No. This shouldn’t have happened like this.
I look at the Queen and Uncle Charles as a wave of panic washes over me. My heart races and thunders within my chest, while my breathing becomes quick and shallow.
Loud voices swirl around me, but I pay attention to what they are saying.
As my eyes roll back into my head, the one voice that pulls me back from the darkness is Shane’s deep, frantic voice. “Deloris! Baby, stay with me! Please, I can’t handle not having you here with me.” My heart aches with the amount of pain he has woven through each syllable.
I try to take a steady breath as I whisper, “Shane.”
The darkness that was closing in on me just moments ago slowly fades away and once again, I’m looking at my handsome boyfriend while his warm hand grasps mine. His warmth comforts me and with my eyes locked with his, I ignore the other people in the room as they scurry around the bed.&
I lay back on my bed and stare up at the white ceiling. How could this all happen while I’m unconscious? Shane caresses my cheek as he softly asks, “Hey, baby. What are you thinking about?” I slowly shake my head. “I can’t believe with all our top agents that we can’t find the person responsible for this. We can’t even find your friend, Chris. How can we be lacking so much? Or is it that the mastermind behind this whole thing has too much power and stops us when we don’t even realize it?” I pull my focus off the ceiling and turn my attention towards my boyfriend. A slight frown now adorns his face. He sighs and slides his hand down off my cheek and rests it on my arm. “I’m helping Charles by giving him all the information I know about Chris and where he might be hiding. It is only a matter of time now. They will find my friend. However, I still don’t think that my fr
I glance over at my mother as she stands staring at us for a second, while fear creeps into her eyes.I may have been briefed on what has happened, but my mind has gone blank. However, one thing that keeps repeating in my head is a little voice reminding me not to tell Irene the truth. With that thought, I slowly shake my head.The Queen clears her throat and looks back down at her phone. “I’m sorry, Irene, but I haven’t talked to him since he left. He said goodbye to his brother and Katherine, before he left on his mysterious trip. He wouldn’t even tell me where he was going.”I smile and nod at her.Irene sighs. “Oh. I guess I shouldn’t worry about him then.”My mother shakes her head. “No. Don’t worry about him, dear. I’m sure he will return when he has gotten your surprise. Knowing him, it is prob
I glance across the room at my father, who is still lying perfectly still in his bed. The monitors are still displaying various numbers along with his heartbeat. However, a little part of me wishes he would suddenly wake up so he can see this, even though this isn’t how it should be done. With Shane’s help, I’m sitting up in bed and the coronation is taking place around me.This doesn’t seem real, but I know it is. The room is filled with medical staff and the King’s highest security clearance staff, along with Max and Page. In addition, there are a few of the clergy who will perform the ceremony.I glance up at Shane, who flashes me a loving smile, before I turn my attention to my other side and my mother. She, too, greets me with a warm smile. However, I see something else within her eyes. It is almost like a sense of relief.After today, she c
I lay down on the bed beside Deloris, who is sound asleep. Soft little snores fill the air as I stare at her and gently brush her hair out of her face. Even with the scratches and the bandages, she is still the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen. I lean towards her and kiss her forehead and then nose. Deloris doesn’t move, while still softly snoring. A faint smile spreads across my lips as I gaze down at her. My mother’s voice doesn’t even break my trance. “Son, she did a good job today, and so did you. I’m so proud of both of you.” I nod and turn my head towards my mother. “Thanks, mom. I’m sure Deloris will be happy when she wakes up. I wish she was a little more awake during the coronation, though. I don’t even think she realized you were here.” She sits down on the other side of the bed and reaches across and pats my arm. “Dee doesn’t need to know t
I glance around the room, but no one is talking. My focus stops on Uncle Charles, and I raise an eyebrow and continue to stare at him.He clears his throat and glances at the others before he rubs the back of his neck. “Well….”I raise my eyebrow a little higher as he drags out the word. What are they hiding from me? Can it be that bad that they don’t want to tell me anything?My uncle takes a deep breath. “Dee, you know there are only a hand full of people with the clearance to that section of the castle. Right.”I nod. “Yes. I know. I also know, I hate to admit this, but I will. I’ve been wrong about Katherine. She isn’t the one behind all of this. So, who does that leave?”My mind swirls that same question around. Who would want to harm my family?Uncle Charles steps closer to me. “We
I sit up straight in bed, as Page adjusts the laptop on the tray in front of us, so we can see everything clearly. More equipment is off to the side on another table next to my bed. Luckily, my staff found Chris shortly after my battle with my uncle. I knew my staff is amazing, and it didn’t take long for them to do what they do best and find the man. Unfortunately, he didn’t come in willingly and my staff had to be rough with him. Regardless, we are one step closer to proving who the mastermind is. With my eyes locked on the laptop, I fidget back and forth on the bed. “Is it all setup now? Can we see what is happening?” Page shakes her head as she reaches behind the laptop with a cable. “Not yet. I have a few more things to hook up. We want to make sure that we have a secure line so no one can hack into our feed. So, be patient.” I know that, but I can’t help myself. I want answe
I tighten my hand around the edge of my seat while I tentatively sneak a glance over at Charles. His fingers are tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, and his knuckles are turning white. I don’t even need to look at his face or see the steam rolling off him to know what he is feeling right now. Anger. Frustration. And most of betrayal. One royal themselves is behind the attacks. However, no matter how mad Charles is, I can only imagine what Deloris is doing right now. She sat in her hospital bed watching the whole thing. Towards the end of the interrogation, the audio from her was cut, but not before a series of curses filled my ear. I wish I was there with her, but it will only be a matter of time now. First, though, Charles and I have a short little detour to take. Charles heads for the secret hospital and the hidden entrance. His security staff stand out of the way w
I lean forward and with venom, I growl, “PRINCESS DELORIS, I LOVE YOU!” Her eyes nearly bulge out as she sinks into the chair like someone just knocked the wind out of her. Her pain soon etched on her face as she grabs her chest and gasps for air. A wave of satisfaction courses through my veins as I turn and walk out of the room. Charles’ booming voice follows me down the hallway. “Take her to the jail and don’t let anyone talk to her. Absolutely no one.” A timid voice asks, “How about the Queen?” My footsteps slow down as I churn my head to listen. Charles pauses for a moment. “If the Queen wants to see her, we can’t stop her.” He doesn’t wait for a reply as his heavy footsteps echo through the hallway behind me. I, once again, pick up my pace with my fists swinging at my side and my heart pounding in my chest. I would like to revel in my victory and the pain my words have ca
I bite my lower lip as my fingers fidget with my pants. My eyes are glued up front at the judge as he turns to the jury box and the jurors. “Have you reached a verdict?” The court room falls into complete silence. A lady stands up and announces, “Yes, we have, your honor.” My breath catches. This is it. I silently pray that this is the end of this chapter of our lives. The judge nods. “On the first count of attempted murder regarding the attack on the King, what is your verdict?” I hold my breath as I lean slightly forward. “Guilty.” YES!! I turn to my side and huge my husband, Shane, as tears stream down my face. I have so many things I want to say, but I can only manage to mutter a few words. “Yes. Finally.” His strong arms wrap around me and hold me tight. His voice cracks as he replies, “Yes. We finally have justice.”
As I bite the inside of my mouth, I take a deep breath. I need to stay focused. My eyes jump from one video to the next, hoping to spot my boyfriend and my uncle. However, I can’t find them anywhere. I bite down harder as my heart races. Please make sure Shane and my uncle are alright. Even though my mind is in a whirlwind and my heart is racing, I force myself to stay on task and finish what we have started. I keep my eyes on the various videos while I bark orders into the microphone. Each passing moment seems to stretch on forever. Periodically, I glance back at the video for my father’s hospital room, making sure my parents are still alright. My heart wrenches as my eyes stop on the various videos of people running and screaming. Even though I have the sound turned off on them, their screams still echo in my head. Several injured people are being helped away
I look at the solid door for a moment as my heart squeezes.Thoughts rush through my head, imagining all the various things that could have happened to Shane.Please tell me he is alright. I can’t lose him now. I just found him.I take a deep breath.I’m surrounded by complete silence, which amplifies the banging from the earlier bullets which is still ringing in my ears.I have been around gun fire before, but this time seems to be different. However, the only difference is I’m now the queen instead of the head of security.A loud bang against the door reminds me that even if the room is a safe room, if Irene’s gang really wants to get me, they can find a way through the thick steel door no matter how many locks are on it or how much security is around.I take a deep breath.My mind goes back to our plan. I must follow the plan.&nbs
I glance around the corner and look into the castle’s press room. The reporters are scanning through their notes, while the camera crews and photographers setup their equipment behind all the chairs.My stomach churns. This is it.My mother’s harsh words in protest over this come flooding back to me. Somewhere out there are some of Irene’s group of goons.My eyes dart to the various corners of the room where additional security staff are at, while I unconsciously run my hand over my stomach. My fingers linger along the edge of the bullet-proof vest. However, I don’t find comfort in it.Before today, I wouldn’t think anything about whether there are bullets aiming for me. I would find relief in them being aimed at me instead of my family. However, I’m the queen now. If something happens to me, my uncle will have to step forward an
An eerie silence consumes the room.No one moves as all eyes are locked on the open door.Each passing second seems to stretch on for more like minutes or even hours as we wait to hear anything that will ease our worries.My mother is still frozen in the middle of the room while Shane squeezes my shoulder and whispers, “Everything will be alright.”I wish I had his confidence. I’ve seen the doctor’s report and have talked extensively with them. I know the cold, hard truth. Neither of my brothers has good odds. It seems they took the bulk of the impact trying to protect Katherine and her unborn child.However, I don’t protest. I keep my eyes fixed on the door and nod.My stomach suddenly sinks as some monitor in the distance belts out a solid buzz.The screams from the staff fade away as my mind screams, “NO! THIS CAN’T BE
Even though I’ve been in this room several times. This time, it is suffocating me.The sight of my father trembling as he looks at Brandon and Katherine from his wheelchair while his eyes fill with tears. It only takes a few seconds before those tears then stream down his face. The tremor along his lips and the pain in his eyes are too much for me, but I can’t leave.My voice cracks as I gently lay my hand on his arm. “They are getting better. Remember, the doctor said Katherine could wake up any minute. That is a good sign.”He puts his hand on top of mine and nods. His shaky voice also cracks as he whispers, “Yes, it is a good sign.” Standing behind his wheelchair, my mother pats his shoulders. “Honey, it will only be time now. Then we can have our family back together again. I have faith they will return to us.”I wish I
Irene POVMy stomach sinks as I stare into Charles’ crazy eyes. His anger radiates off him and slams into me like a ton of bricks, along with the table.However, that doesn’t affect me. No. He is trying to bring my parents into this. He can’t do that. They have nothing to do with this.I did this all on my own. My rightful place is next to my husband as the country’s queen. I did this all on my own.Robert is so much better than Brandon and my husband desires to be the king more than his brother does. But because Brandon is older, he gets to be the king first. That is so unfair.Shouldn’t the better leader be the one to lead the country? Of course, I would be the queen then. Everyone would continue to look up to me instead of Katherine. She is nothing compared to me.The throne is meant for us, not th
I march into Dee’s office and take a seat behind her desk, which is now my office and my desk. I didn’t think in a million years I would be back here. I thought once I retired, I would only be brought on the rare occasion something like what has when my brother has occurred. However, now, I’ll be back here every day. A small part of me is disappointed I’m coming back, but another part of me is happy, not because of the events which have brought me back, but because I can stop moping around the house. I hate to admit it but retired and I don’t work well with each other. Before I even turn on the computer, I yell out, “Page! I need an update! You better have something for me!” I’m not even done with my command when Page, Max and Trevor rush into the office. Max stops and stands in between the two chairs, while Page and Trevor sit in the chairs. Max clears his throat. “The agents a
With my laptop on top of a little portable table, I sit beside the King’s bed and glance over at him. “Your majesty, what exactly do you want to say at the press conference? Are there certain things you want to cover?”He nods as Deloris pats my arm and says, “For me, I want to clarify that this will not go unpunished. The traitors will be captured, or hopefully are already captured, and will rot in jail.”Her father shakes his head. “You can’t go out and say something like that. You must use a little more finesse. With something like that, you will not only scare the villains but also everyone else in the country. No. We need to think of it a little more rationally.”Standing beside him and holding his hand, his wife smiles at my girlfriend. “Darling, you need to learn the fine art of subtleness. You can appear nice and friendly, but also fierce at