A Royal Engagement: The Young Royals Book 1 (22 page)

"I agree," I said softly, "But what can I do?
 
I can't even step into my inheritance because of the boys club that is our House of Lords."

He sighed, "I know," he said, "Jacob and I had discussed his plans for change.
 
He wanted to get some new blood into the chamber, maybe open it up to more than just the Peers."

"I saw your applications for grants in my father's office," I said softly, "I can't believe he denied them."

He snorted, "I loved your father," he said, "But the man had no backbone or foresight.
 
The Parliament controlled him and I was not a favoured person around here after my father disgraced himself."

"But you've proved them wrong," I said, "Look at what you've achieved without their help or influence."

"I know," he said, "But I couldn't have done it without Jacob in my corner.
 
God, I miss him."
 
His voice was raw with emotion and I felt the pickle of tears behind my eyes and my throat clutch.

I sat up slowly, gritting my teeth against the pain, and moved so that I was practically sitting on Will's lap.
 
I wound my arms around his neck and burrowed into his shoulder as tears flowed out of my eyes.
 
I hadn't cried for my father and brother since that first time on the plane, but hearing Will's grief broke the dam on mine.

His arms held me tight and he pulled me onto his lap.
 
His strong hands petted my hair and rubbed my back making nonsensical noises to comfort me.

"I wish to God I had gone with him that day," he said harshly, his voice rough with emotion. "Maybe I could have..."

"No," I said, lifting my head to stare into his eyes, "You probably would have been killed too.
 
What happened was out of everyone's control, even his security detail couldn't stop him from dying."

His jaw firmed and his nostrils flared, "But I knew something they didn't," he ground out.
 
His gaze softened and his hands came up to cup my face, his thumbs brushing the tears from my cheeks, "I'm so sorry I failed him and you," he said before dipping his head and brushing his lips against mine.

Sensation washed over me in waves as his lips continued to slide over mine.
 
I threaded my fingers through the hair at his nape and responded to his kiss, opening my mouth and tasting him for the first time.
 
The smell of woodsmoke and the sandalwood of his cologne infused my senses and he tasted like cinnamon and star anise from the tea we'd had earlier.

He angled my head so that he could delve deeper into my mouth and I whimpered.
 
His hands skated down over my shoulders, down my back and came to rest on my hips.
 
His large hands spanned the small of my back as he pulled me closer, pressing my soft places against his hard ones and it felt so wonderful that I lost myself to it.

His tongue slid against mine as he continued to kiss me, deeper, more urgent.
 
My hands slid from his hair to grip the rounded muscles of his shoulders and my short nails dug into the flesh as I pulled myself against him.
 
No one had ever consumed me like Will did now, not even Jordan's kisses had ignited this deep burning desire within me.

The sharp rap of a brass knocker against wood pierced through our fog of lust and we pulled apart.
 
I was breathing heavily and my lips felt swollen and tender.
 
I looked down into Will's eyes and saw the desire banked there, turning his clear blue ones dark and stormy.
 
His lips were wet from our kisses and his cheeks flushed.
 
We just stared at one another, breathing hard, minds blank until the knock came again and spurred Will into action.

He lifted me gently and sat me on the couch as he stood and ran a hand through his hair.
 
He didn't look at me as he straightened his clothes and took a deep breath.
 
He strode out of the room and I heard the front door open followed by his harsh, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Chapter Fifteen

"I'm here for Alyssa," I heard Jordan's hard voice echo down the hall.

"The hell you are," Will replied with heat, "I told you that if you ever darkened my doorway again, I'd kill you, now get off my property before I get my rifle."

"Not without the Princess," Jordan's voice was firm.

"She's not going anywhere with you," Will answered, his voice had risen in volume, but deepened in timbre.

"That's my goddamned fiancé in there and I'm not leaving without her."

Fiancé?
 
If I was Jordan's fiancé then I was still missing a significant portion of my memory.

I heard Will swear in a low growl and then I heard footsteps as Jordan must have barged past Will.
 
He strode into the room searching for me and when he found me a weird look crossed his face before he schooled his features into a look of concern.

He stepped over to me and knelt down at my feet.

"Oh, God," he said, his voice rough, "We were so worried about you."

Will walked into the room behind him and stood in the doorway, blocking it.
 
His large arms crossed in front of his chest and a look of steel on his face.
 
His eyes were cold and whatever warmth had been between us before had now disappeared with the arrival of Jordan.

"I-uh-I don't remember much of what happened," I said.

Jordan cradled my face gently in his hands, "You were upset about what happened in Parliament and we had a fight.
 
You took off into the storm on Mistborn."

"Mistborn?" I croaked.
 
That, I didn't remember.

He nodded.
 
"The horse came back, drenched and wild looking and we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Who is Mistborn," Will asked, well, growled.

"An Arabian stallion that Jordan gave me," I answered automatically still in shock that I had ridden the beast.

"You gave her an Arabian stallion?" Will asked before swearing under his breath, "Were you trying to kill her?"

"Don't be so dramatic," Jordan waved Will's comment away, "It was a coronation gift."

"A coronation gift that very well nearly killed her," Will reiterated.

Jordan jumped to his feet, "Well I didn't expect her to be stupid enough to ride him in the middle of a storm," he growled, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Excuse me?" I asked, my body going cold.
 
Is that what Jordan really thought of me.

He whipped around, panic on his face and knelt in front of me again, "I didn't mean to say that," he said, "I'm just so upset and worried about you."

Will snorted and looked away from Jordan's display.
 
I was so confused, I didn't know what to think or feel or believe.
 
Moments before I had been locked in Will's embrace with his lips scorching mine and searing my veins with need.
 
Now he could barely look at me.
 
Meanwhile Jordan was playing the devoted fiancé, even though I couldn't even remember him proposing to me.

"Come on Alyssa," Jordan said, "Let's get you home."

"No," Will said, his voice low and hard, "She's not going anywhere with you."

"You don't have that kind of authority," Jordan said, standing to his feet and staring Will down.

"I told Benjamin that I would stay with her until he arrived so, yeah, I do have that authority."

"I'm her fiancé," Jordan said, drawing himself up, "I am not a threat to her."

"I know who you really are," Will said dangerously, "I know all about you Wicks and there is no way in hell that I am letting the future Queen of Merveille leave here with you."

"I am no threat to her," Jordan repeated through gritted teeth.

"I'm not so sure of that," Will responded in kind.

Jordan swung at him and I gasped, my hands flying up to cover my mouth.
 
Will blocked his swing with one arm and then drove his fist into Jordan's gut with the other.
 
Jordan doubled over with a woosh of air leaving his lungs and dropped to one knee.
 
I jumped to my feet and, despite the pain, moved over to crouch beside him.

"What the hell, Will?" I yelled at him.

"He started it," Will said.

I shook my head at his childish display as Jordan groaned.
 
I helped him up to sit on the couch beside me and heard Will's curse as he turned and stomped out of the room.

"Stay here," I said to Jordan as I followed Will out and down the hall to the kitchen where we had been last night.

Will stood with his back to me, his hands braced on the island bench and his head bowed.
 
I stood in the doorway and crossed my arms over my chest.

"What the hell was that?" I asked.

He sighed and shook his head, but didn't answer me.

I ran a hand through my hair, wincing as I skimmed over the lump where I'd hit my head.

"I don't understand," I said, "You, Jacob and Jordan were all such good friends.
 
First Carlos tells me that Jacob and Jordan hadn't spoken for three years and now this.
 
What the hell is going on between you?"

"Leave it, Lys," he said harshly, "Just stay the hell out of it."

"No," I said, "I won't.
 
After everything Jordan did for you after your father died, how can you treat him like this?"

He turned to face me, his face a mask of horror, "After everything he did for me?" he asked softly and then shook his head.
 
"You have no idea what Jordan did to my family.
 
I think you should leave, the two of you deserve each other."

Will stomped out of the kitchen and I heard the back door slam and then his boots on the stairs.
 
What the hell had just happened?
 
I stood there frozen until I felt Jordan come up behind me and rest his hands on my shoulders.

"Let him go, Lys," Jordan said softly, "He's hurting still and he's just lashing out at whatever he can."

Jordan was right, but it still hurt to see Will so angry.
 
I turned into Jordan's arms and let him hold me for a moment before he led me out of the house and into his car to take me home.

Pandemonium.
 
That's what ensued when Jordan brought me back to the palace.
 
He wasn't supposed to come and get me, he was supposed to have waited for my security detail to come get me.
 
Apparently Benjamin and the team had thought me perfectly safe with Will until the morning.

Jordan had obviously disagreed and he was prepared to tell everyone and anyone, quite loudly, that I was his fiancé and he felt it was more prudent for me to be home in my own bed and tended to by the Royal Physician.

I just wanted to crawl into bed and ignore everyone for the next forty-eight hours at least.

I didn't want to talk about what happened.
 
I didn't want the doctor prodding and poking me and sticking a tongue depressor down my throat or shine a light in my eyes.
 
I didn't want to explain to Benjamin why I had purposely taken off from my security detail and I didn't want to explain to Jed and Cliff why I was stupid enough to jump on Mistborn, a horse I barely knew and one that was too dangerous for me anyway, and ride off into a storm putting both, the very expensive horse and myself, in danger.

And least of all, I didn't want to hear the word fiancé come out of Jordan's mouth one more time or I might finish what Will started with him.

But, of course, being a Crown Princess, I didn't get anything I wanted.
 
I had to sit through the doctor examining me, poking at my sore bits and prodding at my even sorer bits.
 
And while that humiliation was in progress, I had to sit through a lecture from Benjamin and Von Bartham who tag teamed me with their berating.
 
And, try as I might, I couldn't seem to get rid of Jordan.

When the doctor had finally completed his consultation and declared me banged and bruised but essentially unharmed, I did the only thing I could think of to get rid of everyone.
 
I threw a tantrum.

"Get out!
 
Everybody get out of my room NOW!"

It was so out of character for me that it managed to shock everybody into shutting up, which helped my headache no end.
 
I ushered everyone out the door amid protestations and questions about press releases.
 
When everybody was over the threshold and in the hallway, I blocked the door and looked each one of them in the eye.

"I don't want anything said to the press about any of this until I have managed to talk to each and everyone of you and that won't be until the morning.
 
So go about your day and leave me the hell alone."

I slammed the door and took a deep breath to calm the uncontrollable shaking that had taken over my body.
 
I leant my back against the door and slid down to the ground, burying my head in my hands.