Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (24 page)

She entered the great hall, which was
filled with well-dressed ladies in silks and satins, whirling
across the floor in the arms of gentlemen garbed in rich velvets
and brocades. Laughter and chatter echoed through the room as her
subjects drank to the new queen’s good health from brown-colored
mugs. A troupe of musicians with recorders, trumpets, and flutes
played a sprightly dance tune, while their whistles, bells, and
drums kept the beat. She wondered if the DJ would take requests,
but she highly doubted it.

Victor smiled, looping his arm in
hers. “I see I’m just in time to escort my lovely bride.” His eyes
glazed over, and she knew he meant every word. Against her will,
Sarah felt her cheeks burning.

She knew it was cliché, but she felt
exactly like Cinderella at the ball. Maybe she’d watched one too
many Disney movies, but she had to keep reminding herself that it
was all an act on both their parts. All she wanted out of their
“blessed union” was the ring, and all he wanted was to piss off his
alleged new father-in-law. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel
impressed. Nobody had ever given her such a celebration or that
much attention before.

A bald man in short red pants blew a
trumpet blast. “Noblemen and women, commoners, and all other
parties, bow down before our glorious monarchs, protectors and
defenders of the realm, his Royal Majesty King Victor and her
Highness Queen Gloria.”

In one smooth movement, the crowd
formed a corridor, bowing deeply as the royal couple stepped into
their midst.

Victor held Sarah’s trembling hand
high as they made their way through the parted sea of people. “My
bride!” He inclined his head, a broad grin playing on his lips, his
eyes shining with pride.

Part of
Sarah wished the illusion was real, but she knew what was really
lurking behind that smooth smile of his: revenge. He hated Gloria’s
father with a passion, and he viewed that wedding and the
forthcoming children as nothing more than payback. Of course, Sarah
couldn’t blame him, as she had her own little scheme going on and
certainly wasn’t one to point fingers. She scanned the room as the
king engaged in friendly chatter, but there was no sign of Frank
anywhere.
Where is he?

“
Are
you looking to make a quick
getaway, my Queen?” Victor asked, gripping her hand tighter. If it
was meant as a joke, it sure didn’t come across as one. “There’s
nobody here from your kingdom to whisk you away.”

Oh boy.
He’s not going to let me out of his sight for a minute. Talk about
a clingy husband. Maybe I can play up my alleged head injury, talk
crazy and make my escape while he’s off finding that so-called
healer of theirs. That’ll be easy enough. All I have to do is
mention my world, my California, my cell phones, my high-tech
cameras
. Sarah beamed at him, spouting the
first thing that hit her. “I was a hippie last year, but I didn’t
win best costume at the work party, so I’m trying to decide which
one of these fantasy costumes I’ll sport next month for
Halloween—you know…to win the title.”
If I
even get home in time for that,
she
pondered.

“
What?” Confusion crossed
his face.

She motioned toward the crowd. “These
costumes don’t work for me. How come there are no warrior women in
the medieval Arthurian tales? I think it’s time I create one,
because some of these chicks look like they’d stab first and ask
questions later. I, for one, would love to lead troops out into
battle. I bet they make some figure-flattering chainmail, right?
But just because I’m wearing a fluffy dress, that doesn’t mean I
can’t find a nice shiny sword to match it. I think I’ll be Lady
Guinevere/Lara Croft. Whaddya think, Kingsy, dear?”

“
I told you I was done with
your games. You shall not distract me with your odd
babbling.”

Babbling? When did I take a left turn into Crazy Town? Oh,
wait. Maybe that was when I decided to chase Bigfoot into a cave
with no one but Frank around to protect me. Why didn’t I just stay
home and curl up with a good book or rent a fantastic movie?
But she knew the answer to that question: The
adventure DNA in her gene pool wouldn’t allow her to sit at home
watching movies when there were creatures to be discovered in the
wilderness. “Maybe it’s best that I visit the healer. Could you
please fetch him?”

Victor raised his brows. “Are you
trying to get rid of me?”

“
What? No!” She laughed,
putting on her best performance yet. The last thing she wanted to
do was stick around and end up as the inspiration behind some
Lifetime movies starring Valerie Bertinelli or Tori
Spelling.

“
I know you’re looking for
your brother, hoping he’ll rescue you,” he said. “After all, he’s
the one who got you into this mess in the first place,
love.”

“
You’re
right. It was his fault. Men are always getting me into all kinds
of messes.”
Especially handsome kings with
bright blue eyes. And Frank, too, with this alleged
brilliant
plan of his.
By the way, where’s the nearest divorce court? I’m sorry, but I
need more out of a marriage than good looks, money, and a fancy
car…er, uh, horse.
“But don’t worry. I
always get myself out of trouble. I don’t need anyone to help me
with that.”

“
Are you angry with him?
With your brother?” Victor asked.

Heck
yeah!
If Frank ditched out on her, she knew
she’d be up the creek without a paddle. She frowned, realizing he
was talking about
Gloria’s
brother. She wasn’t sure of exactly what he’d
done, but she had a pretty good idea how to fill in the
blanks.

“
Wouldn’t you be? The
little sister crosses into enemy lines to warn her brother about a
nasty trap in store for him. He gets away while she gets caught.
He’s probably home now, toasting his freedom with Daddy
dearest.”

“
What a nice family you
come from.” Victor laughed. “If I were you I’d—”

“
Yeah, yeah. I got it, loud
and clear.” She turned away because she’d had enough of his mouth.
She decided he’d be better off if he stuck to kissing instead of
talking. Wasting her time chatting with him wasn’t going to get her
anywhere, and it was time to switch tactics. “I have to use the
little queen’s room.”

“
All rooms belong to the
royal king and queen,” he said.

“
This freaking
lung-squeezing corset is tighter than my skinny jeans, and it’s
about to burst. I have to fix it if I ever intend to breathe again.
Perhaps oxygen deprivation is what is causing me to talk such
nonsense.”

He slid his arm around her waist and
pulled her close, whispering into her ear in a husky voice, “How
about we go upstairs and I remove it myself?”

She smirked, aware that he would enjoy
unwrapping her like a Christmas present out of all those buttons,
ties, and layers. It would take hours, and she was sure the guy
would love every minute of it. She couldn’t stop the goose-bumps
from rushing over her skin though. It was a tempting offer, but one
night of passion would be a high price to pay to squeeze out ten
kids and be bossed around for the rest of her life. “I’d rather
mingle and meet everyone.” She winked. “Remember, we have all
night…and all our lives after that.”

He tilted her chin to meet his steady
gaze. “Mingle with my subjects? Why do you care, Gloria? You only
married me to save your pretty little neck.”

“
Not true. I was tired of
lonely Friday nights, and I desperately wanted this wedding ring,”
she said, for once telling the truth.

Victor inclined his head, his eyes
shining with pride as though he’d forged the thing himself. “It’s
one of our most treasured heirlooms, dating back thousands of
years. The wearers of the collection are bonded for all of eternity
with one heartbeat.”

Eternity? How about a few
short hours, buddy?

“
I’m sure you’re familiar
with the tradition,” Victor continued, a twinkle in his
eye.

One
heartbeat for all of eternity?
He is
nuts.
She swallowed.
Wait…could there be any truth to his statement? Maybe I
should’ve read the fine print before I said, “I
do.”

“
Now that we’re connected,
I’m positive your father will meet every single one of my
demands.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “What makes
you think so? He didn’t care before if I lived or got my head
whacked off by your sword.”

“
He cares deeply. According
to my sources, he seems to have trouble believing that I actually
have you in my possession.”

“
Oh?” She realized that
Gloria’s father had a heart after all.

“
He
thought I was bluffing, but he will now know the truth.” Victor
leaned
in. “Don’t convince yourself for a
minute that I would’ve believed that Sarah Larker nonsense.
My
most reliable soldiers identified you as
Princess Gloria. There is no mistaking who you really
are.”

Sarah had
heard of evil twins, of doppelgangers, but this was ridiculous. A
shudder ran through her body as a thought occurred to
her
. Princess Gloria’s father is on to my
scam. He knows King Victor doesn’t have the real princess. No
wonder he wouldn’t meet the king’s demands.
She knew she had to jump-start the escape plan into high gear
before Victor figured the whole thing out for himself. “Is there a
private place I could go where I can fix this
girdle?”

Victor motioned to one of his guards.
“Take her to the dressing quarters. Station six guards at the
door…no, make that a dozen of my finest men.”

“
Yes, Your Highness,” a
soldier said. For a moment, he peered at her, beaming with
enthusiasm.

Sarah chuckled. “Hey, I know I look
like a fairy godmother in this get-up, but I promise, I can’t
vanish into thin air.”

A woman approached with her head down.
She wore a simple muslin dress and carried a large leather satchel
over one shoulder. Copper bracelets adorned her wrists. She bowed
in humility. “Would you like me to help you with your dress,
Highness?”

Sarah shook her head. “No, but thank
you.” She knew the girl could easily ruin her plans and spoil
everything. The last thing she needed was some little spy following
her around while she hunted for Frank.

As contrary as always, the king
motioned to the girl, his voice authoritative. “My queen will
definitely be taking any help you offer.”

Sarah
rolled her eyes. The guy was definitely a bona fide control freak,
and she wasn’t about to let him think he had the upper hand. Just
as she opened her mouth to set him straight, though, she remembered
something her kindergarten teacher said:
“Say something nice or shut up.”
Nothing had worked so far, so she figured she might as well
give it a try. Smiling, she cleared her throat. “How kind of you to
think of me. That’d be great.”

Victor grabbed her wrist, whispering
in her ear, “Try to escape and you’ll pay dearly.” She knew he
meant every word of his threat; the teacher’s advice clearly
sucked.

“
After that kiss, I thought
we were past all that. You’re posting an army at the door? Where’s
the trust? How could I possibly run away with everyone knowing my
face, thanks to you?”

He released her wrist, and she pulled
her hand away, eager to put a few inches between them. “Trust is
something one must earn,” he whispered, sounding like something she
read on a fortune cookie once.

She met his hot gaze. “I kissed you.
Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“
Maybe it will when you do
it out of enjoyment or passion or love and not for the sake of
saving your own life.”

“
Are you
saying I faked it? Come on! We both know that kiss was real.” For a
moment, she watched the dangerous glitter in his eye and wondered
whether she’d underestimated him. She knew he could easily
overpower her, and the fact that he hadn’t done so yet didn’t mean
he wouldn’t once he realized she had no interest in being wife
material.
Should I dare an escape
attempt?
She snorted inwardly.
Heck yeah! Living in Freaksville isn’t my
thing.

“
The girl is waiting on
you,” Victor said.

Sarah smiled up at him sweetly.
“Thanks for your help, darling.”

The girl touched her elbow. “If you’d
follow me, my Queen.”

Throwing him one last look, Sarah
followed her through the crowd to a room in the far left-hand
quarter. True to Victor’s word, a multitude of minions guarded the
entrance, and she could see the king’s prying sapphire eyes not too
far away. She stepped inside and scanned the room, then shook her
head. There wasn’t one window or opening, and freedom didn’t appear
to be an option, at least not anytime soon. She was only moments
away from him taking her upstairs to procreate an entire baseball
team.