Page 81 of Protecting Mr. Fine

He nodded before looking back down at his phone and typing a message to someone. “Lou’s at the entrance. She’s going to walk with you while I greet and escort the royal family in.” He rolled his eyes again. “Ventdestinian protocol. I’m the highest-ranking member of Violet’s team here, so naturally, I’m the one who has to escort them.”

I personally thought it had more to do with the royal delegationknowing and trusting Bear… and the fact that it was impossible not to feel safer with Ryan Galloway around.

When we arrived, a crowd of screaming fans greeted us and pressed in from the sides of the street. My nerves resurfaced since Bear had insisted on reminding me that there was an actual threat against me.

I hated that. Hated thinking one of my fans wanted to scare me.

So I pushed down the fear and waved through the closed window in case they could see through the tinted surface.

The limo slowed to pull into an alleyway blocked off by security personnel and orange barrels. Once we were past them, the crowd disappeared behind us, and we approached a roped-off side entrance to the arena.

Lou and several other people met us, escorting me inside and down a long hallway to the room reserved for the VIP reception.

Several musician friends were already there, and I quickly approached them to say hello. Bear had been right—it wasn’t just their habit to shake hands or hug; it was mine, too. I tried to remember but failed in several instances. Buck Olson was there, and we hadn’t seen each other since playing a festival together a couple of years ago. He’d brought his new wife, who I was eager to meet. Alana Vasa was also there with her wife. She had agreed to play the violin at the show tonight, and I couldn’t help but give her a big hug in thanks since she was interrupting her solo tour to play with us.

There were several familiar faces—big-name politicians, celebrities, and friends—and I immediately felt more at ease. VIP receptions like this were well vetted ahead of time since access was limited. Thankfully, I’d remembered Bear’s rules and had stepped back to a respectable distance with my hands in my pockets before he came in with the royal family.

The king was a tall, robust man in his late forties with a ruddy complexion and salt-and-pepper hair. Trailing after him was a veritable entourage, which shouldn’t have surprised me. Bear was busy talking to the king himself, but another tall man walked on the otherside of him. He was closer to the king’s age and wore the all-black uniform of a member of the royal guard. I recognized the same kind of simple medal insignia on his sweater that Bear had worn in old pictures.

Bear stood taller as he made the introductions. “Your Highness, I’d like you to meet Zee Barlo. Zee, this is His Royal Highness, King Gerhard of Ventdestine.”

The king held out his hand. I glanced quickly at Bear, whose nostrils flared but who gave me a subtle nod. I shook the man’s hand and expressed my pleasure at meeting him. “I’m honored to have you here at one of our shows.”

His smile was polite but formal. “Thank you for having us, and thank you for keeping Ryan out of harm’s way. May the winds continue to whisper fortune upon you.”

I was startled by the tone of his greeting. Bear had told me many times about Ventdestine’s mystical beliefs, but hearing it from the horse’s mouth was strangely off-putting. “Er, thank you. And you as well.” I suddenly remembered the somewhat recent loss of his father and scrambled to correct myself. “I’m very sorry for the loss of your father. Ryan speaks very highly of him.”

King Gerhard nodded. “Thank you. He was a good man and a great leader. We are lost without him.”

A lovely woman in a butter-soft pink pantsuit stepped up next to him and placed her hand on Bear’s shoulder. “Ryan, my apologies for allowing myself to be detained. Would you mind continuing the introductions?”

“Of course, Your Highness. This is Zee Barlo. Zee, this is Her Royal Highness, Queen Gisella of Ventdestine. And these are their children. Prince Auden, Prince Isak, and Princess Carina.”

The three faces that popped out from behind their parents were almost comically starstruck.

The oldest teen, Auden, who seemed high-school-aged, stared and flushed a deep, mottled red. The middle one,Isak, grinned like a kid who’d stolen some candy. And the royal daughter blinked rapidly like she had something in her eye.

I glanced at Bear, who was busy trying to hide a smirk.

Queen Gisella grinned. “Maybe the three of you would like to say hello to Mr. Barlo?”

The younger two began speaking at once, thanking me rapidly for allowing them to come to the show. Auden only continued to stare. The king turned to speak with Bear and the royal guardsman while Gisella asked me questions about the tour and mentioned their plans for a large-scale royal tour of America next summer.

“The children were so little last time we were there,” she mused. “Now that they’re growing up, I want them to have a deeper understanding of other cultures.” She reached up to run a fond hand over Auden’s head. Though the prince didn’t pull away, his eyes flashed with typical teenage annoyance at the insinuation that he was still “growing.”

I stifled a smile and turned to him directly. “So, Auden, do you have any song requests for the show tonight? I always save a couple spots later in the set list for last-minute additions.”

“Oh!Oh. Um…” His eyes shot over to his father before glancing at his mother. She gave him an encouraging smile. “If I could hear you play anything, it would be ‘Very Much Myself,’” he said softly. “And anything new, of course, but I don’t know if that’s something you ever do?”

Ooof.I’d written that song about my coming out. I had a momentary flare of empathy for this young princeling from the country where the winds of fate didn’t look kindly on change. “I’ll definitely be playing that one and also at least one new one. You’ll have to let me know what you think afterward.”

Auden gave me a shy smile. “I can do that. I think Kasper has Ryan’s email address?”

The royal guard standing with the king and Ryan turned his head. “Did you call me, Prince Auden?”

“No, sir. Only, I thought maybe you could help me get in touchwith Mr. Barlo after this. He said I could let him know what I thought about the music.”

The man glanced at me with the same detached politeness as the king and nodded. “Certainly. I’d be happy to put you in touch with Ryan, and he can pass your message along to Mr. Barlo.”

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