[English] Suddenly Royal

Author : Nichole Chase

Royal Donors Cause Congestion on Campus


—College Daily


To say my day was not going well, would be like saying the French Revolution had been a bit troublesome for Marie Antoinette. My truck had coughed and sputtered all the way to school. Only half of the students in my first class showed up, and then I couldn’t find the tests I had spent the entire weekend grading. My entire day was turning into a bad country song. By the time lunch rolled around I had been more than ready for a break. I snagged a sandwich and ate it on my way to the library. The server for our building was down and I needed to do some research.


That’s when I ran into all of the people. It was like the entire student body had gathered in the middle of the school for a pep rally. Hordes of giggling freshmen were pushing their way to the front and one of them elbowed me, making me drop the notebook I was carrying. The fraternities and sororities had painted signs and hung them on trees to wee someone. I grimaced when I realized one of them was actually a sheet that didn’t look very clean. I looked from the signs to the crowd and realized I would never be able to make it up the stairs to the library. Standing in the middle of the steps was a group of people, but my eyes focused on the tall blond man. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him. He was joking with a girl while she batted her eyes and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.


I tried to see exactly why everyone was so excited, but none of it made sense. Donors came to the school all the time and most of the self-absorbed student body never noticed. The man on the steps was attractive enough to be a movie star and had to be what had brought the mob out.


“Do you see him, Sam? The prince?” One of the girls...

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Chapter One

For Daniele, Ben, Andrew, and Lily

Royal Donors Cause Congestion on Campus

—College Daily

To say my day was not going well, would be like saying the French Revolution had been a bit troublesome for Marie Antoinette. My truck had coughed and sputtered all the way to school. Only half of the students in my first class showed up, and then I couldn’t find the tests I had spent the entire weekend grading. My entire day was turning into a bad country song. By the time lunch rolled around I had been more than ready for a break. I snagged a sandwich and ate it on my way to the library. The server for our building was down and I needed to do some research.

That’s when I ran into all of the people. It was like the entire student body had gathered in the middle of the school for a pep rally. Hordes of giggling freshmen were pushing their way to the front and one of them elbowed me, making me drop the notebook I was carrying. The fraternities and sororities had painted signs and hung them on trees to welcome someone. I grimaced when I realized one of them was actually a sheet that didn’t look very clean. I looked from the signs to the crowd and realized I would never be able to make it up the stairs to the library. Standing in the middle of the steps was a group of people, but my eyes focused on the tall blond man. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him. He was joking with a girl while she batted her eyes and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

I tried to see exactly why everyone was so excited, but none of it made sense. Donors came to the school all the time and most of the self-absorbed student body never noticed. The man on the steps was attractive enough to be a movie star and had to be what had brought the mob out.

“Do you see him, Sam? The prince?” One of the girls in my first class pulled on my arm.

“Prince? Yeah, I see him.” A prince? A real-life prince with a crown and throne? No wonder the masses were out in the snow. A royal donor would bring out everyone. Movie stars were one thing, but a prince? That wasn’t something you saw every day. I wondered why royalty would be donating to our school, but standing out in the cold watching some guy flirt was not part of my plans. I only had a little longer before I had to be at the research center and a lot to get done in the meantime.

“He’s gorgeous,” the girl gushed while her friends made noises of agreement.

“Yeah, I guess.” I rolled my eyes.

“Even you have to admit he’s hot.” She laughed at me. What the hell did that mean? I wasn’t blind. Of course I noticed he was hot. What the hell kind of good would that do me? I’d never see him again. He was a freaking prince!

Spinning on my heel I headed for a side entrance only to see it was blocked by police. Gritting my teeth I stomped through the snow to the back entrance. It took forever, because I was dodging mobs of people. I almost tripped on a cord and the news reporter hollered at me. I gave him my best eat-****-and-die look, but he wasn’t fazed. By the time I reached the back steps I was ready to murder someone.

There was a group of cops standing at the door, but I didn’t care. I marched up and went straight for the entrance.

“You can’t go in there, miss.”

“Why not? I pay tuition so I can use this library.”

“It’s closed right now. Should be open again in an hour or so.”

“I’ll be busy in an hour.” I gave him my best imitation of puppy eyes. “I just need to use the Internet and check out some books. Please? I’ll be good. One of you guys can come in with me.”

“Sorry.”

I took a deep breath, the cold air stinging my lungs, and turned back toward the parking lot. I went straight to my truck, cranked it up, and headed for the center. The stars had aligned and I would not be doing what I had needed to, so I might as well throw myself into the other part of my work.

Working with the birds brightened my mood. After checking through the cages to make sure there were no problems, I moved to weighing and measuring the birds. When I got to Dover, an owl who had been hit by a car, I cooed softly. She had lost an eye, so tended to be nervous when people approached her mew.

“Hi, sweetheart. Time for some food.” I unlocked the cage door and stepped in slowly. I untied the string that held her to her perch and gave her a good look-over.

Once I had her in the office, I weighed her, careful to note the exact amount in our logs before getting her food.

“Eat up. You know you want it.” I lifted the mouse to her beak but she turned away. “Aw, c’mon, Dover. It’s yummy mouse guts. Your favorite.”

She ruffled her feathers and sighed. Dover was beautiful, but getting her to eat was always a frustrating process. I lifted the mouse to her beak again, making sure she could see the food out of her good eye. Delicately, as if she was doing me a favor, she took a small bite.

“That’s it,” I hummed. “Eat up.”

Slowly she lifted her claw and grasped the mouse. I sighed in relief. She needed to eat to keep her weight up. It was also how we administered her medicine. Dover was a smart bird and I suspected she knew we were putting something in her food.

Once she was done, I took a few measurements and took her back to her mew. I checked the cage quickly and then cleaned up any mess she had made. I checked all our log books to make sure nothing had been missed, made a few notes about a Harris hawk with an injured wing, and closed up shop.

I felt much better by the time I was ready to leave. The annoyances from earlier didn’t seem like such a big deal and I was looking forward to getting home. After double-checking the medicines and the food for the next day, I flipped the lights and headed out the door. I fished out my keys to lock the gate as I neared the entrance. No one else would be in until the morning.

“Samantha Rousseau?”

I looked up at the man standing just outside the gate to my research center. Dark pants met with a black blazer and an equally boring tie. The only thing remarkable about him was the expensive pair of sunglasses sitting on his nose and the little gizmo tucked into his ear, complete with a curly cord running down into his shirt collar.

“Yeah?” I finished locking the bottom of the gate and stood up. He wasn’t a very tall man, possibly my father’s age, but he radiated power. Since I tend to have issues with authority, I immediately disliked the guy. He hadn’t really given me a reason to not like him, but people that think they’re better than you or know more than you make me itch.

“Are you Samantha Rousseau?” he asked again. He didn’t introduce himself or make an attempt to appear friendly. No offer to shake hands.

“Who wants to know?” I slung my bag over my shoulder as I headed toward the old pickup I drive. Authority dude followed close behind, making my hackles rise even farther.

“If you are Samantha, I need to speak with you privately.”

I threw my bag into the back of my truck and turned around to look at him. I didn’t bother to keep the annoyance off my face when I realized how close he was standing to me. “Well, if I was Samantha, you’re in luck. There isn’t anyone else around.” I motioned toward the unoccupied parking lot. We were the only two people.

His frosty expression seemed to crack a little and he gave me something that could almost pass as a smile. “Miss Rousseau, I would like to ask you to accompany me. I have someone who would like to speak to you downtown.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s not going to happen, Mr. Uptight. Look, if you’re here about my father’s medical bills, I made a payment today. If he could make any more payments, then we would, but since he can’t work I doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon.” I yanked open the door to my truck and started to climb in. A hand landed on my shoulder and I reacted without thinking. Grabbing his fingers, I twisted as I turned and swung my other arm around in an attempt to clock him. Unfortunately he seemed to be expecting this move and countered smoothly. Taking his hand back, he ducked under my swing and danced out of way.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Brushing some of my brown hair out of my eyes, I glared at him. The fact that his weird smile had grown made me even more irritated.

“Nicely executed, Miss Rousseau. You almost had me.” Authority Dude nodded his head at me. I clenched my fists at my sides to keep from trying to cream him. What a snide little…

“Here is my card. My name is Duvall. It would please my boss a great deal if you could meet us for dinner tonight. She is staying at the Parallel and has dinner reservations set for eight thirty at the restaurant downstairs.” I looked at his card and then back to his face. What on earth could this be about? The Parallel was the nicest hotel in town. I looked back at his card and noticed the odd crest at the top. A small bird rested on a branch that wrapped around a blue shield. Who was this weird little dude wearing an earpiece?

“Who’s your boss?”

“The Duchess Rose Sverelle of Dollange.”

I looked at him for a moment to see if he was joking. Nope, his face was still set in that frosty, serious expression. I blinked slowly and looked back at his card before...

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“So?” Jess’s voice cut through my thoughts and I tore my eyes from the screen.

“What?”

“I asked what your big plans were.” Jess frowned. “Quit staring at Prince Yummy and pay attention.”

“Prince Yummy?” Bert pulled off the apron and frowned at Jess. I tried to not laugh.

“That’s what the undergrads were calling him. It’s annoying, but it stuck in my head.” Jess hopped down and wrapped her arms around Bert’s neck. She wasn’t a short girl, but she looked petite next to her boyfriend. I started to leave to avoid their PDA, but she wasn’t ready to let me escape. She leaned back and frowned at me. “You didn’t answer!”

“I’m going to dinner with Prince Yummy’s dear old aunt.” I smiled at her shocked expression and made my way to my tiny bedroom.

I was flicking through the clothes in my closet when my bedroom door banged open. Jess was looking at me like I was crazy, so I just shrugged.

“You’re serious.”

“Yeah. I’ve got to be at the Parallel in less than three hours.”

“Oh my God. You’re going to have dinner with a duchess? Is Prince Yummy going to be there too?” Her eyes were huge and I frowned. It would be much better if someone like Jess went to this dinner. She was gorgeous and people tended to like her immediately. I, on the other hand, rarely dressed up and couldn’t remember the last time I painted my fingernails. What was the point if I was going to be scraping dirt out from under my nails in a few hours?

“I don’t know about Prince Yummy.” I shook my head. I needed to find out his name so I didn’t accidently refer to him that way.

“Why?” She sat down on my bed and watched as I pulled out the few dresses I owned. I held up a bright summer print and she shook her head.

“I don’t know. Some guy showed up at work and said the duchess wanted to have dinner with me. I guess Dr. Geller forgot to tell me she was coming.” I looked at the dresses in my hands and put the blue back. Black was probably the safest option. That way if I spilled anything on myself, it wouldn’t be overly obvious.

“Some guy said she wanted to have dinner with you. Why do you think this has anything to do with Dr. Geller?” Jess crossed her legs and I realized she wasn’t leaving. “Seems pretty fishy. Are you sure he is who he says he is?” Jess was pretty practical when things boiled down to it.

“I think so. And if not, then I’ll have only wasted one night.” I shrugged. “Why else would a duchess want to talk to me? And she was at the school earlier. Maybe she’s a donor or something.” I laid the dress out on the bed and thought about jewelry. “I have no idea how to talk to her. I mean, do I address her as Duchess? My lady? Your Highness?” This wasn’t something I’d grown up knowing. It wasn’t like I was from England.

“The Internet is our friend!” Jess grabbed my laptop off the bedside table and popped it open. She typed for a moment and then looked up at me. “They are from Lilaria, right? Says here they’re big into birds, so I guess it makes sense.”

“Okay. What about their royalty?” I turned to look back at my closet, realizing I didn’t have an appropriate jacket.

“Just the usual stuff. A prince is addressed as His Royal Highness.” Jess skimmed through the link she was reading. “Address the duchess as Duchess Whatever. But it says you should adopt their type of formality.”

“So, I shouldn’t call him Prince-dude or her Royal-lady?”

“I think you nailed that one on the head.” Jess closed the computer. “You’ll be fine. Just be the charming person I know you can be.”

“Note to self: Don’t eat with fingers or burp in their faces. Got it.” I smiled at Jess and she laughed.

“We’ll save you some chili.” Jess got up and looked at me. “Text me when you get there and let me know it’s legit.”

“Sure.” I smiled at her over my shoulder as I headed for my bathroom. Time to make myself presentable. Thank God, I had time to shower.

Chapter Two

Royals in Rags

—The Chicago Gazette

My truck sounded like it was on its last leg as I pulled up to the hotel. The traffic had been terrible, so I didn’t have time to park the thing myself and avoid the embarrassment of valet. Cursing under my breath, I tried to stuff some of the garbage from the bench under the seat before the attendant opened my door. Looking up I smiled at the young guy.

“Sorry, the Bentley is being detailed.”

“Looks to me like you traded up, ma’am. This is a classic.” He held his hand out and helped me out of the car. I smiled gratefully at him because I had let Jess talk me into wearing heels tonight. He handed me my ticket and I gave him my keys.

I tried to not cringe as my truck made a coughing noise before it pulled away. The hostess was watching me through the glass doors, so I took a deep breath and held my head high, all the time quietly praying I wouldn’t end up busting my ass in the damn shoes. The doorman opened the door for me, but even he had a look of disdain as he studied me.

Chili was already sounding much better. Hopefully the food would be decent. And not overly expensive. I’d just sent three hundred dollars to the hospital for my dad’s monthly payment. To say I was scraping the bottom of the barrel would be putting it nicely. I smiled at the hostess, hoping that being polite would smooth over the truck fiasco.

“Hi. I’m meeting Duchess Sverelle for dinner.”

“Does she know you’re coming?” The blond woman’s voice grated on my ears. It was high and nasally. Why would they want that for their first impression? There are lots of blond, modelesque women who would love a job like this. Her eyes narrowed and ran over me in disgust.

“Since she’s the one who invited me, I would assume so.” Operation Nice was over.

“Uh huh. And what’s your name?” The woman looked down at the list in front of her with so much seriousness you would think it was full of people waiting for a heart transplant.

“Samantha Rousseau.” I watched her as she looked at the list and then back to me. “I’m from the university.”

“I see. Just a moment.” She walked away, her hair swishing behind her like she was walking in a wind tunnel for a photo shoot and I found myself wondering how she did that.

She returned a moment later, accompanied by a man with a bored look. He was tall, thin, and older, and reminded me of Alfred from the Batman movies. But without any of the humor or intelligence. His eyes traveled over my big winter coat and glimmered with disgust. He lived here, didn’t he? How could he think it was weird to wear a big winter coat?

“Miss…” He looked at me expectantly.

“Rousseau. Samantha Rousseau.”

“Miss Rousseau, your name isn’t on the list.”

“I’m sure it was a simple mistake.” I narrowed my eyes at the man. “Perhaps you could go check with the duchess.”

“I’m sure the duchess would have informed me had she been expecting someone else for dinner.” He smiled at me and I had to take a deep breath before answering.

“Well, as close as you apparently are with the duchess, it must’ve slipped her mind.” I leaned forward. “Look, I’m just trying to keep an appointment here. Can’t you go ask her if she was expecting me?”

“I’m afraid it is against policy to bother guests while they are dining.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I brushed the hair out of my eyes and glared at mini-Alfred. “Just go ask her.”

“Miss Rousseau, this is a very respectable restaurant. I suggest you leave and not cause a scene. I will call security if I need to.”

“I suggest you go ask the duchess if she’s expecting me, or go ahead and call security and you can expect a scene. Then when she sees you escorting me out of the restaurant, you can explain why you sent me away.”

“I’ll go. This once.” He eyed me for a long moment before sighing heavily. “If it turns out you are not an invited member of their party, I will be returning with security.”

“And you can apologize when you get back with your tail between your legs.” Operation Pissed was coming into play. I had a hard time holding my tongue when I got into that mode.

The man sniffed again and I was tempted to offer him a tissue but bit the inside of my cheek instead. “We’ll see.”

He walked away from the little podium and the blond hostess took his place. She ignored me as if I wasn’t there, and that was just fine by me. I slid closer and looked at the sheet in front of her. Just before she covered it with her arm, my eyes landed on my name.

“Oh, now that’s just rude.” I turned away and quickly followed the old man to a table in the center of the room. Those petty jerks were trying to keep me out because they thought I didn’t belong? Because of my truck or my clothes?

My furious stride made quick work of the space between the...

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“I apologize for that terribly inappropriate behavior, Samantha.” Rose frowned.

“It’s okay, Duchess. I’m sure he was just trying to keep people from bothering you.” I was being generous. I was mentally debating egging the hotel.

“Please, call me Rose.” She smiled at me and I smiled back.

“Thank you, Rose.”

“Are you ready to order?” The waitress was back, her white button-up shirt was undone a bit and she stood close to the prince. The question had been addressed to him and only him. Rose looked at me and winked as if amused, but when I noted his uncomfortable expression I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. His face had transformed from friendly and thoughtful to stony.

“Actually, I haven’t had a chance to look at the selection.” I cleared my throat and picked up the large red menu.

“I’ll give you a little more time.”

“Could you turn the heat up a little?” The waitress started to turn, but his voice stopped her. His blue eyes locked on mine and for a minute I wondered if my clothes had caught on fire. Or maybe his accent had managed to make it hotter without turning up the heat. “I noticed your hands were cold.”

“No, no. I’m fine really.” It was cold in the restaurant, not that I noticed right this minute. Or maybe that was just the dress I was wearing. It wasn’t exactly designed for winter wear, but it was the nicest dress I owned. When my mother passed, it was one of the things I had made sure didn’t disappear. I wasn’t much of a fashionista, but I loved the vintage Chanel.

He looked at the waitress and smiled. “The heat, please.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” At her use of his title, the corners of his mouth twitched down briefly and he looked back at his menu.

“Thank you, but I really was fine.” I looked at him and narrowed my eyes. I didn’t care for men that ordered food for their women and picked out their clothing. Even if he was hot as hell. Maybe he was just used to making decisions for everyone.

“No reason to be uncomfortable.” He smiled, his eyes moving back to my face. I felt heat creep into my cheeks and I looked away. Squinting, I stared at my menu, not really seeing the words, and tried to crush the odd effect he seemed to have on me. This was a business meeting and it needed to stay professional.

I could feel his gaze like a hot touch and it was getting to me. It had been a while since I had been with a man, but that was fixable. They made toys to replace men. However, I had a feeling Prince Alex would make my toy wholly inadequate.

“Have you been here before, Samantha?” Rose’s voice drifted to my ears and I was glad for the distraction.

“No, this is the first time I’ve eaten at the Parallel, but I’ve heard the food is wonderful.” I smiled over my menu at the other woman. Sometimes there’s a feeling when you meet someone, a sense of understanding and connection. I felt it with Rose. “Dr. Geller comes here occasionally for business lunches. Speaking of Dr. Geller, I wasn’t able to get in touch with him before coming to dinner, so please forgive me for being unprepared. I’m not sure what exactly we’re discussing tonight.”

Rose smiled at me for a minute as if amused. I looked over at Prince Yummy—dang it, Alex, and frowned. His eyes were moving back and forth between me and his aunt, a small smile playing along his delicious lips.

“Let’s order and then we’ll talk about it. I’m starving.” Rose set her menu down, so I quickly looked through and picked something to eat. My mind was racing. Something weird was going on here and I was going to figure it out. I looked for the waitress and smiled, hoping that would bring her to the table a little faster so we could get down to business.

She glared at me as she sauntered back to us and I wondered why the staff here seemed to hate me so much. What on Earth had I done? Shown up to dinner with the duchess and the prince… Oh. The prince. She was glaring at me because I was eating dinner with Prince Yummy. Sheesh. It wasn’t like we were alone. Who brings their aunt on a date?

The thought brought heat to my cheeks—again. I was never going on a date with Alex. We were from different worlds. He wore expensive suits and probably never got his hands dirty. I wore blue jeans and flannel shirts. My hands were always dirty. Okay, not always dirty. I washed them, but I worked with animals and out in the field.

“You’re ready?” The waitress once again turned her body and ample cl**vage toward Alex and smiled.

“Ladies first.” Alex leaned forward so he could look around the waitress. “Samantha, what would you like?” My name spoken in that accent made it sound much ***ier, but it was the glint in his blue eyes that made my skin hot.

“I’ll take the chicken, please.” There were no prices on the menu, but I was certain that had to be the cheapest thing on there. Chicken would certainly fall under lamb or duck. I hoped.

“Got it.” If the waitress had been chewing gum she would have popped it in her mouth at me. I was torn between amusement and being offended. She smiled at Rose, though. A disgustingly sweet expression that made her look sick. Or maybe it just made me nauseated. “And for you, Duchess?”

“I’ll have the same thing Lady Rousseau is having.” Rose pushed her menu toward the waitress, but the girl didn’t notice. She was looking at me with a worried expression. I shrugged, not sure what to say. A deep chuckle made me sit up straighter in my seat and look at Alex. He was watching me, an amused glint in his eyes as if he was in on a secret.

“I’d like the rib eye, please. Rare.” He handed his menu to the waitress without looking at her and leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him, and smiled at me. “Samantha. Are you from here?”

“I’m a transplant. My family moved here ten years ago for a job. Thankfully, the college I wanted was nearby.”

“Is that so?” Alex leaned forward and looked at me intently. “I would think most people going off to college would want to get as far away from home as possible.”

“My mother passed away and I didn’t want to leave my father.” I didn’t like where this conversation was going. I felt like I was giving away secrets. Secrets that could be important for some reason.

“How is your stepfather? I understand he’s been sick.” Rose’s eyebrows drew together. “I can’t say I care very much for the way that healthcare is handled in the States.”

“He’s handling everything very well, thank you.” I guess my outburst with her lackey earlier hadn’t gone unreported. “But we’re not here to discuss my family. What kind of questions do you have about the center and our program?”

Rose leaned forward. “Actually, your family is exactly why I am here.”

Chapter Three

How to Lose a Royal

—Perry Talks

“My family?” I felt my eyebrows rise and tried to control my expression. What the hell was going on?

“Why did you decide to keep your mother’s maiden name when she married your father?” Rose folded her hands in front of her and her eyes bored into mine.

“I’m not sure why that would be any of your business.” I looked at Alex, but his face gave nothing away. “I thought I was here to discuss the raptor program for Dr. Geller.”

“Yes, I realized that earlier. However, I was hoping to discuss something else.” Rose leaned back as the waitress and several helpers delivered their food to the table. “I was hoping to discuss you.”

“I can’t imagine why.” Shaking my head, I leaned back so the waitress could set my plate in front of me. “Thank you.”

“Do you know much about Lilaria?” Rose took a sip from her glass before picking up her fork and knife. “We’re a small but proud country.”

“No, I can’t say I know much about your homeland.”

“Let me tell you a bit about it. We control a rather large portion of Europe’s oil resources, which brings a great deal of wealth to our citizens, but it also brings trouble. In the late eighteen hundreds, a royal family of the name Malatar felt it was time for a change; however, they didn’t want an outright war. You see, they didn’t have many supporters. The country was flourishing and the people were happy.” Rose looked at the waitress, who seemed to be taking longer than needed to deliver Alex’s plate. With annoyance, I realized she was buttering his roll while pushing her cl**vage into his face. I don’t know why I cared, but it bothered me. Here we were trying to have an important conversation and this chick was acting like a dog in heat. He didn’t look exactly happy about it, but also looked like he wasn’t sure how to stop it without a fuss.

When the waitress stood up with a smile on her face, I pushed my dinner roll in her direction. “What exceptional service the Parallel offers. Thank you.” The waitress’s eyebrows pulled together, but there wasn’t much she could do. Taking the butter knife off my dish, she slathered the roll with butter and set it back on...

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“Did she know?” I looked at Rose and hoped she didn’t notice the tears in my eyes. Mom had been gone for five years, but it still hurt when I heard her voice in my head like that. And now, to find out this, I wasn’t sure what to do. What to think.

“I’m not sure. It’s likely she knew a little, but I don’t believe she knew everything.” Rose frowned. “I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner. I would have liked to have met your mother. I understand she was a brilliant biologist.”

“She was.” My eyes slid around the room as I tried to regain my composure. How could she not tell me? Did she know the truth? Part of the truth? And what about my dad? My feet started to itch and I wanted to get up and go demand an answer.

“I’m leaving in a couple of days to head home. I’d like it very much if you would return with me.” Rose leaned forward. “The Rousseau family was a very important one and my sister is extremely excited to meet you.”

“In a few days? I can’t. I have school. Projects. I can’t just leave.” I shook my head. A queen wanted to meet me? This was insane. “What would I do?”

“Aunt, surely we can give her more time to consider everything.” Alex looked at Rose, his bright blue eyes serious. “That’s a lot to put on her all at once.”

“True.” Rose picked up her fork and knife and cut her chicken. “But the world has a way of throwing us curve balls. We have to decide whether to swing or strike out. This is your moment, Samantha. You’re up to bat.”

I snorted. I couldn’t help it. The duchess had just made a baseball analogy about my life. I picked up the glass of wine, deciding I needed a sip to help calm my jangling nerves. “How long would I be away?”

“That would depend on you. There is a ceremony to be performed. Legalities to be followed through with. Of course, once you take control of the estate and become the family head, it would be pertinent for you to stay in the country as much as possible. You would be your family’s voice on the council to the queen.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I looked at her, my mouth hanging open. “Holy ****. You’re serious.” Rose’s mouth twitched and I realized I had just cursed in the presence of royalty. “Sorry. A seat on the council to the queen? You guys know nothing about me!”

“That’s not true. You’ve made the dean’s list at your school every year. You were the top student to be chosen for your graduate program. You are dutiful to your family and take good care of your stepfather. You are a remarkable young woman our country would be proud to have.”

I knew my mouth was still agape. I didn’t care. Rose had just outlined my life, but instead of making it sound boring, she had made it sound like I was a saint.

“I can’t just leave school. My degree is very important to me.” I’d worked so hard to get to where I was. The scholarships alone had taken countless hours of work to receive.

“Raptors are incredibly important in our country. Each of the noble houses has one as their symbol. Your family is the merlin. A small but fierce bird. There are several well-known schools and programs that would be pleased to have you. And you would have the added benefits of our medical system for your father.” Rose looked up from her food. “There are many treatments available overseas your government has not allowed here.”

That gave me pause. More than anything she could have said tonight, that was the one thing that would make me seriously consider this craziness. From the look in her eyes, she knew it, too. I was being maneuvered. I didn’t like it, but at the same time, she made a good case. And I knew about merlins. They were amazing birds.

“I need to think about this.” I picked up my fork and pushed the potatoes on my plate.

“Of course.” Rose smiled and I caught a hint of victory in it. “Like I said, I will be here for a few more days. And if you decide to come, we can push it back a little so you can accomplish any tasks you’d need to do first. I’m sure you will want to speak with your father, as well.”

“Thank you, but I’m not sure I’ll be going.” I took another sip of wine. And then another. Oh good God. What would Dad say?

“I hope he will be able to come for the ceremony.” Rose sipped from her wine. “If you decide to take up the mantle, of course.”

If I decided, of course. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.

“If you come out, you’ll have to go hunting with me.” Alex nodded toward me.

“I’m not much of a hunter.” I racked my brain, wondering why he would think I would want to go hunting, but found it a little difficult to get past the fact he had asked me to do something with him. “I’ve only shot a gun a few times.”

He chuckled and the sound sent a wave of goose bumps over my arms. “No, I meant with birds. I own several hawks that are excellent hunters.”

“Oh.” That made much more sense. I scooped some of the food into my mouth, enjoying the flavors. Despite the crappy service, the Parallel’s food had lived up to the hype. “I’ve been a few times, but don’t have a bird of my own.”

“I’d be happy to lend you one of my birds. I’ve been away for a while, so it would be good to have help exercising them.” The corners of my mouth pulled up a little. He was being nice. There was no way he didn’t have a gamekeeper to help him take care of the birds while he was away.

“What do you have?” I pulled apart some of the bread I had asked the waitress to butter.

“Three Harris hawks.”

“Alex and his father are very large bird advocates in our country.” Rose tilted her glass toward her nephew. “He presented his first bill to the Lilarian council when he was twelve. He called for stricter punishments for the purposeful deaths of raptors and endangered birds.”

I looked over at Alex and felt my first true smile of the night. “That’s a pretty big proposal. Good for you.”

“Didn’t do it for me.” Alex sipped from his glass and smiled.

Chapter Four

Playboy Prince on the Prowl

—L.A. Chatter

When I asked for the bill, Rose waved it off. “You’re our guest. We will take care of the bill.”

“Thank you.” I didn’t want to offend her by insisting, even though it made me uncomfortable.

“I hope to hear from you soon, Samantha.” Rose looked over her shoulder and Duvall appeared from the shadows of the room. I tried to keep my face from registering my shock. The man gave me the willies. He handed Rose a card and a pen. She wrote something on the back and handed it to me. “Call me if you have any questions. That’s my direct line.”

“Thank you.” I tucked the card into the small purse I was carrying. I was sure Rose didn’t give out that number very often, so didn’t want to risk losing it.

“Off to bed then, for me. I’m not as young as I used to be. But don’t let that stop you and Alex. I’ve heard there are many interesting places in town for young people.” Rose held her hand out to me and pulled me close once. Softly she kissed my cheek and smiled. “It’s been a pleasure, my dear. A pleasure.”

“Very much so.” I bussed her cheek and tried *****ppress the queasy feeling that surfaced when she suggested I spend more time with Alex. What the hell was I going to do with a prince? Good grief, even the voice in my head squeaked when I thought the word prince.

I watched quietly as Alex kissed his aunt good-bye before Duvall ushered her through the restaurant. I looked up into Alex’s amused eyes when he cleared his throat.

“Would you like to get a drink? The bartender seems rather knowledgeable.” His eyes slid over my body in a lazy perusal. “Or if you’d prefer, we could try somewhere else.”

“I probably shouldn’t.” The most attractive man I had ever met just asked me for a drink and I tell him no? I’m insane. I’m sure he was just trying to be polite. “I drove, so no more drinks for me tonight.”

“Ah.” He looked down at me and I felt small. Not in the personal sense, but literally small. The man was tall. “Well then, let me walk you to your car.”

“Thank you.” As we moved toward the entrance, he placed a hand on the small of my back. The warmth from his palm seeped through the thin material of my dress and made me shiver.

“I thought you weren’t cold.” He dipped his head so his breath tickled my ear.

“I’m not.” My voice sounded a little breathy and I swallowed to wet my throat. “I mean, it’s cooler closer to the door.”

“Hm.” As we neared the door, he dropped his hand from my back and smiled at the hostess. “Our coats, please.”

“Of course.” She batted her eyes and I had to fight to not roll mine. When she brought our coats back, she practically threw mine at me and I had to scramble to not drop it. Alex swooped down and grabbed the coat before it could touch the floor...

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“Agreed.” He leaned closer to me, the heat from his body warming my arm. “There are much more enjoyable ways of losing sleep.” He winked jauntily and looked toward the curb. “Our ride.”

The black limo pulled up to the hotel and the attendant opened the door for us. Alex led me to the car and I tried to not focus on the fact that he was still holding my fingers. I felt foolish sliding into the luxury car. The last time I had been in a limo was prom, a thousand years ago. My date had been drunk and thrown up on my dress. Not exactly good memories.

Alex slid into the seat and looked at me. I started to shift uncomfortably. “What?”

“Your address?” He smiled and I found myself flushing again.

“Oh.” I rattled off the street address and watched as Alex nodded at the driver. Once we pulled away from the curb, the driver closed the window between the front and back. I leaned into my seat and watched as the lights of the city flew by.

“Do you have a roommate? Or do you still live with your father?” Alex shifted in his seat. I found it odd that we were in this huge car and yet both sat on the smallest bench in the very rear. Should I have scooted around once I climbed in? Was there limo etiquette?

“Yes. Jess and I have lived together since our freshman year.” I snorted. “And her boyfriend Bert, he practically lives with us.”

“And your boyfriend?” Alex watched my face carefully.

“Did you really just ask if I had a boyfriend?” I laughed.

“Apparently not very smoothly.” He laughed. “Are you ducking the question?”

“No boyfriend. I don’t have time for that type of stuff.” Boyfriends required time and patience. Not to mention energy, and lately all that was spent on my degree or taking care of my father.

He hmm’d to himself for a minute and I felt one of my eyebrows rise in amusement.

“What?” I asked.

“Well, if the only thing holding you here is school and your father, then there’s hope you will come home with us. No bothersome boyfriend to worry about.” He leaned back comfortably, his eyes trained on my face. “Besides, you’ll be on all the men’s radar when you get there. Beautiful, American, intelligent, and funny. Not to mention your comic-book knowledge. I might have some competition.”

“Oh.” Had he just called me attractive? Competition for me? I should know better. He was just being friendly, trying to convince me to go. Alex couldn’t be interested in someone like me. I was light-years from the type of women he was probably used to. I wasn’t sophisticated or fashionable. Hell, I hadn’t even known what fork to use at dinner tonight.

“Why does it matter to you?” I hoped he didn’t hear the irritation in my voice. I was mainly upset with myself for being disappointed. “Is there something in it for you if I go to Lilaria?”

He ran a hand across his jaw, taking his time before answering. “I’m not sure. You’re intriguing.”

“What does that mean?” Intriguing? As in a possible pawn he could use? Intriguing ideas? “Look, if I go to Lilaria and take a seat on the council, I’m not going to side with you on things just because you told me I was from a long-lost line of royalty. So if you’re planning on using me for some political maneuvering, you’d be sorely disappointed.”

“And that’s exactly why we need you.” Alex chuckled. “Lord, you’re a feisty woman.”

I snorted and started to respond but was interrupted by my beeping cell phone. I pulled it out of the little clutch I was carrying and checked the text message. Jess was making sure I was okay, so I sent her a quick message letting her know I was on my way home. She replied that I shouldn’t text and drive. Little did she know I was in a limo.

Before I could put the phone back in my purse, Alex held his hand out. “May I?”

“Uh, sure.” Not sure if he needed to use the phone or if he was being nosy, I watched as he unlocked the screen and typed something quickly. He held the phone to his ear and nodded.

“Now you have my number.” He turned it off and handed it back to me. “If you need anything or have any questions, let me know. Anything at all.”

The limo pulled off the expressway and turned toward my neighborhood. “Thanks.”

As we pulled up to my little house, I grew nervous. I berated myself, because it wasn’t like this was a date. He wasn’t going to be looking for a good-night kiss.

“Well, this is me.” I nodded toward my little house and watched his reaction. Would he think my house was sad? Or would he think it funny that a long-lost line of royalty lived in such an old home? I liked our little place. It was ours. Well, not really ours. We rented it but had been there for three years. It was home.

“Lovely place.” Alex opened the door to the limo and held his hand out for me. His warm fingers wrapped around mine to help me before moving to the small of my back as we walked through the snow-covered grass. I knew it was a gentlemanly thing to do, to assist a woman walking through the snow, but it amused me. I didn’t need help walking through my own yard. In fact, I was the last person to cut the grass.

“It does look pretty cozy all covered in snow.” When we got to the front stoop I turned to look at Alex and smiled. I pulled the keys out of my purse and looked for the door key. “Thank you for making sure I got home safely.”

“Thank you for letting me keep my dignity.” Alex stepped closer and brushed some of the hair away from my face. My breath caught as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “It’s been… an honor to meet you, Samantha.”

I looked at him sharply to see if he was joking, mocking what I had said when we first met, but it brought our faces nose-to-nose. There was an amused glint in his eyes, but underneath that was something much warmer. We stood there, neither moving, only our breaths tangling in the cold air between our lips. Part of me demanded to move closer, to press my hungry mouth to his, while another part of me screamed to run for the hills. He shifted closer and I tilted my head up as his hand moved to cup my cheek.

The front door was pulled open in a rush of warm air, and I almost stumbled off the top step. Alex’s warm fingers closed around my elbow to help steady me. I turned to look into Jess’s wide eyes and smiled weakly.

“Sorry, I thought you were having trouble with your key again.” Jess swung her gaze from Alex to me and back. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t. Alex brought me home when my truck wouldn’t start.” I cleared my throat and turned to smile at the prince standing on my tiny front porch.

“My pleasure.” Alex winked at me before tipping his head to Jess. “You must be Jess.” Holding his hand out, I watched as my roommate looked at it like it was something unreal before slowly leaning out of the front door to shake it.

“Yes. Jess. I am. I mean, I am Jess. Um, nice to meet you.” Jess looked at me and then back at Alex. She yanked her hand away from him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hold your hand like some kind of crazy stalker. Boyfriend! Bert! My boyfriend is in the living room.”

My eyes grew wider with each word out of Jess’s mouth and I had to fight to not laugh out loud. I looked over Jess’s shoulder to see Bert staring at us with the same look of amusement.

“Right. This is my roommate, the not-stalker and that’s her boyfriend, Bert, back there.” Bert raised his hand in greeting.

“Nice to meet you both.” Alex looked back at me, and I could see the amusement rippling in the blues of his eyes. “I’ll be in touch, Samantha.”

“Sure.” I nodded my head, trying to make everything seem very businesslike. “I look forward to it.” My heart stopped. Had I really just added that? What was wrong with me?

“As do I.” His eyes held mine before he bowed his head and backed down the steps. I didn’t move as I watched him walk across the lawn and climb through the limo door, which the driver was holding open. Turning, I shooed Jess back into the house and closed the door behind me. I leaned against the heavy wood and kicked the heels off my feet.

Jess stood there staring at me, her eyes the size of saucers. I sighed and shrugged out of my coat. “Go ahead and get it out of your system.”

“Prince Yummy brought you home.” Jess pointed a finger at me like I was in trouble. This was going to be bad.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Alex, brought me home.” I frowned at her. “You have to stop calling him that. It was stuck in my head all night.”

“His Royal Highness, Prince Alex of the Yummy, brought you home. In a limo.” Jess took a deep breath. “And you were about to kiss him. Right there. On our porch!”

“What? No. No I wasn’t.” I shook my head and dropped my coat on the rack before walking to the kitchen.

“I’m not blind, Sam. You were, like, this far apart!” She held her finger and thumb up so I could see the sliver of space between them. “You were going to kiss him!”...

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“What are you going to tell Prince Yumm—”

“Don’t call him that!” I slapped her arm. “What if you see him again and that accidently slips out?”

“Well, he’s already seen me in my nightshirt—it can’t get much more embarrassing.” I glared at her and she rolled her eyes. “Fine. What are you going to tell Prince Alex? He saved you from opening the door to some media-type person while still in your bathrobe.”

“It’s his fault I’m in this mess.”

“No it isn’t—it’s his aunt’s. Or more importantly, it’s whoever sold those pictures fault.” Jess scooted down into the couch cushions and glared at me. “You should blame them. He was just watching out for you.”

“You’re right. I’m going back to that restaurant and tearing the hostess a new one. It had to have been her. Lousy tramp.” I glared at the headline scrolling under the pictures. “You’ve got to be kidding. A Royal Hidden Among Us? That’s the best they could do? Why does it even matter?”

“Um, hello? Because nothing cool happens here and Alex is a serious hottie. He’s only the most eligible bachelor in the world.” There was no arguing about Alex’s hottie status, so I focused on something else.

“Why are they acting like I knew I was a royal? Do they just report whatever they want without checking facts?”

“It’s like a big game of Telephone. One station reports something with a tiny fact wrong. Then the next station just reports what they reported. The next one reports what the second station reported, but draws conclusions that aren’t right, and so on and so on.” Jess shrugged, the blanket falling off her shoulders.

“That’s terrible. And scary.” I looked back at the TV. “Not to mention it pisses me off.”

Jess stared at me. “You know, you haven’t said much about it. About being royal.”

“That’s because I came home, went to sleep, and woke up to people watching my house like Elvis had come back from the dead.” Jess just stared at me. I leaned my head back against the cushion and sighed. “Fine, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I have no proof, really. It’s not like I can ask my mom.” My throat tightened and I had to pause. “They seemed pretty convinced and I can’t imagine they would have come to me if they weren’t sure. It’s… a lot to take in. They want me to go back with them.”

“Go back with them?” Jess sat up a little. “Wow.”

“I don’t know if I’m going to do it.”

“Are you crazy? Of course you’re going! You have to!” Jess stared at me like I was losing my mind. “You need to know more about your family. And imagine what all you could do as a royal.”

“I have school and my dad.” I shook my head. “I have a life here, and they want me to just drop it and become someone else.”

“That’s stupid. You’d still be Sam! Take your dad with you. I’ve always heard they have great healthcare over there. I mean, it’s not perfect, but Lilaria is one of the leaders in new healthcare treatments.”

I sighed. Did everyone know about their healthcare but me? “Yeah, they told me. I need to talk to Dad. I don’t know if he’s even up for that trip.”

“How did your family end up in the States? I mean, you had no idea you were royalty.”

“Apparently we defected when there was an uprising. Our family was a target, so they left in the middle of the night with no word and went into hiding.” I shrugged. “They left everything, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. You know my great grandfather was a gambler, so I guess it’s no surprise we have no money left. What upsets me the most is the fact that Mom never told me.”

“Maybe she didn’t know.”

“I’ll never find out.” I looked back at the TV and grimaced. They were using my school ID photo. Oh, bad-hair days. “I guess I need to get dressed if someone is on their way here.”

“You better text Prince Charming back too.”

“Would you stop with the nicknames?” I stood up and stretched.

“No way. I’m having too much fun.”

I flipped her the bird on my way back to my room but she just laughed. We’d known each other for too long for it to be anything other than a joke. When I closed my door, I looked at the phone in my hand. Quickly, before I overthought it, I texted him.

Me: Thank you for the heads up. I probably would have walked right out into a reporter.

Immediately my phone dinged back.

Unknown: I should have been ready for this, I’m sorry. Duvall is on his way with your truck. Please be careful today.

I frowned. Why would I need to be careful? And I couldn’t imagine having to second-guess my every move, trying to figure out how it would be perceived by everyone. I set the phone down on the dresser and grabbed some clothes out of my closet. I hesitated for a minute, wondering if I should worry about what I was wearing, but decided to stick with my normal stuff. It would be stupid to get all dressed up when I would most likely be cleaning cages later. Besides, maybe if I acted like there was nothing different people would leave me alone.

I grabbed my favorite jeans and a plaid shirt and pulled my hair up into a ponytail before taking a minute to text my dad and let him know I would be over after school to talk about something. I’d call, but he often slept late. Grabbing my bag and shoes, I headed for the living room. Bert was sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal.

“Hey. Would you mind giving me a ride to school? I’m not sure if my truck is up for it.”

“Sure.” Bert looked away from the television. “Are you worried about people giving you a hard time?”

“Nah. I guess they might ask questions, but it’s not really a big deal.”

“You don’t think it’s a big deal?”

I shrugged and sat down next to him. As I was lacing up my work boots I heard a knock on our front door. I started to go for it, but Bert stopped me.

“Let me get it.” Bert walked over to the door and peered out the curved window at the top before opening it a little ways. “Can I help you?”

“I’m Duvall. His Highness sent me for Lady Rousseau.”

Bert turned to look over his shoulder at me. “Were you expecting a Duvall, Lady Rousseau?”

I rolled my eyes. “Please see him in, Sir Bert.”

Bert stepped back and Duvall entered our tiny home. He was wearing his black suit and the little earpiece again. He walked directly toward me and produced my keys and two file folders.

“Good morning, Lady Rousseau. The duchess sent this for you to look through. She thought you might have more questions about your family. And Prince Alex sent the other folder.”

“Good morning.” I murmured the words as I immediately thumbed through the smaller folder from Alex. It was articles about the healthcare in their country, reports about chemo and cancer drugs that weren’t available in the States. Had he put this together himself? Or had he asked someone else to do it? Did it even matter? No matter how you cut it, he had sent me information he knew would make me want to go.

Everyone was watching me as I flipped through the folder, so I cleared my throat and closed the file. “Thank you for bringing these and my truck. I guess I’ll get it fixed later.”

“I believe the starter was broken. His Highness had it towed to a shop last night and fixed early this morning.”

“Oh.” I would have fixed it myself—paying for a garage was out of the question. I’d have to borrow money to pay it off. “Who should I pay for the repairs?”

“Prince Alex has already handled all the repairs, my lady.”

“What? And stop calling me that.” I frowned at him. “Please. I’m just Samantha.”

“As you wish.” Duvall nodded his head. “When is your first class?”

“Um, in an hour. Why?” I could feel my eyebrows drawing together. Could I have a moment to breathe? I was still processing the fact that Alex had paid for the repairs.

“I wanted to let the team know when we were leaving.” Duvall walked a couple of steps away and spoke into his shirt sleeve. Literally, into the cuff of his shirt sleeve the way the Secret Service does.

“Excuse me?” I stood up. “What do you mean we?”

“The duchess has sent a detail to stay with you. She’s worried you will run into problems with the way your media has attacked this story.” Duvall folded his hands in front of him. “I have a team of six if you include me and three cars.”

“What story? There is no story!” Three cars? Just for me to go to school? I put my hands on my h*ps and saw Bert trying to edge out of the room. “Bert! You’re a psych major. Don’t you agree that if I act like there is nothing going on, other people will behave that way too?”

“Well,” he said. His face looked a bit panicked. “I’m not sure this is the same thing as pretending...

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We could hear the security guard telling the reporters they weren’t allowed in the building as we climbed. When we got to the office I shared with several other graduate students, I sighed in relief. I turned and looked at the three people in suits.

“Samantha, this is Terrance Ross.” Duvall nodded at the man. He was tall with a shaved head. I held my hand out to shake. His palm engulfed mine and his smile was very formal.

“A pleasure to meet you, Duchess.”

“Sam or Samantha.” I sighed when Duvall cleared his throat. “At least when we’re alone, please.”

“And this is Rebecca Meyers.” The woman was younger than both of the men. Probably close to my age. She was wearing slacks and a button-up shirt under her winter jacket. Her blond hair was trimmed into a pixie cut that suited her face and friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you.” She shook my hand firmly. “Please, call me Becca.”

“Nice to meet you, Becca.” I looked over my shoulder at the door and saw the shadows of my co-workers leaning toward the door. “Well, might as well let you meet the idiots I work with.”

“I heard that.” Mary’s voice hollered from the other side of the door as the shadows cleared out of the way.

I opened the door to find Mary and two other graduate students staring at us. I moved aside so the others could come in and waved in their direction. “Guys, meet the suits. Suits, meet my co-workers.”

“Are you really a princess?” Mary leaned forward. “And please tell me we’re going to meet the prince.”

“What? No.” I set my bag down on my desk and opened it to find my notes for the next class. “And no.”

“But you’re royalty, right? Your face was all over the news this morning.” She reached over and turned the monitor of the guy next to her so we could see they were watching a live stream from one of the local stations.

“Turn that off!” I walked over and hit the monitor button.

“Geez, you can’t blame us for being curious! We’ve known you for years and you never told us.” Mary crossed her arms. I ground my teeth and counted to five before answering. Mary was not my favorite person in the program.

“I didn’t tell anyone. Because I didn’t know.” I frowned at everyone. “C’mon, guys. Don’t be weird. I’m the same ol’ Sam. I just have a royal ancestor.”

“Leave her alone, guys. We’ve all shoveled crap with her and spent hours studying manuals.” David, one of the doctoral students, said from the back of the room. I let my breath out in relief. David was a good guy and the others listened to him. I smiled at him and he nodded in return. “We’ve all got enough to focus on.”

I looked over at Duvall and lowered my voice. “Could you guys wait outside?”

“When is your class?” His accent drew the attention of some the closer people.

“About thirty minutes.”

“Very well. I’ll wait outside with Ross. Meyers will stay with you. She tends to blend in and make people less uncomfortable.”

“Why can’t you all go?” I hissed the words between my teeth.

“Lady Rousseau, someone will be with you at all times in public. I must follow the duchess’s instructions.” His face was impassive and I knew our whispering was making everyone even more curious so I gave in.

“Fine. Becca stays. Everyone else goes.” He started to say something so I cut him off. “Becca stays and everyone else hangs out in the background. No flying-V formations or people circling me like a mama bear protecting her cub when I go anywhere.”

“Yes, my lady.” Duvall bowed his head before exiting the room.

“I’m going to do a few things before I leave. Intro to Wildlife isn’t for thirty minutes and it’s in this building, so won’t take but a minute to get to.” I jerked my head toward my desk.

“Sounds good to me.” One thing I had noticed right away was Becca had an American accent. A Southern accent, to be exact, and it made everything feel a little less foreign and crazy.

I dragged a chair next to my desk for her and pulled out some papers, thumbing through my notes for today’s lecture, but my attention kept being pulled to the manila folders. I opened the one Rose had sent and studied the first few pages of notes. There were copies of birth certificates, a ship manifesto, and a few deeds for property in New York. Then I found the family tree. It was very generic-looking, no picture of a tree or fancy calligraphy. Just a chart, listing descendants. I traced down the lines until I found my mother’s name. There had been other branches but they had all ended in one fashion or another. A blank space was next to my mother with a line that led down to my full name.

Tracing the line down to me, I looked at my name and frowned. Samantha Ellen Frances Rousseau. I’d always hated having four names. It seemed so silly growing up. Everyone else had managed with just three. I flipped through some more of the paperwork, looking for anything that caught my eye or seemed familiar. Copies of my mother’s thesis and first write-up in a journal made me smile. She had been a brilliant scientist.

I looked up at the clock and decided I had enough time to look quickly through the other folder. The noise in the office soothed my nerves. The clicking of someone typing, the whispers of Mary as she flirted with David. David telling her to hush. It was nice to have a little normal for a few minutes.

Alex’s folder had several paper-clipped articles from medicine journals about homeopathic solutions for cancer and dealing with chemo along with information about a new drug that seemed to be helping ease the pain of some cancer patients without affecting their quality of life. The articles were fascinating and I felt hope swelling in my heart. Maybe jumping the pond wouldn’t be so bad. Especially if I was able to help Dad. Or at least make him more comfortable.

In the very back of the folder was a note in slanted text and a sticky note with a website address. Apparently this was a link to a doctor that worked strictly with patients suffering from prostate cancer. Alex wrote that the doctor lived in the UK and might be persuaded to give my father an in-depth examination.

Becca cleared her throat and I looked over to where she was sitting.

“Your class starts in five minutes.”

“What?” I looked at the clock on my desk and frowned. The time had flown by. I grabbed my stuff and put it in my bag before jerking my head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

The lecture hall was on the other side of the building, so we took the back stairs. I hesitated just inside the door when I saw all the people in the room. Almost every seat was taken, which was unusual for such an early class. Duvall looked at me with a blank face from near the stage and I wondered what was running through his mind because I sure as hell didn’t know what to think. My fingers tightened on the strap of my bag and I walked forward purposefully. Fake it ’til you make it would be my motto of the day. The room quieted except for a few whispers.

I set my bag down and turned toward the room. My eyes picked out familiar faces amongst a hundred or more that I had never seen before. “It makes my heart all types of bubbly to see so many people excited about the chapter on ornithology.” A faint ripple of amusement spread through the room. “For those of you that didn’t wake up this morning with a newfound love of birds, open your books to chapter twelve.”

I pulled my notes out and grabbed a dry erase marker. While the true students rifled through their bags, I quickly outlined some key points on the whiteboard. I turned back to the class and swallowed. I’d never spoken to this many people before and it was intimidating.

Hopping onto the small desk on the stage, I decided to focus on what I was supposed to be talking about and forget that most of these people had only come to stare at me. “Who can define a bird?”

A young undergrad’s hand shot into the air. I couldn’t remember her name, but I tended to refer to her as Hermione in my head. I nodded at her.

“An animal whose body is covered in feathers and forelimbs that modified into wings.” She smiled proudly.

“Yes, but that isn’t all that defines a bird. Anyone else?” I looked around the room. Someone I didn’t recognize raised their hand and I waited a beat before nodding for them to speak.

“Are you really a princess?”

“All little girls are princesses, didn’t you know that?” My heart sped up in my chest and I narrowed my eyes. Titters erupted around the classroom and I sat down on the top of the desk. “Now, who can tell me about birds?”

One of the male students raised his hand and I pointed in his direction. “They all have scaly legs, a beak with no teeth, and bear their young in a hard-shelled egg.”

“Good.” I jumped up and scribbled the definition on the board. “Does anyone have any idea how many types of birds there are in the world?”

There were more people with their hands raised when I turned back around. I tried to pick someone I recognized from the class, hoping they would stay on...

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“A sandwich is perfect. Why don’t I bring the food? I’ll meet you there, that way you don’t have to waste any of your time.”

“Why?” The question exited my mouth before I could rethink it.

“Why save you time?” His eyebrows drew together.

“Why do you want to have lunch with me? Surely you have more important things to do.”

“Well, I like your company for one thing.” He leaned a little closer. “And you underestimate your importance. I’m starting to think you’re very important.”

I didn’t know what to say. What could I say to that? There was no mistaking it this time. Alex was definitely flirting with me and I felt like a fish out of water. I was a terrible flirt, too blunt and not coy. And I blushed. Like I was doing right now.

“I make you nervous, don’t I?” His gaze turned thoughtful. “And not because of my rank. That doesn’t seem to faze you at all.”

“A title is a title. It doesn’t define the type of person you are.” I closed the notebook with the quizzes and took a deep breath.

“Very true.” Reaching out, he brushed a stray strand of brown hair that had escaped my ponytail back from my face. I froze and our gazes locked before I remembered the cameras. I looked over to where the students had been standing, but no one was there.

“We’re alone. Duvall and Becca saw everyone out and are watching the door.”

We’re alone. His words sent a shiver through my soul. Images of him and me on the desk filled my mind and my blush deepened. His fingers traced my jawline briefly before he stood up and gave me enough space to breathe again.

“Do you have a preference for lunch?”

“No mustard.” I stayed in my seat, feeling safer there.

“No mustard. I can manage that.” He turned and walked down the steps. I couldn’t stop my eyes from following his backside as he went.

“My office, it’s on the second floor.” I cleared my throat. “I share it, so there will be other people there. They might pester you.” In fact I was sure Mary would pester him.

“I’ll find it.” He smiled over his shoulder at me.

Chapter Seven

Chaos on Campus

—College Daily

“Unless you can tell me the number of toes a bird has, you have accidently wandered into the wrong class.” I put my hands on my h*ps and glared at the students. “And that means you need to drag your hung-over self out of your seat and go find the correct room. Now.”

I waited while half the room got up and left in an explosion of noise. Some people took pictures of me with their cell phones before they ducked out of the door, others laughed like it was all a big joke. When it finally quieted down, I looked up from my desk and tried to not groan. There were still too many people in the room, but at least a good portion of them had left. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and started the last lecture of the day.

By the time I was finished, I barely had any patience left. I had been asked if I was a princess, if I was really a teaching assistant, if I knew the Queen of England. People had taken my picture and recorded my lecture. Nothing had been accomplished in the lesson. I should have just canceled the class and hidden in a broom closet somewhere.

“Lady Rousseau, let’s wait to move until the room has cleared and there isn’t as much traffic in the hallways.” Becca glanced at me over my desk with a look of pity.

“Can you just kill me? Carry me out in a box?” I looked up at her. “Do you even have a gun?”

“What kind of bodyguard would I be if I needed a gun to kill someone?” Becca smiled at my expression. “Besides, it could’ve been worse.”

“That’s not comforting.” I leaned back in my chair and groaned. “Thank God I don’t have any more classes today.” I grabbed my notes and shoved them into my bag. My stomach was in knots and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the classes or the fact that I was supposed to go eat with Alex.

“Ready?” Becca asked.

“Yeah.” We left the room and headed for the back stairs. There were still people in the halls, but for the most part they moved out of our way. When I got to the office, Alex was leaning against the wall next to the door, a bag of food in one hand and a tray with drinks in the other. His head was against the wall, his eyes closed. I felt guilty that he looked so tired. He must’ve been up late to see to my truck and get me those notes. As we approached, one of the men in his detail said something quietly. He tilted his head to look at us and smiled. His gray suit made his blue eyes look almost silver and I felt my mouth go dry. Just being near him felt like something in my gut was tugging me to him. He was perfect, right down to the light stubble on his chin.

“No mustard.” He held the bag up in victory and I laughed. He looked so proud of himself I couldn’t help it. Some of my nerves melted away and I felt a bit more relaxed.

“C’mon.” I opened the door so he could walk in and almost melted in relief when no one else was inside. I had been dreading the stares and awkward conversation. “That’s my desk.” I pointed at the one near the window and he stood next to the chair Becca had used earlier. I checked the message board, watching him from the corner of my eye before going to find some paper towels.

“Thank you.” He sat down when I handed him the napkins. “I hope you like red meat. I have a weakness for hamburgers. The bigger the better.”

“You’re in luck. The hamburgers from the cafeteria are great.” I spread the fries onto a napkin so we could both get to them. “So tell me. How did you manage to go in the cafeteria and come out alive?”

“Many years of practice.” He took a bite of his burger and groaned. “Ah, now that is good.”

“Why not just send someone else for them?” I took a bite of my food and mentally agreed with him.

“I was hoping it would draw away some of your fake students.”

“You mean you prostituted yourself out to the masses? To draw them away? That was… sweet.” He choked on his drink and coughed roughly. I set down my sandwich and slapped him on the back.

“I hadn’t thought about it that way.” He chuckled. “But it was worth it if it helped you.”

“Well, thank you.” I picked my sandwich back up and smiled at him. “For lunch and for pimping yourself out.”

“I told you I wouldn’t throw you to the wolves.” He winked at me, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him about all the people who had still crashed my classes. “Did you have a chance to look through the notes I sent?”

“A little.” I pushed some of the fries toward him. He seemed to like those just as much as he liked the hamburger. “I have to admit I’m interested in the specialist you listed.”

“There is a great deal of information online, too much to print out.”

“Thanks. I’ll look it over before I talk to Dad.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked for new text messages. Still nothing from my father, so I texted the lady that came to check on him twice a day. Patricia was a neighbor who had been good friends with my mother. She wouldn’t let me pay her, and honestly, I have no idea how I would have anyway. But knowing she went to check on Dad to make sure he didn’t need anything was a huge relief.

Patricia: He’s got one of his migraines today and is sleeping. I’ll let him know you’re coming over later.

I sighed in relief and told her thank you.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Dad hasn’t texted me since yesterday and I was getting worried. He gets terrible headaches sometimes.”

“But he’s fine?”

“Fine as can be.” I chewed on some fries and thought about it. “A family friend checks on him a couple of times a day to help out. She said he was sleeping.”

We didn’t say anything else for a little while, just munched on our food and watched the light snowfall. It was going to be a cold afternoon. At least I wouldn’t be in the truck. The heat took forever to warm up. Which reminded me…

“Thank you for seeing to my truck. Tell me how much the repairs were and I’ll get the money to you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I was happy to see to it.”

“Alex, I appreciate it, but I don’t feel right letting you pay for it. It’s not your fault the starter died.” I set my sandwich down and looked at him. The thought of someone paying for me didn’t sit well. Especially someone I had only met the night before.

“If we hadn’t invited you out, you likely wouldn’t have been stranded. It is my obligation.” Alex leaned back in his chair as if amused by my obvious disapproval.

“In which case it wouldn’t have started this morning and I would have been late for class. Arguing when it happened is silly. It’s my car, my responsibility.”

“Fine. You can pay me back after you’re granted your lands and title.”

I thought it over for a minute before I realized...

Suddenly Royal
Suddenly Royal Page 9



Jess nodded her head. “It’ll look good on my resume. He’s written so many articles it’s insane and it lets me work on some really interesting projects. Even if I do have to put up with his comb-over and bean-dip breath.” Jess sighed dramatically.

“You chose it.” It was an old argument.

“I thought you might need someone to go with you to the raptor center, but it looks like you’ve got it covered.” Jess’s eyes darted between me and Alex. I knew she was trying to figure out if he was going with me. I could almost feel her mentally prodding me for answers. Or maybe that was the foot she was using to kick my leg.

“There are three bodyguards standing outside the door waiting on me.” I batted her foot away from me.

“Not to mention the three that followed me.” Alex laughed.

“Oh, are you going with Sam?” Jess turned bright eyes toward him. He seemed to pick up on her tone and leaned back in his chair, that little smile playing on his mouth.

“She was kind enough to offer to show me the birds.”

“Uh huh.” She turned and smiled at me. I thought about shoving her off the desk.

“Alex has birds at home. I thought he might enjoy seeing the ones we have here.” I stood up and started collecting the trash. Alex held open the bag so I could stuff the wrappers inside.

“Well, I guess I’ll go on to my office then.” Jess stood up and picked up her bag. “Have you heard from Dr. Geller?”

“Shoot. I need to check my e-mail. Today has thrown me off.” I sat back down at my computer and opened up my account, scanning the messages. I frowned when I saw the one from Dr. Geller. Apparently the dean had contacted him, so he knew a little bit about what was going on. He would be in early tomorrow to talk.

“Greeeaaat,” I muttered.

“Geller unhappy?” Jess looked over my shoulder.

“The dean called him.” I met Alex’s eyes. His face was blank and I knew he was waiting for more information. “I think he was just surprised to not have heard the news from me.”

“It’s not like you exactly had time.” Jess shrugged. “You’ll be fine. Geller loves you.”

“We’ll see.” Would he still love me if I went to Lilaria? He had invested a lot of time in my education. Was I really thinking about going?

“I’m going to run. I’ve got some papers to grade and I don’t want to do it tonight.” Jess looked over at Alex. “Enjoy the birds. Don’t let the eagle bite you. He’s a moody bastard.”

“I shall endeavor to keep my fingers to myself.”

“You do that.” Jess moved out of his sight and winked at me.

I looked away from her and down at my computer to log off. “See you later.” I didn’t look up when I heard the door open. I was worried Alex would see the relief on my face. The longer Jess was around him, the bolder she would become in her jokes.

“She’s a good friend.” Alex said it like he knew for sure after spending less than an hour with her.

“I have good taste.” I smiled at him as I picked up my bag. “Ready?”

“Lead the way.” He opened the door for me and motioned into the hall. There were people in suits filling the area just outside the office.

“Uh, I need to head over to the center.” I looked at Duvall, who motioned at the others. Someone handed Alex a winter coat and we headed down the stairs. There were more people in the lobby than normal and I had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t because of the snow. In fact, the ones that normally used the area to study looked irritated. I didn’t blame them.

“Sir, should I send someone for your car as well?” A man that rivaled Alex in size leaned close.

“No, I’ll be accompanying Samantha.” Alex nodded at me.

“Yes, sir.” The man moved ahead of us to clear the door.

A young woman with red hair broke away from a group near the elevator and stopped in our path. She was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I knew her from. Her shirt was unbuttoned much farther than it normally would’ve been considering the frigid air outside, and from the way her friends giggled, I was sure it was just for Alex’s benefit.

“May I have your autograph?” She smiled around the bodyguards at Alex, her eyes practically shimmering like an anime cartoon. The guards continued to block her, allowing Alex to make the decision.

“I’m sorry, I can’t sign anything.” Alex flashed a panty-dropping smile and she made a little moue of disappointment before turning toward me.

“Would you sign?” She pushed the notebook toward me.

“Um.” My eyebrows rose so high, I thought they might try to escape my face.

“You were the TA in one of my classes last semester. I can’t believe I know a royal.” She shoved the notebook toward me and I had no choice but to grab it. I felt awkward and clumsy as I stared at this girl who acted as though she knew me.

“As much as we would love to sign it for you, we’re not allowed to give autographs.” Alex took the notebook from my hands and held it out to the girl.

“So you are a royal?” Something in her eyes shifted to a shrewd glint. With one simple sentence, Alex had confirmed all the news reports floating around and sent the rumor mill into overdrive.

“I’m a grad student.” I tried to keep my face friendly, but I had a feeling she wasn’t some silly co-ed.

“But you’re also part of the royal family from Lilaria?”

“I’m sorry, we’re going to be late.” I tried to smile, but it probably looked deranged.

“My brother works for WKFS. He’d let you tell the story in your own words.” She stepped closer and I saw the guards around us move into action. Duvall slid between us and Becca stepped close to my right side. Alex put a hand on my elbow and steered me away from the redhead.

“Let’s go.” A thread of anger slid through his quiet words as we tried to walk around everyone.

“Samantha, are you and the prince dating? Have you always known you were from a royal family?” The heat that would have normally flooded my cheeks was countered by the cold that seeped up my spine.

I didn’t look back up until we’d gone through the security checkpoint. That was when I noticed the extra campus guards. Instead of the usual one, there were three. They each looked me over with interest but also made sure no one was following us.

The cold air slammed into me and I scrambled to button up my coat. Alex had dropped his hand from my arm but stayed close by my side as we walked through the campus to the parking lot. Despite my earlier instructions to not walk around me like they were guarding the crown jewels, the team was carefully edging people away from us.

“It’s a pretty campus. I imagine it’s very nice in the summer.”

“Are you trying to distract me?” I looked up at him, amused.

“Is it working?” He cut his eyes toward me. “You looked like you were leading a funeral procession.”

“I did not!” I laughed, realizing he was right. “Okay. It’s just weird. And strange. And disconcerting. All these people staring at me. I’ve been here for four years, but they’re acting like I’ve suddenly sprouted a second head.”

“You’re a novelty.” We got to the car and he opened the door. “It’ll wear off. Probably.”

“You Lilarians aren’t a very comforting bunch.” I pulled my bag off my shoulder so I could slide into the seat. He laughed as he closed the door and walked around the car.

Chapter Eight

Raptor Center Receives Large Grant

—Minnesota Raptor Association

The ride to the center was long, but it would have been shorter if people had stopped turning to look in our windows. When we pulled into the gravel parking lot where I had met Duvall yesterday, I hopped out of the car before Alex could get around to my side and shouldered my bag again.

“Well, this is it. Last chance to come up with something interesting to do. If you stay I might put you to work.” I looked at him, not sure if I wanted him to stay or go. Logically, I knew I’d get more work done if he wasn’t there, but I was also starting to enjoy his company.

“Use me as you see fit.” Alex stepped close, his eyes lit with mischief. “I’m at your disposal.”

“You may regret that.” I tried to keep my voice calm but failed.

“I highly doubt it.” Stepping around me, he opened the gate and we walked toward the main building. People stopped to stare at us, but for the most part no one really bothered me. For the first time that day I felt normal, like I could be myself.

I threw by bag down in a corner of the office and looked around for any notes. David had been here earlier in the day and checked on the birds. Thankfully everyone seemed to be handling the weather well.

“You might want to leave your suit jacket.” I grabbed Dr. Geller’s large snow coat from the rack and tossed it to Alex. He traded coats and hung his jacket on the rack.

This was the part...