Love's Nudging Read online

  “No, thank you, but no,” I whispered. “I know you have tons of questions and validly and your anger is even valid, but please, not yet. I’m grieving the loss of Mark.”

  “You’re not dying,” Verge muttered, sounding confused.

  “No, but he can’t ever go back to calm and who he was now that Bricius outed him,” Dimitri surmised. “Why did he do that?”

  I snorted. “Because he wanted me to hate him? He likes to burn bugs with the sun and thought this would be fun? I don’t know, but between poking me until I snapped and outing me, I would like nothing more than to never see him again.”

  “Instead you agreed to date him,” Lance said, the question implied.

  “Right because I got the feeling there was a world in which saying no was an option,” I drawled. “Whatever, he’ll get bored. He had his fun and he’ll have his time to see whatever intrigued him, but he’ll realize I’m not what he wants and move on.”

  “I never thought someone would sniff after any of us that was bigger and badder than Alastair, and now you’re a prince. So how do we top that next?” Zibon muttered. “An alien? No, wait, the original zakasac will ask out Lance.”

  “You sound like you’re brainstorming for the next romance book you want to read,” Wally drawled. “Seth and Jayme just got together, and that’s normal. Jordan and Jeston weren’t crazy extremes. I think it’s nice that there’s a range and a bit of everything.”

  That seemed to settle everyone. The weather had gotten better, so after lunch we ended up working out the upset we were all feeling and headed to the first of Jordan’s construction sites. The first trucks had come in with the pieces, and given all the other planned residences and buildings were done, it was great we had the next part. We all worked up an appetite because everyone was ready for tacos.

  “I’m not calling you stepfather,” Jordan told me as we reached the trays.

  I blinked at him, rolling my eyes. “There’s not a chance I’m mating him so, yeah, I wouldn’t worry.”

  He shook his head. “He’ll extend the time if you don’t take it seriously.”

  I shrugged. “That wasn’t part of the deal. I agreed for him to have my time. If he couldn’t keep my attention or interest, then that’s not on me but him and what he’s done so far.”

  “Shit, that’s just going to intrigue him more. Just roll over and show him your belly and he’ll get bored.”

  I gave him a bored look. “So lie? That sounds like a trap that would actually get him more time. And if I do, he’ll expect to be physical with me, so no, thanks.”

  “You’re so going to end up my stepfather,” Jordan grumbled, shaking his head as if I was the weird one. Yeah, he was in that exchange, and so was his father and what he was doing.

  We all got a ton of food, and then I proceeded to eat my body weight in tacos while my friends and their mates seemed to barricade me from all the staring. I appreciated it, and honestly it helped heal some of the hurt I’d been carrying that when I had problems I wasn’t as important as they were. Dimitri joined us, which meant Alexander did as well, and I decided to bring up a potential issue.

  “I don’t think you’ve ever yelled at me, but I would respectfully advise that any orders, issues, or even kicking my ass if I need it be done in private.”

  He gave a slow nod. “Glad you understand I can still kick your ass as head of the camp no matter who you are.”

  I snorted. “I hid it so it wasn’t ever an issue, but it will be now. Even if you are completely in the right, people will throw a fit if you talk to me a certain way in public, plus all the whispers that I’m so weak for taking it and not respecting my position or linage by allowing it. They never speak if it’s accurate or warranted, simply the dynamic of positions and stations in life.”

  “I appreciate the advice, as I’ve spent most of my life avoiding politics or such games.”

  I winced. “Sorry to bring it here.”

  “You didn’t. Bricius did.”

  I nodded. “I’m fine with blaming him. I already wanted to drop kick him, so I agree it should all be his fault.” I smiled when Alexander’s lips twitched, the man not known for smiling, but at least that was something.

  I headed back to my room after dinner, wanting to be alone and have some quiet time to think before who I was interrupted my life for real. I was mentally exhausted as well as physically with all the manual labor we’d been doing, so it didn’t take that long for me to fall asleep.

  But I wanted to wake when I dreamed of Bricius, his hands touching my body and lighting my skin on fire. His lips setting my nerves off as he asked to have me, getting more aggressive when I wouldn’t agree. I finished so hard in the dream it almost hurt, he was so good at even a hand job. Shit, I had never experienced a fraction of that passion, that lust and desire.

  No way I was ignoring my morals and feelings to have it. Besides, dreams weren’t reality, and there was probably very little chance it would be like that at all.

  “I need to know one thing,” Lance said quietly when I stepped out of the shower a bit later. He waited until I nodded. “I get wanting to keep it secret, I would have wanted the same from my family as well, but did you have the power to help me? Did you keep your secret over helping me?”

  I swallowed the desire to snap at him, but I saw the same insecurity I felt all the time that I wasn’t as important to my friends as they were to me. “I did help. The moment you told us what was really going on, or I knew enough that you were in danger, I asked Henrik to get into it. He did, and while Alastair handled most of it and quickly, evidence against one of your relatives was given to the Wyrok from him.”

  “Okay, thanks,” he whispered, his hand shaking as he ran it over his head. “I kept thinking I was making things worse in my head than they were, and that was when stuff kept moving on me and I wasn’t sure what was going on or real. It was like Alastair and everyone showing up made me realize shit was real and time to get a grip. I had to ask you though.”

  I nodded. “This wasn’t a situation even my grandmother would have much influence over besides giving you protection in Denmark. Many of the councils say shit about any of the ruling royals.”

  Lance snorted. “Mostly because they’re jealous they don’t have that sort of ultimate power instead of one among the bunch.”

  “Yes, I’ve found that as well,” I drawled, moving out of his way so he could use our bathroom. “It should be interesting to see how fast one council or another tries to get at me now that people know.”

  “Fucking Bricius,” Lance grumbled, shaking his head. “How could that not have factored into his fucking plan?”

  I shrugged. “He’s above it all and clearly thinks in that frame of reference instead of reality.” I headed to my room to get dressed, nervous now that I’d said it and lost in my mind wondering if someone could really transfer me like they’d tried to do to Zibon and London.

  Had Bricius thought of that and wanted to use his power as leverage in a mating like Alastair saving Zibon? I had thought that way over the top of the available options, but given how deep the corruption had been at the time and apparently no one with morals on the East Coast Council, I also understood it.

  Desperate times called for desperate measures and all of that.

  I was lost in my head as I arrived at the cafeteria, not even registering the whispers at first. I barely noted my friends were all standing together.

  “Haven’t we already had this shtick?” someone grumbled.

  I glanced over then and saw there was a large array of boxes stacked all over one of the longer tables. I blinked at them a moment and then looked to my friends.

  “For you,” Zibon said as he handed me a card.

  Thank you for yesterday. -Bricius

  What the hell happened yesterday that he’d thank me for? Punching him? Screaming at him? I sighed, guessing he meant giving him a chance. I looked in the first few boxes and saw it was an array of strawberry treats fr
om chocolate covered strawberries all the way to every sort of pastries and cake.

  And there was no way he’d swung that since I’d agreed, so he’d planned this. But I wasn’t worth much creativity, as he’d simply stolen a play from Alastair’s book and used his money to make it happen. I could always forgive him that given he’d not been awake all that long, but he’d also lived long enough to know copying like that probably wouldn’t work.

  However, lots of men gave flowers, and it was a standard play, so I could have forgiven the copying… If he hadn’t assumed it would happen like I was so easy and would cave.

  I glanced around and found Bricius standing off to the side eating with a few I recognized from yesterday along with Alastair and a few other ancients. I didn’t hide how I was feeling and crumpled the card in my hand. “So glad you had it delivered here when tomorrow I might not be as you announced to everyone who I was and one council or another will probably pull shit to get me under them by later today.”

  His eyes flashed shock and worry, glancing over at Alastair and saying something I couldn’t hear. I was curious as to what was being said, but really I just wanted to get on with my day, as I was helping Rune with the first clean sweep of the year, which was cleaning, patching, and updating the security software on every electronic device that was at the camp… And there were a lot more of them now with extra people.

  “You are protected,” Councilman Ashton said as he walked towards us. “The news hasn’t broken, as we don’t have any snakes at this camp or at the subdivision, nor my people, but it is inevitable that someone mentions it to a friend and they in turn tell someone else. However, no council can give orders to warriors of council families without their agreement, as others have tried to pull that.”

  “I’m not of a warrior family,” I corrected. “I was the first.”

  “Yes, but you have sovereign immunity, and it covers it,” he clarified. “Even more than that, you have full discretion on what assignments or orders you accept, as there’s always the risk of exposure or something unbecoming a royal.”

  “Okay, good, thanks,” I sighed, scrubbing the back of my neck. “I realized it last night and woke worried that I would be the next pawn fought over instead of people focused on what they should be.”

  “I have the same worry all the damn time,” he grumbled, giving me a nod before heading for the trays. I was actually shocked he was there, as his new house was built and his people had moved in. He probably had a meeting or was handling something as the council member living at the camp as opposed to others who were all spread out over the Midwest.

  Then again, I’d heard several wanted to move here… And probably not for the right reasons. I wasn’t involved in it all, but one I’d heard Alastair had flat out denied unless they bought their own land in the area. I didn’t know if it was because the council member was such a jerk or they were trying to get more land bought up around us so there was less of a risk of eyes.

  I wasn’t sure I had it in me to care, I was so buried under my own shit.

  3

  I had just sat down with my tray when I saw Henrik walk into the cafeteria, being escorted by Falcon. I stood and headed towards them, feeling all the eyes and back in my role of Prince Markham who was always careful.

  Henrik bowed. “I am glad to see you doing so well, Your Royal Highness.”

  I blinked at him, feeling the greeting like a punch to the gut.

  “Hey, Mark, you cool?” Falcon said nervously, obviously repeating himself. “We’re all shocked you’re a prince, but you knew forever, right?”

  I cleared my throat and shook myself out of it. “Unlike other monarchies, Denmark only uses ‘Royal Highness’ for children of the monarch or the eldest child’s line.” I swallowed loudly. “It’s the first time someone spoke to me as if I’m the crowned prince.”

  “I apologize for shocking you,” Henrik said gently. “But you are next in line, and to greet you in any other way in public would be an insult I could never stand for much less be the transgressor.”

  “I understand, and thank you, but please do not expect the others here to act in the same manner. This is a different place who thought me another person.”

  “Dude, you’re really not an American,” Falcon whispered as he stared at me with wide eyes, understanding that he was hearing me speak my first language in a way only a native speaker could. “I mean, I believed you, but it was just… You act like you’ve lived here forever.”

  “Most of my education was at boarding schools in countries where English was primarily spoken,” I explained quickly. “Everyone of the royal family learns the four recognized languages of Denmark along with English and Spanish, as it gives us the greatest flexibility.”

  “You know six languages?” Falcon whispered. “That’s wicked cool.” He shook his head. “Right, and your cargo plane landed so, wow.”

  I gave Henrik a confused look, to which he simply smiled. “I brought what you asked for, and as long as I was flying out, I thought it better to bring some additional provisions after speaking with Dimitri who cleared me to land. Also, the normal plethora of holiday gifts we receive for you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You mean families who wish for the chance to marry or mate into our family. Fine, yes, good. If all the thank you cards and appropriate greetings were given for them, then it’s good not to waste them.” I sighed. “Have the others tired of watches and whatever else?” I saw Falcon frown and answered his unasked question. “I allow the castle staff to have the gifts.”

  “Prince Markham’s generosity is well known,” Henrick added.

  “More like it creeps me out to accept gifts from strangers who want to marry my linage instead of me,” I grumbled under my breath. “We need to unload it.” I bit back a smile when Henrik did a double take. Yes, he was far from used to someone of the royal family jumping in to do something like that. I’d almost enjoy teasing him if the situation wasn’t already so upsetting.

  “With your permission, I wish to have words with the disgusting person who outed you without your blessing,” Henrik said, his eyes filling with rage.

  “Um, no,” I replied, moving closer when he gave me a hurt look. “Henrik, it was Bricius. Like the Bricius. I want to pound him too, but for the moment he wouldn’t hurt me, and I’m not sure he would act the same towards you.”

  He looked like he could have been pushed over by a feather at the news, but I had figured for the wrong reason. “Why would he ever betray his promise to your parents like that?”

  “I didn’t,” Bricius stated firmly from behind me. I stepped out of the way so I could see them both and witnessed as they recognized each other. “Hiding was no longer protecting him and would make things worse with what’s happened.”

  Henrik’s calm and perfect exterior almost cracked as steam about came out of his ears, which I had never witnessed in all my ears. “There was more than you knew to the situation. How you can say it was in his best interest and not even speak with me, who you’ve met several times, his father’s closest friend and loyal aide, is laughable if any of this was funny.”

  “And there was much you didn’t know either,” Bricius quietly shot back. “You haven’t laid eyes on him in years. Much can be hidden over video chats.”

  I squashed the desire to roll my eyes. “You act like I was a complete mess when you found me. That is far from the truth, and your actions are the ones upsetting me most along with the ripples I will have to endure.” I turned slightly, clearly saying his part of the conversation is over. “Councilman Ashton assured me that my sovereign immunity covers me from being a pawn of the councils.”

  “Good, wonderful, yes,” Henrik sighed, looking younger than a few minutes ago. “I also have a decree from your grandmother that if any council so much as looks at you funny, they will have to deal with her and the full weight of the family. She may be queen and the public head, but you have many, many ancestors who are still alive and stronger than even so
me Wyrok.”

  I took in a slow breath, holding it a moment before letting it out. “That is news to me.”

  Henrik gave the slightest of flinches. “Yes, and I apologize for that as the information is normally passed down to the royal family after their transition, but yours wasn’t at home, which is the first. Plus, as much as I had a hand in raising you, I am not actually your relation, so my knowledge is quite limited on the topic.”

  “I understand.” And I did. They weren’t his secrets to share, and I needed them, but I was also on the outs with the family so… Yeah, no easy answer there.

  Plus, I was distracted by the pallet Verge was pushing, Wally and a few post-trans following him.

  I chuckled. “‘Some provisions?’ That looks a bit more than that, Henrik.” I gave him the look he deserved when he opened his mouth to defend it, gesturing to the pallet of cheese wheels. Really? A full pallet? There was no way that was some of anything unless in reference to a whole warehouse of cheese. The other pallets were of fruit and produce.

  “Didn’t you just call him yesterday?” Wally asked, giving me a confused look.

  “Henrik can pull off a state dinner or a full ball in under twenty-four hours with the staff given how well they work together and his leadership and knowledge are always impeccable,” I praised.

  “Plus, everyone at the castle adores Prince Markham and took this chance to spoil him when they’ve been denied the chance for so many years,” Henrik added. I couldn’t even quibble over that, as every member of the castle staff had always been wonderful to me.

  “Well, thank whoever added the booze,” Wally chuckled as he lowered the pallet and maneuvered the pallet driver away.

  Zibon’s eyes went wide as the next few pallets that came were booze. He leaned in closer. “Um, do we need to change our answer on your drinking?”

  “No,” I snickered, noting Henrik’s worried look. “I have trouble sleeping, understandably, but I do. There isn’t ZzzQuil for vampires or whatever. I’m not some boozer no matter what others have made it seem and publicly stated.”