Betrayed Read online

  Awesome.

  “I know,” she whispered, looking at me. I hated the way she had so much pity in her eyes. I hated it. “I know.”

  Chapter 2

  Lane

  “I know that you know,” he said. He was tense. Every one of his muscles was tight, and I wished that I could do something – anything – to help him feel better. I wanted to reach out and massage that tension right out of him. The king needed someone to calm him down, and I desperately wanted to be that someone, but I couldn’t.

  We both knew that I couldn’t.

  Andy and I were no longer childhood friends spending whimsical days exploring Tria. Now we were adults who hadn’t seen each other in what felt like a million years.

  Ruling the planet had done wonders for him, though. He wasn’t a scrawny kid anymore. Now he was taller, thicker. He was more muscular. He seemed to have grown both in size and in attitude since I’d been gone.

  My tail twitched as I looked at him. I hoped against all hope that he hadn’t noticed. I’d always been nervous when it came to other people knowing I had a tail or seeing it outright, so I couldn’t really explain why I’d chosen to wear a dress where my tail peeked out the back when it came to seeing him.

  He’d spotted it right away when he’d come into the room. He’d tried not to let me know he was noticing me, but I wasn’t an idiot, and neither was he. We both remembered the flirting, the friendship, and the playful banter we’d shared as kids.

  He was the only boy who had ever pulled my tail.

  Someone else tried once, and Andy punched him in the face with a stern warning about polite behavior. That kid had never bothered me again. None of the other boys had ever bothered me again.

  Andy was the only guy I’d ever felt crazy about. He was the only one who made my heart feel like it was going to explode. He’d made me feel like I was floating when I was around him. Some days, it felt like if I wasn’t careful, I’d float right off the planet.

  And then I had. I’d left Malum. I’d run away.

  And he’d become the king.

  “You can’t lose the throne,” I whispered.

  “I won’t lose the throne.”

  “Andy...if Dreagle actually attacks or tries to place someone on the throne here...”

  I shuddered, not wanting to think about what they might do. If Andy was forced to give up his place as king because he didn’t get married, what was going to happen? There would be an all-out war as various planets tried to fight for Tria. They’d want the city. They’d want all of Malum. They’d take it, too. The people outside of these castle walls were vicious and horrible. They were mean and wild and they’d do anything they had to in order to get what they wanted.

  All of a sudden, I wasn’t cold or shaking from fear and anger anymore. I was surprised to find myself feeling warm and safe instead. He was holding me, I realized. When did he start touching me? Andy wrapped me in his arms and held me tightly, and I didn’t move. I just breathed in, enjoying the moment.

  Enjoying him.

  “They won’t,” he murmured. His lips were pressed against my hair, I realized. He kissed my hair. I closed my eyes.

  “They might,” I whispered.

  “I won’t let them.”

  It was a tender moment, and it was perhaps the most intimate moment I’d had with another person in years.

  “Andy...”

  We heard voices outside of the door just then and we leapt apart. He didn’t even have to warn me that what we were doing was wrong. It certainly wasn’t behavior a king was allowed to exhibit.

  The voices stopped just outside of the door, and then there was the sound of a windchime. It was a strange sort of sound, I thought, but it was what it was. The chime that hung just outside of King Andy’s door was effective in letting people know when they were there. It provided a simple way to let him know that someone was requesting his attention.

  Andy looked to me quickly, as if to make sure I was comfortable and decent. I nodded, letting him know that I was ready to face whatever it was we were about to deal with.

  Memories filled my head as I started thinking about all of the times Andy and I had sneaked away and hidden together. How many times had we ditched his parents’ guards? How many times had we struggled together?

  “You may enter,” he said, turning toward the door.

  The two of us stood, waiting for the visitors to enter. It was almost certainly some sort of official business. Then again, Andy was the king. He always had official business to deal with.

  Two important-looking officials walked into the room. Both of them had deep purple skin and matching horns, as well as long, black robes. They seemed startled when they saw me, as though they hadn’t expected Andy to have any guests.

  So, Andy didn’t have a lot of female visitors his office?

  Interesting to know.

  “Your Majesty,” one of the officials said, offering a slight bow. “I was unaware that you had a meeting this morning.”

  “Brianna, Arleigh,” he said, nodding. “How can I help you?”

  I noticed that he ignored the fact that they’d found him with another person. He hadn’t seemed interested in drawing attention to himself or to me, for that matter. He also offered up no formal introduction as to who I was or why I was in his office to begin with.

  “We can come back later,” Brianna said carefully. She looked at me like I was some sort of freak. Fortunately, I was kind of an expert at dealing with difficult people, and I simply stared back.

  “It’s fine. What do you need?”

  So, he wasn’t going to let them off the hook.

  “Sir, it’s a private matter.”

  “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of my associate,” he said.

  I wasn’t sure whether to be offended that he called me his associate or honored that he still trusted me implicitly. It had been years since Andy and I were friends. Years. Apparently, he still thought I was an honorable person.

  He still thought I was trustworthy enough to hear whatever Brianna and Arleigh had to say.

  I waited patiently, steeling my face. These were obviously two people who were important to the kingdom. They had their hair pulled back in multiple neat buns. Everything about them was nice and tidy.

  Looking at them, I had to wonder if they were women he would consider marrying. He needed a bride, after all. Someone from Malum would know his customs and his preferences already. He wouldn’t have to deal with a lot of cultural differences.

  Would one of these women make a good bride for Andy?

  The two officials looked at me. One of them arched an eyebrow. I understood what it was they were doing. They wanted to know who I was, why I was in Andy’s office, and why they were about to spill their guts in front of me.

  There was no doubt, after all, that they’d do exactly as he asked. If King Andy wanted them to tell all of their kingdom’s secrets, then they’d do it. They’d have no choice. He was the king, after all. That didn’t mean they had to be happy about the arrangement.

  “Your majesty, there’s been an announcement.”

  “About you,” Arleigh added, just in case Andy didn’t get that part.

  “Go on,” he said.

  “The planet Dreagle has announced that you must get married.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes,” Brianna said, nodding. “Your majesty, we must find you a bride.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because if you don’t get married, then you could lose the throne! Your brother will have first dibs, of course, but then a different married monarch can try to take your place!”

  “And you don’t think I can defend this?” Andy raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think I can protect my planet from this?”

  “Your majesty, that’s not it,” Brianna started to say.

  “We only want to help,” Arleigh added.

  “And how would you suggest helping?” Andy asked. I wondered wh
at it was he was going for. Did he want to know if they’d offer him sexual favors? Did he want to know what kind of bribes they were going to offer? Was one of the girls even going to vie for the throne?

  I had no idea.

  “Well, we could help you find a wife,” Arleigh said.

  “A good one,” Brianna added.

  “A very good one,” Arleigh repeated.

  “And how would you do that?”

  “Well, we could send out a message that you were in the market for a bride,” Arleigh said.

  “Or you could marry someone you already work with,” Brianna blinked, making eyes at him. Okay, so Brianna was the one who wanted to marry the king. Had she spent her time working at the castle daydreaming about being queen one day?

  Probably, she already had the wedding gown all picked out.

  Gross.

  “Or, I could hand over the reins to my wedding consultant,” the king said.

  Arleigh and Brianna both looked shocked.

  “Wedding consultant?”

  “Yes,” Andy said. He gestured to me, all of a sudden. “Please meet Lane. She’s our new consultant, and she’ll be single-handedly responsible for finding me a suitable mate.”

  Both Arleigh and Brianna looked like they wanted to slit my throat, and I didn’t blame them. This was a huge responsibility. It was understandable that they might think they’d be better suited to make this choice.

  If it made sense, then why did I have a feeling that Andy was making a terrible mistake?

  Chapter 3

  Andy

  “A wedding consultant?” Lane hissed the second Arleigh and Brianna left. “Really?”

  “I think you’d make a great wedding consultant,” I told her, smiling. There was a deep-rooted part of me that was glad I could still make her squirm. That probably shouldn’t please me as much as it did, but seeing her wiggle with discomfort was such a turn-on.

  Fuck, she was beautiful.

  “I’m not planning a wedding,” Lane told me, “but I do have a plan.”

  This was news to me, so I moved to my chair, sat down, and looked over at her. Lane had always been beautiful. Now it was clear to see that time had been very, very kind to her. She looked even prettier than she had all of those years ago when she’d broken my heart.

  “A plan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, let’s hear it,” I told her, waiting patiently. In my mind, I had all of the time in the world. I wasn’t in any sort of rush. I was just happy to be around her again.

  Had I been shocked she was in my office?

  Yes.

  Did I think her news had been horrible?

  Also yes.

  Did I care?

  No.

  I was just glad to see her. It was exhilarating to get to be around someone who made my heart feel like it was floating. Although Lane and I hadn’t talked to each other in years, somehow it felt like no time had passed at all.

  “We don’t have much time,” Lane said.

  “Yes, I realize that.”

  “It’s kind of an understatement, huh?” Lane sighed, shaking her head. She was concerned, I realized.

  About me?

  About this?

  “Hey,” I stepped closer to her and reached for her chin. I couldn’t explain why I’d always treated Lane so tenderly. I’d just always cared so deeply about here. There had been a time when I’d tried to be more to her.

  I’d wanted her to be “the one” so badly.

  And then she’d just...left.

  I didn’t know why she was back or why she’d chosen today to show up. Surely, I’d get that all out of her sooner or later. She couldn’t hide forever. She couldn’t stay quiet forever.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m just talking to you.”

  “You’re touching me.”

  “Is that okay with you?”

  “I don’t think it should be.”

  “You don’t think it should be, but is it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Lane?”

  “Yes, Andy?”

  “You know I prefer ‘Your Majesty,’” I teased.

  “I’m not calling you that.”

  “Then what do you want to call me?”

  It was a dangerous question. I knew that. She could say anything to answer a question like that, and what if I didn’t want to know the answer?

  After all, she could tell me she wanted to call me “asshole.”

  Or, she might say she wanted to call me “husband.”

  Either one of those would terrify me.

  “Andy, I came here because you’re in trouble,” she finally said. “But I think I can save you.”

  “So that’s it, little Lane?”

  “What’s it?”

  “You came to rescue your king?”

  “I came to rescue my king,” she repeated. She was looking at me like she wanted more than to save me, though. She was staring at me like she wanted to eat me up.

  “And you have a plan for this.”

  “I do.”

  “Tell me.”

  “A tour,” she whispered.

  “A...what?”

  “A tour,” she said.

  “Explain yourself.”

  “You can travel to other planets and we can arrange to have girls brought to you,” she said. “You can talk to the women on different planets to find out which one you like the best and which one you have the most in common with.”

  “And how long would something like that take?” I asked. “Because it sounds like it would take months or even years, and it sounds like we don’t have that much time.”

  Her face fell, and I felt like kind of a dick for saying it, but I only spoke the truth.

  I’d never heard of this loophole, and of course, I’d have as many people researching it as possible to find out whether there were further specifications to the requirements that enabled me to get out of the marriage, but for now, it seemed as though a fast marriage was going to be best option to ensure that nobody tried to snake the crown.

  Ryssi wasn’t going to want it. My brother was perfectly happy living on Gideon with his bride. That meant that other planets, as soon as they heard about me being booted from the throne, were going to start sending warriors to try to take my place. As long as I was alive, I’d never let that happen.

  “You’re right,” she sighed. “It was a stupid idea.”

  “It’s not a stupid idea,” I clarified.

  “No?”

  “No,” I said with a smile. “It just needs a little modification.”

  “How?”

  “Instead of us going to different planets, what if we bring the girls to us?”

  “Interesting,” she said. I could see her mind starting to work, churning through different ideas.

  “We could send out a call for brides and see who shows up,” I said.

  “We could hold a ball,” she offered. “Fairy tale style.”

  “A ball?”

  “Yeah, you know, like Cinderella.”

  “Seems a bit pretentious.”

  “Well, you are a king,” she laughed. “I think that’s okay.”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “You don’t think it’s too over-the-top?”

  “Not at all,” she smiled. “It’ll be perfect.”

  “So, it’s decided,” I said. “I guess that was easy enough.”

  “A ball,” she nodded. “We can hold it in a month. That’s enough time for you to meet, mingle, and connect with people.”

  “You think it’ll work?”

  “I think it’ll definitely work,” she smiled, and I wished, for probably the millionth time in my life, that she was the one. I wished that she was the person I was going to be marrying.

  I wished.

  The truth was that I’d always been totally smitten with Lane. She’d always been lovely and sweet. As teenagers, we’d been the best of friends, but then one day, she’d just decided that s
he’d had enough of Malum, I guess, and she’d left.

  She’d left everything about our lives behind and then I hadn’t heard from her in years.

  I’d tracked her from time to time, following her movements. I’d hired people to look for her and to see where she’d gone because I missed her. Oh, I missed her so, so much. There were times when I thought that my entire world was going to explode if I just didn’t get her to love me back, but when she’d finally left, I hadn’t exploded, and I’d been fine instead.

  Now, that familiar ache was back.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let me know how I can help.”

  “Well, for starters,” she looked timid for just a second, and then that brave face was back. “Can I stay with you?”

  “You don’t have a place to stay?”

  “I do not...”

  “Why don’t you have a place to stay?”

  “So many questions,” she shook her head. “Don’t you get tired of asking questions?”

  “Don’t you get tired of avoiding them?”

  “Not at all,” she smiled.

  “Lane, why don’t you have a place to stay?”

  “Because I hurried here from Dreagle, okay?”

  “Dreagle?”

  Why the fuck was she on Dreagle? I know that I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Dreagle wasn’t exactly a nice place. It was called the Dark Planet for a reason. It was wet and muddy, and the sun never shined. It was a cruel place where strange things happened.

  It was also wildly dangerous.

  People were killed on Dreagle.

  Murdered.

  Hurt.

  Worse.

  She hesitated for a moment. It was just long enough that I realized anything she said next would contain a half-truth. It was something I’d picked up on long ago, something that I thought we’d put behind us.

  “I was working there,” she said.

  “Try again.”

  “Excuse me?”

  I took two steps, striding across the room until I met her. Grabbing her hair, I jerked her head back. She started, surprised, and squeaked out a strange little sound.

  “Try again,” I hissed in her ear. The scent of her arousal flooded my nostrils. What the fuck? She liked this. Or me. Maybe she liked me. I wasn’t sure whether it was the hair pulling or our close proximity, but something about what was happening seemed to be making her happy and excited.