Undertow (The Prospects #1)

Chapter 1

Sagan

“What do you mean my parents aren’t coming to my graduation?” I asked, my tone making it clear they better think before speaking such lies to me again.

The man I vaguely recognized from court cleared his throat. “Princess, it’s true and there—”

“My parents would never miss my graduation,” I told him firmly as I spun on him. I waved my graduation cap at him and gestured to the gown over my dress. “They love these things. I’ve had a lot of them. I think it’s why they’ve had me go to so much schooling after all—”

“Princess,” he gasped, others in the room freezing. “They—of course—they were on their way and—”

“No!” I screamed, breaking my royal training for once.

Pity filled his eyes as he realized I’d figured it out and wasn’t just being a bitch.

I jabbed my finger in his chest as I tried to blink back tears.

“You are mistaken. I don’t know who you are, but when they hear of this, they will—they will—it will be your head that—”

He clasped my hand between his. “I’m so sorry, Princess Sagan, but their plane—”

“Please,” I choked out as the tears broke free. “Please don’t say it. Please!”

“The king and queen died in the crash,” he continued anyways.

The roar I let out was beyond what any normal dragon could make. I barely registered windows and more shattering as my world shattered. Everything was gone in that one statement.

And something broke deep inside of me… Mostly because I couldn’t fix the fight I’d had with them now. My last shitty comments about what school they would send me to next instead of wanting me at their side like family who loved me.

I was lost in my own head and missed too much because I blinked and was sitting on a plane.

I glanced at the man who had told me the bad news and gave him the look he deserved.

“You tell me my parents died in a plane accident and your first thought is to stick me on a plane? One of our planes? Are you daft?”

The squint he gave me was ridiculous and as if I was being a dramatic, spoiled princess.

“Shut it down,” I ordered the pilot when I heard him saying he was about to taxi.

“Princess, we have—” the man started to say.

“I don’t even know you,” I snapped. “You tell me my parents are dead and then whisk me off. I’m not an idiot.

I also don’t have any details from someone trusted.

” I got annoyed when the pilot seemed to ignore me, jumping to my feet and going to the front.

I yanked off his headset. “Shut it down before you lose your head.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he whispered, giving me too wide of eyes.

I turned back to the first man. “Where are my belongings? I was to give a speech and—”

“None of that matters anymore.”

I let out a slow breath and ran my tongue over my teeth. “Unless you’ve suddenly become the new king—and we both know that’s impossible—you are speaking to the new ruler of Thovudin. This is the last time you forget that or interrupt me or you will not live to see the end of the day, savvy?”

I was glad when he went pale and finally understood what was really going on.

And who sent this man to act as if I was some twit to follow just anyone around?

I got the answers I needed before cutting him off, keenly aware of the annoyance in his eyes. He has to be an aide to one of the elders to be this sexist and full of himself.

I called the one person I trusted more than anyone. “Benson, is it true?”

“Yes,” he answered but then muttered to someone to hold on. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to be the one to tell you, but I was ordered not to contact you and it would be handled.”

Ice filled my veins. “No one has the authority to order you besides my parents or now me.”

He was quiet a moment. “I would advise you get home as fast as possible and remind some people of that. Things have taken a turn—things haven’t been going well while you’ve been gone.”

I swallowed a snort. I wouldn’t know anything about that from the way my parents kept me out of just about anything to do with my own damn country.

“Who is this guy that came to pick me up?” I narrowed my eyes when the man huffed and fumed.

“You have yet to introduce yourself to me and keep bossing me around like I’m your underling. ”

“He’s what?” Benson growled.

I smirked, glad that would be handled. I quickly told him what happened and what I’d done.

“Good, smart,” he praised.

“Thank you, because the pilot wasn’t going to even listen to me,” I snitched further, glad when the man winced, probably guessing who I was talking to. “I want that handled as well because only an idiot would get on a plane and fly after her parents died in a crash.”

“I understand you’re scared now, but you weren’t part of the crash,” the aide said with annoyance.

I blinked at him. “I’m not—you’re a bloody fool.

Silence. Seriously, you…” I let out a slow breath.

“Benson, how did my parents’ plane go down?

Was it an assassination? Do we know? Could any of our other planes have been messed with and this is an attempt to wipe out the main royal family in one day? ”

I couldn’t help but add “idiot” under my breath when the aide seemed like he hadn’t thought about that yet.

Seriously, and he was treating me like I was dumb?

“There is no indication of that,” Benson told me firmly. “They reported bad weather and probably should have landed or circled back. It was… It is what it is.”

“What?” I pushed, my throat tightening.

“I can’t speak to more than what I overheard, and it’s not something we should discuss over the phone or when I’m being watched. Just get here fast. Let me speak to the pilots. I’m furious you don’t even have real escorts.”

I snorted as I glanced at the aide. I now understood there was more going on, and it was completely intentional.

Unfortunately, I was right.

The pilots were better after they talked to Benson and I didn’t hide my disgust at that. We were landing at the castle’s private airstrip way too fast. I realized after making a call to the dean apologizing for rushing off and not even speaking to him first that I had zoned out.

Partially because the dean had already been informed and apologized to on my behalf.

And no one had that authority. Also, that the private security my parents hired to protect me in that country in coordination with the school no longer had a contract with the royal family.

I had choice words about a security company allowing someone outside our family to terminate the contract. Great security.

So clearly, there were several things I needed to handle and fast when I stepped off the plane instead of grieving like I should be.

Awesome. Seriously awesome.

I put on my strongest, thickest, and deepest emotional and mental armor as the doors were opened. I shot the aide a look of death as he tried to move first like he was all that mattered.

And that was when I realized the games I didn’t know were being played had begun. There was no one waiting to receive me, not even guards.

Not. One. Person.

That didn’t happen even at the rare times I came home to visit, much less when I was now in charge.

So someone is already vying for the power they think they should have instead of a woman they will say is too young.

I snorted as my dragon did. Well, I was good at eating people.

The aide kept in step with me which was stupid as well. “You have a meeting with—”

I turned to give him my full attention. “Again, I have no idea who you are and you are not the boss of me. I told you to be quiet and you have now disregarded my orders again.”

“Yes, but you need to know this information, Your Highness,” he argued. “You need to be at this—”

I sighed and glanced around, finding a guard I recognized. “Could you please take this disrespectful fool to the dungeon to cool his heels and inform Benson that I need to speak with him immediately. Why wasn’t he here to meet me?”

The guard hurried over and grabbed the arm of the now-outraged aide. “Princess, he was ordered into a meeting and…”

More he couldn’t say. That left me with one question. “Where?”

“The throne room, Your Highness.”

I sucked in a harsh breath between my teeth and couldn’t even hide my reaction to that. This was bordering on treason, not just vying for power. Someone besides a member of the royal family was holding meetings in the throne room?

“Get a trusted detail on me now and let’s start the fun,” I told him.

He did one better and handed off the aide to someone and grabbed a few more guards he seemed to know well as we went.

“No one is to enter here,” someone snapped as I opened the door to the throne room.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said evenly. “So it was shocking to hear that people have and a meeting was called here when only a member of the royal family can do so, and as I’m the only remaining main member—”

“It didn’t seem the time to stand on such rigid lines when something so tragic has happened,” Elira, a ward of the royal family, interrupted me.

I raised an eyebrow. “That wasn’t your call to make. I know you like to refer to yourself as the adopted daughter of the king and queen, but you are not. You were never—”

“Your sister—” one of the elders interjected.

“I just said she isn’t my sister, and this insanity of people interrupting me will cease,” I said firmly, my tone ice-cold as I met his gaze.

“I understand we have all suffered a great loss, but if I can keep my head when it affects me most, there is no excuse for people to act like they were raised in a barn and forgot every rule they lived by under my parents.”

He opened his mouth, but I obviously dismissed him by focusing on Benson… And did my best to ignore how handsome he was. Part of me was always disappointed he was still ridiculously handsome when I saw him.