Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Wynn
When I woke in the morning, my head felt as if I’d been drinking all night. I hadn’t, but that sluggish achy feeling was ever present. When I’d returned to the hotel, I was beat. Hannah and Mark ordered room service, and I was able to eat half my meal before exhaustion pulled me under.
Now, in the light of day, everything seemed worse and not better. I couldn’t rely on Julian; I simply didn’t know him well enough, and him asking the freaking king to help me was insane. Hannah, Mark, and I were supposed to ship out to Korvanna today, but I wasn’t allowed to leave Thrindell.
“Please, you and Mark go, have fun. Hopefully after today, everything will get cleared up and I can join you.”
“Absolutely not, Wynn,” Mark argued. “We’re not leaving you alone in a foreign country while you’re under suspicion for fucking murder.”
I sighed and flopped onto my bed. “We have to vacate the room.”
Hannah sat beside me. “Yeah, we only had it until today, and there aren’t any other rooms available. Mark’s going to make a few calls and find out if any other hotels in the area can take us.”
Mark snorted. “You’d think if the police were keeping you here, they’d at least give you a place to stay.”
I lifted myself up, resting on my elbows. “Oh, they have a place. It’s got concrete flooring, and wall-to-ceiling bars.”
Hannah chuckled. “We’ll find a place. In the meantime, we need to get packed up. It’s a beautiful day, so we can gallivant around while Mark secures us lodging.”
“You say that like I’m some alpha male caring for his family. I don’t know if I’ll be able to.”
My phone buzzed, pulling me away from their comical tiff. It was a text from Julian; I’d notified him that I was awake.
Julian
How are you feeling?
Wynn
Meh. Sluggish. Yesterday was a long day, sorry I slept so long.
Julian
Don’t apologize. I would like to see you.
I wanted to see him too, but I really couldn’t abandon Hannah and Mark while they were trying to find us a hotel room.
Wynn
I’d love that, but we’re currently searching for a hotel that can take us. We only had reservations here until today.
Julian
Not a problem, you can all stay at my residence here on Thrindell.
My eyes widened. “What the hell?”
“What is it?” Hannah asked.
“Julian offered for us to stay at his place here on the island.”
Mark beamed. “Sweet, yes, let’s do that.”
“Mark, I can’t ask him to house us.”
He pointed at me with a raised brow. “Yes, you can. We’re stuck here, and finding a place is near impossible. Say yes, Wynn.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
Wynn
Are you sure?
Julian
Absolutely. I’ve put my tour on hold pending the end of this disaster, so I will stay with you throughout.
“He postponed his tour!”
“Awww,” Hannah and Mark said in unison.
I shot them the finger.
Wynn
Is that smart?
Julian
It was necessary. I will be there in an hour to get you.
“We have an hour.”
Hannah clapped. “A castle! This is gonna be fun.”
I rolled my eyes and stood. “I’m going to shower before the prince arrives.” I smirked.
I left the two of them to pack up and went into the bathroom to shower. This vacation was nothing like I’d thought it would be. Half amazing, half horrible. I was very much hoping for a happy medium at some point.
Hannah and Mark had their faces practically pressed to the glass as we pulled up to Julian’s place. It was fantastical of course, the most modern castle I’d been to, but nonetheless enchanting. It really did look like Buckingham Palace but with a tropical vibe.
“There are twelve bedrooms. Minnie will show you the ones available; please choose whichever you’d like,” Julian informed us as we entered the castle.
Minnie was a short, plump lady with a huge smile. I went to follow, but he gently gripped my elbow.
“Something wrong?”
He shook his head. “Where are you going?”
“Uhm…” I glanced at Hannah and Mark, but they were already halfway up the stairs with Minnie. “To go pick my room.”
The left corner of his mouth curled up. “I was hoping you’d share my room with me, since you did last time.”
“Oh, you were?” I laughed.
“Too presumptuous?”
I hummed and ran my finger along the buttons of his shirt. “A bit, but I sort of like it.”
“Good, then it’s settled.” He turned to a gentleman who came from God knew where. “Brantly, would you bring Wynn’s bags to my bedroom?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Come, I’d like to speak with you.” He guided me into what I assumed was a sitting room.
I hadn’t been in this room last time. It was airy with plenty of windows that made the room welcoming.
The sofas were powder blue, the carpet was cream, and the tables were aspen or maybe birch.
The art on the walls was of boats and the ocean. All in all, it was a beachy room.
“What’s going on?” I sat on one of the sofas, and he joined me.
“I spoke with my father as well as my mother. He has agreed to intervene on your behalf.”
“He’s going to what?” I was shocked, not to mention worried, about what this would do to the royal family’s reputation.
“You have nothing to worry about. This won’t last longer than a day. There’s a lot of paper work, he’ll make a public announcement, and then it will be done.”
“What exactly does, ‘it will be done,’ mean?” A tiny part of me was screaming that I was making a deal with the devil.
“You’re my partner, protected by the crown.”
“Your partner? Like, boyfriend?”
He shrugged. “We don’t use boyfriend.”
“Okay…Julian, what does being your partner mean?”
He released a breath, and at the same time I held mine. I had a feeling what he was about to say would change things tremendously.
“I want to keep you, Wynn. When someone in the royal family is courting a person, we refer to them as our partner until marriage. At which point you’d be referred to as Prince Consort until I take the throne; then it could be simply, Prince.”
Yep, that was the wrecking ball slamming straight into my life. “Marriage?”
He nodded curtly. “Yes, I want to keep you.”
Keep me… I tilted my head and really looked at Julian. There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his expression that he meant everything he was saying.
“You can’t keep people, Julian. You can’t choose my life for me.”
“In order for my father to risk the crown, I had to tell them that you were mine forever.” He was so matter of fact about his response.
“So, you lied?”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and it was as if the temperature had dropped in the room. “No, Wynn, I didn’t lie.”
“You intend to keep me here forever? What about my life at home, my friends, my family?”
“We can move them to Lamdera.”
I shook my head. “What?”
“Do you honestly not understand what I’m saying, Wynn, or are you interjecting out of shock or disbelief?”
“Julian.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I can’t move everyone I know here.”
“Why not?”
The conversation was interrupted when Hannah and Mark entered the room. Both were beaming and had mugs in their hands.
“This place is crazy.” Mark laughed.
“Thank you so much for letting us stay here.” Hannah smiled.
“You’re welcome.” Julian regarded them briefly before his attention was back on me. “We can talk about this later. I had lunch prepared, and then the attorney will be coming by with papers and to explain what happens next.”
“Julian, I’m not agreeing to this.”
He leaned closer to me, so close neither Hannah nor Mark would hear him. “I’m not asking you to, Wynn. This is how it will be.” He brushed a kiss against my cheek. “You’ll learn to love this life…to love me.”
An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. He pulled away, and I looked into his eyes; that same darkness I’d seen a few times was lurking behind them. That was the moment I realized it: I had, in fact, made a deal with the devil. And hell was disguised as a fairy tale.