Chapter 25
KYLE
Ipuffed out my cheeks as I made my way through the wide halls of the palace, my temples throbbing a little from the knock-out juice they’d used on me. I rubbed the back of my neck, still disappointed that no one trusted me enough to let me stay awake when we’d left the lab behind.
I puckered my lips as I recalled the intense conversations that had happened inside those walls. Before I could think about it further, I arrived at the double doors leading into our suite.
My heart beat a little harder against my ribs as I considered the conversation that I was about to have.
But I didn’t want to delay it. Actually, I didn’t have time to delay it.
I pushed into the living room.
Ava leapt from her seat, her eyes wide. “Doc! Where have you been?”
“Uhhh, doing some things,” I murmured.
“Dude, you were like gone…for a long time,” Alex said. “Like a long, long time.”
“I know,” I said, rubbing the back of my head as I tried to figure out where to start.
Ava stretched her hands to the sides. “You couldn’t have said something? We thought the ice queen put you in jail for making eyes at the queen.”
“Queen Regent,” I corrected, “and no. Also, I didn’t really have the option to tell you. Stuff happened really quickly.”
“What does that mean?” Ava demanded.
I licked my lips, crossing to them and perching on the armchair’s edge. “Well, some stuff has happened that we really need to talk about.”
Ava dropped onto the cushion next to Alex, her eyes wide. “Why does that sound really bad?”
“Yeah,” Alex echoed, leaning forward to balance his elbows on his knees, “should I be firing the jet asap? Or are we going to soon be escorted to a dungeon?”
“No, not that,” I said with a shake of my head, my voice tentative.
“Doc, what happened? Why do you look like you’ve been through the war?”
“Do I?” I asked, my features wrinkling.
Ava smacked a palm against her forehead. “Please tell us what’s happening. We have been worried sick about you.”
“Well, I’m fine. I just…some things have happened. And I need your help.”
Alex and Ava shared a concerned glance before Ava reached for my hand. “Whatever you need. Just tell us. If I need to fight off the ice queen, I’ll do it.”
This time I chuckled. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to tell them what was going on. They were my friends, and they had my back. At least, I hoped so.
“No, it’s nothing like that. But Nattie told me what’s going on. We have a solution, but I need your help.”
“What do we need to do? Fight her brother?” Ava asked.
“In a way. Umm, okay, I need you to keep an open mind because this is kind of crazy.”
“Like The Board crazy?” Alex asked. “Because we’re pretty good with crazy.”
“Yeah, you are. And this is just about as crazy,” I said with a laugh as I rose to my feet and paced the floor. “So, Nattie’s dad was shot.”
“Ohh,” Ava said, a frown forming on her face. “What a shame. Do they know that it was her brother or…?”
“They think so. The thing is…he’s not exactly dead.”
Ava slouched a little in her seat. “So, he’s braindead or what? Is she upset that her brother wants him declared dead before he’s actually gone?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head, “no, that’s not it.”
I twisted to face them, my eyes wide. “They froze him.”
Alex shifted his head forward, his features questioning. “Huh?”
“They froze him,” I repeated, “like cryogenically.”
“Whoa,” Alex murmured, his eyes going wide. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. But then, the doctor who did it…was murdered.” Saying the words aloud reminded me of the stakes again. The last guy who helped Nattie ended up dead. I was treading on dangerous ground.
“What?” Ava’s voice took on an incredulous tone.
“Yeah, so…they were kind of hoping we’d want to help them with this whole unfreezing of dad thing. And I kind of told them we would.” I winced a little as I glanced at my friends with a hopeful expression on my features. “Right?”
They stared back at me, their faces a mix of shock and disbelief.
Alex’s lips puckered as he furrowed his brow. “Uhhh, I mean, I’m not really sure I have enough skills to do anything to unfreeze a human.”
I eased back onto the chair, my features pleading. “I mean, it’s not bad. All the research is there. I just need to get through it and maybe bounce some ideas off of you both.”
“Alex has a point,” Ava said. “Neither of us are equipped for this. And if something goes wrong, I’m not certain the ice queen is going to take too kindly to it.”
“Look,” I said, poking a finger at Alex, “you’re a genius.”
I shifted my gaze to Ava. “And you’re not far behind, if at all. You both are more than capable of helping me sort through research and form a plan that won’t kill Dad when we thaw him out. After that, it’s up to me.”
“Up to you?”
“Yeah,” I said with a grimace. “The bullet is still lodged near his spine. I need to remove it once he’s awake.”
“Doc!” Ava exclaimed. “Are you sure this is wise? I mean, I know you like her. I get it. But this is crazy. He’s cryogenically frozen with a bullet in his back.”
“And the last guy who tried to help him got killed,” Alex pointed out.
“I know, I know,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Look, I get it. It’s dangerous, yes. But it needs done, and I think we can do it.”
“But do you think we should do it,” Ava said.
I pressed my lips together. Why couldn’t they just agree without all this fuss?
“Yes,” I said with a nod, trying to look more confident than I felt.
“Are you just doing this to impress her? Because, Doc, if that’s the case…I’m not sure this is the right way to go about this. Maybe we could brainstorm some other ideas.” Ava reached out to grab my hand.
“It’s not that. Come on, this requires a special skill set, and it’s one we possess. We can help her. We have to help her.”
Ava licked her lips, bobbing her head. “All right, we’ll help. But the thing is…I’m a little worried about you. I know she means a lot to you, but this request…Doc, it just seems like maybe she’s–“
“Don’t say using me because that’s completely untrue,” I said, pulling my hand from Ava’s and rising again.
“Is it?” Ava heaved a sigh, standing and stopping me in my tracks as I stalked back and forth. “Doc, I can see in your eyes how much she means to you, but was this all about getting us to help her? Did you even discuss a relationship?”
“We did,” I answered with a nod. “And that brings me to the second thing I need to ask you.”
“Oh, Doc,” Ava said, a consoling look softening her features. “If you need us to tell her how worth it you are, of course we will, but—”
“No, it’s not that.” I shifted on my feet, nerves buzzing just beneath my skin. I didn’t know how they’d take the news, but I hoped they’d be happy for me.
“We, um… I was really hoping Alex would be my best man.”
“Best man?” Alex’s brow furrowed. “Like, for a wedding?”
Ava’s eyes went wide.
“Yep,” I said, swallowing hard. “Nattie and I are getting married—tonight.”
“Tonight?!” Ava exclaimed. “What? How did this happen?”
I grinned, letting the excitement wash over me as saying the words aloud made it seem all the more real. “Well, uh, turns out…this whole unfreezing the father thing is going to take a while, right? I mean, we don’t want to make a mistake, right?”
Ava nodded, silently urging me to continue.
“So, apparently, her brother’s moving forward with having him declared dead before we can bring him back.”
“So? Wouldn’t that make her queen?”
I held up a finger. “He found some ancient law—says a female monarch can’t take the throne unless she’s married.”
Ava’s features turned concerned. “So she asked you to marry her?”
“No,” I corrected, “I asked her. She insisted she didn’t want to put that on me. Didn’t want me to feel pressured, but I want nothing more than to be married to her. I have never felt a connection to anyone like I feel with her. I’m not missing my chance.”
“Doc, this could be…” Ava shook her head, trying to come up with the rest of the statement.
“What? The best thing that happened to me? I mean, everyone else went into a marriage for other reasons and look how it turned out. Dad and Julia are happy. You and Mav are crazy in love. Why can’t it happen for me?”
Ava glanced at Alex who shrugged before she rubbed my shoulder. “We want that for you too. You know we’re just worried about you, that’s all. We want you to be happy.”
“I am. I will be. I’m going to be married to this beautiful woman who doesn’t think I’m over-the-top and crazy. In fact, she seems to enjoy my line-crossing personality which is kind of refreshing.”
“Hey, we enjoy your line-crossing personality, too.” Ava wagged a finger at me.
I grabbed it and shifted it to the side. “Yes, I know. But you two are married. I’m the third wheel.”
“Hardly, but we understand. And we definitely hope this works out the way you expect.”
Alex rose from his seat and thrust his hand forward. “And we’d be happy to be at your wedding.”
I grinned at him as I gave his hand a hearty shake. “Aww, thanks, buddy. I can’t believe it’s happening, to be honest. I feel like it’s not real.”
I huffed out a breath, the butterflies in my stomach fluttering again. “But it is…and we only have an hour or so to get ready.”
“I hope I can borrow a dress. A royal wedding wasn’t exactly what I expected when we hopped on the plane,” Ava said as she pulled me into a hug.
“I’m sure you can,” I said as I tightened my grip around her, wondering if I’d finally found my happily ever after. “And thanks to you both for supporting me.”
“Of course, Doc,” Alex said with a clap of my shoulder as I pulled back from Ava. “Sounds like it’s going to be a wild few weeks for you, though.”
“Does it have to be tonight?” Ava asked. “I mean, surely, you want to call your family.”
“I hadn’t thought of it, and yes, it needs to be tonight.
” Even if we could move it, I didn’t want to.
I was literally waiting for the other shoe to drop and this to all be canceled.
That was normally my luck. “But it’s fine.
I don’t need anyone else here. Just me and Nattie.
And you guys, because you’re my friends. ”
Ava rubbed my arm. “Well, we’re happy to be here for you, and I’ll take plenty of pictures for you to share later.”
“Thanks, Ava,” I said.
She raised her eyebrows, sucking in a deep breath. “Well, I’m going to go see about wrangling some appropriate clothing for this. Are you two good here?”
“Actually,” I answered, “I’ll go with you. Because I don’t exactly want to get married to my princess in jeans and hoodie.”
We hurried from the room, finding a staff member waiting for us in the hall to arrange clothing. Within the hour, we had it and I was buttoning my crisp white shirt before I fiddled with the silk bowtie.
No matter how many times I tried, I couldn’t get it to work. I’d have to ask Ava for help. My sweaty palms just wouldn’t do it justice.
I wiped them against my pant legs as I stared in the mirror. Every doubt I’d ever had about myself crept back into my mind. I wondered if I’d be left at the altar. My mind just refused to compute that this would be my path to happiness.
Yet, I couldn’t shake the image burned into my brain of the tears shining in Nattie’s eyes and the soft smile on her lips as she nodded in response to my proposal before she choked out the word, “Yes!”
Would we divorce once the problem with her father was solved? If we even married, my mind said.
I slid my eyes closed, biting into my lower lip. The creak of the door drew my attention. I opened my eyes, snapping my gaze through the mirror to the door. I expected Ava, but instead, my heart stopped for a moment when Nadia strode in wearing a fitted black, satin gown.
“Hey,” I said, my throat tightening. I assumed she was here to give me the bad news: my wedding was off. My services were no longer needed.
Or maybe that they’d still like me to revive dear old Dad, but instead of being a member of the family, I’d just be a prisoner of the secret lab and then disposed of when my work was complete.
“Hello, doctor. We need to have a word.”
I licked my lips, shifting my weight from foot to foot. “Okay. Although, it’s getting late. We really should get going. I’d hate to miss my own wedding.”
I chuckled more than I should have, but her expression remained serious.
I cleared my throat, wiping any trace of amusement from my features as she crossed her arms.
“You’ll make the time.”
“Right,” I said as I grabbed my tie and tried to finish it again. This time, it went even worse than the previous attempts thanks to my shaky hands.
“Can I trust you, doctor?”
I swallowed hard, ripping the fabric from around my neck. “Uhhh, is that a trick question?”
“No,” she answered as she stalked closer to me, taking the black material from my hands and sliding it around my neck.
My muscles tensed as she started to tie it. “I mean, yes?”
“That doesn’t sound like an answer,” she said, her eyes fixed on my neck.
“Yes,” I said, trying to sound firmer. “You can trust me.”
The bow came together, and she shifted her hands from my tie to my throat. “With my sister’s life?”
“Yes,” I squeaked, terror racing through my veins.
“And her heart?”
I nodded. “I care about her. I…love her. I know how that sounds but…I’m not a super normal guy, and when I fall…I fall pretty fast and pretty hard. I’d do anything to protect her.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, squeezing my cheeks between her thumb and fingers as she tugged me closer.
“If I find out that you are being disingenuous in any way, if you so much as lie about your middle name to her, I make certain you die in the most painful way I could possibly conceive. Do you understand?”
“My middle name’s Milton. I promise. Check my driver’s license,” I said, my voice rushed.
She squeezed my cheeks a little harder. “Do you understand?”
“Uh-huh,” I choked out before she released her death grip on my face and sent me stumbling back a few steps.
“Good. Then we have an understanding.” She poked a finger at my jacket. “You’d better hurry. You wouldn’t want to be late, doctor.”
She strode from the room, slamming the door behind her. I grabbed my jacket, my hands still trembling. As I tugged it on, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was in for. What was my life about to become?