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Mikol took the little spy glass and put it to his eye. Below him, the prince’s group had reached the lifts and the prince suddenly looked up, right at Mikol, some thirty stories above, so that Mikol got a clear and unhampered view of his face.
He continued to gaze down at the prince for a long time until his lift arrived and then he stepped back and handed the glass to Florin. Quickly, Mikol motioned to his guards and began hurrying to his rooms so Prince Kalen wouldn’t see him spying on him here on this upper level. He took off down the long corridor and didn’t rest until he had closed the door to his room firmly behind him and Florin, who had noticed something was wrong, followed close behind him. He turned to Mikol with a questioning look.
“What is it?” Florin said, “Why do you look like that?”
Mikol laughed, though his hands were still shaking a little as he straightened his uniform and turned around to face his friend. “Let’s see—what do you want first? The good news or the bad news?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you remember that man I was looking for at Starlight on Belline? The one who disappeared from my room?”
“Of course.”
“I found him.”
“You did? Then what’s the bad news?”
“He’s Prince Kalen.
“What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I got a good look at him through your little glass. It’s definitely him.”
“But what could he have been doing there? Do you think it was deliberate on his part?”
“It would be a hell of a coincidence if it weren’t, don’t you agree? And I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Yes, but…how would he have known? We made a kind of last-minute decision to go.”
“No idea, unless he has spies on your ship. Though that seems a little extreme.”
Florin looked affronted. “To say the least. I suppose itcouldjust be one of those things. Belline is well known in this galaxy, and it’s not far from the station. Stranger things have happened, I suppose.”
“Hmm.”
“But what would be the purpose? What would he hope to accomplish?”
“Again, no idea.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Nothing tonight. He looks exhausted. Let him get a good night’s sleep and then in the morning, I’ll see what he has to say for himself. See if he comes up with some new demand, or if he wants to amend the terms of the original betrothal agreement.”
“And if he does?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. But he still has some explaining to do. In fact, arrange a private meeting for just the two of us here in my chambers first thing in the morning. Before we discuss the contracts. Make sure we’re not disturbed.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I’m not sure, but I need the truth out of him, one way or another, about what he was doing on Belline. And who he was doing it with. I want to know why those men were chasing him, and I mean to find out.”
“Be careful—this is still a prince we’re talking about.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of who he is.” Memories of the man’s almost handsome face and his almost unbearable sweetness came flooding back to him suddenly, along with the devastation he’d felt at the idea he’d probably never see him again. “But he’smyprince now. It’s too late for him to renegotiate that. He already belongs to me after last night.”
Florin grinned. “What would your parents say? More important, what would his say?”
“I think they’d say it’s probably only possible to ‘ravish’ a prince—or ruin him for that matter—one time. At least in the way my family members used the word. And I think I took care of that last night with his full cooperation.”
