Page 111 of Silver Angel

What woman hasn’t dreamed of being Cinderella, of being rescued by a handsome prince to a better world than the one she lives in? InOnce a Princess,that fantasy comes alive for Tanya, but the lovely orphan isn’t quite ready to believe that fairy tales can happen for her.

Tanya couldn’t hold back the incredulous thought any longer. “Do—do you know who my parents are?”

“It is possible—if you carry a certain—birthmark that is—hereditary.”

She didn’t even notice his hesitation over those pertinent words. She was trying to tamp down her excitement, because what he was suggesting was just too unlikely to be true. And yet—ever since she’d found out that she was unrelated to Dobbs and Iris, she’d wondered about her real parents, where they came from, what they were like,whothey were.

Other girls had backgrounds, rich in detail and color. Her life was a blank page begun in a tavern. Now here were four strangers hinting at knowledge she craved as much as, if not more than, her independence. To finally have a real identity, a family history, possibly even relatives still living—a birth date! It was just too wonderful to be true, and if she allowed her hopes to be raised, she’d be doomed to disappointment. And to have it all hinge on a birthmark?

“We are certain of your identity, mistress. The mark that will prove it should be found on the underside of your seat, on the left cheek. It will no doubt require a mirror for you to examine it, but go and do so now, and do so carefully, so you may return and describe the mark to us.”

“And if I won’t?”

“Then you may possibly be offended when we locate the mark ourselves, to end all doubt, you understand.”

She was quickly learning that Stefan could be cruel in his remarks. Her cheeks flaming, she hissed, “You bastard,” but he merely crooked a brow at her, showing her how little it mattered to him that he’d insulted her—again. “What happens if the markisthere?”

“Then you will return with us to Cardinia.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s a small country in Eastern Europe. It’s where you were born, Tatiana Janacek.”

A name. Her name? God, this was becoming real again, her hopes soaring again. “Is that why you’re here? To take me back?”

“Yes.”

“Then I have family there? They sent you to find me?”

“No.” His tone softened for the moment. “Regrettably, you are the last of your line.”

Up and down, these hopes. Why did she let herself be lured in by possibilities? All right, no family. But a name, a history—if they were telling the truth, and if she had the mark.

“If I don’t have any family left, then why did you bother to find me?”

“These questions are pointless, mistress, until you prove to us all, yourself included, that you possess the mark that names you a Janacek.”

“I don’t care how pointless you find my questions, I’m not moving an inch until I know the real reason you came here.”

Stefan took a menacing step closer, but she didn’t budge. He growled down at her, “For no other reason than to collect you and return you—”

“Why?”

“For your wedding!”

“Mywhat?”

“You are to marry the new King of Cardinia.”

Angel

Angel never thought of himself as a hero. He was just a man with a gun and a reputation who had always walked a solitary path. But when a debt lands him in a marriage with a refined young woman who interferes in everyone’s life, including his own, the inscrutable loner finally learns what it means to need someone.

“Are we divorced yet?”

Cassie woke with a start, that soft drawl echoing in her ears. “What?”

“Are we divorced yet?”