Chapter 354

Knowing the King and Queen weren’t responsible for the latest attempt on my life should have come as a relief. But Nicholas and Julian were acting like this only made everything worse.

I didn’t know what could be worse than having the most powerful couple in the kingdom, and likely the planet, wanting you dead.

“This is… a good thing, right?” I ventured to ask.

Nicholas hummed low, a noise I had come to recognize as disagreement. Julian shook his head.

“I’m not convinced Prince Ronan was acting alone,” Julian said. “He’s a right asshole, certainly, and he has the credentials to sneak around. But he’s also a buffoon with more brawn than brains. And given enough time to calm down, he typically just moves on to some other woman.”

I lifted a brow at Julian, wondering how the hell he knew so much about Prince Ronan, while Nicholas had to get all this same information from Ambassador Zale.

Julian caught me looking and then rolled his eyes. “We used to be in somewhat of the same circles. Or, at least, Ronan thought we were. Two rebellious, philandering princes. While I was in it mostly for the information leakage, Ronan genuinely thought we had a comradery.”

“I didn’t know any of this,” Nicholas said.

“Not like you took much interest in my… extra-curricular activities, brother. Except to scold me for them,” Julian said.

He grinned a moment before turning serious again.

“What I’m telling you is, Ronan would not have pieced out how to escape on his own, much less how to find his way here at just the right moment Piper would be in the water.”

I struggled to think of anyone else who would be in a position to be able to know those things, other than the royal family. “But if it’s not the King and Queen, then who could be responsible? One of the merfolk?”

Julian shook his head. “The merfolk, even the most powerful among them, wouldn’t know what we were planning here. They would know the location of our island, but unless it was sheer luck, Ronan showing up at just the right moment is too suspicious.”

“I don’t believe in luck like that,” Nicholas said.

“Neither do I,” Julian agreed.

But if it wasn’t a merfolk, and it wasn’t royalty… “Who else could it be?”

Julian glanced sideways to where Bridget rested on a lounge chair on the deck. She was in a skimpy swimsuit, sunning, with big sunglasses and a pink boat drink in her hand.

“You can’t be serious,” I whispered. There was no love lost between Bridget and I, but… “She didn’t even interact with Prince Ronan.”

“Not in front of us, no,” Julian said.

I didn’t want to be skeptical of Julian, but in areas where Bridget was concerned, he was always a bit wonky. Now that he didn’t crush on her so much that he could see no flaws, maybe he had taken things too far in the other direction. Was he suspecting Bridget simply because now he could only see flaws?

My skepticism must have shown on my face. Julian caught it right away.

“She’s a famous movie actress. Movies aren’t big in the merfolk kingdom, but those that know our culture appreciate them highly.”

Ambassador Zale did say Ronan would have excelled as an actor. But that wasn’t a good enough connection to accuse someone of murder.

“Mommy,” Elva said, tugging on my arm. She’d been incredibly patient so far, with all the adult conversations happening around her. “My shells.”

“We’ll go back for them in a minute, honey,” I said.

“I’m serious, Piper,” Julian said. “She’s a good lead.”

Nicholas frowned harder. All of our glances went to Bridget. Noticing, she waved back in return.

She seemed to be acting perfectly normal.

I didn’t know what to think.

“Mommy,” Elva said again. I’d held her back long enough.

I excused us from Julian, and tried to from Nicholas.

“I’ll go with you,” Nicholas said. True to his word, he stuck to us like he’d been glued to our side.

Eventually, the sun crept across the sky and began to disappear at the western horizon. Sitting on one of the sofas on the deck, Elva began to doze at my side, occasionally swaying. When she finally fell into my arm, I roused her and asked, “Bedtime, Elva?”

She nodded.

I looked to the other candidates and two princes sitting around us.

“Elva and I are turning in for the night,” I said as we stood.

“Goodnight,” each of them said in turn, except Bridget, who was laughing with one of the cameramen.

Nicholas stood as we did. “I’ll go with you.”

I couldn’t reprimand him in front of the others, who were each side-eying each other. Our new sleeping arrangement hadn’t been decided in a public space, so the candidates didn’t know a thing about it. Even Julian seemed a little surprised. It was rare to catch him off-guard.

In silence, I led Elva into the house, with Nicholas behind.

Upstairs, at the bedroom door, the guard greeted us with a formal salute. “An air mattress has been arranged for you, Prince Nicholas.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas replied.

Inside, I saw exactly what the guard had been talking about. An air mattress had been assembled right next to the bed, and covered in sheets and a blanket. A set of silky pajamas was also set there, for Nicholas.

“You take the bed,” I told him at once. I couldn’t imagine a prince sleeping on the floor. “I’ll take the air mattress.”

“Absolutely not,” Nicholas said in his sternest voice, the one that left little room for argument.

Sighing, I grabbed pajamas for Elva and myself and shuffled her into the bathroom. When we were changed and washed with our teeth brushed, we reemerged. Nicholas had changed in our absence. He was across the room, testing the strength of the lock on the window.

Elva went to him for a hug goodnight before she returned to bed for me to tuck her in.

Satisfied with the window, and content after his hug, Nicholas returned to the air mattress. He stood beside me. We’d be right next to each other, me in the bed, him on the floor. If I needed him I could simply reach out and grab him.

It was a very comforting thought. I hadn’t thought I’d be able to sleep, but with him so near, maybe there was a chance.

“You don’t have to do this,” I said to him once more. It still seemed ridiculous, making a prince sleep on my floor. I hadn’t been comfortable with a stranger in my room, but it might have been more proper than this.

Nicholas’s stern features were unyielding. He had not changed his mind, and therefore would not, knowing him. He was one of the most stubborn men I had ever known in my life.

He glanced at Elva on the bed. She had turned away from us, and was already lightly snoring. Poor thing was absolutely exhausted after today.

I was tired too, but wired enough to hold off sleep for a while.

When I turned back to Nicholas, he lifted his hand, cupped my jawline, and then leaned in for a kiss. It was a soft, gentle butterfly kiss with no real heat. Though he lingered. The longer he stayed, with his lips to mine, the more intimate it all felt.

When he finally pulled away, I was as breathless as if he had kissed the life out of me.

“I will always protect you, Piper,” he said.

He couldn’t possibly mean always as in forever, but he did not correct himself, even as we broke apart. Even as we laid down in our respected beds. Even as I stared at the ceiling instead of sleeping.

He’d said always.

Maybe forever was what he meant.