Her Prince's Secret Son (11 page)

Aleks wanted to command them to stop hurting his son. Sara must have felt the same for silent tears flowed down her cheeks as she and Aleks together held and comforted Nico during the blood draws.

She loved their son. Perhaps she hadn’t when Nico was born, but she did now. In the endless nights and long days since Nico’s latest crisis Sara slept little and ate less. If Nico moved, she was at his side instantly to caress and coo and tell him what a fine, brave boy he was.

At the moment, she slumped exhausted in a chair pulled close to Nico’s side, one hand touching her child at all times. Her cinnamon hair lay lank and untended on her shoulders. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy. Yet, she refused to leave.

“You should sleep,” he told her. “You have healing to do yourself. You can’t heal if you don’t rest.”

“I’m all right.” She shook her head. “I promised Nico I’d be here when he wakes so we can finish the gingerbread story. You go. You have a country to run and you’re so tired you can barely stand.”

She was not far from right. During the two-year war with Perseidia, he had faced fatigue and despair, but nothing like this. This was his son.

He scrubbed both hands down his face. “No. I cannot leave. What if he—?”

Aleks could not voice the terrible fear. What if his son, his only beloved child, died? They’d had such hope in the days following the transplant. And now, this.

Sara reached out and squeezed his hand without comment. She understood, and the bond between them deepened.

The door whispered open and Dr. Schlessinger, a white lab coat covering his gray suit, entered the room. Both adults swiveled toward the specialist.

“Doctor?” The tension in the room was thicker than London fog.

“Miss Presley.” The doctor nodded toward Sara and then spoke to Aleksandre. “Sir, may I have a word with you in the hallway?”

Aleks glanced at Sara and saw the hope and worry etched in her face. “You may speak in front of Miss Presley.”

The specialist bowed slightly. “As you wish. In our search for answers, I ordered a number of tests to rule out every possible, even improbable, cause. I did not expect to find anything.”

“But you did?”

“Unfortunately.”

Aleks gut tightened. “Meaning?”

By this time, Sara had risen and moved to Aleks’s side. Without giving the action any thought, he reached down and clasped her cold fingers. She held tight, a small but comforting anchor in a great storm.

“One of the tests revealed a disturbing drug in Nico’s system.”

“He’s been given many drugs since his illness began.”

“Indeed. But no knowledgeable person would administer acetaminophen to a child with liver disease.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Doctor. Explain please.”

Dr. Schlessinger adjusted his wire-rim glasses. “Acetaminophen is a common and generally safe analgesic, but it is stressful to the liver, especially to a liver already struggling to function. In large doses the drug can cause liver failure, even death.”

Aleks blinked, not confused exactly but wary. “Then why was it ordered? Who gave it?”

“That is the most bewildering issue, Your Majesty. There is no order on his charts and no record that Nico has ever taken the medication. But it is undeniably in his system.”

Sara’s sharp intake of breath sounded loud in the quiet room. “Someone gave it to him secretly? Why? Are you saying someone tried to hurt him?”

“We would hope not, madam. Our thoughts are otherwise. Dr. Konstantine assures me that the child is quite safe here. He is much beloved by all.” He gave her a small, bloodless smile. “We conclude, therefore, that someone thought they were helping the little prince. When he complained of discomfort some kindhearted though misguided soul gave him acetaminophen believing it harmless.”

“When, in fact,” Aleks growled, teeth tight with the implications, “the drug is killing him.”

“Exactly.”

“But who would give Nico medication without discussing it with Dr. Konstantine?” The very idea infuriated him. “Everyone in the palace knows of his delicate condition.”

“You will have to discuss that with your staff.”

“You can be assured I will.”

Aleks clenched his fists. Anger bubbled up like hot lava. Sara squeezed his arm reassuringly, but he was not to be mollified. Someone within the palace was responsible for Nico’s condition. Even if accidental, there was no acceptable excuse.

“Now that we suspect the cause, we have an antidote,” the doctor continued. “The nurse is preparing it as we speak.”

“Thank God.” Sara’s body sagged against Aleks. Somehow his arms had circled her waist, and his hand now rode on her hip bone. He gave a gentle squeeze, trying to reassure her. “Will this make him well?”

“Time will tell. Hopefully, we have caught the problem
before irreparable damage is done to the new organ.” The doctor started to leave, then stopped and turned around, pale blue eyes piercing in their intensity. “But you must inform everyone who comes in contact with the boy that he is never to have acetaminophen again. Ever.”

“You need not concern yourself about that, Doctor,” Aleks said. “I will deliver the message loud and clear.”

“Very good.” The doctor dipped his head. “Good night then.”

“Good night. And thank you.”

After Dr. Schlessinger departed Aleks’s shoulders relaxed, though his mind buzzed with the news. Nico would recover but someone had made a deadly mistake. And that someone must be found before the mistake was repeated.

He moved to Nico’s bed and gazed down at the beloved boy. “I am relieved to have a solution but also upset that such a serious error could occur. Why would anyone give medication to a seriously ill child without consulting the physician in charge?”

Sara had come to stand next to him. Oddly, he was still holding her hand and until this second, had not realized it.

“I don’t know,” she said, “but the possibilities scare me.”

Aleks recalled her earlier insistence that someone wished Nico intentional harm. He still didn’t believe it. He couldn’t. Not someone in his own household.

“You don’t think the acetaminophen was an accident, do you?” he asked quietly, gazing down at the gleam of red hair over her temple.

“No, I don’t. Not for one minute.” She cast a pensive look at the sleeping face of their son before capturing Aleks’s gaze with hers. She reached for his other hand, holding both in her chilled grip. “And you may hate me all over again when I tell you what else I think.”

S
ARA SHOOK FROM THE TOP
of her head to the bottom of her feet. The coming confrontation was not something she relished, but for her baby’s sake, she would face the devil himself.

Last night, Nico had rallied after the administration of the antidote and subsequent medications to cleanse his new liver. It was clear now that acetaminophen, a common pain reliever, had caused Nico’s bouts of illness. What wasn’t clear was who gave him the drug.

Sara didn’t know, but she had some ideas, and she would never believe the overdose was accidental. Someone wanted to hurt her baby. The questions were who and why?

Long after midnight, she had fallen into an exhausted, dreamless slumber. Antonia had awakened her moments ago to the smell of French roast coffee and waffles swimming in butter and maple syrup.

“His Majesty said these were your favorites.”

“He remembered that?” Sara fought back a blush, realizing she’d said too much. Antonia did not know of her and Aleks’s former relationship. She might suspect but she’d not been informed.

To cover up, Sara said, “I mentioned it to him the other day,
but I never expected him to remember. I mean, he’s a prince and all with so much on his mind.”

Antonia only smiled and Sara worried that she’d babbled on too long.

Now that breakfast was over and she’d soaked away some of her fatigue and stress in a fragrant jetted tub, Sara could procrastinate no more.

Last night, Aleks had refused to discuss her suspicions. He’d called her overwrought and too tired to think clearly. He’d been right on that account, but this morning after rest and food, she was more determined than ever to find out who might intentionally want to harm her son.

Her first concern was the smiling nurse, Maria, but the woman had never actually done anything suspicious. She’d simply been present before several of Nico’s bouts of illness. Even though she gave Sara an odd feeling, that was not enough to accuse her of attempted murder. Maria was the grieving mother of a fallen hero. She’d given her all to the service of the royal family. Aleks thought highly of her.

Sara blew out a discouraged breath. Maybe she had been wrong about Maria.

Then who?

Aleks admitted having enemies, particularly the King of Perseidia. Would the king have sent a spy into Castle-by-the-Sea to murder Prince Aleksandre’s son? Why Nico instead of Aleks? Revenge of the most heinous kind?

Or what if the perpetrator was a radical Carvainian? Every country had them, those who wanted a perfect society. What if that person knew Nico was not full-blood Carvainian?

No, that was unlikely. Though rumors had raced like Thoroughbreds since Sara’s arrival, very few people in the
castle had that information. To the nation at large, Nico was their little crown prince, a Carvainian through and through.

Reluctantly, her thoughts turned to Queen Irena. The queen knew of Nico’s parentage, and she loathed the “common American” who had given him life. At the same time, she appeared to adore Nico. She was his grandmother. Surely not the queen.

And yet, who else knew except Dr. Konstantine? Would the gentle doctor do such a thing to a child?

Both of them had been discussing Sara and Nico in a less than friendly manner.

With a sigh, Sara drained the rest of her coffee and plunked the cup onto the saucer. Her head ached with trying to figure it out.

Even if she knew who to blame, she could do nothing until she spoke to Aleks. He
had
to listen to her. She must convince him of the danger before the enemy, whoever it might be, tried something more desperate.

At the thought of discussing her concerns with Aleks, dread weighed her down. The light, tender waffles lay like bricks in her stomach. These were his people. People he trusted. People he loved. How could she ever convince him that one of them was evil? He would think her either mad or a troublemaker.

In the three days of agonizing over Nico, she and Aleks had supported and comforted one another. They’d grown closer, talking in quiet whispers during those endless hours from midnight until dawn. He’d been Aleks as she knew him. Not a warrior. Not a prince. Just a scared father.

Often during the long days and nights they’d sat without talking, hands clasped in silent support. When she’d dozed, she’d awakened to find Aleks covering her with a velvet-soft blanket. When she’d blinked up at him, he’d smiled tiredly,
kissed her forehead, and said, “Sleep. I’ll wake you if anything happens.”

She’d believed him.

If he ever slept during those long nights and days, she hadn’t seen it.

She’d even begun to think he might soften his stance on allowing her contact with Nico in the future. Worse still, she’d started to believe he cared for her.

After this morning, he’d hate her all over again.

The red uniformed butler with the stiffest back in the world gestured her into Aleks’s office. She’d phoned the prince’s private number, expressed her desire to talk, and he’d invited her here. She’d expected him to be resting but he was back at work, as though he’d slept for days.

As soon as he saw her, he tossed aside his pen and rose to embrace her.

She leaned into him, relishing the moment. After this conversation, he might never touch her again. She breathed him in, absorbing all the nuances of Aleks. Subtle, expensive cologne. Powerful, leashed muscles wrapped in a perfectly tailored suit.

Saints above, she loved him.

“I can’t believe you’re working,” she said when she stepped back a little. “You look like death warmed over.”

Still holding her upper arms, the corners of his mouth tilted. “Flattery, my darling?”

His darling. An impossible dream.

Sara touched his smooth-shaved jaw. “Will you rest? You have to rest. He’s going to be all right now.”

His chest heaved. “I could not have borne these last days without you.”

“I’m glad I could be here. Thank you for giving me that much.”

“No gratitude is required. You are his mother.”

Sara’s eyes filled with tears. She’d waited a long time to hear those words. “Oh, Aleks. This is so hard.”

He kissed her temple. “Hard? What is hard? Being Nico’s mother?”

She shook her head. “No. Never that. It’s all I ever wanted.” Well, not all. She’d wanted to be Aleks’s wife, as well, but she couldn’t tell him her impossible dream.

He cocked his head, dark, dark eyes searching her face. “Then what? You have a sadness about you this morning.”

She broke away and went to the window overlooking the seashore. The day was overcast, an unusual occurrence. Waves crashed against the sand, harbingers of a coming storm.

Sara wondered if the storm outside would be repeated inside this office.

“There’s something I have to discuss with you, Aleks. Even if it makes you angry, you must consider what I have to say.”

She heard the soft pad of his footsteps across the plush carpeting as he came to her side. “The sea is wild today.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Were you?”

“Partly.” Her head swiveled in his direction. Standing ramrod straight, he looked as powerful and dangerous as the sea, and every bit as magnificent. “Aleks?”

“Speak. I can tell you have something heavy on your mind.”

“You aren’t going to like it.”

“Is this about Prince Nico?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been giving the situation some thought.”

“So you agree that the overdose was not accidental?”

He gave her a strange look. “The overdose?”

“Yes. Wasn’t that what you meant?”

“No.” But he didn’t elaborate, and Sara was left to wonder what “situation” he’d been considering. Instead, he said, “Dr. Konstantine agrees that someone likely gave Nico the medicine in ignorance.”

She knew he didn’t want to hear it, but she had to say, “What if they didn’t, Aleks? What if it was intentional?”

“It was not.”

Pigheaded Carvainian. “Are you willing to bet your son’s life on it?”

He laced his hands behind his neck and stared up at the ceiling. “You are determined to fight about this.”

“I am determined to protect my son.”

“And you think I am not?”

“No! You adore Nico. You would do anything to protect him.”

“Correct. If it soothes you to know, I have taken every precaution. Security is alerted to your concerns. A camera has been placed inside Nico’s room. An extra guard keeps watch.”

There was a measure of comfort in knowing that he hadn’t completely ignored her. “But what if Nico is in danger from someone the guards trust?”

“Maria again? Will you continue to malign my best friend’s mother?”

“I’m sorry. I know you hate that, but we have to consider her and anyone else with easy access to Nico’s rooms.”

“Certainly, but the question is why? Why would anyone within these walls want to harm the crown prince?”

“Maybe for precisely that reason. Because he
is
the crown prince.”

Something in his tight demeanor changed. Sara could see the wheels turning inside his brilliant head. “Elaborate, please.”

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Sara started with the idea of a radical Carvainian. Aleks’s eyes narrowed and he nodded. “Possible. But who?”

“I don’t know. It could be anyone, but I’ve wondered about Dr. Konstantine as well as Maria. They are often with Nico.”

A muscle twitched below his right eye. “Are you determined to make me angry this morning?”

She shook her head. “No. I only want to keep Nico safe.” She grasped Aleks’s hand and brought it to her cheek. “The last thing I want is to make you angry.”

“Then don’t.” He moved closer, turning his hand to brush the knuckles over her cheek. “Let us celebrate our son’s recovery.”

“But—” He placed a finger over her lips.

“Shh. Today I have hope. Don’t take it from me.”

Torn between what she feared and what she yearned for, Sara’s heart sank lower and lower. He would hate her once she mentioned the queen.

He drew her close and she went to him, belly fluttering with conflicting desires. Soon she would destroy this sweet emotion brewing between them, so for these precious moments, she would let him hold her. And she would pretend he loved her enough.

His warm, supple mouth found hers, and she was lost in him for a few, wonderful seconds. When he lifted his head to gaze tenderly at her, her pulse rattled wildly against her collarbone. She saw something in his eyes, a look she’d seen before, years ago. A look she’d never expected to see again. Hope and despair mingled like warring sisters.

“Aleks,” she whispered.

“You are like a drug in my blood, Sara Presley. The more I have of you, the more I want. And yet—”

It was her turn to place a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

She wasn’t ready to remember the reasons they could never be. She knew them better than he did. Right now, she wanted to love him and be with him in this sweet moment when Nico was healing and they were at peace. Soon enough, the storm would break and she would be washed away in a sea of his anger.

“Remember,” she said, caressing his face, tracing his lips and noble jaw, “the first time I cooked for you?”

“I remember everything about our time together.”

“You do?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “The casserole was hideous and you cried.”

“And you ate it anyway.”

His face softened. “Because I loved you.”

“Yes. And I loved you, Aleks. Then and now. Nothing has changed my feelings.”

He inhaled deeply and drew her against his chest, saying nothing. His heart thudded beneath her ear.

“It’s okay, Aleks. I understand.” He was a royal and she wasn’t. They were from different worlds and different backgrounds. The only things they had in common were love for their son and a passion for each other.

“I don’t think you do,” he murmured against her hair. “If you loved me, why did you give away our child?”

His voice was weary, as though he’d struggled with the question for a long time. “I’ve explained what happened. I hate what I did, but I thought you’d abandoned me.”

“You see, Sara, this is where the story becomes a problem. I did not abandon you. I sent someone to you.”

“Who?”

“My mother, and she returned with the news that you wanted nothing to do with me or with my child.”

“That’s not true.” The knot in Sara’s stomach twisted until her belly ached. “I don’t care what you were told. That is not true.”

Aleks stiffened. All the tenderness they’d been sharing disappeared. “My mother would not lie.”

She’d opened this can of worms. As much as she dreaded the end result, she couldn’t stop now until everything was said.

“But what if she did? She despises me, Aleks. I’m an American commoner. What if she lied to get me out of your life?”

He jerked away from her. “I will not hear this.”

“Yes, you will.” She reached for him, imploring. “You’re going to hate me anyway, so I have to tell you everything. I overheard your mother and Dr. Konstantine talking. Your mother wants to get rid of me. I heard her say so. I also heard her say, ‘the problem of Nico has been resolved.’ What does that mean, Aleks? What problem of Nico has she resolved? Is my son a problem because he’s half-American and not worthy to take the throne?”

Aleks went as still as death. Disbelief rose from his stiffened body like heat from a tin roof.

When he spoke, his tone was low and threatening. “Are you accusing the queen of trying to murder her own grandson?”

“No.” Sara shoved at a lock of hair, frustrated, distraught, and terrified that she was making a huge mistake. But Nico’s life was at stake. She had to bring every possibility into the light. “Aleks, I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong—”

“You most decidedly are.”

“But what if I’m not? You have to consider the possibility.”

“Enough.” Face dark and livid, he chopped the air with his hand.

Sara latched onto his forearm with both hands. “No. You will listen to me, you pigheaded prince. Someone lied to you, and
it wasn’t me. Someone kept me away from my baby—and the man I loved—for five years. And now, someone has poisoned Nico. We don’t know why, but you have to consider that there are people who are not pleased at having a future prince who is not purely Carvainian. You have to consider everything.”