Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79938 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 400(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
They’d figure it out.
They had to.
Isaac cleared his throat. “You’re sure about this, Your Highness?”
“Yes.” He checked his phone again. The heads of the seven noble Families in Thalania formed a Parliament that worked in conjunction with the King or Queen. They didn’t have the power of the sitting monarch, but that wouldn’t matter in this scenario. There was no sitting monarch, and there wouldn’t be for months yet. All he needed was for the majority of them to publicly confirm that the marriage between Theodore Fitzcharles II and Mary Mortimore was legal based on the documents they’d seen with their own eyes. Phillip couldn’t fight both the public and the Families, and Theo had already taken steps to get the public on his side.
One thing at a time.
“I’m not talking about taking the throne back—it was always yours. I’m talking about Galen.”
He didn’t look up from his phone, couldn’t risk Isaac seeing the way his whole body clenched in agony at Galen’s name. “There’s nothing to say about Galen.”
“He’s one of your greatest assets and you put him on a plane heading in the wrong direction.”
“Galen is much more than an asset and he deserves to be treated as such.”
Isaac exited the highway and stopped at a light at the bottom of the ramp. He turned to face Theo. “Forgive me for being blunt—”
“If you’re not blunt, there’s nothing to forgive.”
Isaac ignored that and kept talking, each word a hammer chiseling away at the wall Theo fought so hard to build around himself when he walked out of the airport and left behind what had become two of the most important people in his life. Isaac cleared his throat. “Forgive me for being blunt, but you made a dumb ass move leaving him behind. Probably the girl, too, based on how you looked at them. A king needs allies, people he trusts beyond all political machinations, people who are there for him and him alone. Do you really think you’re going to find it in Thalania when you just sent the only two people that applies to away?”
“I don’t remember asking your opinion.”
Isaac snorted. “Galen’s not here to offer his, so I figured I’d step in. You already know what he’d say.”
Yeah, Theo knew what he’d say. The same thing Isaac had. The same thing Meg had. That they wanted to come with him to face this together. He couldn’t allow it. If he let himself, he’d find a way to convince them to stay. To try to find a way forward.
He’d destroy them all in the process.
They would be happy together, damn it.
“What if there was a way?” Isaac kept going, kept outline possibilities that were beyond impossible.
Now more than ever.
Ten minutes after they hit the capital city, Ranei’s, limits, Isaac checked his phone and cleared his throat. “I need to make a stop.”
“What?” Theo twisted to look at him as he turned and then turned again, guiding the car into a little alley between two tall buildings. They weren’t far from the palace—another thirty minutes or so—but there was nothing in this area of Ranei that should have required Isaac to stop. Theo took a slow breath, centering himself like Galen taught him. “My uncle’s orders.”
His door was yanked open and strong hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him out into the alley. Theo swung. He wasn’t going down without a fight. If he had any say in it, he wasn’t going down at all. His fist connected at the exact moment he registered Galen’s angry dark eyes.
Galen’s head snapped back and a feminine voice cursed. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Theo?”
He turned, nightmare slow. Meg. “You’re supposed to be on a plane.”
“Yeah, well, plans changed.” She smacked his arm and slid between him and Galen to check his friend’s jaw. “Any loose teeth?”
“I’m fine.” Galen picked her up and set her aside so he could turn to face Theo fully. “Stupid move, letting Kozlov take you somewhere you didn’t want to go.”
Yeah, it had been. He glared. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”
“You’re not king yet, and I stopped being your head of security when we went into exile together. I don’t take orders from you.” He opened the back door and waited for Meg to climb in, and then he followed her and shut it with a snap.
Theo stared. “What are you doing?” When Galen ignored him, he jerked open the back door and leaned down, getting in his friend’s face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“You need witnesses. I’m titled. Meg’s a civilian, but she works as a second witness.”
“Gee, thanks,” she murmured.
“Hush.” Galen turned back to him. “Phillip doesn’t care about the truth. He cares about being the puppet master behind the next king. He’ll kill you if he thinks he can get away with it.”