Luis (Royal Caleva #2)

CHAPTER 27

With a huff of relief, Luis seated himself in the warden’s leather chair. His legs were still shaky and painful from the thallium, and he was eating only the blandest of foods. He could not show weakness now, though.

He braced his forearms on the desk and nodded to one of the cameras, signaling his security chief next door that he was ready.

A few minutes later, the outer door opened, and Odette shuffled into the room with her escort of guards. She did not raise her head to look at Luis until the guards had fastened her chains to the floor clamps and left the two of them alone.

“Another visit from His Majesty the King,” she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

“We have Camacho in custody,” Luis said.

Odette’s gaze flickered for a split second, but she covered it with a blank look. “Who is Camacho, and why should I care?”

“Don’t bother,” Luis said, too tired to spar with her. “I came to tell you that we are shutting down your computer privileges permanently. The only person you will meet with from now on is your lawyer, and those meetings will be monitored via camera and by a guard. All of your assets have been frozen and put in escrow for your heirs, to be released only on the occasion of your death.” As Luis recited each item, he found satisfaction in seeing a flash of panic in her eyes.

“You have no grounds on which to base your withdrawal of my protected rights as a prisoner. I will file a formal protest,” Odette said with a snarl.

Luis leaned forward. “You conspired with Felipe Camacho to commit regicide, the only crime in Caleva that carries a death sentence.”

Instead of flinching, she made an insolent appraisal of him. “I would applaud this Felipe Camacho, except that you do not look dead to me. I confess to being disappointed in him.” Then she gave him a knowing smile. “Even if you could prove I was involved, you wouldn’t invoke the death sentence because that would cause our daughter pain.”

She put the slightest emphasis on our, which made Luis’s vision go red with anger. “She is not your daughter,” he said.

“Her DNA says otherwise,” Odette said.

And then it clicked into place. Grace was Odette’s insurance policy. Odette had told Luis about his child because she had set in motion her plan to poison him. If she failed and got caught, Grace’s existence would save Odette’s life.

“In fact, you don’t dare put me on trial,” Odette said with a smug lift of her eyebrows. “I might be provoked into saying something you would regret. In fact, you won’t try even this Camacho person because I might somehow get dragged into it. It’s a delicate situation.”

She was enjoying what she perceived as her position of power.

“Did you promise him immunity?” Luis asked, amazed at her arrogance. “You were wrong. He will be tried and convicted.”

Rage blazed in her face. “You wouldn’t risk that.”

“Camacho committed the highest treason against the King of Caleva, and it is my duty to protect the crown from any and all threats,” Luis said, although it was going to be the most carefully staged trial ever to take place during his reign. He winced inwardly at the sensation it would cause in the media.

“Then I will tell the world that Grace is my daughter,” Odette said, her chains rattling as she shifted in her chair.

“How?” Luis asked. “You will have no communication with the outside world that isn’t censored. Not to mention that now no one will take you seriously because you have no evidence. I have made sure of that.”

Odette tensed as though she would leap at him despite her shackles, but then she settled back. “We are at an impasse. I will remain silent about being Grace’s biological parent, and you won’t try me for treason because it would hurt Grace to have her birth mother executed.”

“I don’t intend to invoke the death sentence for Camacho because he was just a tool that you manipulated,” Luis said. “But he will spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“Perhaps we can share a cell,” Odette mocked.

Luis leaned forward on the desk and put all the ferocity and power of his position in his voice. “If you attempt to harm anyone in my family, I will not hesitate to put you on trial for attempted regicide and carry out the death sentence. If you had bothered to speak with my daughter on your visit to Iowa, you would have learned that Grace is a strong young woman whose integrity is bone-deep. She would understand the necessity of bringing you to justice.”

“She doesn’t know about my alleged role in your poisoning?” Odette asked in surprise. “Why wouldn’t you use that as a weapon against me?”

“Because I am capable of making someone else’s needs a priority over my own. It’s not a mentality you could comprehend.” Luis bared his teeth in a non-smile. “Although you will understand that I hold the information about your crime in reserve in case of future need. Keep that in mind.”

“You should keep in mind that I am not done with you,” Odette said with a hiss. “I will make you pay.”

Without another word, Luis pushed the button that summoned the guards, stood up from the warden’s chair, and walked out of the office, leaving Odette chained to the floor.

That afternoon, the royal family and Eve gathered in the original throne room in the most ancient part of Castillo Draconago. The rough-hewn stone walls were hung with huge tapestries depicting ships at sea, Calevan dragons cavorting on rocks, and deep-red lilies blooming amid mists and cliffs. In the middle of the outside wall were the huge oak double doors that led to El Balcón de la Verdad, where the kings and queens of Caleva had appeared to their subjects over the centuries.

Eve stood apart from the royals, her hands knotted together in front of her to stop their trembling. Then the shakiness migrated to her knees. As she looked around at the faces marked by the unmistakable Dragón features, all she wanted to do was slink away through a side door. Only her love for Grace kept her in this room where she did not belong.

The press conference had been sensational, the reporters beside themselves with excitement at the story of the unknown princess. Eve had watched it on a video monitor in a private room. The conference had also been broadcast to giant screens set up on the plaza outside the palace. The clamor of the crowd had penetrated even the three-foot-thick castle walls.

Luis looked every inch a modern-day monarch in his dark gray suit, pale blue shirt, and lily-red tie. On camera, he radiated power, strength, and authority. Only Eve, Grace, and Raul knew how much makeup it had taken to give Luis’s skin that healthy glow.

When Grace had given her prepared speech from memory in a bell-clear voice without a tremor, Eve had nearly burst with pride in her daughter. Grace was more than worthy to be la Princessa del Vaho.

Now her daughter stood with her father and Raul, the three of them forming a unit that excluded Eve.

She had known this would happen, but it still sank fangs of sharp jealousy and aching loneliness into her soul.

The king’s assistant, Bruno, went to the balcony doors. “Su Majestad, would you like to greet your people now?” he asked in a formal tone.

Luis looked at Grace, who took a deep breath and nodded. Luis stepped toward the door, Raul on his right side and Grace on his left. The rest of the family arrayed themselves in the places they had rehearsed the day before. Eve found her assigned position beside Gabriel. He flashed a reassuring smile at her. When she tried to return it, the muscles of her mouth wouldn’t cooperate.

“Just smile and wave,” he said in a low voice. “That’s all that is required.”

In fact, she and Grace had been warned not to say anything—unless it was totally innocuous—because the media employed lip-readers.

Bruno and another staff member pulled open the doors, and the roar of the crowd surged into the room like a tidal wave. Eve tried to will her knees not to buckle as she stepped onto the balcony a pace behind the king and his two children.

The huge plaza was packed with people, some waving Calevan flags of teal, red, and gold. The spectators clung to lampposts, filled balconies, perched on roofs, and overflowed onto the streets that fed into the plaza.

As Grace lifted her hand in the wave they had been taught by Carmen, the crowd began to chant, “La Princessa! La Princessa!”

Eve’s quaking terror got shoved aside for a moment as she reveled in her daughter’s triumph. Grace was not just being acknowledged by her father. She was being embraced by an entire country.

When Luis put his arm around Grace’s shoulders, the chant changed to, “El Rey Luis! La Princessa!”

As Gabriel raised his hand, the roar grew louder. He was considered a hero in Caleva, not to mention a famous musician, so he was tremendously popular. Happy to stand in his shadow, Eve locked her knees and put up her hand as well, even though she was sure no one knew or cared who she was.

Then her own daughter betrayed her by turning, holding out her hand, and nearly shouting to be heard. “Mom! Come up here with me!”

For Grace, she would do anything, so she forced herself forward to stand beside her daughter and wave again, the thousands of voices nearly deafening her. Behind the balustrade, Grace found Eve’s free hand and gave it a quick squeeze, tossing her mother a brief look that said, Can you believe this?

Eve somehow smiled back.

As she did, she glanced sideways at Luis. His silver hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his smile blazed with joy. Standing with his chin and hand lifted, he seemed to grow taller, as though he drew strength from the respect and devotion of his people.

Maybe that deep connection explained why he was such a great king.

Eve kept smiling and waving and wishing she could sink through the stone floor of the balcony until she had no idea of how much time had passed.

At last, Bruno’s voice came from behind them, saying, “You may return to the Antiguo Salón del Trono.”

No one moved until Luis gave a final wave and turned. Then the group parted like the sea to let the king, Raul, and Grace pass through before trailing them back into the room. Eve knew the doors had closed by the sudden muffling of the cheers.

As Eve tried to regain her equilibrium, the members of the royal family chatted as though nothing special had happened, discussing their plans for the next day’s dinner, asking about a political matter, or even cracking a joke. As though being greeted by cheering crowds was an everyday occurrence.

It probably was. Not every day, but often enough to be treated as no big deal. Soon, Grace would come to feel this way, too, taking it in her stride as though it was just another meeting in her busy royal life.

The distance between Eve and Grace yawned wider and wider, like the rift between tectonic plates pulling apart.

For a moment, Eve could barely breathe as the impact of it slammed into her chest.

She gulped in air as she watched her daughter accept a hug from Lorenzo’s elegant wife, Hélène. Luis stepped back to give his brother room to offer Grace his congratulations as well. Eve caught the moment Luis staggered for a step and grasped the carved back of a medieval wooden chair with one hand to steady himself.

The man had nearly died of thallium poisoning three days before, and now he was pretending that he was fine.

Eve might not be part of the royal family, but she wasn’t going to allow their stubborn idiot of a king to exhaust himself to the point of collapse. She loved him too much for that.

She marched across the antique carpet and fetched up beside Luis. He gave her a smile that had a strained quality to it, and he did not let go of the chair. “Eve, our daughter is handling herself with amazing poise and dignity.”

A spurt of pride made Eve pause her mission for a moment as she watched Grace laughing with Gabriel and Quinn. “She’s quite an impressive princess,” she agreed. “But you and I need to talk.”

Luis’s smile vanished. “What is the problem?”

Eve moved in front of him so her back was to the group of royals. “I saw you nearly fall a moment ago. You need to go back to your apartment and rest. Now.”

“I cannot,” Luis said. “Grace and I have an interview with La Voix. It is their reward for killing the photo of us on the beach.” His smile was slightly wicked this time. “I treasure that picture myself.”

Eve’s traitorous body answered his smile with a liquid slide of heat. “Have Bruno cancel it, or I will. If you don’t go to bed now, I will sic Dr. Ibarra on you.”

“Dr. Ibarra cannot order me to bed.” His voice held all the arrogance of his position.

“She can tell your family that you require several days of bed rest. I’m pretty sure they can apply enough pressure to put you back in the hospital.”

“Ay, Eve, you don’t know what you ask,” Luis said.

She stepped closer to him and locked her gaze on his face. “I know that everyone in this room cares deeply about you. If you don’t make an exit in the next five minutes, I will tell them what I saw.”

And then she waited with her fingers mentally crossed. If he refused, no one could actually make him go to bed.

His sigh seemed to come from his toes. “Bien. But you will accompany me to my habitación…as my crutch. I do not wish to stumble on the way.”

He must feel like crap to have agreed so quickly, but not for a second did she think he needed her assistance. However, if she could get him into his bed faster that way, she would do it.

“Please continue to welcome Grace into the family,” Luis said, changing the timbre of his voice so everyone turned to listen. “I must speak with Eve and Bruno privately.”

There was a chorus of goodbyes. Raul met his father’s eye, and Luis gave a small shake of his head. Luis gestured Eve toward a door that Bruno hurried to open for them.

“Bruno, I regret to ask this of you, but I must cancel the interview with La Voix today,” Luis said, striding down a passage lined with suits of armor. “Tell them they still have the exclusive but reschedule it for tomorrow.”

The king’s assistant didn’t blink. “Of course, Se?or.”

“That is all I require now,” Luis said, continuing to walk.

“Yes, Se?or.” Bruno peeled off at an intersecting corridor.

As soon as his assistant was gone, Luis slowed his pace. “We need to be deep in conversation so no one approaches us.”

“Okay. Um, will Grace have a Bruno equivalent?” Eve asked, matching her stride to Luis’s. Should she take his arm to support him?

“Yes, she may choose from our palace staff, or she may hire from the outside, as long as Mikel has vetted the candidate,” Luis said.

“I could use a Bruno myself,” Eve said. “He’s pretty handy.”

“He would be flattered to hear you say that,” Luis said.

As they made a turn, the corridor became wider and less medieval. It also had people bustling through it. Luis picked up his pace, and people stepped to the side with respectful half bows in a ripple of movement as he passed. Every now and then, someone murmured, “Felicidades,” which Eve assumed was meant as congratulations to Luis on his newly discovered daughter.

One man started to approach them, but Luis looked down his nose while giving a minuscule shake of his head. The man practically doubled over in a bow as he backed away.

“What should we talk about?” Eve asked, remembering that they should be conversing.

“Grace, because she is an extraordinary young woman.” His voice held both wonder and pride. “And you are an extraordinary mother. She is who she is because of you. Gracias a Dios that Odette chose you to raise our child.”

Eve stumbled as his words tore through her, leaving a confusion of emotions in their wake. Gratification at his tremendous compliment was a brilliant glow, but resentment at the way he had taken her daughter away from her seared like acid. Overshadowing it all was the loneliness that hollowed her out.

“Thank you,” she choked out.

“Are you all right, querida?” he asked in a low voice.

“Please don’t call me that,” she said as the endearment slashed at her heart.

His mouth tightened with displeasure. People moved out of their way with speed now.

They made another turn into a hallway where two guards in dark suits stood in front of closed double doors. She recognized it as the entrance to the private quarters of the palace.

One guard leaped to open the doors. “Su Majestad. Se?ora.” He bowed them through.

The doors closed behind them, and Luis slowed again. “That was a long hike,” he said.

Eve put her arm around his waist. “Lean against me, and I’ll help you.”

He wrapped his arm over her shoulders and surprised her by shifting so she was carrying some of his weight. “You must feel worse than I thought.”

“I’m just tired,” he said. “The emotions have been powerful these last few days.”

They passed the door to Eve and Grace’s suite and continued toward the end of the hallway where Luis pressed his thumb against the electronic pad, and the latch clicked open.

“Come in with me,” he said. “Por favor.”

She nodded because he still leaned on her. They went through the wide doorway and into the sitting room where Luis had collapsed. Now, everything was neat as a pin, and the air held the faint clean scent of citrus. There was even a new leather trash can.

He headed for a door across the room, where she could see a large ornately carved bed. She would get him in there and then clear out.

He was leaning on her more heavily now. Why did the rooms in his habitación have to be so darn huge?

But they made it into his bedroom, where he sagged onto the giant bed, which had wooden frilled dragons winding up and down the bedposts. The carvings would give Eve nightmares.

Eve knelt at his feet to untie his polished wingtips.

“You do not need to do that,” Luis said. “I can manage.”

She glanced up at his drawn face. Even the makeup couldn’t hide his pallor now. “You take care of your necktie.”

She heard the rustle of silk as she slipped off his shoes. When she stood again, the necktie lay tossed on the other side of the bed, and he was unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt.

God, she wanted to comb her fingers through his silvery hair and kiss his deliciously sculpted lips. He would pull her down with him as he fell back onto the green velvet duvet, and they would strip off each other’s clothes…

“Eve.” Whatever he saw in her face had lit a hot blue flame in his eyes.

She took a step backward. “Right. Do you want to change into pajamas?” she said in her cheerful, no-nonsense, vet tech-to-pet owner voice. “Tell me where to find them.”

“I do not need pajamas.” His voice was a low purr. “But perhaps you will help me with my clothes.”

“Nope. You’re on your own with that.” She backed up another two steps. “I’m going to go sit in your living room to make sure you stay in this bed for the next three hours.”

“I will not be able to sleep knowing you are almost within my reach. Stay here with me, as you did in the hospital,” he said, holding out his hand, those long, elegant fingers beckoning her to give in to temptation.

Remembering how they had touched her sent a rush of heat between her legs.

“Once your head hits that pillow, you won’t be able to keep your eyes open,” she said. “Now lie down before you fall over.”

He gave a ghost of a laugh. “You would be safe with me for that very reason.”

Pulling back the covers, he lifted his long legs and slid between the sheets, making her ache to slide in with him.

“Promise you will be here when I wake up,” he murmured as he closed his eyes.

She couldn’t stop herself from coming back to his bedside. Leaning over, she smoothed her hand over his gleaming hair and laid a gentle kiss on the smooth skin of his temple.

The gladness in his smile almost broke her heart.

Luis woke up slowly and with some confusion, opening his eyes to find himself in his bedroom in the dimness of dusk. A line of bright light from the barely open door traced across the Persian rug, but no voices came from beyond it.

He pushed himself upright as memory returned. Eve had forced him into bed but had refused to join him. It would have been so much better to wake with her lovely body curled against his side.

But she had promised to stay outside the door to keep his sleep from being interrupted. That prodded him to throw off the covers, scrub his hands over his face a couple of times, and cross the room to push open the door.

Raul sat at Luis’s desk, typing away on a laptop. Grace perched cross-legged on the sofa with a tome of Calevan history open on her lap, earbuds in her ears.

And Eve was curled in an armchair by the fireplace, reading on a tablet. Someone must have brought her a change of clothes, because she wore jeans and a pale green shirt. The sight of her bare feet with their bright red nail polish sent a flicker of lust through him.

She looked up even though he swore he hadn’t made a sound. “Luis!” Her tablet slid out of her hand to thud onto the floor as she stood. “How are you feeling?”

He felt her gaze roam over his face and body as though she touched him, but her inspection was clinical. A doctor examining a patient.

“I hate to admit it, but better,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair as he realized he must look disheveled.

Raul leaped up from his chair, while Grace pulled out her earbuds, both of them calling out their chosen names for him. Pater. Dad. He grabbed the doorframe as his heart twisted in his chest.

This! This was what he wanted his life to be. No more of the solitary ruler knocking around in his lonely habitación. He wanted to be greeted by a woman who stood up to him for his own good and his two children who worried about their father’s well-being. This was what it felt like to be loved.

Grace bolted across the room to give him a quick hug before she stepped back to survey him with a critical gaze reminiscent of her mother’s. “Are you sure you feel better?”

Raul followed his half sister but contented himself with giving Luis’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “You slept for over five hours, Pater.”

“Ah, that explains the darkness in my room,” Luis said, but he was looking at the woman across the room. The woman who kept this distance between them.

That had to stop.

Tomorrow, he must convince her how wrong she was about him.