Arianna & Finn (Royals of Valleria #3) (24 page)

“A confrontation. If I know my brother, he’ll want to address the nation. Not just about the charges leveled against me, but about the future of Brazenbourg. I’ll plan to confront him there as the whole country will be watching. It’s my best chance.”

“Hold on. Yes, I’ve just confirmed that he announced a speech tonight at seven local time. Can you sneak into the palace?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Your brother is taking Arianna straight back to Valleria, isn’t he? I don’t want her near Henry.” She shouldn’t be near him, either; he wasn’t safe.

“That’s the plan. If you need his help, he can stay behind.”

“Arianna is priority. Keep her safe. Let me know when you’ve got her.”

“Will do. Godspeed, Finn.”

“Same to you, Alex.”
And Godspeed, Arianna
, he prayed.
Stay safe
.

***

Arianna knew it was a crazy idea. However, since she’d had so many terrible ones recently, she figured one more probably couldn’t make a difference. She hadn’t planned to run away to Brazenbourg to meet Finn, but she’d had no other choice.

She loved him, and he needed help.

She’d lain awake for hours last night, thinking of him, praying she’d have a chance to beg his forgiveness for not believing in him. It was then that she’d remembered the letter from Finn that she’d received through Alex.

In it, he had declared her love for her, and his deepest hopes and dreams - dreams that included them together. Dreams she should have believed when he’d spoken them to her in the dark hours of the night. She had also finally checked her phone, and Finn’s pleas to believe the articles were a fabrication clinched her decision. If only she had checked her phone earlier. If only. If only.

She rubbed her womb again, she couldn’t seem to stop. She knew she needed protection, so she’d taken a guard with her. She knew he was reporting back to Marcello and the others, despite her orders not to. She couldn’t blame him; his life was on the line now, too.

She needed to be with Finn. He was her future, she realized. Not just because of the baby, though it was certainly a consideration. She’d been such an idiot, though, she didn’t know if he’d want to see her. She prayed he did.

Once the plane arrived in Brazenbourg, she’d expected some or other family member to be there waiting to take her back to Valleria. However, no one was there.

Her guard secured a car and they drove to the palace. She knew Henry would be alerted to her presence, and she would use that to gain entry. As far as he knew, she was still on board with the engagement.

He would learn that plans had changed, and that no one pushed her around.

She also had a feeling that Finn would try to come back here, and confront Henry. She didn’t even want to think about what may happen if Finn lost. It wasn’t an option, she thought as she absently rubbed her womb again. Losing him just wasn’t an option.

Finn managed to sneak into the palace using one of the service entrances. From there, he took advantage of the secret hallways, and made his way around the palace.

A glance at his watch let him know that there wasn’t much time left before Henry’s national address. Alex had let him know that the International Police Force was on their way; they would wait until after Finn confronted Henry, but they would be in place and waiting when that happened. There was no telling how many allies Henry had in the palace, or how many may try to stop him.

Finn finally found the door leading to the throne room. Henry would complete his address from his office, just off of this room. After checking the peephole and confirming that no one was there, Finn exited and shut the door quietly behind him.

At the sound of footsteps, Finn quickly hid behind one of the thrones. His heart beat faster as the adrenaline rushed through his system. Would he be found out? Was this the end?

But then the footsteps retreated, and he waited several seconds before checking the room. The coast was clear. Just as Finn was about to get up, he noticed some wires underneath the throne. As he took a closer look, he noticed it was a bomb, set to go off five minutes into his address.

Holy shit.

Finn immediately messaged Alex, who sent the warning to his contacts at the International Police Force. Finn tried to calculate how many people were working in the palace that night, how many people could be killed. He also wondered if Henry had arranged the bomb.

Since Finn knew nothing about diffusing bombs, he slowly stepped away. The bomb was under the throne meant for the ruling Princess of Brazenbourg, so Finn checked the other one; there was nothing there.

Fury, hot and vicious, speared through him at the thought of Arianna sitting here. Had that been his plan one day, to blow her up while she sat innocently on the throne? And was this the only bomb?

Finn checked his watch again. One minute until the speech began.

Finn quietly opened the door to the offices. The rooms were full of people; he hoped he would blend in with them. Keeping his head down, he edged along the side by the wall, slowly making his way towards Henry. He wondered how many of the people here could be hurt by the bomb in the other room.

Finn positioned himself behind a tall television camera operator; Henry wouldn’t see Finn until he was good and ready to reveal himself.

A man signaled a countdown to Henry. When he got to ‘one’, Henry cleared his throat and faced the camera.

“Good evening, citizens of Brazenbourg. I come to you tonight with both full and heavy heart. I first want to address the joy in my upcoming marriage. Princess Arianna is a beautiful, intelligent woman, and she will serve you well. I second want to address my shame in having such a traitorous brother.”

Finn’s hands fisted at his side. He checked his watch; there were only a few minutes left before the bomb went off. He had to evacuate. Pretending he was a member of the crowd, he shouted, “Bomb! Everybody evacuate!”

The crowd gasped then began to disburse. “No, wait! I haven’t finished my speech.” Henry said as he stood and threw down his notes on the desk.

“You’d rather everybody die listening to you?” Finn asked as he stepped into the light. Those remaining in the room gasped and Finn noted the cameraman kept the camera aimed at them both.

Henry’s face distorted in rage. “You! You are no longer welcome in my country,” Henry seethed.

“This is my country, my home.
You
are the traitor.”

Henry grinned broadly. “No one believes you. You’re finished. Guards!”

“They won’t help you now, brother dear,” Finn said as the police entered the room and took hold of the guards. Finn held up the documents Jacob had given him, making sure the camera captured them. “Proof of your treachery. You have been conspiring against Valleria, France, and others in some twisted bid for power. You’re finished. I’ll make sure you’re stripped of your crown and arrested on charges of treason.”

Henry laughed, a full-bellied maniacal laugh that set Finn’s teeth on edge. “You’ll not stop me now. No one can stop me now.” He continued laughing as Finn checked the time. Had the police diffused it? Were they safe?

From the corner of his eye, he saw her. His light, his love, standing there terrified. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on Finn and every protective instinct he had forced him to push Henry aside and go towards her.

The police took hold of Henry while Finn ran across the room.

“You’re too late,” Henry laughed. “Too late! Now you’ll both die and I’ll never see either of you again.”

“Finn, look out!” she yelled.

A blast shook the room - there was a bomb in Henry’s office, too!

Finn pushed people out of the door and away from the blast, when another explosion shook the room. Henry’s laughter rang like a bell in the air after the blast.

“Arianna!”

“Finn!” She reached for him, but he was too late.

Another bomb detonated, this one between the two of them. The force threw Finn back in the air, and he landed on the floor. He saw the ceiling cave in, taking Henry and the police with it. Henry’s laughter suddenly stopped.
His brother. His one and only brother.

His eyes welled with tears from the smoke, dust, and loss in the room, even while he frantically searched for Arianna. Another portion of the ceiling had caved in with the last blast and he couldn’t see her.

“Ar-Arianna,” he coughed. “Where are you?”

Ignoring the pain in his leg, he crawled on his hands and knees, death and destruction all around him. His palms were bloody and covered in soot by the time he reached the pile of debris nearby. He thought he saw a flash of blue, the color of the sweater she had been wearing, and he began to dig with his bare hands.

The air in the room was thick with smoke and he could barely breathe. Those alive around him, conducted their own search for survivors. He dug and dug until his nails were torn, and his chest was sore from the heaving breaths he was forced to take.

Arianna. Arianna.

Finally, he saw her hand, and dug even faster. Her uncovered her face, bruised but alive. Her heart beat slow, but true.

“Thank God,” he cried. “Thank God. Please, Arianna. Please don’t die.” He continued to uncover her, revealing other bumps and bruises. He had to get her to the hospital. She had to live.

With strength born from sheer adrenaline, he picked her up and carried her away. A medic saw him and took her from him.

“Save her. Save her,” he whispered before he fell to the ground. “Arianna,” he breathed just before blackness took him.

***

Arianna slowly blinked her eyes open, which squinted against the bright lights of the room. The sound of something beeping nearby seemed to grow louder as it filtered into her consciousness.

Her body woke just as slowly, but each ache and pain she felt made itself known. She groaned.

“She’s awake,” a familiar voice said nearby. “Arianna?”

Her hand was lifted and placed in someone else’s; she knew that hand. “Mama?” she croaked.

“Yes,” Genevieve sobbed and kissed her hand. “Oh, yes, my darling daughter. Just relax. Your father is bringing the doctor.”

Doctor? Oh, no. The whole scene came rushing back at once, sending the beeping noises spiking as her heart beat faster.

“Relax. You’re safe. The baby’s safe.”

The baby’s safe. Thank God, the baby’s safe.
“Finn?” she whispered.

“He was hurt, too, but he’ll be all right.”

“Finn,” she moaned.

“I know, my dear, sweet child. He’ll be all right. Don’t worry about him. Just focus on getting healthy for you and the baby.”

“I hear our patient’s awake,” a woman said as she walked in and stood by Arianna. Her long white coat covered a gray silk shirt and fitted black skirt, and she stood on reasonable black heels. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which swung from side-to-side as she examined Arianna and made notes in her chart.

After the exam was over, the doctor took a seat on Arianna’s bed. “You’re very weak, but very lucky. You’ll have those bruises for a while yet, but with some strict bed rest for the next few weeks, you should be all right.”

“The baby?”

“The baby seems to be doing just fine, but that’s another reason I want you on bed rest. I’ll give you some things to look out for; if any of them happen, call me.”

“Can she be moved to Valleria?” Gabriel asked; he’d come back into the room after the exam had been completed and Arianna hadn’t noticed. “Papa.”

“There, there, my child,” he said as he took the opposite seat beside her and held her hand. “You’re all right. The baby’s all right. That’s all that’s important.”

“To answer your question, King Gabriel,” the doctor said, “I think it’s best if she recuperates in Brazenbourg. I wouldn’t want to risk anything happening during travel. We can try bed rest for a week and see how she feels after that, but I make no promises.”

“Understood. Thank you, Doctor.”

She smiled. “It was my pleasure. I’m going to see to some of the other patients. Just page me if you need anything, or let the nurses know.”

After the doctor left, Genevieve took the doctor’s place at Arianna’s bedside. “Oh, Arianna, you frightened us all half to death.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never thought -.”

“No one did, my child,” Gabriel said, interrupting her.

“How many?”

He knew what she was asking. “At least a dozen dead, mostly citizens of Brazenbourg, but some of the International Police Force lost their lives as well. The bombs managed to take out some supporting columns in the palace, so some of the upper floors were affected as well.”

“Henry?”

Gabriel shook his head. Was it wrong to feel relief at his death? “Finn’s really okay?”

“He is. Hurt, but he’ll be okay. He saved your life.”

“What?”

“It’s true. The camera caught it all before it, too, was destroyed by the falling ceiling. He dug through the rubble until he found you, then carried you out to the paramedics.”

“I don’t remember any of it. I just remember him coming towards me, and then there was nothing.” She’d dreamt of a Finn calling her name, begging her, pleading her to live; had that been real, or just a dream?

Gabriel squeezed her hand. “Finn’s a national hero.”

“I don’t know if he’ll like that.”

Gabriel chuckled. “No, I don’t think he will, but the people love him. Now that they know the truth, they’ll accept him as their new leader.”

“Oh. I suppose Finn would be the ruling Prince now. I wonder how he feels about that.”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” a gruff voice came from the doorway.

Arianna gasped. Finn was being helped inside by a nurse. He was wearing a robe over his hospital gown, which didn’t hide the cuts and bruises on his face and hands. He was also walking with a distinct limp; why didn’t he use a cane or a wheelchair?

Gabriel rose and went over to help Finn. “I’m glad you could join us.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Finn walked slowly towards the bed with their help, and sat down in Gabriel’s place, letting out a sigh of exhaustion when he did.