She paused as she looked at him, gazing into his eyes as if trying to read into his words, trying to see if there was a deeper meaning behind them.
She said nothing, so he continued. “Our marriage will be good. We will please each other. I won’t have another woman in my bed — I won’t cheat. And I will be a good father. ”
“What exactly are you telling me?”
What was he telling her?
He didn’t know. He was giving her all he knew how to give her. He was trying to make her stay.
“I don’t want you to leave. ”
It was unbelievable how hard that was for him to say.
Her face grew sad, as if he’d disappointed her. What was he doing wrong? What would make this all better?
“I know, Adriane,” she finally whispered as she came close to him and lifted her hand, rubbing her fingers against his cheek. He lifted his own and pressed her fingers to his face, not wanting to lose her touch. It was almost as if she were saying a goodbye. “I need to walk. ”
With that, she pulled away and stepped past him, and he found himself alone, enveloped by her scent.
Unable to stand being in there without her, he left the room and closed the door. He had to collect himself and figure out what he was going to do if she decided she just couldn’t be with him anymore.
It was an unbearable thought.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
AS IF ON cue, the storm picked up speed. As Rachel stepped from the warmth and security of the palace, she was hit with a gust of wind so strong, it nearly blew her over. But she had to think, had to get away from the stagnant air she’d been breathing inside.
What was he saying to her? Did he care? It seemed that way to her each time they made love.
She’d been a fool to think she could ever just be Adriane’s friend. She’d wanted that for the sake of the children she carried, but how could she not fall in love with the man when she made love to him? Though some women might be able to have meaningless sex, she wasn’t built that way.
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At least she had accomplished her goal — so to speak. She’d gotten to know Adriane about as well as anyone could. He wasn’t easy to know: he was too closed off to the world. Maybe that was from being born royal. Too many people sought only to use him.
She wasn’t one of those people. But did he know that?
And how long could she continue hoping he would give her all of himself? She deserved that; she didn’t deserve to be kept there waiting, waiting, and waiting for the day he’d profess his undying love.
But at this point could she simply walk away? Give in so easily? He seemed so close. If she hadn’t realized her heart was involved, the decision would be so much easier. She was terrified, though, that if she stayed now and he never felt anything more than a fondness for her, she would slowly wither away.
Her gloomy thoughts accompanied her to the beach, where she looked out at the ocean as the waves crashed dangerously close to the shore. She didn’t care; the looming tempest matched the way she felt. As she drew farther and farther from the palace, the storm clouds grew angrier and blacker in the sky.
Just as the first drops of a pounding rain started, Rachel was pushed to her knees by a large gust of wind. She fell to the sand, her hands digging in as she fought to find her breath.
When she looked back and realized how far she’d wandered, she decided it was time to go back. The sea was tossing and flailing about, and the wind blew strongly, strongly enough to carry her off into the waves if she wasn’t careful. No matter how emotional she was right now, she couldn’t put her babies in jeopardy. Now was a good time to face Adriane and demand answers from him.
He was going to give her all or nothing. And all was the only thing she would accept.
Pushing against the wind, she struggled to her feet and turned. Her breath hitched when she discovered a man looming nearby. Feeling strangely afraid, she looked for the path, seeking the palace in the distance. She really had walked too far.
When this new fear clawed at her chest, she had to remind herself that this was Adriane’s private beach — no one who didn’t belong could be here. This was most likely a new guard.
Still, she just wanted to get away from him.
“Hello, Rachel. I’ve been waiting to get you alone. ”
The sound of his voice sent a chill straight through her body.
“Who are you? How do you know my name?”
She automatically took a few retreating steps from him.
“I know all about you and the children you carry — the supposed heirs of this kingdom. You are an inconvenience that must be disposed of if I’m to gain my throne. ”
It took a few seconds for his words to sink in.
“You’re…” her words failed her.
“Yes, I’m Adriane’s brother, Gianni. You and I are going to take a little trip together, Rachel. ”
He reached over and grasped her arm, tugging at her.
Hell, no!
Rachel kicked at him, and in his surprise, he released her. She took off running, screaming at the top of her lungs for help, but she knew it was a long shot that her voice would be heard over the thunder and lightning roaring across the sky. Add to that, the crashing of the waves, which were only growing in violence as the storm gathered force.
Suddenly she was flying through the air, her feet kicked out from under her, and she fell hard against the wet sand. A slicing pain ripped through her abdomen and side.
“No!” she screamed as her stomach cramped. This man wasn’t going to make her lose her babies. Pain almost consumed her, but she still fought him, trying everything in her power to escape.
He bent down to grab her, and her hand shot out, scratching his face. The look of hatred in his eyes frightened her; screaming again, she kicked out, despite the pain she felt lancing through her stomach. She knew that if she gave in, if this man captured her, she didn’t have a chance.
When he reached for her again, her foot connected, forcing a shout of rage from his throat. She got to her feet and stumbled a few steps before he grabbed her hair and yanked her back. Tears leaked from her eyes at the pain, and she lost her ability to fight. When his fist shot out and struck her cheek, it was all over. Rachel succumbed to a vortex of blackness as dark as the waters crashing around her.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
THE PEOPLE WHO took care of the inlaid wood flooring wouldn’t thank him for the punishment it was receiving as he tried to sort through his conversation with Rachel. Approaching his window, as if to find answers there, Adrianne looked out at the flashing thunderclouds and the leaves being thrashed around by the angry wind. The branches of the trees were bending dangerously low, and worry rose high within him. Surely she had changed her mind.
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She wouldn’t be so foolish as to stay outside in this storm.
His guards would be smart enough to go after her and bring her back if she hadn’t returned quickly. If not, they would be let go for endangering her life and that of his children.
As he was reaching for his phone to make sure she was inside the palace, a knock sounded on his door. Pausing, he turned angrily toward the intruder. He wasn’t up for visitors right now; he couldn’t even seem to think straight, much less talk civilly to someone.
“Leave me,” he snarled.
“Sire, I need to speak to you. ”
Adriane turned to see his adviser practically shaking. It wasn’t often that the man disobeyed a direct order. With the phone clutched in his hand, he gazed at Nico and lost his train of thought.
“This isn’t the time,” he snapped again. He had to pull himself together so he could find Rachel, speak to her before she decided to leave the country with her brother. The thought of it made his chest ache. He took his free hand and massaged the offending area.
But he
had just a muscle in there, for God’s sake. The thought of her leaving him shouldn’t make the inside of his chest hurt. He let the phone dangle in his other hand as he pondered the riddle.
“Sire. There is news I need to tell you. ”
Adriane turned incredulous eyes on Nico. The man had never defied him to this extent.
“I said this isn’t the time, Nico. Leave. ”
He didn’t even bother turning to face the man, expecting his orders to be followed this time.
He felt as if he were being kicked in the gut. What was happening?
He couldn’t focus, couldn’t think straight. Nothing seemed to be holding a place in his mind except Rachel’s face, the look in her eyes right after he pleasured her, the laughter that spilled from her when something delighted her, the display of pain in her expressive eyes when he hurt her.
Adriane realized that he thought about her all the time. During his meetings with his council, while he was awake and asleep, she haunted him. Her smile, her touch, her voice. . . even her smell. There wasn’t a moment that went by when she wasn’t on his mind.
Not just as the mother of his children, not just as a lover. He cared about her as a person. The thought of her leaving him was like taking a knife to his chest. Was this love? Had he found this thing he had never believed in being real? Was this what his mother had spoken of? Was this what Rachel was demanding of him?
Suddenly, the aching in his chest and midsection vanished. What a fool he was. Why would he fight against something that felt so right? Why had it taken him so long not only to take the advice of his mother, but to listen to his own heart?
He could have saved a lot of pain, pain for both him and Rachel. Surely it wasn’t too late, though. He just had to catch her before Rafe whisked her off to America.
“I love her,” he said aloud. He needed to put his emotions into words.
If Rachel left him for good, if she ran away, he would lose a part of himself. He wouldn’t have the same purpose in life — just empty days and lonely nights. This must be what people meant when they professed their love. Without the person you loved by your side, a vacant nothingness of days lay ahead.
He turned, surprised to see Nico still standing uncomfortably by. The man obviously wasn’t leaving until he said whatever he’d come in to say.
“It’s about Rachel. ”
Adriane’s heart stopped for a beat before resuming at a much faster pace. Had she left with Rafe? Was he too late?
No! Even if she had left, he would find her — beg her to come back to him, humble himself before her.
“Tell me,” he said.
“One of the guards saw her running from the palace out to the beach. With the weather so turbulent, he grew concerned, and after she didn’t return right away, he followed her path. He got there just in time to see her being tossed into a boat and taken from the island. ”
Nico’s voice trembled as he spoke. Adriane was afraid to ask the next question.
“This wasn’t consensual?” Whether it was or not was a moot point. No one should be out on those rough waters at this time. The sea was a dangerous place at any time, but during a storm, it was practically suicide to be on the ocean.
“No, Sire. She was being carried over the man’s shoulders, and was placed in the boat in a rather unpleasant way. The guard called back to the palace and immediately began a foot pursuit after the kidnapper, but it was too late. The boat was long gone before they were able to reach the dock. ”
“Who took her?”
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Everything in Adriane froze as he stared at his trusted adviser. There was deep worry in the man’s eyes.
“The guard made eye contact with the man. There’s no doubt about who it was,” Nico said, hesitating.
“Tell me!” Adriane shouted, fury filling him because he already knew the answer.
“Gianni. ” The name was barely a whisper from Nico’s lips.
Adriane felt his face drain of color, felt his blood turn cold. She was out there with his brother now because he’d been unable to speak to her — unable to tell her how much she meant to him.
He was a coldhearted bastard and Rachel was going to be the one to pay for his sins. Gianni was making the ultimate play in a long struggle against Corythia, and Rachel was nothing more than a bargaining chip. His brother would have no problem killing her and the children she carried.
“Get Rafe up here immediately,” he said, the dead sound of his voice unrecognizable even to him, and he picked up the phone to call his guards.
Seconds ticked by like hours as Adriane stood before his large windows, looking out at the thrashing ocean, praying that the boat wasn’t overturned, that Gianni was able to navigate to a place where Adriane was sure he had a crew waiting for him.
“What is it, Adriane?”
Rafe sounded irritated. He was about to become enraged.
“Rachel has been kidnapped. ” Adriane was barely able to get the words from his mouth.
Suddenly he was being pressed up to the glass he’d been looking out as Rafe’s eyes flashed before him.
“You’d better talk fast,” Rafe thundered, fury transforming his features, fear just as apparent behind the fury.
“My brother was seen grabbing her on the beach less than an hour ago. My guards were too far away to get to her,” he said, his throat closing at the thought of what could be happening to her.
“Do you have any idea where he’d take her?” Rafe asked, his fury dissipating to be replaced with anguished concern. He released Adriane and began to pace the office. Adriane almost wished Rafe would just punch him. He’d rather feel the ache from physical pain than this strange burning in his chest.
“I think so. I’ll have the guards prepare transportation right away. ”
“Why would he do this?”
This was the question Adriane had been afraid he’d ask.
“He’s making a play for the throne. As you know, he was supposed to be Corythia’s next king, but he gave up the title years ago. He wanted nothing to do with the kingdom. A few years back, he changed his mind, but it was too late. Father told him he was disinherited and not allowed back in Corythia. He hasn’t stopped seeking revenge since then. I’m afraid this is his ultimate showdown. ”
“Will he hurt her?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. The brother I used to know is long gone. I think at this point he is capable of anything. That is what frightens me the very most. ”
“Then we can’t just go in with guns blazing. We have to come up with a solid plan. If he’s using my sister as some sort of pawn and sees us coming, he will shield himself with her. We can’t let that happen,” Rafe said, clearly the one thinking out of the two of them.
“He has a compound in America. That’s where he went after renouncing the throne and leaving Corythia. He doesn’t know that we are aware of his hideout. My father had Gianni investigated when he first came back into our lives. The place is in rough country in Montana. ”
“Can we reach him before he gets her on a plane?”
“I have no idea where he would fly from. My guess is that he’s been lying in wait, and had it all arranged. I think our best guess is to get to that compound. ”
“How do we know for sure?” Rafe asked, hesitating before making an irrevocable decision.
“We don’t know. All I can do is go with my instinct. At one point in our lives, Gianni and I were close. We loved each other. He’s been attempting to form armies for months, but Corythia’s forces have quickly disbanded them, having no trouble staying one step ahead of him. I’m afraid that now, he is desperate. He would want to regroup where he feels stronger, feels he has more power. That wouldn’t be here in Corythia, where he has no one loyal to him. ”
“I will trust your judgment, then,” Rafe said, though Adriane was sure they were equally terrified that Adriane might b
e making the wrong move.
“Thank you. I already have men out combing the waters and the land here, too, just in case, but I truly think he’s taking her from the country. ” There was nothing else he could say until they knew for sure where Rachel was.
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“I’ll call Shane. He can be there before us, since he’s currently in the United States. Give me the exact location. ”
After the calls were made, it didn’t take them long to collect Ari from the sitting room and for them to arrive at the airport. They would have to drop her in a safe location when they got to the States, because they weren’t taking any chances of her getting caught in the crossfire. It was bad enough that Rachel was in danger.
The weather was such that no one should have been thinking of flying, but none of them said a word as they made their way to the airport. They would reach Rachel, or die trying.
“Sire, I’m sorry, but we can’t get authorization,” Adriane’s pilot said.
“I don’t care what it takes; you will get this damn jet in the air,” Adriane thundered.
“A hurricane is about ten miles off the coast of the island, Sire, threatening to turn at any time. We won’t even get liftoff,” his pilot told him.
Rachel had been out on that water, far too close to the dangerous winds and waves of the hurricane. What were the chances that Gianni and Rachel had even made it to Gianni’s safety point? It wasn’t looking good.
Instead of coming unglued and berating the pilot, Adriane, Rafe and Ari waited, counting down the hours for the storm to pass. The walls of the hangar shook as the wind did her best to wipe out the entire building, but none of the people inside had a single thought of waiting elsewhere.
If they made it through this storm, they would head out the second the jet was able to lift into the air.
As the tense night progressed, the storm continued to grow in its fury, threatening to lay waste to Adriane’s country. He didn’t even care. All he cared about was finding Rachel.
Homes he could rebuild; crops could be replanted.
Rachel. There was only one of her.
If it took his death, that’s the price he would pay. As long as she lived, the world would be righted.
Finally, the winds abated.