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She loved him, but he loved his kingdom more. Common sense told him that something would eventually have to give, but Julian would do everything in his power to prevent it. Cass was his life, and he would never let go of her without a fight.
Chapter Nine
After spending more than two years living amidst the lush beauty of St. Roch, Cass found the sleek but claustrophobic landscape of Ethereal’s capital city more than a little disorienting. Skyscrapers of every shape and size bordered the streets, most of them with huge advertising billboards brightening the evening skies like static light shows.
Julian was seated with her at the back of the limousine, his thumb absently caressing her knuckles as he spoke on the phone. The frown on his face had been there since they left the airport, and having read the latest news on her phone, Cass knew that the frown was likely to stay there for a long while.
The king’s heart attack had been unexpected, but even more so was the stroke that followed it, rendering the king half-paralyzed. Thankfully, he was still cogent and able to talk, albeit slurring his words.
Seeing the king’s weakness, one of the twelve noble houses had decided it was an optimal opportunity to stage a rebellion. The king was no longer mentally fit, Prince Manolo had charged. As such, the king was not in the position to name his successor. As the oldest and “most experienced” of all the eligible princes, Manolo considered himself the best one to accede to the throne. He was also willing to go to war in order to prove it.
The limousine stopped in front of an opulent-looking hotel and in minutes, Cass found herself whisked away by Julian into the penthouse suite. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, Julian murmured, “Stay here and rest. I will come back to you as soon as I can.”
“Promise me you’ll take care.” The sense of danger had not left her. If anything, it had worsened, to the point that everywhere she looked she saw blood. But she didn’t tell him that, not wanting to burden Julian with her fears.
Julian shook his head, touched and amused by Cass’ anxious concern. “Nothing’s going to happen to me, Cass. Even if Manolo declares war, he wouldn’t be able to attack the city right away.”
“Just…humor me on this. Please be careful, okay?”
He said solemnly, “I promise.” He gave her a quick hard kiss. “Now, I truly must leave. Two guards are stationed outside your door – if you need anything, have them do it for you. I am as paranoid about your safety as you are with mine and I do not want you leaving this room. Especially as outside St. Roch, it’s possible that your parents’ murderer will find it easier to locate you.” The thought left a bad taste in his mouth, causing Julian to think twice about leaving her alone.
“I won’t leave the room at all.” She meant every word. Mr. Darkness could be anywhere, and that alone was reason enough to stay here while she waited for Julian to come back.
“Good.” Julian stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “Until later then.”
As he walked to the door, Cass ran to him and grabbed his hand. “I love you.”
Julian stiffened at the words. He knew what he had to say, but he couldn’t. He forced himself to nod, kissing her hair before leaving without a word. Now that they were both far away from the magic of St. Roch, the future felt much bleaker and the impossibility of their union weighed more heavily than ever in his heart.
Cass did her best not to cry as she slowly closed the door behind Julian. She tried to distract herself with the news by opening the TV, but that soon proved to be an even bigger mistake.
“Prince Julian is the second best bet for the crown,” the female reporter was saying. “In fact, he has everything that Prince Manolo has except for one.”
“And what’s that?” her co-anchor asked.
“Money,” the woman answered bluntly. “His house has the least amount of assets. Sure, compared to us, he’d be richer than Croesus. But compared to the other princes? He needs more money, and right now the only way to have such money in his possession is to marry a princess.”
“A rich princess, you mean.”
In other words, Cass thought numbly, he needed to marry a woman who was not her.
HE WAS NOT GOING TO make it back to Cass tonight. The thought had Julian cursing silently as he looked out of the window of his office, which had temporarily been turned into the headquarters for his executive team and key allies.
Negotiations between his camp and Manolo’s were likely to last until tomorrow at the rate they were going. It was clear to see that he was finally making headway with the older prince, but Manolo had always been a conceited bastard. Manolo might now see his threat to declare war as an exercise in stupidity, but he would only back down if Julian managed to figure out a face-saving excuse for him.
