Chapter 3
Clover paced the length of the living room while her father and Rainer murmured back and forth in the kitchen.
When she first felt the strange sensations in her chest, she’d thought she was going crazy and ran straight to Ruth.
Ruth had asked her questions and helped her realize she’d been feeling emotions, but they hadn’t matched how Clover felt.
Her sister had called her father, her brother, Nathaniel, and Rainer, and they’d discussed the situation at length. Rainer, the know-it-all, informed them about the Mountain Prince sharing her birthday.
After the initial shock, she’d had a few days to get used to the idea of being queen and mated to the most powerful boy in the Mountain Kingdom. Her father had assured her that they treated women as equals there; that the Desert Kingdom was the only kingdom in Eden ruled with cruelty.
She had been excited, but now… now she was the future queen of the Desert Kingdom, and all of her excitement withered away, replaced by apprehension.
“This is a good thing,” Rainer told Marcus. “The prince is not his father, and one of our women will be on the throne.”
Clover stumbled slightly as shock—and a small burst of excitement—filled her. Rainer thought Clover being the Desert Queen was a good thing? It was a high honor. She stopped and frowned. That meant…
“You’d give up your throne to the boy? Just like that?” her father asked, voicing Clover’s thoughts. “Everything we’ve worked for was to put you on the throne.”
“Everything we’ve worked for was to save our kingdom,” Rainer snapped. Clover stilled. He never lost his temper.
Outside, two sharp whistles rang out, and Clover darted toward the back door. Rainer held up a hand, and Clover’s father held her back. “You two stay here,” Rainer instructed, and walked outside.
“I don’t like being talked about when I’m not there,” Clover complained.
Her father released her and sat in one of the kitchen chairs. “No one does. At least you know they’re talking good about you.”
She didn’t respond. Panic and fear stabbed her in the chest, and she clutched at her shirt with a gasp.
“Clover?” Her father jumped to his feet, but she was already headed toward the door again.
“Something’s wrong with him,” she insisted, but just as she reached the door, her father grabbed her again. She fought hard, banging against the door, but Marcus was a broad ranch-strong man who used to fight for the king’s battalion.
“They won’t hurt the boy,” he promised her. “He’s just a kid. Calm down.”
Amos’ panic and fear ebbed away, taking the pressure in her chest with it. Panting, she stomped to the living room and threw herself on the couch. She hated being treated like a child.
Clover glanced at the front door, but her father walked into the room before she could escape. “Don’t even think about it, little mouse.”
She really hated that nickname.
After what felt like forever, the back door opened, and she shot to her feet as the prince filled the doorway, followed by Ruth and Rainer.
Amos was handsome, and she liked how the ends of his golden hair curled around his ears and nape.
His eyes were a mix of brown and green. Inside, they looked more brown, but outside in the sun, they looked more green.
His skin was the same warm beige as hers, and the small smile he shot her made her stomach flip.
His smile widened. Remembering he could feel her stronger emotions, she fought to keep her excitement under control. How embarrassing.
“We’re going to step out to give you two privacy,” Rainer told Clover, ignoring Marcus’ protests. After promising he’d fill her father in on everything, Rainer ushered Clover’s family from the room.
Amos walked slowly through the archway connecting the kitchen and the living room, and stopped. She felt his anxiety as if it were her own, but she also felt his admiration. Her cheeks warmed.
“Hi, Clover.”
His voice did that funny thing where it wobbled between high and low. Her brother Nathaniel’s voice had done the same when he was a teenager. Clover had been young, but she’d remembered how funny it sounded.
Amos cleared his throat. “I’m Amos.” Reaching up, he removed his hat and set it on the closest chair. “This is awkward.”
Clover giggled, then promptly wanted to die. She never giggled. Ruth would never let her live it down if she’d heard. “If it helps, I already thought I was someone’s mate, so the news isn’t as shocking as it could be,” she said.
Amos scowled. “You’re my mate. Not Rennick’s.” She felt a prick of jealousy down their bond and fought a smile.
His brows rose. “What’s so funny?”
Her smile broke free. “You. Being jealous over my other hypothetical mate.”
“Stupid bond,” he muttered under his breath. “Don’t call him your mate. Not even hypothetically.”
Clover planted her hands on her hips. “Don’t tell me what to do.” Amusement buzzed down the bond, and she slitted her eyes. “Why do you like it when I threaten you?”
He shrugged. “I like that you fight back.”
Butterflies erupted in her stomach against her will, and she fought to tamp them down so he wouldn’t know how much he affected her. From the look on his face, she’d failed.
His expression sobered and he motioned for her to sit down, taking the seat beside her. “I have something important to ask you.”
Is he going to ask me to move to the capital with him? Do I want to? Would we share a room? Oh my gods, is he going to ask me to marry him?
His hand closed around her knee. “Calm down. You can say no if you want.” She held her breath. “When I watched you spar with your sister, I realized you’re exactly what I’ve been looking for—for a certain position,” he added.
Position? Okay, this was not going in the direction she’d thought it would.
He waited for her to say something, but when she remained quiet, he continued. “I know you know who Rainer really is, and if he trusts you with that secret, I’ll trust you with mine.”
Every muscle in her body tightened on high alert. Rainer told him he’s an heir?
Amos pinned her with his hazel eyes. “I have a twin sister. Other than my mother’s two best friends and your family, no one else knows. Her name is Amelia, and she has been hidden in the Human Kingdom since we were born.”
Clover gaped. She must have looked insane because he laughed quietly. Recovering from the shock, she licked her dry lips. “What does that have to do with me?”
“Now that she is getting older, she needs someone to protect her wherever she goes, but Amelia doesn’t know who she really is,” he explained. “She can’t know she’s being protected.”
Clover rubbed her sternum. “Stop being nervous. It’s itching.”
Amos dropped his head and laughed again. “Sorry.” He sat back, looking older than he was. “I’ve never told anyone outside of your family. It’s hard to trust people.”
“It is.” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “But you can trust me.”
He flipped his hand over and squeezed hers back. “I know.” Sitting forward, he rested his elbows on his knees and looked at her. “You’re as good a fighter as any warrior I’ve sparred with, and you’re Amelia’s age. You’d be the perfect guard for her.”
Being asked to guard a secret heir was the highest honor one could be given, and the fact that he asked Clover almost made her giggle again. “Will she live here with us?”
Amos’s eyes flicked between hers. “No. You’d live in the mountain region of the Human Kingdom with her. It’s not far from here, actually. Maybe a half-day’s ride.”
Her lips parted. “You want to send me to the Human Kingdom? What about my family?”
She felt his guilt and reluctance. “Sending you away is the last thing I want to do, but when my mother died, I swore to her I would protect my sister, and as Amelia gets older, she’ll need more protection. As for your family, I told them they could move with you if they wanted.”
They couldn’t. The Hydra needed Ruth and Rainer, who was like an honorary brother to Clover. Her father had a ranch to run. Her brother Nathaniel and his wife, Franny, owned a bakery in town.
Amos watched her, waiting for an answer. She’d always wanted to be a great warrior in the Hydra; to make a difference. Girls her age didn’t get important assignments like this, and here was the future king, asking her to protect his sister. She’d be a fool to turn it down.
Straightening her shoulders, she met his gaze head on. “I’ll do it.”
Surprise, relief, and remorse flooded her chest before dying down as she watched the prince regain his composure. “Thank you, Clover. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“Why do you feel bad?” she asked, tapping her chest.
His lips pressed into a thin line. “I hate that I’ve had to ask this of you.”
“It’s not like you’re forcing me,” she pointed out. “You asked nicely.”
He snorted, his eyes brightening. “I wish we could spend time together.” Red crept into his cheeks. “I mean, so we can get to know each other since we’re mates.”
Clover bit back a smile. “We’ll have plenty of time when I’m back.” His face fell and alarm bells went off in her head. “How long is the assignment?”
Amos avoided her gaze. “I don’t know.”
The words sat between them like a heavy weight. “If I decide to come home early, can I?”
Amos swallowed hard and nodded, but Clover couldn’t help feel like she was missing something.
ONE WEEK LATER
Amos held his arms up to protect his face as his father’s whip cracked across his forearms. It felt like fire blazing across every inch the leather touched, and when he cried out, his father lashed harder.
Unable to stand the pain in his arms, he spun away and fell flat in the dirt as the whip cracked across his back. The king didn’t yell as he dealt out the punishment for Amos’ heinous crime of disappearing and leaving only a short note with no mention of his whereabouts.