Bear Prince: Shifter Paranormal Romance (Royal Bears Book 1) (13 page)

“Do you want me to-”

“No, no.” Hannah had to laugh. “You spoiled rotten royal. It's fine, I can eat my potato with no sugar today.” She paused. “You know, I haven’t been to the kitchen. Maybe...”

He grinned. “I’d love to see that tournament go down. The Head Chef is award winning.”

“So? Anyway, I didn't shop.” She gave him a look. “Women do more than shop, Andrei Sahakian. I found a dance studio. I’m going to audition so I can be placed into a class, and maybe she'll let me student teach the younger students.”

“Really? That sounds fabulous. I'm surprised my mother hasn’t roped you into any of her pet Arts charities.”

Hannah took a bite of her steak. “She might not want me involved.”

“Hmm. No, that's not it. She has something else up her sleeve. Why don’t you go talk to her about it?”

Her eyes widened. “I couldn’t bother her. She's a-”

“Your mother in law, and head of our family,” he said, firmly. “You have every right to interrupt her. She's up to something. Go find out what it is.”

CHAPTER

14

Hannah took him at his word. She skulked outside the Queen's office the following morning, watching the ebb and flow of foot traffic from a window seat several feet away. At one point, one of the black suited guards walked over to Hannah.

“Lady, the Queen will see you now.”

Hannah blinked, then grinned. Evidently Izobelle had known she was outside all along.

“This is a unique way of requesting an appointment,” Izobelle greeted as Hannah walked in. “I wish my own children were so polite.”

“I know you're busy,” Hannah said, following her mother-in-law to a small sofa and table set. A sitting area away from the large, cluttered desk, in front of a large window that let in light and a view of grassy lawn with forest and mountains beyond.

Izobelle poured steaming liquid into cups. “I've been waiting for you to come see me.”

Hannah sipped the tea. “It didn’t occur to me. Andrei suggested it.”

The Queen snorted, leaning back and tucking her legs underneath her. “I'm told you went to town yesterday. Do you know the studio you choose is funded by one of my foundations? So it will look like a deliberate choice on your part.” Lips free of makeup curved. “We won't tell anyone otherwise.”

“Does everyone know what I’m doing?”

“You'll become used to it. We all submit to scrutiny regarding our movements. Part of it is security, part of it is the burden of being royal. So you're tired of sitting around getting plump, hmm?”

Hannah choked on her second sip of tea. “I... well, yes. I’m not used to being idle.”

“Good. I was waiting for you to approach me. I see no point in forcing you into a more public life until you feel ready, but you've made the first step on your own. Mia tells me you're an apt student.”

Hannah frowned. “If she has time to teach me, I have time to learn.”

“Admirable.” Izobelle studied her, head titled. “Do you want to finish your education? You don’t have to. You can go straight into some kind of advisory position on one of my charities.”

Hannah stared. “I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to work my way up. That way I know what I’m doing.”

Izobelle laughed. “You can be trained, but I take your point. I'll tell Mia to get you a secretary. I think you should add an academic program to your B.F.A- there is no rush, and once you’re farther along in the pregnancy you'll want to stay busy to keep from going mad with the waiting.”

Mia called her not even an hour later. “Mother said you need a social secretary,” the Princess said, brisk. “I’ll bring in a few candidates for you to interview.”

“Oh, I-”

“You will pick your own secretary, Hannah. You’ll be working with her closely and it's important you form a good rapport.”

The sound of a door slamming, and the roar of an airplane came through the phone. “I can talk to you later if you're busy,” Hannah said.

“No, I'll see you in a few minutes anyway. You didn’t know your parents just arrived?”

***

Hannah hunted her mate down in his office. The sheepish expression deflated some of her shock and ire.

“I wanted to surprise you,” he said. “It took a bit of talking to get your father to come- your mother was all set to leave him behind.”

“I don't know if I should smack you or kiss you.” She looked down at herself, heart sinking. “I should change. They've never seen me-”

“Hannah.”

She stopped, looked up.

“You can't be ashamed of how far you've come,” he said. “If you want to change into a longer skirt and find something to put over your hair, I won't stop you. But you look lovely, and modest. And glowing with health. Any mother would be proud of such a beautiful daughter.”

She took a deep breath. The knee length dress she wore with a scoop neck and flyaway cardigan was made of a soft, flowy knit. Just skimming her hips and the curve of her belly. Right now her stomach had that look where a stranger wouldn’t be able to tell if she was pregnant, or well fed. Of course with the natural curve of her bottom and thighs, a stranger would probably lean towards well fed.

“What do I tell them about us?” she asked.

“The truth, sweetheart.” He paused. “I would have met them at the airport, but I thought meeting Mia first... she has a way of putting people at ease.”

It was a tense hour. Andrei stayed with her the entire time, working from his laptop. He took several phone calls, moving away when he needed privacy. But eventually he approached again, taking her hand.

“Come on, they're almost here. We'll meet them at the door.”

So Hannah stood at Andrei’s side as a black limousine pulled up to the castle entrance. When the driver opened the passenger door and her mother emerged, she clutched Andrei's arm, tears welling. She hadn’t seen them for over a year. Her mother looked around, dark eyes widening when she saw Hannah.

“Hannah!”

Hannah ran forward, forgetting dignity and her new status. Her mother enveloped her in a hug, the scent of homemade lavender soap in Hannah’s nostrils.

“Ma, I missed you so much.”

“My baby. Oh my Lord, look at you. My baby.”

A tall, dark, broad man exited the car next. The women scooted over to give him room and Hannah looked up into her father's face.

“Daddy?”

“Haven’t seen your legs since you were a toddler,” he grumped. But strong arms wrapped around her, belying the stern expression. “Your man can't afford the bottom half of the dress?”

“Stop teasing, Jeremiah.”

“Wasn’t. Send your daughter off to school and next thing, she's in a foreign country. Where’s this man of yours?”

“Sir.” Andrei came forward.

Hannah turned, placing her back squarely in front of her father. Andrei glanced at her, mouth quirked, brief irritation lightening his eyes.

“Daddy, this is Andrei, my... um. This is Andrei.”

“Her mate,”the now openly aggravated Prince said. He glared at Hannah, who folded her arms
.
Andrei sighed. “Move, Hannah. I won't eat him- humans don't taste very good.”

She would murder him dead. Hannah felt her father stiffen at her back and braced herself for the roar of outrage- and then he laughed.

“Got me there,” Jeremiah said, chuckling. “I guess I never thought my girl would bring home a white boy- but at least you're a rich white boy.”

“See,” her mother murmured. “It could be worse. But we'll have to sit and have a talk about this... mate... thing. They might not think it’s shacking up, but your Daddy and I raised you better.”

Hannah sighed. “Do we have to talk about this in the front yard?”

“Of course not. Show us in, Hannah.”

High ranking staff escorted her parents to a suite to rest and settle in with a promise of dinner after Hannah, ostensibly, had a nap.

“That went better than I thought,” Hannah told her mate. “He laughed. He wouldn’t have laughed if he was angry.”

“I suppose being rich helps,” Andrei said.

She pursed her lips, but didn't contradict him. Her parents were nothing if not practical. And her father would respect that her man could provide. Hannah hoped her parents would understand the cultural differences and accept that she wasn't living in sin- not quite, anyway.

They met at the dinner hour in Andrei's suite. Hannah preferred their first family discussion take place in relative privacy rather than in the larger dining hall where the royal family and nobles gathered each evening. The staff had to bring in a larger table and chairs and soon after her parents arrived. She recognized her mother's second best Sunday outfit. A long flowered skirt and white blouse with pearl buttons, her head covering sheer and lacy. Her father was in dark slacks and a blue chambray shirt buttoned up to this chin and tucked in with a gleaming leather belt. They were simple people, and Hannah couldn’t be more proud.

“I'm pleased you could dine with us,” Andrei said, approaching her father.

He held out a hand and after a brief moment her father reciprocated. The two men held the grip with identical pleasant expressions. Hannah sighed.

“Alright, Jeremiah,” Rebecca said. “That’s enough.”

Daddy shrugged, then looked around the room. “Fancy. I guess keeping this place clean keeps you busy.”

Hannah drew her mother to a seat at the table, leaving the men to their own device. “The castle has staff that cleans, Daddy. I don't do any of that.”

“Well, what do you do all day, baby?” her mother asked, brow furrowed. “Are you enrolled in school here?”

“Not yet. I haven’t really been doing much of anything. The pregnancy.”

Her parents stared at her. She almost blushed and darted a quick, dark glance at her mate who led Jeremiah to a chair and took one himself.

“Not doing anything, Hannah? Idle hands-”

“I know, Daddy. It's complicated.”

Andrei sighed, a loud aggrieved breath of air. “No, it's not. We've been sheltering her.” He grimaced. “None of us has much experience with human females. We thought she should... rest.”

He looked so uncomfortable Hannah wanted to pat his hand. Her mother laughed.

“I had six babies and worked every day until my eight month and half days while I waited for the baby to come. Two days rest after the birth and then back to work. Hannah doesn't need to be coddled, Mr. Sahakian. She needs work. Our daughters aren’t made for idleness.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling them,” Hannah said, feeling smug. “But I’m going to resume my training at a studio in the city.”

“That’s good, Hannah. But what about
work?
You have to have something meaningful to do besides dance.”

Rebecca patted Jeremiah’s hand. “She’ll have the baby soon enough, and that is plenty work. And I suppose it will take some time to settle in.”

The dining room doors opened. Izobelle strolled in, staff with two wheeled carts on her heels.

“I thought I’d join you,” the Queen said.

Andrei rose, walking around the table to give his mother a kiss on the cheek and seat her. “You're always welcome. Jeremiah, Mrs. Fisher, this is my mother, Izobelle.”

“It's a beautiful home you have,” Rebecca said to the Queen. “Has it been in your family long?”

“Several hundred years,” Izobelle replied with a small smile at Rebecca. “We’ll have a tour tomorrow, hmm? Just us mothers.”

“And your father, son?” Jeremiah asked.

The Queen’s smile sharpened. “He had an unfortunate accident.”

Andrei glared. “Mother. Jeremiah, my father is dead. For many years now. My mother has an
unfortunate
sense of humor.”

Hannah watched her father watch the royals, weighing them. They gleamed in the low light of the dining room, their beauty and otherness in sharp relief against the ordinary, if expensive, surroundings. As she watched the staff set the table and lay out dishes, Hannah realized that they, too, projected the same deliberately dampened feral qualities as the royals.

“When are you due, Hannah?” her mother asked when they were eating. “My first grandbaby. We’re so excited. We'll have to prepare the room for you. I'm afraid it's turned into storage over the years.”

“The room?” Andrei asked, sipping on a glass of water. Before the meal Hannah had spoken to him, wanting to respect her parent’s beliefs, and he’d instructed the staff to serve juice and water only.

“The birthing room in my childhood home,” Hannah said.

Andrei's brow rose. After a pause, he said, “I don’t know if it's wise to plan to give birth in your childhood home, Hannah. You're no longer an ordinary person, sweet.”

Silence and then her mother sighed. “Of course, I wasn’t thinking.” Rebecca reached over and squeezed Hannah’s hand. “I'll just have to come back around when you're due. Do you have a good midwife?”

The discussion remained on neutral topics until near the end of dessert.

“That was a good meal,” Jeremiah said. He smiled at his wife. “Maybe we should pick up a new leaf and start going out once or twice for dinner. Children are grown.”

“That's right, Mom. Time to live it up a little.”

Rebecca sniffed. “We’ll not talk about your ideas of 'living it up.'“

“Speaking of-”

Hannah looked at her father. She recognized the tone.

“From my understanding you two aren't married.”

Izobelle snorted, staring in her goblet of apple juice. “We do things a bit differently. My son has treated Hannah with all respect according to the ways of our people.”

“That's good. But our people have ways to. And those ways include a church and a minister.”

“We're mated for life,” Andrei said. “That bond is stronger than human marriage- it can only be dissolved by death. But-” he held up a hand to forestall response “- I understand your concerns. There are some arrangements to be made because of my status in Casakraine, but Hannah and I will have a court wedding. You have my promise.”

Jeremiah nodded. “Before the baby is born.”

Andrei stilled. Hannah felt his struggle not to roll his eyes. “Yes, sir. Before my cub is born.”