Page 17 of Royal Salvation

Justice gripped her chin, and she closed her eyes as his thumb rubbed over her bottom lip. “I know, angel, and it will be over soon. For now, just hang tight and do as I ask, okay?”

“Okay.”

He paused for a second and she thought he was going to kiss her, but he stepped away taking his warmth with him. “Good girl.”

Lucía locked the door and leaned against it before she kicked off her heels and went to run a bath. At least she could still enjoy that.

Chapter 7

Reaper had never been so angry in his life and at that point, he wasn’t even sure who he was pissed at. Walking swiftly through the stunning rooms of the Palace, he noted down security breach after security breach.

The second Lucía walked out of her bedroom at the cottage that morning, he’d seen the difference in her. Oh, the clothes were different, but it wasn’t that. She looked beautiful no matter what she wore, and he had a feeling her naked would be his absolute favourite, but it was more her demeanour.

The easy-going woman who’d chatted with the villagers and helped the elderly with their shopping was gone, replaced by a stressed, tense, uptight person with a cool detachment. The closer they got to her home of birth, the worse that had become. He could hardly fathom it until that prick Felix had spoken to her as he had and treated her with such open disrespect.

The man was lucky he still had a head on his shoulders because he’d wanted to rip the fucker off. He’d expected some backstabbing and snideness inside a place like this. It was riddled with people who thought their shit didn’t stink, but such outright hostility wasn’t to be tolerated, at least by him.

Crossing the courtyard, he made his way past suited staff who cast him wary looks as they went about their duties. There was an undercurrent he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he’d find out what it was.

He knocked on the door of the security manager’s office and waited, his foot tapping in agitation. The security chief should have been at the airport to meet and brief him, that was the first issue. The second was that the guard didn’t patrol the inside of the house or allow personal protection officers to guard their principal inside the Palace.

No answer there, so Reaper gave up and turned to head to the meeting with the King. Might as well take this up with the organ grinder, and if Felix was there so much the better, because he had a few things to say to him, too. He suspected people tiptoed around the man, perhaps in fear or maybe something else. Either way, Felix was about to find out he didn’t scare so easy and certainly not from a weak prick like him who bullied people.

His phone rang and he answered as he walked. “Yep.”

“It’s me.”

“I know, Bás. I saw the name on the screen.”

“We’re at the gate and someone called Felix won’t let us inside.”

“Motherfucker. Okay, let me handle this and call you back. Just hang tight.”

Reaper increased his speed, wondering why Bás was there but knowing Bás would tell him if he wanted him to know.

The King was in his drawing room and Reaper waited outside while a guard on the door announced him. That, at least, was something in their favour. The King was properly guarded, or was that insulated? The two might seem the same but had very different roles and outcomes in his mind.

“The King will see you now,” a uniformed and armed guard no less, told him.

Reaper nodded and stepped inside, dropping his head in a bow as the King greeted him. Tall and lean with dark hair like his daughter’s, just speckled with grey, he had a strong jaw and dark eyes and looked every inch the part. His suit was pristine with the crest of his house over his shoulder.

“Mr Carson, it’s good to finally meet you in person.”

“The honour is mine, Your Majesty.”

The King held his hand out to a brocade chair in ruby red. “Please, sit.”

Reaper waited for the King to sit first before taking a chair opposite him. Felix was standing behind the King, his glare aimed at Reaper, but his mouth firmly closed. The man would never run his mouth in front of the King. No, he was more devious than that.

“Might I speak with you alone?”

The King angled his head before nodding and turning to Felix to dismiss him.

“Your Majesty, I really must object after what we discussed.”

“Leave us.” The King’s voice was deep and calm but showed who was in charge and left no room for argument, not that anyone would.

Felix cast him an open glare before he nodded, dipping his head in a bow, and leaving via a different door from the one Reaper had entered.