The Wrath of the King (6 page)

“What if those of us who do not agree refuse to sign the decree?” one man demanded.

Paavo stared him down. “Considering the majority voted
for
the decree, I'll take anyone refusing to sign as an act of treason. I need not point out what happens to traitors.”

Blustering, the councilman sat down and conferred with another man in whispers. Outrage and thinly veiled accusations flew through the room in the aftermath of Paavo's declaration, some louder than others. The councilmen appeared on the verge of mutiny, yet after the furor calmed to a rumble rather than a roar, Paavo saw that no man among them was willing to challenge his intent. Few were happy, one way or another, and Paavo cared little.

Andersen mopped his brow with a linen handkerchief that he stuffed back into his pocket. “That went a little rougher than I expected,” he said.

Paavo half turned to block his words from the council. “I want the second decree signed before they leave this room. Should any refuse, have them arrested. There are guards outside who will see it done.”

“Yes, your Majesty.”

Paavo exited the chamber, hearing the men's voices raise before he even had the door closed. Andersen and those loyal to him had their work cut out explaining their actions to the rest.

High on the adrenaline rush of forcing his hand, he set a course en route for Wynn. He wanted the press release in his hands for dispersal day after tomorrow. On the way, he pulled out his phone. Speed dialing a number, he put the cell to his ear and waited for an answer.

“Yes?” a brusque voice said.

“Are the troops in place?” Paavo asked.

“They are, your Majesty,” Ingvar said.

“Excellent. Make them aware that the plans go into effect tonight.”

“As you wish.”

Disconnecting the call, Paavo pocketed the phone.

This
was how a King took control of his country.

. . .

Gnawing at the inside of her cheek, Wynn stared at the press release she held in her hand. A stack of printed copies sat to the side of the laptop, whose screen had gone dark in the absence of her tapping fingers.

She supposed she shouldn't be surprised at the information the press release contained—but she was. And she wondered what Chey would think when she heard. Although the press release was in the native language of Latvala, Wynn utilized a translation program built into the computer to help her translate those words she
still didn't know. Switching to English, she made a few extra copies, telling herself she would claim not to know whether both languages would be needed if Paavo caught her with them.

Not even twenty-four hours in power, and already Paavo was pushing through his former agenda of splitting the country into sections. The statement in her hand was aggressive and brooked no argument about the changes to come.

She couldn't decide if this was a test of her loyalty straight away, or whether he was trying to trap her. The second she confessed to Chey, Wynn knew Chey would take action of some kind. Word would cycle back, as it always did in turbulent times, and Paavo would know she'd broken his trust. What then? What would he do if she ran straight to the Queen with information he'd pointedly stated was confidential?

When the door to the room swung open without warning, Wynn twitched in surprise and nearly crumpled the paper out of guilt. Saving herself in time, she forced herself to be calm when Paavo entered.

She hadn't expected him for another three or four hours, at the earliest.

“Did you get the release finished?” he asked.

“I did. Here are a stack of copies, ready to be distributed.” Playing it off as if she held nothing of importance, Wynn tapped the big stack in the Latvala language and set the paper she held aside atop separate ones in English. Sitting on the other side of the laptop, Paavo wouldn't see them as easily, unless she gave him reason to look.

“Thank you. Did you have trouble?” Paavo's gaze skipped from the larger pile to the few sitting separate.

Wynn saw him look and reached out to tap the English printed version with as much nonchalance as she could muster. Why hadn't she gotten rid of the evidence when she had the chance? She said, “Just a few copies that didn't print right at first, but I got it fixed. I guess after taking the summer off work, I'm a little rusty with printers.”

Paavo picked up the large stack and looked over the front page. “Good, good. It'll come back to you quickly.” He met her eyes. “These are acceptable. What would you say to the idea of your own office? Down here on the main floor, a space totally devoted to you?”

It took every ounce of Wynn's willpower not to fidget. He stood so close to the desk and her chair that she worried he might glimpse the other papers and realize the language wasn't the same. He stood
too
close, in fact, and she wished she wasn't so attuned to his presence or interested by the gleam in his sharp eyes.

“I think that sounds perfect. Can I choose my own furniture though? I'm picky about how I like my space arranged.” She smiled a cheeky smile she hoped wasn't too contrived. Swiveling her chair toward him, thinking to block sight of the papers with her shoulders, her knee accidentally brushed his. A jolt of primal awareness knocked the cheeky smile right off her face.

“You can put--” Paavo paused at the contact. His gaze became even more direct than it had been, then dropped to her legs for a brief moment.

“I knew you wouldn't have any problem with me wanting to choose my own things,” Wynn said, abruptly pushing to a stand. Paavo's gaze followed her up. She ignored the rubbery feeling in her knees along with the curious glint in his eyes and gestured to the door. “Will you show me which room it is?”

She hated to leave the papers exposed on the table, but distracting Paavo and
getting him out of the room was paramount.

For ten seconds or so, Paavo said nothing. “I'll have one of the staff show you. There's a press conference I need to make announcing my ascension as sitting King and it won't wait. Be ready at six this evening for dinner. I'd like to go over a few more things with you.”

“Of course. I'll be waiting.” Wynn suffered through what seemed an eternity of electric tension, chiding herself a hundred times over for noticing things she shouldn't be noticing. She didn't know how she felt about having dinner with Paavo yet again, and found no good reason to deny him that wouldn't raise suspicion.

Paavo glanced toward the laptop, causing Wynn's breath to catch in her throat. Did he suspect she'd made duplicate copies? He met her eyes once more before departing with his stack of papers in hand.

After the door closed, Wynn leaned against the desk, bracing her weight with a palm. She gave herself exactly half a minute to recover, then picked up the English version copies and folded them small enough to fit inside her jacket pocket.

Fishing out her phone, she called Mattias.

No answer. She didn't leave a message.

Studying the bright icons on the screen, Wynn debated her next move. Call Chey and prove her loyalty remained where it should, or hold her tongue so she didn't end up in jail. Thumbing through the Contacts, she pressed Chey's name. The phone rang. Exhaling a breath, Wynn waited for Chey to answer.

“Hello?” Chey said.

“I can't talk long, but I have news.”

Chapter Six

In the middle of pacing through Sander's room for exercise, Chey frowned as she discerned a thread of anxiety in Wynn's voice. “Why can't you talk? What's going on?”

“Chey—he's making the announcement today. It'll probably be on television in a few minutes.”

“About becoming the sitting King?” Chey asked, bemused why the news would set Wynn on edge. It was true that no one liked the idea, but it wasn't a surprise at this point.

“Yes.” A long hesitation followed.

“Wynn, what aren't you saying?” Chey braced a hand against her back when she paused at the end of Sander's bed. A quick glimpse proved he was still and silent, unaware of the world around him. It bothered her every time she looked at him.

“Well, I—you know what, let me call you back in about ten minutes. I need to change rooms.” Wynn severed contact.

Flustered, Chey pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen. Sure enough, Wynn ended the call. “What is going on with that girl?”

In the meantime, Chey turned on the television in Sander's room, searching for a channel denoting a public announcement coming soon. It only took her a few minutes to find one.

Breaking News-Unexpected announcement by his Highness, Prince Paavo, in four minutes,
the ticker tape read. Because it was in two languages, Chey had no trouble following along. Using the remote, she turned it up loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to overflow into the hallway.

Moving back to her chair at the side of Sander's bed, she leaned against the cushion and stretched out her legs, running a hand over her bulging belly. The baby was active and kicking like crazy.

Paavo appeared on screen, striding up to a podium set up in the media room at the family seat. Chey recognized it from statements Sander had given. Paavo appeared confident on camera, self-assured. The sharp suit he wore accented the color of his eyes, which the camera man focused in on as the event got under way.

“I won't be taking any questions after my announcement,” Paavo said. “Due to unexpected circumstances,
I
have been installed as the sitting King in his Majesty's place.”

Gasps and whispers preceded several reporters surging to their feet with questions.

What happened to the King?

Was his Majesty detained in a foreign country?

Did the King commit suicide, like his father before him?

Paavo used his hand to urge them back into their seats. “As I said, I will be taking no questions. This is a temporary arrangement only. His Majesty is just fine, but unable to be here directly to run the country. As well, Prince Mattias is away on official royal business. This is a formality only, and I am making it known to the public because I believe in keeping the citizens of Latvala informed.”

Several more journalists tried to interrupt.

How long will you be performing the King's duties in his absence?

When does King Sander return?

If you like to keep the public so informed, why can't we know where his Majesty is?

Chey watched Paavo's expression wane a little at the last question. She snorted to herself. Paavo reported what Paavo
wanted
to report, nothing more, nothing less. This was in his best interest rather than the public's, she'd bet a year of her life on it.

“For security reasons,” Paavo continued, “his Majesty's whereabouts won't be disclosed until he returns and has a conference with you himself. Then, he'll answer your questions.” Paavo paused to smile. A disarming sort of smile meant to put the reporters and citizens at ease. “Until then, I'll be stepping up in his place. Thank you for your time today.”

As another group of reporters shouted questions, Paavo exited the media room via a side door.

Chey regarded the television with more than a few pensive thoughts running through her mind.

Just then, her phone rang. “Hello?”

“It's me,” Wynn said, out of breath.

“What did you do, jog through the castle? Did you see Paavo's statement?”

“No. I was too busy avoiding guards and everyone else. Anyway, what did he say?”

“What we expected him to say. Why?” Chey frowned and clicked a button on the remote. The television went dark.

“Chey, you have to make me a promise. Right now. You
have
to promise me you won't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Okay?”

Chey frowned and sat forward. She'd known Wynn far too long to miss the concern and worry in her friend's voice. Her position as Queen put Chey in a precarious position when it came to promises, though, and Chey hesitated. Wynn might need a promise Chey simply couldn't follow through on now that her priorities were with Sander and Latvala.

“Wynn, that's really hard for me to do not knowing what you're about to tell me.” Chey was upfront with Wynn, choosing to let her know it might be a promise she couldn't keep.

“If you tell anyone, it'll get back to a certain someone, and I'll probably end up in jail. Or worse. Promise me, Chey.” Wynn didn't back down.

Chey didn't like where this was going. The hair was up on the back of her neck, a sure indication what she was about to hear would set off extreme alarm bells at the very least.

“If I
can
keep the secret, I will. That's my promise, Wynn. I'll do my absolute best not to break your confidence.” Chey couldn't give Wynn more than that.

“Paavo gave me a voice file to transcribe today, while he was at a meeting with the council members. Chey, it was a news release for the papers stating that Latvala was now divided into separate sections, sanctioned by the council with a passing vote from the majority. The phrasing made it sound like, by the time the public reads it,
the country will already legally be split into territories.
”

Chey sat forward as far as her stomach would allow. “
What?
He did what?”

“Yes. He told me I wasn't allowed to tell
anyone.
I can't help but think it's a test—one that I'm failing right this minute—to see if I go straight to you with sensitive information.”

Experiencing fury that caused her jaw to clench and her spine to go rigid, Chey fought down the urge to call Paavo right then and tell him off. She looked toward the bed, at Sander stretched out with his tubes and wires, and wondered. Who wouldn't wonder if Paavo had something to do with the accident? This seemed too convenient, too
planned.
Paavo hadn't wasted a second, literally, to put the deed into motion. That alone raised suspicion.

“Chey?”

“What else? What else did it say?” Chey paced the room again, this time in agitation.

“Only that more information would be forthcoming in the days following the release. I suspect he'll call another news conference after it hits the papers.”