“I had no idea it had gotten this bad,” Erik said, his eyes fixed on mine. “What can I do to change your mind? I’d really hate to see you go, Elen.”
“I’m not going anywhere until after the wedding,” I told him. “But I’m not sure how to fix this unless you plan to overhaul all of Parliament.”
“I might.”
“We just got the country, and family, back together again.” Sandor spoke for the first time. “And you’re going to leave?”
“I’m sorry, big brother.” I reached for his hand. “I’ll come visit often, but you don’t see how difficult it is being a woman here. Half the time when I set up meetings, they ask me where you or Erik are, so they don’t even respect the fact that I’m actually the one in charge of certain things.”
“Jesus Christ.” Erik shook his head. “Well, whether you stay or go, that’s going to be addressed. That’s bullshit.”
I sighed. “It would be nice if you could get them to listen, but I’m not holding my breath.”
“Okay, we didn’t come to talk about that,” Sandor said after a moment. “We came to apologize for last night, and tell you that Xander was under strict orders. We’ve been timing everyone, making sure they know where to go, how long it will take, and what the options are.”
“I understand that,” I replied quietly. “And I’m sorry for having a tantrum in front of everyone last night, but as you can see, I feel like shit and lost my patience.”
“You had every right,” Erik said soothingly. “This was on us, but in the future, you need to communicate, yeah? I’ve had drills cancelled because Levi was sick or Casey was in the middle of something important. It happens.”
“When do I get to schedule a drill?” I quipped, meeting his eyes with a grin.
“Oh hell no,” Sandor cut in. “You’ll do it on my wedding night and then I’ll be the one ready to stab someone.”
We all laughed, and I was grateful for the relationship I had with these men. Yes, Erik was our new king and Sandor was the head of security for the whole damn country, but they were just my cousin and big brother to me.
“We’re going to let you rest,” Erik said, getting up. “And no drills until you’re better. Are you on antibiotics?”
I nodded. “Yes. So hopefully a few days and the cough and fever should start to let up.”
“Do you need anything before we go?” Sandor asked.
“My laptop?”
“Sure thing.” He brought it over and set it beside me.
“I’ll have meals sent up for you,” Erik said. “I want you to rest. Is there anything coming up on your schedule that I absolutely need to know about?”
“I’m supposed to interview Ace’s new girlfriend about the head mistress position at the new school. They’re flying in from Germany this week and the interview was supposed to be Friday, I think. Not sure I’ll be up to it, and also whether or not I’ll still be contagious, so perhaps you or Casey could do it?” That had been a priority of mine since Erik wanted a new private school with an international baccalaureate program. That way, his and Casey’s children could attend, in addition to the children of other wealthy people, both in Limaj and around eastern Europe. It was a huge undertaking to get it up and running in less than a year’s time, but I’d been up for the task. Until the misogynistic members of Parliament started blocking me at every turn.
“I’m sure she’ll be happy to.” Erik smiled. “Feel better and please let someone know if you need anything.”
“Thanks for coming to check on me.” I smiled back at them and before I knew it, I’d fallen asleep again.
3
Xander
Working for the royal family in Limaj was a pretty cushy fucking job. It was a far cry from my days as an active duty Marine, or even when I’d signed on to Joe Westfield’s security and bodyguard company, Westfield Security. This was a whole other level of security, but in many ways, a lot easier too. I lived in the palace, made a better salary than I’d ever made anywhere else, and worked with a fantastic group of people. Erik was a king and, except when he was in public or performing an official duty, as relaxed and laid-back as the rest of us. Sandor was my boss but also a good friend. Joe had sold his company to a mutual friend and now ran security for the castle. Since I’d already worked for him for several years, it was barely a change at all for me.
In general, my life was good these days. Except for a certain blond princess who made me want to punch something on a daily basis. Princess Elen Gustaffson was a huge pain in my ass, and it never ended. Having her out of commission with pneumonia was actually a relief, though I felt bad she was so sick, and the week after dragging her out of the tub was blissfully quiet. We had no drills, no attacks, nothing out of the ordinary.
My days were mostly made up of working out, security briefings and reconnaissance. With the king and queen’s children spread out all over the world due to the current lack of educational options for them, we didn’t have a lot to do. We stayed vigilant, of course, because there had already been several attacks on Erik’s life in just under a year, as well as one kidnapping attempt on his oldest son, the Crown Prince, but overall, it was a calm time, both in the castle and the country.
Elen was coming back to work today, though, and I was on my way to pick her up. Our security team, officially dubbed the Royal Protectors, was spread thin and I had Elen duty. She was actually pretty badass in her own right. In the years the royal family had been in hiding, she’d been on her own, traveling the world and getting odd jobs for a Sorbonne-educated princess who was technically sixth or seventh in line for the throne. She’d led hiking excursions, tended bar, and taught children in third-world countries how to read.
I had a lot of respect for the woman she’d been forced to become after the deaths of her parents, the king at the time, and even Erik, though we’d later discovered he wasn’t dead, only in hiding. For eleven years, she’d been completely alone, staying under the radar of the ruling king, King Anwar, who’d done his best to eliminate the entire royal family. The problem was that now that she was back in her country with her family, she was so damn angry about everything. Having me as her bodyguard seemed to be at the top of the list of things that annoyed her.
I knocked on her door gingerly, ready for anything, because she went from calm, cool and collected to straight-outta-Compton in two point three seconds.
The door swung open and there it was, that ever-present scowl that constantly marred her otherwise pretty face. “What?” she demanded.
“I need to know your schedule today,” I told her patiently. “If you’re planning to leave the castle and what time.”
She fixed me with a glare. “I need to be at the new school building at one to show around the new headmistress.”
I nodded. “And until then you’re in the castle?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll text you at 12:45 to tell you which vehicle we’re taking.”
“Thank you.”