Page 13 of His Hidden Royal Heirs

“This is acastle.” Perhaps on the smaller side of many of the royal palaces she’d been to in her life, but it was still so clearly built for royalty. Stately stones, towers, intricate windows and cornices. Like a fairy tale with the snow fluttering in huge flakes all around them, and the trees and rolling ground heavy with snow.

Cristhian studied the grand building as if he’d never considered that term before. “Not a castle.”

“It hasturrets.”

But he would not be deterred, because of course the man she’d been so physically attracted to she’d forgotten all sense would be the most stubborn man alive.

“Old, yes,” he returned. “There’s some ancient Scandinavian line to my grandmother’s family. But we have never called it a castle. This is EspinasCottage.”

She snorted at the wordcottage, but he ignored her.

“Very private. Very out of the way. We will have a few days to determine how we will move forward.”

“Weoryou?”

He shrugged in that arrogant way of his. “Feel free to argue semantics all you like. For now, we should get in out of the cold.”

Which meant he thought he was going to be making all the choices. And she was clearly stuck here—in a castle, in the middle of a blizzard, with a man who thought he ran the world.

How familiar, all in all.

And because it was familiar and frustrating, she found those old rebellions swimming around in her as he helped her walk through the snow, up grandcastlestairs. She wanted to lash out, shock, get a leg up on all that male certainty. Just like she had as a wild, impetuous teenager who’d only ever been cowed by threats against her sister. Because her parents saw Beau’s panic attacks as a weakness, a blight. Not simply a condition to be treated. For years, Zia had done whatever they wanted in the hopes they wouldn’t lock Beau away.

But her sister wasn’t here. The only one Zia could hurt now was herself. Andhim.

“There is something I forgot to mention,” she offered as they stepped into a grand, echoing foyer.

“What’s that?” he returned somewhat absently.

“I’m not having your baby, Cristhian.”

He sighed heavily, disdain in every second of the sound. “Zia—”

“I am having yourbabies. Twins.” And she had the great satisfaction of seeing his mouth go slack for a moment. The total and utter shock she’d put in his expression. Not put together even enough to find that blank look. Just pure, unadulterated shock.

So she smiled at him for the first time since he’d shown up in her life again, and meant that smile.

CHAPTER SIX

ZIAWASSMUG. That self-satisfied smiled landed in his gut with a twist of fury and want, a dangerous and unfortunate combination. Because he could indulge in neither feeling that plagued him.

Twins.Two babies. It really didn’t matter the number, he supposed, but it felt like a blow all the same. Shewantedit to feel like a blow if that smile of hers was anything to go by.

So he would not react to her words. He would try not to react to her words.

“I will show you to your rooms.” He sounded stiff even to his own ears, and this would not do. He could not let her know when her barbs landed. He could not show any weakness. This was too delicate. “You are no doubt exhausted. You certainly look it.”

She chuckled, as if this was not an insult. “No doubt,” she agreed readily. “Hungry as well.”

“I will have the cook make you up a tray.”

“Excellent.” He led her to the stairs. Maybe the staircase was ornate. Maybe the large, uniquely shaped windows, the soaring apses, the intricate corbels and arcading gave the illusion of great elegance, but the building was a bit squat, all in all. Much of the royal accoutrements had been taken down and away before the cottage had come into his possession.

He kept it andlikedit because it was off the beaten path. No relatives tried to “drop in” to this cottage far north of their kingdom like they did some of his other estates, usually in some effort to stir up some gossip or hard feelings. No, this was one of the few things passed down from his mother that felt likehis.

So he would not be irritated that she insisted it had a turret, or that she wanted to keep pushing the point he was royal. It did not matter whatshethought.

And what of King Rendall?

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