Page 32 of Royal Guard

My dad clapped me on the shoulder and then, as Jakov wandered off to bed, he nodded towards him and shook his head. He hadn’t seen him do anything suspicious. Was I wrong? Or was Jakov just biding his time?

Emerik arrived. His suit was as immaculate as always, his shirt gleaming in the darkness.Does he sleep in that thing?We settled in for our shift. This time, though, I couldn’t resist silently cracking open the door and checking on the Princess. She was sleeping peacefully, chestnut hair trailing down over the edge of the bed, one arm thrown up over her head.

When I turned back to Emerik, he was scowling at me. He’d been a lot less of a pain in the ass, since we’d had our run-in at the diner. But whenever he saw me looking at her, he went right back to hating me. I sighed and looked away.

Then, in the darkness, I heard, “I only want to protect her.”

I turned that over in my mind. Thought about how attached to her he must have gotten, guarding her since she was a child. I softened towards him a little more. “I’d never hurt her,” I muttered.

“That’s not what I mean.”

I felt my shoulders rise defensively. I was glad of the darkness because I could feel my damn neck going red. “Yeah, well don’t worry. I know my place.”

“It’s not that simple,” said Emerik. “I think her highness has feelings foryou.”

I tried to let nothing show. But inside, I could feel my heart slamming in my chest like I was some kid in high school being told the head cheerleader was sweet on him. Even though I knew nothing could ever happen. I grunted. I was going to leave it at that, but Ididn’t like the way he was babying her. She was the smartest, bravest woman I’d ever known: why did he think she needed him watching out for her? “Even if that’s true, I figure she can make her own decisions,” I muttered.

Emerik gave a frustrated sigh. “Don’t you understand? She’s a princess! Unmarried!”

“I know what she is.”

He was getting more and more worked up. “Lakovia is a deeply traditional country. A princess, until she’s married, remains….” He’d gone red. “You know….”

I just looked at him blankly.

He waved his hand at me, exasperated. “You’re treading on unbroken snow.”

I opened my mouth to tell him I had no idea what he was talking about.

And that’s when I heard her scream.

21

KRISTINA

Blind panic.

I was alone in thick, suffocating darkness, my fingernails cracking and splintering as I clawed at the rough wood of the door. If I focused hard enough, strained my eyes, maybe they’d adjust. Maybe I’d at least be able to seesomething.But there was no light at all in this place. Nothing except rough wood and cold stone. I was gasping, hyperventilating—

And then there was something warm. Big hands, cupping my shoulders. A voice that didn’t belong tothem,low and rough and yet sweet like honey. A voice I recognized. “Your Highness!”

But the fear had me. I was a scared girl locked in a tiny room—

“Kristina!”

My eyes opened. The lights were off, but after the darkness of the nightmare, the moonlight streaming in through the window made it seem like noon. It silhouetted Garrett as he hunkered down over my bed,his chest only a foot from mine, his lips inches away.

“Nightmare,” he told me. But he didn’t sayit was only a nightmare,like my mother would have.He said it with the sympathy of someone who knew their power. He said it with his voice choked with anger and worry at what I was going through.

And suddenly I was clinging to him, my arms wrapped around him, my body pressed to his. My back was up off the bed and I hung from him, but he took my weight easily, not budging even an inch. He just pressed his stubbled cheek to my neck and held me tight.

But even he couldn’t change the past and the memories were still owning me, wrapping around me like tendrils and tugging me down into the darkness. Itwasn’tokay becauseit really happened, it could happen again oh God, if we go to war, it could happen again—I could still feel the horrific closeness of the stone walls around me and it made me want to scream. I was panting, sweating, breathing so hard I was barely aware of the tears running down my cheeks.

My body was tight against him, but it wasn’t sexual: this was far beyond that. I neededhim. I just knew, on a gut level, that he was the one person who could protect me. And he was the one person who’d understand what fear like this was like. He’d understand that I was so scared I couldn’t move or speak. He’d understand that he had to get me out of it because I couldn’t on my own.

And he did.

Those big hands scooped me up and cradled me like a child and then we were walking through the bedroom door and out into the hallway. I heardsomeone step aside—Emerik? —but Garrett ignored him, just kept walking, carrying me as if I weighed nothing. Down the stairs. Out of the back door and into….