He met my gaze. “You want me to be you.”

  “You can do it. You know what to say.”

  Noah looked down at his body and back up. “I’m not you any longer. The people will see the change.”

  “The Firm has an answer for that. They can make you appear as me. The question is will you do what you’re asked?”

  He scoffed. “Is the sun shining?”

  “No,” I said with a chuckle. “It’s January in Molave.”

  Noah nodded. “I want to feel fresh air. I haven’t felt it since…since Forthwith.”

  “There’s a risk.”

  “What can you promise me if I do this?”

  “You once said I was powerless. All the power resides with the king.”

  His thin lips came together. “I was wrong about you. If I make it out of this alive, I want to leave, to disappear. I could ruin everything for Molave in the meeting or in front of the crowd. When I don’t, when I show my sincerity to the Firm, I need you to convince the king I will never be heard from again.”

  “Do you know anything about the Lads’ Guild?”

  His forehead furrowed. “In Australia?”

  “Started there. There’s a relatively new faction in the region. They don’t want the Godfrey line to continue with an American. It seems your affair with the Borinkian princess was their preferred union.”

  “Fuck, it always goes back to Lucille.”

  Clenching my teeth, I stood taller. “I love her.”

  With a snicker he shook his head. “If they don’t want you to be blown up, they must have run out of Romans.”

  “I want to keep this position, this world—all of it. Lucille is pregnant.”

  “Oh fuck. Has that been announced?”

  “No. It would only make these people more upset. We need to find them. The engineers believe they will be able to track the transmissions from the devices on the cars. Even if you’re being tracked, it doesn’t mean you’re a target.”

  “Who put the transmitters on the cars?” Noah asked.

  I could lie or pretend I didn’t know. However, since I was asking Noah for a favor, I chose to be truthful. “Inessa. The royal guards uncovered footage from Forthwith. It had been recorded over, but they found it.”

  “Is she dead?”

  I shook my head. “The queen wants her baby if it’s yours.”

  “It’s not.”

  “That is still to be determined. If it is, do you want a nice cottage with the princess?”

  “Fuck no. The love of my life is gone.” He turned, peering around the small room. “This place has made me realize I don’t want to die.”

  “Noah, we don’t have a lot of time. This is my life on the line. Can I trust you?”

  “Yes, Your Highness.”

  The flood of relief from his answer washed through me. I reached out and grasped his arm. “Thank you, Prince Roman.” I hurried to the door. Lord Martin and Lady Caroline rushed in, carrying a suit, much like the one I was wearing, along with a shirt, shoes, tie, and the padded shirt.

  “Is this thing bulletproof?” Noah asked as Lord Martin helped him dress.

  “It’s damn heavy,” I said. “It might as well be.”

  Once he was wearing the suit pants and shirt, Mrs. Drake joined us in the cramped room. “Your Highnesses,” she said, bowing to both of us.

  “Tell her,” Noah said.

  “Noah will do this,” I said, “show the Firm that he can be trusted. Once it is done, he wants his freedom.”

  She inhaled, standing taller.

  I went on, “I’ve agreed to help him accomplish his goal.”

  “Prince Roman,” she said to Noah.

  “No, don’t call me that. My name is Noah. Fucking say it.”

  “Noah,” Mrs. Drake said, “are you capable of staying in character?”

  “I did it for five long fucking years.”

  “There,” Lord Martin said as he took a step back.

  As he’d worked on the clothing, Lady Caroline sprayed color in Noah’s greying hair and shaved his cheeks. Last, she added makeup, giving his complexion a healthy glow.

  Noah took a step back and looked at his reflection in the two-way window. He lifted his chin and turned one direction and the other. His dark gaze met mine. “Promise me this is the last time. I won’t be kept a prisoner only to be your body double.”

  I couldn’t help thinking of the UDARVIS comic universe.

  This was the same, yet this risk was greater than occurred with a stuntman on the set. While those situations can be dangerous, SAG had precautions. For example, live explosives were not allowed. In other words, on a set, the chance of death was low.

  Offering him my hand, I spoke as we shook. “You have my word.” I paused. “Thank you, Noah.” I looked to Mrs. Drake. “What about Lord Rowlings?”

  “He has been told that a body double will step in. He has no idea that it’s happened before.” Mrs. Drake turned to Noah. “And he won’t know.”

  “I’ll never tell another soul if I can get out of this hole forever.”

  “We must go,” Mrs. Drake said. She turned to me. “You need to wait. We can’t have two Romans leaving together.” She looked at Lord Martin. “In five minutes, escort the prince to the situation room. I will be there shortly.”

  “Noah,” I said.

  He turned back.

  “Was she someone you left in Norway, your love? Did you learn she was gone when you went back?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “I’m sorry that she’s gone.”

  “Thank you. I will forever be in his debt.”

  Prince Roman walked beside the chief of the ministry. I watched them exit with an aching sense of how fragile the world truly was as I turned to Lord Martin. “His?”

  He nodded. “It was rumored but known by a few.”

  “Lord Avery?”

  Fuck.

  Noah wasn’t so unlike me. This ruthless world had given him a soulmate. And his was taken. I couldn’t allow that to happen to me.

  King Theodore’s question returned me to the present. “The man tried to kill me, and you put the future of Molave in his hands?”

  “No, sir. I made the decision to not risk the future of Molave.” I inhaled. “I am the future.”

  “I hope to God you’re right.”

  “I hope we’re wrong, and Noah and Lord Rowlings return safely. When they do, I will further advocate for Noah. When he proves himself faithful, he deserves his freedom.” The king’s eyes narrowed, but he remained silent. “You told me that I would need to make difficult decisions. That’s what happened today. I chose to stay here, learning from you, and loving Lucille.”

  The king lifted his trembling left hand and grasped my forearm. “Time is the only determination of our choices.”

  “Shall we?” I asked, motioning toward the door.

  “The last time I was in that room…” King Theo shook his head. “It was before Roman—Noah—arrived.”

  “After Lucille’s wedding?”

  The king nodded.

  “What happened?”

  “I think you can figure that out.” He lifted his chin. “We need to be over there.”

  I opened the door from within and followed the king toward the situation room. As the guard opened the door, the people within stood. Tension crackled through the air as King Theo and I joined the rest of the viewers. My gaze went over the various screens. “What have we missed? Has anything happened?”

  Lucille

  Once we were in the corridor, Queen Anne reached for my hand. “Lucille, stay calm. Everything will be all right.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do,” she said with conviction.

  There were a million questions spiraling through my thoughts, yet none were spoken. Uttering them aloud would give them energy. I refused to do that. I wouldn’t entertain the idea that something had happened to Roman, not my Roman.

  If something had happened, and Noah was under the infirmary, would they bring him back?

  My stomach churned with the summoning of that thought.

  They couldn’t.

  I couldn’t.

  My palms grew clammy. Having that Roman back was more than I could bear.

  Now that I’d experienced unconditional love, I couldn’t go back.

  Those thoughts and more came and went, a tornado threatening not only our lives but my mental health, as the royal guards ushered us through the maze of hallways. While I stayed in step with the queen, my mind returned to what Inessa had said as we were leaving. ‘You were supposed to be with him.’

  Occasionally, Queen Anne’s gaze met mine, an expression of concern seeping through her usual mask. She was a master at staying indifferent. It was why many thought her to be unaware. However, the more we walked, it seemed that the prospect of something happening to Roman clearly also had her worried.

  Once to the first floor, we turned toward the king’s apartments of offices.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  The queen took my elbow. “Stay with me, Lucille.”

  Swallowing, I nodded.

  The guards outside the king’s office bowed before opening the doors. Inside, the guards who had been with us led the queen, her mistress, and me down a series of hallways I’d never before seen. At each doorway, more armed guards were present, allowing us entry through locked doors. Finally, we came to a staircase, reminding me of the descent to the cells below the infirmary.

  My fearful gaze met the queen’s.

  “They’re taking us where we’ll be safe,” she reassured.

  “From what?”

  “We must trust them.”

  My grandmother’s stories of my family’s escape from Letanonia came back to me. The hiding and running. The people who risked everything to help the once-powerful family.

  More locks were present at the base of the staircase. It was as if we were entering a prison. The sounds of locks echoed through the concrete stairwell.

  What if we weren’t being protected but instead imprisoned?

  I was on the verge of fainting by the time we were brought to another door. The guard outside this door placed his face before a recognition pad. Instead of feeling relieved at the increase in technological security, I experienced a greater level of fear.

  What is happening?

  As the inside of the room became visible, the dam I’d tried to keep strong broke, smashed to smithereens. I gasped for breath. Tears flooded my eyes, cascading down my cheeks. It wasn’t the room; it was the dark stare of the man I’d feared I’d lost.

  In two strides, he was with me, wrapping me in his arms. Within his embrace, I momentarily forgot the room around us. Holding tight to the front of his suit, I took comfort in the beat of his heart against my ear, the sense of his reassuring embrace, and the spicy scent of his cologne. I had no doubt as to his identity. This was my Roman.

  My prince stroked my hair as my tears dampened his tie.

  Finally, I pulled away and looked up at him. “You’re safe. I was so frightened. Did you go to Brynad?”

  “What have you been told?”

  “Nothing.”

  As if a camera’s lens sharpened, the room around us came into view, especially the other occupants. “Oh,” I said with a curtsy to the king, “Your Majesty. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  King Theo smiled. “I can’t complain that your first instinct is to go to my son.”

  His son.

  My mind was too disoriented to give that more thought. Instead, sniffing and taking comfort in Roman’s presence, I nodded.

  “Lucille,” King Theo said, “have a seat next to Anne. We need to talk.”

  I started to sit as the other occupants of the room began to file out. Stopping, I stood straight as my gaze met Mrs. Drake’s. “Before you go,” I said, turning to the king and my husband. “As we were called away from the Borinkian princess’s apartments, she said something. Something I think all of you should hear.”

  The king lifted his hand, signaling for the chief minister to wait.

  Once the others were gone, he coaxed, “Go on.”

  “She said that I was supposed to be with him.” I looked up at Roman. “She meant you. I was supposed to be with you.”

  The king’s gaze narrowed. “She said that?”

  “Yes, sir. She said something else, something that was offensive.”

  “What?” Roman asked.

  “She called me an American—that’s not offensive,” I quickly added. “It was the next part…the daughter of a Letanonian cunt.”

  Queen Anne gasped.

  As Roman spoke with the tone and command of a sovereign, I did as the king bided and sat.

  “Mrs. Drake,” Roman began, “I want Inessa’s apartments guarded. She’s not to be allowed to wander the palace. I also want the premises thoroughly searched. Somehow, unbeknownst to our security, she’s been communicating with someone. It’s the only way she would know what occurred.”

  “Her apartments are restricted,” the chief minister said. “Electronically monitored. She can’t communicate without our knowledge.”

  “I’m not satisfied.”

  “Yes, Your Highness.” She turned to King Theodore. “Sir?”

  “You heard the prince.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  There was something I couldn’t pinpoint in the nonverbal exchange happening between the king and my husband.

  “Wait,” Roman said to Mrs. Drake. “On second thought, have the princess removed and placed in a new secure location. The ministry guards will do a more thorough search if she’s not present, and I want the amniocentesis completed today.”

  “I told her,” Queen Anne said, “she had an appointment tomorrow.”

  “I’m not waiting, Mum,” the prince said.

  I lifted my hand to his, intertwining our fingers and staring up at him with a renewed admiration. In these tense times, he truly was regal. Not only that, but there was a connection—a partnership—with the king. They were working in tandem, something I’d never witnessed.

  After Mrs. Drake left, I looked up at Roman. “Where are we? What happened?”

  “This is our safe room,” the queen said. “No one can get to us here.”

  My fear returned. “Are we in danger?”

  King Theo sat in the chair beside the queen and took her hand in his.

  On occasions during our evening meals, I’d seen the way the king’s hands trembled, especially when he reached for his glass. Watching the way the queen secured his hand in hers, brought back things she’d said. She was his supporter, his partner, and his defender. It was her job, and she committed to it for life.

  “There is an extremist group called the Lads’ Guild,” King Theodore began. He went on to tell us about the purist views. He said there’d been some similar static when Roman and I announced our engagement, although at the time they’d kept that from me. This new group was more radicalized, dangerous, and funded.

  “Our security believes the Lads’ Guild,” Roman went on, “is connected to the underground Borinkian supporters in Norway.”

  “Francis?” Queen Anne asked.

  The king sighed. Lifting his wife’s hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles. “Anne, I’m sorry you have to know this.”

  “Theodore, I think we have been through enough to know that we will always be here for one another. If Isabella’s husband is a threat…”

  “We’re confirming, Mum,” Roman said. “There is a possibility.”

  “But not Isabella?” the queen questioned.

  “We won’t make any moves until we know exactly what’s happening and who is involved,” the king reassured.

  “Why are we down here?” I asked. “Has the group made a move?”

  Roman answered, “I was notified of the increased risk this morning. Remember how I was concerned about transmitters found on the royal cars?”

  “Yes.”

  “Our security purposely left some beacons in place, hoping to track where the signals were sent. The cyber-security team felt they had perfected the technology. That was why our trip to Brynad was announced.”

  “You knew you were a target?” I asked, recalling conversations where Roman forbade me from joining him.

  “We both were.”

  “Especially you, Lucille,” King Theodore said. “The Lads’ Guild isn’t happy about Roman’s marriage. It seems they were pushing for the rumors of divorce, wanting Roman with Inessa, believing it a purer union.”

  I opened my eyes wide as my heart beat in double time. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, Lucille,” Queen Anne said. “You are loved by the people. Whoever these individuals are, their opinions don’t matter.”

  “They do,” Roman said, “if they put your life at risk.”

  “You canceled your trip to Brynad?” I asked.

  Roman

  My gaze met King Theodore’s. If this was my chosen life, it was time that the four of us in this room came clean with one another. It was now or never. If the Firm decided to get rid of me, today’s news would make it plausible. Every ounce of conviction flowing through my circulation reinforced my determination. I wouldn’t go without a fight, and I’d never leave without Lucille.

  “Roman didn’t go to Brynad,” King Theo answered. His dark stare met mine.

  “Noah did,” I said.

  “What?” Lucille’s eyes widened.

  The queen’s gaze went down to her lap.

  Obviously, everyone in the room was aware of the multiple Romans. How it all began was still a mystery to Lucille and me. Nevertheless, the present was where we were.

  “The time for secrets is done,” I said. “I’m committed to this family and Molave—if you’ll still have me.” I inhaled, clenched my jaw, and looked down at Lucille. “However, I won’t go without my wife.”

  “Roman,” the king said, “no one wants you to go. You said it earlier today; you are the future of Molave.”

  “Is Noah okay?” Lucille asked.

  I shook my head. “Once the threat was explained to me, I made the decision not to cancel the meeting. I was determined to go. Chances were favorable that the transmissions from the beacons would be followed. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.” I crouched down and laid my hand on Lucille’s knee. “Then I was reminded of what I would sacrifice.” Shades of blue swirled in her orbs. “I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving you. I went to Noah and asked him to step in for me. It’s my fault he’s gone.”