AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She lifted her hands in frustration. “You seriously didn’t know?”
“Know what?” I asked, gaping at her. “That Prince Urban is my…? No. You’re wrong. He’s not my one true love. He can’t be. The man hasn’t said a single word to me since he arrived in Donnelly.”
“Apparently, he didn’t need to speak with you to recognize you as his soul mate.” She tapped the side of her eye. “Not with that handy little love mark of his.”
“Are you completely mad?” I asked. “This story isn’t even remotely funny.”
I turned to Nicolette, hoping she’d back me up, but she merely looked worried as she darted wide-eyed glances between me and my sister.
“It wasn’t funny when it happened either,” Yasmin muttered. “Soren nearly killed him. Then Caulder almost had him executed. Hell, he still might. They’re having a trial for him as we speak. I wouldn’t be surprised if they exiled him from Donnelly at the very least. And his lying sister along with him.”
“What?! He is?” Nicolette asked, her lips parting with worry. “I didn’t know that.”
I blinked at them, confused. “Wait. Exiled? Executed? But… Why? What did he do wrong?”
“He kissed you. Have you not been paying attention to a single thing I’ve been saying? The man bonded himself to you without telling anyone about it, and then…then… He put his mouth on yours…right in front of all of us.”
“To save her,” Nicolette added harshly. “He only kissed her to bring her back to life.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yasmin spat back, glaring at the princess. “She isn’t his to handle. She belongs to Soren, and the High Cliff bastard had no right to touch her.”
I stared between the two women, unable to quite believe what they were saying. I tried to think back to the prince of High Cliff and get any sense that I was his one true love, but…I hadn’t even thought he liked me, much less loved me. He’d certainly never talked to me, and the few times we’d shared eye contact…
Well, okay. So the few times we’d shared eye contact had been intense. But that by no means meant we were… No. It couldn’t mean we were in any way bonded. Besides, he’d already met his one true love. He’d confessed as much to Nicolette on the very night he’d arrived in Donnelly. He’d recently seen his soul mate from across the room and never talked to her because she was already…
Oh.
Oh dear.
“Vienne,” Nicolette beseeched, coming to my side and gripping my arm. “He’s going to get into a lot of trouble for doing what he did to help you unless you vouch for him.”
“Vouch for him?” I repeated blankly. “How? I don’t know anything about him. What am I supposed to say?”
“You say you didn’t know,” Nicolette urged. “And you didn’t, right? You had no idea that his mark had chosen you to be his one true love?”
“Of course I had no idea, but—”
“So, he never told you? He never approached you about it? He never tried to tempt you away from your wedding vows? He respected the fact you were married, and he stayed away, right? He was honorable, and kept his distance—”
Yasmin snorted. “Until he broke into her bedchamber and kissed her mere hours ago, you mean.”
Nicolette shot her a heated glance before turning her attention back to me. “He’s on trial right now, as we speak. And I don’t want him to get hurt. He’s my friend. So, please, give me something to tell Caulder so he doesn’t hurt Urban.”
“I…”
“Nicolette,” Yasmin snapped, grasping her arm and dragging her away from me. “Give her some space. She’s just woken up and is still disoriented.”
“No, wait!” I said,
reaching for the princess, which caused the baby in my arms to let out a whimper of distress.
Yasmin let go of her sister-in-law, and Nicolette raced back to my side. I gripped her hand even as I leaned down to kiss the baby’s head, comforting her.
“Did he really bring me back from the dead?” I asked, still dazed by everything they were telling me.
Nicolette nodded fervently. “Yes. I was right here when it happened. It was the most… Oh my goodness. I’ve never seen anything like it, Vienne. You were gone, and then he kissed you, and you sucked in a breath and breathed again. It was amazing.”
I blinked, not sure how to process such news. Then I shook my head and squeezed her fingers tight. “Then please tell the king I knew nothing of this…nothing of the bond we supposedly share, and that…that the prince was honorable and respectful of my wedding vows. He never even talked to me. He never once acted on…on whatever draw he apparently feels toward me.”
