Page 16 of Captured

As she spoke the words, she knew she’d said too much. Dimitri practically turned to stone in front of her, and the queen took a step forward, her hand lifting in a gesture of reassurance. “You must know you’re safe with us, Lauren. We’ll put every resource at your disposal.”

“Oh! No, no.” Lauren lifted her own hands, tilted her head, shook it ever so slightly. The way she’d been doing since she was little, though with far less occasion to practice recently, since normally she didn’t slip and betray her fear so obviously.What is wrong with me?“I do apologize. I only mean to say that, assuming that package was sent from Smithson, which is a big assumption, if he’s on his larger yacht, he’s likely not going to be landing on our doorstep. I’m terribly sorry that I did anything to worry you. I must seem completely silly.”

“Pay no mind at all, dear.” This time the queen did step forward, and she reached for Lauren’s hand with a warm smile. Turning, she tugged her forward toward Kristos. “Sweetheart, could you escort Lauren back to her friends? I’ll want to chat with Dimitri a moment more here.”

Once again, Lauren sensed the danger, but she could do nothing as Kristos bowed first to his mother, then to her. He held out his hand, and she took it, feeling Dimitri’s gaze scorch through her thin dress as she exited.

But what was he thinking, exactly?

Whatever it was, she needed to get back in control of it, fast.

Ten

“How much of a problem is this going to be? Smithson, I mean. And what is Typhon’s role in any of this?”

“We don’t know that he has a role.” Dimitri looked evenly back at the queen, who was scowling at him. It made her look, if possible, more majestic, but it was still not an expression he enjoyed having leveled at him.

“To quote Kristos, ‘bullshit.’ What aren’t you telling me?” She shook her head to stave off his denial, then checked her watch. “Walk with me. Stefan is getting the guest list from Raptis. If I’d been briefed of this disturbing package in a timely manner and the possibility that anyone under the influence of Typhon was looking to infiltrate the royal court, I could have ensured this party didn’t happen. Now it would seem awkward to cancel it.”

He winced as he followed her out into the hallway, then fell into step alongside her. “King Jasen didn’t want you to be alarmed. There’s been nothing to prove that the box was intended malevolently in any way, or even that it’s attached to Smithson.”

“Nothing except that poor girl’s face. My God, Dimitri, are we actually debating this? I’ve barely met Lauren Grant, but I know the girl maintains her public profile with the severity of a drillsergeant. Yet here she looked like she was about to faint. What has that man done to scare her so deeply?”

Dimitri blew out a long breath. “We don’t know. According to preliminary data, Henry Smithson is a long-time friend of the Grants. He was mentored by Lauren’s father for the first several years of his professional life, and he has been a mainstay at their public events for the past fifteen years. Nothing more.”

“Lauren would have been a child when that started?” She sniffed. “And now he’s romantically attached to her? That’s obscene.”

“We don’t know that either,” Dimitri countered. “From all indications?—”

“Well, she reacted in the manner of someone being stalked, so it’s a pretty good supposition. No.” She shook her head. “Even if his intentions are honorable, even if his affiliation with Typhon is just the whimsy of a billionaire idiot with more money than sense, Smithson is far too old for her. I don’t care how rich he is. And there’s something about this that feels...exceptionally wrong to me. I don’t like it.”

Dimitri didn’t miss the shift in his monarch’s expression, and he kept his face carefully neutral. Queen Catherine was notorious for her matchmaking wiles, but he wasn’t engaged in this assignment to keep the American away from an eager pursuer. And he certainly wasn’t trying to cock-block some idiot future husband for a bored blonde. His dedication was to the royal family, but he had his limits. “Again, so far, we’ve had no proof to link the empty box to Smithson. And it is, in the end, just an empty box.”

“Fair enough.” Queen Catherine huffed in irritation. “It makes me nervous, though. Raptis has attended many state dinners where Smithson was our guest. If Smithson’s on the list for the event tonight, I can’t very well ask Raptis to uninvite the man.”

“And you think he is?” Dimitri felt his blood quicken. If he could see the man in person, he could look for clearer evidence that Smithson was a true Typhon acolyte, beyond just slapping the god’s name on his boats. The sapphires and diamonds. The ink. The brands. Typhon’s followers had grown more discreet over time, but they all had their tells.

“It’s all too likely. Raptis is always interested in currying money. And Smithson has money.” She worried the beaded necklace triple draped around her neck. “Smithson has also been nothing but proper in all his dealings with us. When did he name his yachts—and do they have those names painted on them in any sort of obvious way? If so, that has to be recent. He was here at the New Year celebration, and none of my briefings included that. Typhon himself hasn’t left Olympus, but there are so many monster gods...could one of them have slipped through without us knowing, then breached the borders of Oûros long enough to connect with Smithson?” She waved an agitated hand. “We’ve been distracted since Ari’s disappearance. It could have happened.”

Dimitri grimaced. “I’ll find out.” He hadn’t been here at the New Year’s celebration. He’d been buried in the military with Kristos. At the time, he’d been happy to be away from the royal family, but had that been a mistake? Had he left them vulnerable when they needed him most? “There’s something else, too. I found one of Typon’s monsters in the grotto last night, harassing a nymph.”

“You intervened?” Catherine stopped short, turning to drill him with a glare that brooked no bullshit. “Tell me the nymph was unharmed.”

“I did, and she was. I threw them both in to a pool.”

“Excellent.” She smiled. “But...you’re sure he was a monster god?”

“Very low level, but yes.” Dimitri shrugged. “If it’d been a servant of any of the other gods, I wouldn’t bring it to your attention. But I don’t like the trend here.”

“Agreed. It could be nothing, but it could be something we need to watch.” Catherine started walking again. “You’re going to have to protect Lauren personally, Dimitri. I mean that. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

“What?” Dimitri scowled at her profile. “Your Maj?—”

“Oh, dispense with the Majesty nonsense, I beg you. Jasen isn’t here, and I don’t have time for the formality. I’m worried about the girl, and I don’t do well with worry. It’s my least favorite occupation.”

“But I won’t be here long enough to protect her, at least not beyond the event Wednesday. Cyril has me slotted?—”

“And I’m saying that the most important need of this family, at this exact moment, is to avoid a scandal of any sort. Especially since we’ve been catapulted onto the public stage with Kristos and Emmaline’s engagement. All eyes are on us, and on the king. It’s an unexpected boon, but it doesn’t come without its headaches.”

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