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  The movements blurred as Ryad fought against Letni, struggling to get control of the gun. I flinched as the blast echoed in my ears. Letni dropped motionless to the ground.

  Ryad shouted for help and looked me over. He hissed when he found the wound then applied pressure to stop the bleeding. I cried out in pain.

  “Too bad you aren’t a Healer.” I gasped as the movement sent pain shooting through my abdomen into my chest. “Is there one close?”

  Ryad looked up again and shouted once more for help.

  “Guess I could be the shortest lived ruler in generations.”

  “Stop talking.” He looked around again.

  I looked up at him and tried to smile, but the pain in my side was spreading into my abdomen. “Thank you for trying.” I breathed shallowly, afraid a deep breath would hurt too much. “It has been a pleasure to know you.”

  “Shut up,” Ryad said, his teeth clenched tight.

  I smiled for real and closed my eyes. Sounds started to blend together, Ryad’s shouts were met with an answer and I heard running footsteps, but I felt so tired I couldn’t open my eyes.

  “Marcus will…be a good…king….Tell him…”

  Ryad hissed again, his voice right next to my ear. “Shut up. You will not die.” He kept a tight hold on my side, trying to keep the blood from flowing too fast. “I will not allow you to be dead on my watch.”

  I wanted to respond, to tease him, but felt myself slipping away. Other people arrived, but I couldn’t see who they were. I felt myself being shifted on the floor and for a moment had a strange sensation of flying, then all sensations left and I was only aware of warmth starting in my chest and radiating through my body.

  Dying didn’t seem hard at all. In fact, it was much easier and less painful than I had imagined it to be. I wondered if my father would come to escort me to the afterlife. I had sensed my mother’s presence so strongly when he passed, I was sure I would see them both.

  I tried to open my eyes, to look for them, but instead of a light, darkness enveloped me and though I didn’t feel alone, I knew I had not been joined by my parents. The sense of connection was familiar yet different.

  Another wave of warmth spread over me and the darkness lessened, but there was no light. I stopped fighting it and let myself go to wherever it would be. Perhaps Mother and Father were delayed, but I had no doubt I would see them soon.

  Chapter Eight

  Survivor

  I woke up with a slight headache and a profound thirst, but there was no pain in my side. I blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted to the filtered light peeking through my drapes. The end columns of my four-poster bed framed my view. The blankets were up to my chin, and beneath the covers, I knew I was wearing my silk night dress. I turned and saw Marcus asleep in a chair to my right. On my left, Ryad dozed in another chair.

  Not dead then. Well, that’s a pleasant surprise.

  Soft footsteps in front of me caught my attention and I looked at a Healer in her red uniform. She moved to the left side of the bed, and Ryad startled awake. He bolted up and the Healer halted, placing her hand over her chest. Ryad looked around the room as if checking for intruders.

  Marcus stood and leaned over my bed, checking my face, and smiled. “How are you feeling?”

  I did a mental inventory of my body. Everything seemed to be working fine. It didn’t hurt to breathe like it had before. I moved my hand to the spot where the knife had gone in and felt nothing. No pain at all, and I was sure there wasn’t even a scar to leave a reminder of what had happened. The Healer who had attended me must have been a master.

  “I feel extremely well, thank you.”

  “You gave us quite a scare.” Marcus looked up at Ryad, who had a pinched look on his face.

  “It wasn’t your fault.” I met Ryad’s eyes.

  Ryad shook his head. “Of course it was my fault. I was standing right there and still unable to protect you.”

  “But I’m fine now. You took care of things just the way you should have.”

  His jaw clenched and I could feel a surge of anger wash over me. His emotions were powerful if I could feel it that strongly through his oath connection.

  “How is Paris?”

  Ryad shook his head. I looked at everyone in the room, but Marcus only sighed. “He didn’t make it.”

  I blinked in surprise at the emotion that hit me. A wave of nausea crossed over me as I remembered the pain in my own neck when Paris was killed. Was it because of the oath bond? My brand new guard had died moments after swearing his allegiance to me. He hadn’t even had a chance. I scrubbed at the tears that clouded my vision. “And Letni?”

  “Dead.” Ryad’s word was short and angry.

  Marcus took my hand. “There will be a more thorough screening of each guard from this point on. Each person in the palace is being checked for their history and they will each be investigated fully.”

  “Who do you think hired him?” I asked.

  “Hired?” Marcus asked.

  “He wouldn’t have done it on his own. He looked nervous when I asked him to swear his oath. I doubt he would have acted so quickly and carelessly if I hadn’t insisted on the oath right then.”

  “It’s a good thing you did. He could have easily slipped into your rooms at any time and killed you,” Ryad said.

  Marcus stood straight. “But who would want you dead?”

  “I’m sure a number of people would. The Grand Council didn’t seem very pleased to see me. Shander could still have someone working for him. He has been known to use questionable methods of persuasion. You yourself might not be happy to share your kingdom with a runaway princess.”

  Marcus’s eyes narrowed. “If you think I would hire an assassin, you are horribly wrong. You dare suggest I would harm you? You don’t know a thing about me.”

  I shook my head. “Exactly. I know absolutely nothing about you, yet I’m stuck with you.” It came out rough, and from the look on his face and a flash of anger through the oath bond, I knew I had insulted him. I sighed. “I have been gone so long, there is no telling who might want to remove me permanently.”

  “We will have to be more careful from here on out.” Ryad paced the floor. “Every servant in the palace will be searched for weapons, brought to you, and they will each swear an oath.”

  “No.”

  “Amira, don’t be stubborn.” Marcus took a step closer to the bed.

  “Don’t tell me what to do.” I scowled at both of them. “I will not force anyone to swear an oath to me. If they choose to do it on their own, then I will accept it. But no one will be forced into anything.” I needed to know more about how the oath bonds worked. I felt a connection to these men, and I was sure I had felt the pain of Paris’s death. It wouldn’t be smart to bind myself to all of them.

  “But we must make sure you are safe,” Ryad said.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I will be as safe as I can be, but I don’t want to begin any sort of rule that makes my subjects or servants fear me. I want their respect, not their coercion.”

  The Healer shifted in the shadows at the end of my bed. “What is your name?” I asked.

  “Jema.”

  “Is there any reason why I can’t get out of bed, Jema?”

  Jema moved closer to me and placed her hand on my head. I felt the familiar probing as she checked my overall health. As she looked me over she said, “The mantle your father passed on helps you heal. I think it saved your life. That and Ryad’s quick action. Other than being tired, I see nothing wrong with you.”

  “Excellent.” I threw the blankets off and moved to the side of the bed. Marcus reached to pull me back and Ryad blocked my way. I put my hands on my hips and stared him down. “Excuse me, please.”

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Ryad asked.

  “Well, Mr. Nosy, I plan to visit the bathroom.” I pushed him out of the way and moved toward my master bath. A strange sensation of embarrassment and something else
I couldn’t quite recognize crossed over the bond from one of my oath-bound men. I refused to look behind me to see who it might have been and continued my march into my bathroom. As I closed the door, I asked them to leave my room and give me some privacy.

  “Of course.” They both mumbled the words and left together. I smiled at the fact I could get them to listen, but when I saw myself in the mirror, a blush crept up my cheeks. My night dress wasn’t quite sheer, but it wasn’t something I would have purposely worn in front of those two men. Even if one of them was technically my husband.

  Chapter Nine

  New Formula

  They wouldn’t leave me alone. I was constantly with either Marcus or Ryad for the next week after the assassination attempt. When I wasn’t in my office, or in my rooms, I was surrounded by at least four bodyguards. An hour of each day was devoted to self-defense. I practiced throwing knives, and sparred with some hand-to-hand combat. With all my guards I doubted I’d need it, but Marcus and Ryad still insisted I learn. I had thought Jai was overprotective. He was nothing compared to these two.

  It was obvious Ryad had done a more thorough investigation of each of my new guards. I wasn’t told until days after the attack that Ryad had procured a concoction of Densinne and Nesvest that acted basically as a truth serum. I couldn’t understand why any of the guards Ryad had hired were willing to submit themselves to that type of examination.

  “You are their queen,” Marcus told me when I asked.

  “Have they also done this to the ones who protect you?”

  Marcus looked at me and smiled. “I have no need of an entourage.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course you do. You are in as much danger from people who wish to take this kingdom from you as I am.”

  “Have you hired someone to come after me?” Marcus spoke playfully.

  I threw the knife I’d been practicing with and missed the board. It imbedded deep into the wall to the side of the target and Marcus exhaled as if impressed.

  “Of course I have,” I responded in kind. “What wife wouldn’t plot the death of a husband forced upon her?” I marched over to the knife and pulled it from the wall. The plain golden band he’d given me as a token wedding ring caught the light and I stared at it for a moment.

  “I’m sorry you are stuck with me.”

  I looked back, surprised at the seriousness of his voice. I set my blade down on my desk and looked him over closely. “All things considered, I don’t think things have turned out too bad. You give me my space, I give you yours. We are business associates, who happen to have a different kind of legal obligation to each other.”

  Marcus looked at me closely. “What do you think of those obligations?”

  “So far, they haven’t been too inconvenient. I think we’ve been able to work well together.” I spun the ring around my finger distractedly.

  Marcus nodded and turned his attention back to his books. I had a feeling I’d hurt him, but didn’t feel up to confronting the mess of a marriage we had.

  Marcus was kind enough and had never made any advances toward me. That was how I wanted it, but part of me felt hurt he didn’t even look at me as a woman. Not after that first day I arrived. Not after I told him we could never be more than co-rulers.

  But even so, I didn’t want his interest. That would complicate things.

  If we could get things sorted out quickly, it might be possible to file for divorce later. I hadn’t told Marcus about my searching through the histories for anything that would allow us to break this silly arrangement. But until we had things settled for certain with the Grand Council, and until we knew for sure Shander was not coming back, we had to put up a strong front.

  I sat down at my desk and focused on the stack of papers in front of me. Days of sitting at my father’s desk, going over the documents and the paper trail of all his previous work before his illness, had become tedious. Seeing the mess Shander made as he tried to manipulate and undermine him added fuel to my anger.

  Frustration grew with each file I examined, yet I did feel a sense of gratitude for the Grand Council at their efforts to slow down his progress. I owed my kingdom to them. Even though they did give it to Marcus, I was still legally and lawfully considered its true queen.

  The people had been outraged to learn of the assassination attempt. They rallied behind me and threw their full support and trust in me. Marcus gracefully accepted his diminishing responsibilities as more and more requests came to me. I glanced at him, sitting on his couch reading some legal textbooks.

  I glanced at the stack of papers on my desk, debating on giving some of them to Marcus to look through. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was glad Marcus was by my side. I doubted I would have been able to handle the pressure of it all on my own, but I was still hesitant to give him too much power. I needed to know everything that was happening in my kingdom. And if paperwork was a part of that, I’d put on my big girl pants and get to work.

  I rolled my neck across my shoulders to stretch away the tension. My tired eyes begged for a break, so I stood and moved toward the large windows behind my desk.

  The city moved about its normal life as if nothing was different. I envied them in a way, but truth be told things weren’t horrible. Office buildings in the distance had people moving in and out. The hover lifts flowed easily through the streets. Three stories below my window, the palace garden was being tended by the master gardeners. Rommader was at peace, and Shander had not returned. I hoped Jai had been able to stop him, and wished there was a way to contact them to know for sure.

  I pulled one of the inara blossoms out of a floral arrangement in my father’s office and tucked it behind my ear, remembering one of the movies I’d seen on Earth. I glanced into the dim reflection from the window and smiled. I didn’t look as silly as I thought I would. Maybe I’d have to start doing this more often.

  “Why did you do that?” Marcus asked.

  “No reason.”

  “It seems a bit odd.” He didn’t press for more and eventually turned his attention back to his book.

  I returned to the stack of papers from the council. I had two more files to look through before I could return to my project of sorting the private files I’d pulled from my father’s safe hidden behind his portrait. I hadn’t been able to return the files to the safe without alerting Marcus to its location. It had been hard to pretend they weren’t important when he brought me the stack from the council.

  After half an hour, I finally finished reviewing the council’s papers, and moved on to the next of my father’s secrets. I glanced at Marcus, hoping he was still immersed in his legal books.

  The moment I opened the file, I knew it was different. The word niamon stood out as if in bold. Traveling medallions were made of pure niamon, yet it was so rare, only a handful had been created. However, this report indicated a new formula was being developed that would use only small amounts of niamon in a blend with other elements from our universe.

  My heart pounded in my ears. Traveling could be possible again. And according to the preliminary studies, it wouldn’t be restricted to two places. Unlimited teleportation might be possible. No wonder my father was willing to let me use one of the few Traveling Medallions to hide on Earth while he figured out how to deal with Shander.

  “Amira?” Marcus’s voiced sounded distant and concerned.

  I looked up, my eyes wide.

  “Are you feeling well, Amira?” he asked.

  I blinked a few times, trying to come back to the present. I closed the file, hoping to look disinterested. “I’m tired. I’d like to retire to my rooms.”

  I tried to rack my brain for a way to put the documents back in the safe without letting Marcus know about them. My eyes fell on the papers from the council. “Will you return these to Speaker Plurz? I will head to my rooms for a bit of a break.”

  “I will escort you there and return the papers afterward,” Marcus said, offering me his arm.

  “I do have one
last little thing to finish.” I opened up a message on my computer. “Maybe you could find a runner to deliver these papers to Speaker Plurz while I finish this, then you can escort me to my rooms. I’ll be just a couple minutes. Besides, that will give you time to inform the guards we are ready to move.”

  I mentally prayed he’d take the suggestion and leave for a moment.

  Marcus nodded and took the stack of papers. He stepped out the door, instructing the guards to prepare to escort me to my rooms. I shook my head at the over-protectiveness but knew better than to try to go on my own. Though I didn’t want to endure another attack, I wished I was free to move about my own palace without being surrounded by guards.

  As soon as the door closed behind Marcus, I jumped up and grabbed the secret files. After sliding the picture to the side and revealing my father’s safe, I placed my hand on the panel and waited for it to scan my DNA. The light was warm and my palm tingled as the sensor took cells from my hand to analyze. Recognizing me, it clicked and the lock opened. I pulled open the door and tucked the papers inside then closed it quickly.

  I made it back to the desk just as Marcus returned to the office. I sent a fast e-mail to myself as Marcus put his books carefully on the bookshelf to my right near the door. I watched him, wondering if I should tell him about the new formula. I knew I would need to eventually, but I still didn’t trust him fully. I would watch and wait for the right time to share it with him.

  I closed my computer and stood up. By the time we reached the door, the guards were in position and ready to walk me the fifty meters to my private apartments.

  Marcus offered me his arm as he had done countless times, and I placed my hand through the crook of his elbow. Warmth permeated through the fabric of his shirt and traveled all the way from the palm of my hand and into my chest, making my heart flutter with what I could only describe as contentment. The realization I was beginning to feel happy with him by my side as co-ruler sent my mind in panic mode.