mont.”
“That’s fine.”
“I love you, darling.”
“I love you too, Father.”
I finished the conversation looking out over the window above the kitchen sink, the day bright and beautiful outside. The way I’d spoken to my father…I’d never done that before in my life. I’d always gone along with whatever he’d asked of me, doing my duty as a good little princess. Standing up to him and making it known that I was my own person was an unusual feeling.
But also an exhilarating one. I felt as if someone had pulled a stick from the gears inside of me, and now things were working properly. All I wanted was to stand up for myself and toreallymake sure Father knew that I was my own woman, ready to make my own decisions. I knew that as a crown princess, I had certain duties to my kingdom, but in terms of my personal life, I needed to have a say. I wasn’t the heir to the throne, which gave me a little wiggle room.
I turned to see Ajax standing in front of me. Before I could say a word, he did the last thing I would have expected
He kissed me.
Ajax placed his big hands on my cheeks and brought me in for a hard smooch. It was a surprise, my eyes going wide at first. Soon, I melted into the kiss, smiling through it and wishing it would last forever.
He took his lips from mine and regarded me with a smile.
“What was that for?” I was in something of a daze, the world spinning around me in the best way possible.
“What do you think it was for?” he asked. “You just stuck up for us, said the nicest words we’ve heard from anyone in a long time. You think you’re going to talk about us like that and be the amazing person you are andnotget a kiss for it?”
I didn’t know what to say. I was so happy there with him, the rest of the guys watching from the living room.
I wanted the moment to last forever. All I could think about was the joy I felt.
The joy was, in fact, the last thing I was conscious of before the floor rumbled under my feet, the world flashed, and everything around me exploded.
32
AJAX
The ringing in my ears hadn’t yet stopped, everything still bright white from the flash.
It had all happened so damn fast that I could barely wrap my head around it. One moment I’d been standing in the kitchen, Vic in front of me looking like the most beautiful creature I’d ever laid my eyes on, my lips still wet from the kiss.
The next, there was a flash, then the back outside wall of the kitchen was gone. I flew backward, slamming into the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room, coming to my senses just in time to watch a team of men flood into the room and grab Vic, pulling her into a helicopter hovering twenty feet over the lawn.
Pyke had been the furthest away from the explosion, and therefore the only one able to make a move. He’d rushed toward the chaos, not a trace of fear in his eyes. Apopsounded out and he dropped, and as I struggled to realize what was going on, I looked up to see that one of the black-clad assailants had gotten off a shot.
Through the daze, my eyes caught the look of panic on Vic’s face before she was yanked into the helicopter, a black bag pulled down over her face.
I groaned as I struggled to my feet. Being able to get up was a good thing— it meant my legs hadn’t been broken or blown off. I was covered in dust, and the sight before me was completely surreal.