Page 34 of A Fierce Princess

“Did you now?” he asks.

I nod and feel the heat creep up my face and neck.

“You are quite the little spy, aren’t you?” he states.

I shrug. “I’m…I was…” I trail off because I honestly don’t know what to say.

He touches my face, and I look up at him.

“I don’t know why you’ve done all of this, but you may have just saved my life. And for that, I’ll always be indebted to you,” he says.

I frown. “I haven’t saved your life yet. Let’s not count our chickens before they hatch,” I point out. “M is somewhere on that island,” I say, pointing to it. “And in about fifteen minutes, we’ll be on it too.”

Something dark crosses his face. “You better get packed then,” he says to me.

I nod and head down to my cabin. It only takes me about ten minutes to pack my belongings. Normally, I have people that do this for me. It feels oddly liberating to pack my own things. Although I find myself packing it just as the palace staff would. It’s usually Bianca who packs my luggage. She’s also the maid appointed to my apartment. She and another woman, Julia, tend to my rooms and my belongings. I shake my head at the strangeness of it all. And then I think about Logan. He’s about to see all of that for the very first time.

I’ve never really thought about it through the eyes of an outsider. Most people who visit the palace are either royalty themselves, or very, very wealthy. They are used to staff surrounding them all the time, taking care of their every desire. Logan won’t be used to this. Logan does everything for himself.

An idea strikes me as I zip my suitcase closed, jamming the top down so the zipper will work. I go to Chris’s room and knock on the door.

Mia opens it. “Yes, Your Highness?” she asks, stepping back to let me in. I can see the hurt on her face. She knows she’s being left out of something, and she doesn’t like it.

“Chris?” I say to my brother who finishes zipping his own bag before looking up at me.

“Yes?” he asks.

“I wonder if, perhaps, we should take our guest to the summer palace. I mean, let’s be honest, our home is a bit…overwhelming,” I say.

Chris is silent as he ponders my idea. “I think you might be right. Mia, can you take care of setting up the arrangement for Auggie, Anna, Logan, and myself and our staff to relocate to the summer palace upon our arrival back home?” Chris says to Mia.

“Of course,” she chirps as she pulls out her phone. I see the bars and realize our arrival is imminent as she has cell signal. My stomach drops, and I feel queasier than when we sailed through the storm.

I step back into the hallway and find Pete.

“Everything alright, Anna?” he asks. I nod. “I hear that Logan will be joining us.”

I nod again. “Yes, Pete. He will,” I say and begin to walk up to the deck. He gently takes my arm.

“Susanna,” he says. Pete seldom says my full name. I pause and look back at him. “I don’t know what you are up to, but I do know you are up to something. Please, be careful.”

“Pete, you don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll be fine. In fact, I just suggested we all head to the summer palace, so that Logan is a bit more comfortable,” I half lie to him.

He raises an eyebrow. “And so the king doesn’t grill him?” he asks.

I shrug. “I’m sure Daddy will grill him regardless. It’s what he does,” I point out.

“Very true,” he says. Before he lets go, he adds, “I’m serious, Anna, be careful.”

I put a hand on his and squeeze. “I will,” I murmur as I pull away and head back to the deck. I can’t help thinking that Pete and Lucas are going to be royally pissed off when they find out what’s going on.

Logan sees me and ushers me over. We’re very close to the marina now.

“I don’t want you near me until we’re on that plane tonight. Do you understand?” he says.

I frown. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving you. I can come help you pack,” I say. “Keep a lookout.”

He shakes his head. “It’s not safe. If what you say is true, then this M is on the island wanting to kill me. Let’s not play Russian roulette, OK?” he says.

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