Casey
I didn’t know how we’d wound up in the middle of this clusterfuck, but I reached for Erik’s hand under the table. He looked angry, staring at his sister with an expression that told me he was going to explode. I squeezed his hand, but he was oblivious as he picked up his wine glass.
“We told you,” he said. “We fucking told you he was no good, but you were determined to marry him.”
Skye looked surprised to hear her brother talking to her that way, but if he noticed, Erik didn’t seem to care.
“Did you really think a man from Limaj that shared your culture, religion, and general beliefs, magically appeared at your university in Paris? You didn’t think that was at all coincidental?”
Skye looked shell-shocked, staring at him without saying a word.
“We all saw it, we all suspected he was using you, but you wouldn’t listen to anyone. Now look what’s happened.”
“Erik…” My mother began.
“No, you’ve coddled her too long. She needs to hear the truth. She’s always used her title as a crutch to be a spoiled, entitled little brat and she’s not going to sit here and disrespect my future wife, the mother of my child, because she chooses to be miserable. I’m sorry. There are consequences when we make choices—and yours was to marry Omar. You’re my sister, and I love you. When I heard about what he did to you, I went straight to the king and asked him what he was going to do about it. I had your back, and I always will, but you need to get over this superiority complex you have and realize that we’re all equals. Our titles don’t mean a fucking thing in the real world. The sooner you recognize that, the happier we’ll all be. Not to mention the potential danger you’ve put us in, depending on how much you told Omar about our family interests. If he’s in league with Anwar, he can take everything from us, Skye. Do you understand that?”
“I didn’t tell him anything.”
“But how much did he overhear? You’ve probably complained about all of us, told him about our life and what savages we are, living the good life in Las Vegas.”
“I never did that.” Skye blinked back tears, biting her lip as she stared at him. “If that’s what you think of me—”
“I don’t think anything of you except that you don’t see life the way it is, only how you want it to be. And that’s not how it works. If that were the case, I’d be heir to the throne, not that weasel Anwar.”
There was a shocked silence as Erik’s words sunk in, and while I was as surprised as everyone else by his outburst, I couldn’t help but smile. So strong and proud, my prince. Ready to take his cousin to task for not doing what was right. As much as I didn’t want to be a queen, the depth of Erik’s emotions when it came to his country was heartwarming and a testament to the man he was. It made me fall even more in love with him.
Aunt Kari took a long drink of wine and Skye looked dumbfounded. Uncle Ben, however, smiled at his son fondly.
“If I’d known the kind of man my future son would be, I never would have abdicated,” he said quietly.
“But I wouldn’t be the man I am if you hadn’t,” Erik said. “Because you wouldn’t have married Mom.”
“And here we are.” Uncle Ben raised his shoulders in a slight shrug.
“I’m sorry,” Skye spoke up in a sad voice. “I… My life imploded the last couple of months, and I feel very lost here in Las Vegas. I don’t know anyone or go anywhere, and I’m mourning the loss of my marriage. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Erik, or yours, Casey.”
“It’s okay.” I gave her a faint smile. What else could I do? She was going to be my sister-in-law and it seemed like we were having some kind of intervention on her behalf.
“What I’d like to know is what you meant by you knew he was going to do something terrible,” Ben said, cocking his head.
Skye made a face. “I never talked about our family because he never wanted me to talk about anything. He liked me being close by but never wanted me to say or do anything, so I listened. I’d pretend to be reading magazines and such, but I would listen, and he was always so…angry. About everything: money, politics, religion, education, even me. He called me a burden once, as if he’d forgotten I was in the room. When he hung up, he made light of it, said he was just talking that way because it was expected by the men in his circles, but I knew better.”
“Who did he talk to? Anyone we know?”
“He’s very close to Anwar. More so than anyone knows, I think.”
“I knew it.” Erik let out a huff. “I fucking knew it.”
“And Daniil.”
“Daniil?” The shock in the room was tangible.
Erik didn’t say anything, but there was no doubt he was as startled as everyone else. Daniil had seemed so sweet, so much like Sandor and Elen, I had a hard time imagining him good friends with someone like Omar. I’d never met Skye’s soon-to-be-ex-husband, but what I’d heard was enough.
“I think we’re going to have to have a long talk with Sandor,” Uncle Ben said after a moment.
The rest of the meal was subdued, and Erik and I escaped to our room as soon as we were finished eating. I wasn’t sure what had happened at dinner, but Erik was agitated.
“What does all that mean?” I asked him once we were alone.
“It’s complicated,” he said, yanking off his shirt and rummaging through one of his drawers.
“What are you doing?”
“You want to go for a swim?”
“Um, sure.” I changed into my bathing suit and put my hair up with a clip.
He grabbed two towels, and we made our way down the stairs and onto the patio with the pool. He kicked off his sandals and dove in without waiting for me, so I sat on a lounge chair and watched him, wondering what was going on in his head. He usually said exactly what was on his mind when it came to anything to do with Anwar, so I wanted to give him a little space tonight. He would tell me what he was thinking in his own time, and in the meantime, I was going to enjoy the last bit of light before the sun disappeared completely. We wouldn’t have these long, hot days much longer so I would get my fill of them now.
I was startled awake when I realized I’d fallen asleep and Erik was carrying me up the stairs.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
“It’s only been about thirty minutes,” he said. “You fell asleep while I was swimming. Seems like you’re tired.”
“I guess I am.” I smiled. “Our baby princess is already knocking me on my butt.”
“Our baby prince needs lots of energy to grow,” he responded, setting me down on the bed.
“I’m okay,” I said. “The doctor said fatigue in the first trimester is normal.”
“Yeah, but since you don’t have anything pressing to do, why not just get plenty of sleep?”
I yawned. “Okay, fine. But only if you come to bed with me.”
“Let me take a quick shower to wash off the chlorine and I’ll be right in.” He kissed me and I got into bed.
The next thing I knew, it was morning and I was alone in bed. Damn, this pregnancy stuff wasn’t for sissies. I felt great this morning, though, and while I wondered where Erik had gone, I was starving. I got dressed and cleaned up, and then hurried down to the kitchen. Hopefully, there would be breakfast in the making, or else I’d be cooking for myself. We hadn’t talked about details like cooking and groceries and such, but I’d known Uncle Ben and Aunt Kari long enough to feel comfortable asking.
Luckily, Aunt Kari and Skye were in the kitchen when I arrived, and Naomi, their housekeeper, was getting something out of the oven.
“Are you hungry, dear?” Aunt Kari asked. “Erik said you fell asleep early so I figured you would be.”
“I’m starving.”
“I’ve made a breakfast casserole.” Naomi greeted me with a smile. “I hope you like eggs, ham, swiss cheese, and green onions.”
“Love it all,” I declared happily.
“Make yourself a plate, grab some tea or coffee, and let’s sit on the patio,” Aunt Kari suggested. “It’s beautiful out.”
“Okay.” I poured myself a mug of coffee and took the plate Naomi handed me, along with a napkin and utensils. The doctor had said one cup of coffee a day was okay, and I was grateful for that because I would be miserable without it. I didn’t drink a lot of soda, and I was okay without alcohol, but coffee would be a lot harder. I was still getting the hang of pregnancy and it was an odd feeling, knowing I was growing a life inside of me. On the plus side, it was Erik’s baby. Our baby. Which was incredibly cool. Weight gain and stretch marks would be less cool, but hopefully I had youth and excellent health on my side.
“I’m sorry, what?” I realized Aunt Kari had been talking to me.
“I said, did you have a chance to look at any magazines last night? It might take time to find the perfect dress.”
“No, I fell asleep. I’m sorry. Erik and I are going to sit down today to talk about all things wedding-related. Technically, he hasn’t even proposed.”
“Oh, he will,” Aunt Kari laughed. “Trust me.”
I smiled back. “I’m sure. He’s a pretty romantic guy.”
“Omar wasn’t at all romantic,” Skye murmured. “And I’m so bad at it, I never even noticed.”
“You always said romance was overrated,” Aunt Kari pointed out.
“I thought it was.” She sighed. “Now I don’t know what to think. How did I marry such a man?”
“We all make mistakes,” I said carefully. I didn’t interact much with Skye because we tended to butt heads, but she seemed pretty mellow today. “If he was your first love, it was a hard lesson learned.”
“Who was your first love?” Skye asked, meeting my eyes curiously.
“His name was Ace.” I smiled. “That was a fun but epic mistake. I was not quite seventeen, while we were recording our first album, and he was leaving for the Marines in two weeks. I fell hard and fast and was completely devastated that it was nothing but a pre-military fling for him. Luckily, the album came out not long after that, and then we went on tour, so I had a huge distraction.”
“I don’t foresee any huge life-changing distractions in my near future,” Skye said quietly.
“Perhaps you can buy your own home, or a condominium,” Kari suggested. “Spend your time decorating and reinventing yourself.”
“Maybe.” Skye didn’t look convinced, but at least she wasn’t being bitchy.
“Good morning.” Erik and Uncle Ben came in and Erik dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “How’d you sleep, love?”
“Like a rock. I don’t remember falling asleep or you getting up or anything.”
“You’ll sleep well early in your pregnancy,” Aunt Kari said. “And then at the end, you won’t sleep at all because you’ll be uncomfortable, so enjoy it now.”
“I am,” I replied. “I’m just not used to it.”
Erik and Uncle Ben joined us at the table, and we chatted until we’d finished eating. Then Erik and I went up to our room and he sat in a chair by the window, looking out at either the view or nothing at all. It was hard to tell by the look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, dropping to my knees beside him and resting my elbows on his thighs. “Talk to me. Please. I’m not used to you keeping things in like this.”
He looked down at me and smiled, running his thumb along my jaw. “I’m not keeping things in so much as turning them over in my head.”
“I think you do want to be king,” I whispered. “And the idea that you can’t eats at you.”
“It didn’t eat at me until recently, when I realized what an absolutely incapable, impetuous, and unfit ruler he’s going to be. And something almost no one knows: Uncle Isak has multiple sclerosis. He’s been thinking about abdicating to Anwar for a couple of years and my father recently told me his condition is getting worse. Not many know about it, of course, because it would diminish his power and make him appear weak, but Anwar knows. And that scares me. The thought of the people of my country being ruled by him is terrifying. I don’t want the job, I really don’t, but it’s one of those things where you don’t want someone completely unqualified to have it either.”
“That’s understandable,” I said. “Is there anything you can do?”
“Dad and I talked about it at length this morning and there really isn’t.”
“In a perfect world, where everything fell into place without repercussions, is there any way for the king to name you heir to the throne instead of Anwar?”
He shook his head. “Not really. King Isak, Anwar, and all of his siblings would have to abdicate first. The king could petition Parliament to vote on reinstating me as a royal heir and they would have to vote unanimously. We have a lot of weird rules about the heir to the throne in Limaj.”
“But technically, from the perspective of bloodline, you are the real heir.”
He chuckled. “Yes, but because of the way my father abdicated, it’s a complicated mess. And remember, we’re not the United Kingdom. We’re a tiny eastern European country with a barely democratic government, bordering communist and theocratic countries that have had huge influences on us over the centuries. Our proximity to Turkey, Russia, and the Middle East makes us vulnerable to all kinds of attacks and rebellions, so the royal bloodline doesn’t have the emphasis it would in perhaps a country like England. It’s all about power and money, because of oil and trade.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds confusing and frustrating.”
“Hence why I truly don’t want to be king. However, I still care about my people and want what’s best for them, which is why I’m struggling with Anwar taking over if Uncle Isak’s health continues to decline.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I had something intelligent to say.”
“You always have something intelligent to say, and honestly, just being able to talk about it is a huge relief.” He got to his feet and reached for my hands to bring me to mine. “But let’s not talk about this anymore today. I have a surprise for you. Do you have a little hiking in you today? Nothing overly strenuous.”
“I’m fine.” I grinned. “And a hike sounds great.”
“A very special hike. I’ll have Naomi pack us lunch and water and give Sandor the plan. Be ready in about thirty minutes?”
“Ready for anything.” I watched him go with a fond smile. I adored this man and fell more in love with him every day. My heart told me he wasn’t going to sit around and let an idiot like Anwar take over without a fight, but he just didn’t realize it yet. I had no idea what that would mean for our future, but I refused to worry about it. I trusted him and that was all that mattered. At least I hoped so.