Page 67 of His Runaway Princess

Time didn’t have any meaning with his eyes closed. Even when he opened them, the continual daylight outside didn’t give him a frame of reference. It seemed like no time had passed at all and an eternity at the same time before Dr. Lincoln returned.

They talked for a few minutes, then the doctor surprised Ryker. “I’m okay with you being moved to the palace as long as you follow instructions.”

Ryker sat up a bit straighter. “Absolutely.”

“Good man.”

The doctor went over restrictions and everything else with him and Amalia. Ryker knew others would be given the same instructions.

After being transferred to a wheelchair, Ryker was taken to a side entrance where he wouldn’t be seen. The ride didn’t last overly long, but every bump caused him to wince and even stifle a small scream once.

Once taken inside, a member of the staff - one he hadn’t met yet - wheeled him to the elevator. Amalia stayed right next to him the whole time.

He didn’t know who made the determination as to where he’d be taken, but they wheeled him straight to Amalia’s room. Though he’d been staying in her apartment, he hadn’t been sleeping in her room after that first night.

It seemed likely that no one else knew that.

Or maybe it was because she had an adjustable bed frame which would allow him to rest more comfortably.

After a couple of people helped him get settled, Amalia made sure they left but also ordered some food through her phone.

She moved one of the chairs closer to the side of the bed and sat down, pulling a blanket around her. “How are you feeling?”

“More worn out than I should just because I changed locations,” he admitted. “I felt better before we left, but I am glad to be here. I think it’ll be good in the long run.”

Amalia nodded, but didn’t really look at him.

“What is it?” Were those fresh tears? Why? He was going to be fine so they couldn’t be for him.

The fingers of one hand reached out from behind the blanket he now realized had become a protective barrier. “I was so scared. It would have been all my fault.”

He wanted to reach for her, but she stayed too far away. “It couldn’t be your fault. I know I don’t remember much yet, but I do know that.”

“If I hadn’t slipped away in Ravenzario...”

“He would have found you some other time, some other way. Queen Elizabeth even had someone get into her bedroom at Buckingham Palace in the 1980s. Even the best laid plans sometimes go awry. We do everything in our power to make sure they don’t, but have to be prepared for when they do. That’s what happened here.”

She looked at him just long enough for him to catch her eye and hold it.

“Come here, love,” he said softly. It wasn’t the first time he’d used the term of endearment, but he didn’t remember making a conscious choice to do so.

Amalia shook her head and retreated farther behind the blanket.

“Please.” He started to re-situate himself so he could get to her.

She glared at him through her tears. “Don’t get up.”

Ryker raised an eyebrow at her. “Then come here.”

Huffing, she went around to the other side of the bed and climbed on, sitting with her legs criss-crossed in front of her.

It meant he could reach under the blanket still around her shoulders and find her knee. He would have preferred her hand, but he couldn’t reach that far.

Instead, he settled for resting his hand on her bent knee. “None of this was your fault. It couldn’t be. He’s clearly deranged and has likely been stalking you on some level for years. It may not have become anything more than regularly doing a web search or showing up at some place he knew you’d be. Taking it personal probably would have happened eventually with or without me.”

As he spoke, she sat up a bit straighter. “You remember?”

Ryker blinked and searched his mind. “I guess I am remembering more.” He wouldn’t have been able to tell her that a couple of hours earlier. “I don’t think I remember everything, but there’s definitely more coming to me.”

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