Page 31 of Royal Darling
I gird my loins and step forward as they enter. “Hello.”
Gabriel glowers down at me, his aquamarine eyes sharp, his expression hard. Shades of our Viking ancestors are apparent in his big muscular build and stance. He’s often said he was born in the wrong century and should’ve been a warrior king.
I’m about to blurt, “I’m sorry,” when he grabs me in a crushing hug.
“Okay,” Anna says with a laugh. “Let her breathe. I told you she was fine. Sorry, Emma, he had to see for himself.”
I nod, the air squeezed out of me. Gabriel finally releases me. “Emma, why didn’t you come to me? I would’ve freed you from your agreement with Abdul.”
I lift one shoulder. “There was just so much planning, so much momentum pushing me forward, I didn’t give myself permission to think of an alternative.”
The three guards step inside, waiting nearby.
Gabriel studies me intently. Anna looks sympathetic.
I lower my voice. “I guess it just built to a crescendo in my mind and then I broke.”
“Come home with us,” Gabriel orders.
“Don’t rush her,” Anna says, giving his shoulder a squeeze. She turns and hugs me before drawing back, her hands on my shoulders, a knowing look in her brown eyes. “I hear you have a visitor.”
I gulp. “Jackson helped me when I darted into a crowd of reporters before the guards were ready for me and—”
She cuts me off. “And then there were lots of reporters and paparazzi all over the pair of you, so you made a speedy getaway, and you thought it couldn’t get worse, might as well invite him to stay. For guitar lessons, right? Because the two of you are just friends.” There’s not a trace of sarcasm in her voice, so I have to assume this is the story she’s been telling Gabriel after Lucas filled her in on the pertinent details.
Gabriel’s eyes bore into me.
I flush and focus on Anna, who I know is the key to me being here for as long as I have been. “Yes, that’s exactly right. Thank you for understanding and for everything, really. I don’t think I would’ve even taken the out if you hadn’t had a car waiting for me, so thank you for that too.”
She smiles. “See, Gabriel? I told you that was the right thing to do. I mean, I tried talking sense into her before that, but she’s just like you, she gets an idea in her head and that’s it.”
His brows draw together in a scowl. “Just like me? You’re the one who clings to an idea like a bulldog with a meaty bone.”
“Maybe we both have that wonderful trait.” She goes up on tiptoe and kisses him.
He softens, smiling.
The new king and queen of Villroy are young and in love. I wonder if this was what Villroy’s leaders were like when my parents were young. Somehow I doubt it. Anna doesn’t follow many of the prescribed rules, though she’s doing her best to preserve traditions as she leads us forward. I have a newfound appreciation for Anna and her brash outspoken ways. She was the only one who saw my distress and did something about it. She cares.
“Cute outfit,” she whispers to me.
“Thank you.” I changed into a simple white silk blouse from my own things and a fresh pair of sexy jeans from the dresser. The woman who lived here left several pairs of jeans behind, probably because she was pregnant with twins and wore maternity clothes.
Gabriel strides into the living room, looking around. Their guards remain in the entryway and Viktor heads back upstairs. “Where’s Lucas?”
“He went for a motorcycle ride with Jackson.”
Gabriel shakes his head, his expression grim. “I sent Lucas to look after you. It’s clear he can’t handle the job.”
“I’m a grown woman,” I say through my teeth. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
Gabriel’s jaw clenches. “A grown woman faces her responsibilities instead of running from them.”
I suck in air. “I panicked. I’m sorry.” My voice cracks. I expect I’ll be apologizing for my rash decision for the rest of my days.
“We know,” Anna says gently before pulling Gabriel aside for a heated whispered conversation. They’re a good match of equally strong leaders. Villroy is lucky to have them. So am I, actually, and the last thing I want is for them to fight because of me.
I speak up. “If it’s my safety you’re concerned with, I have the guards and I know self-defense.”
