Page 10 of Regally Binding

“Are you going to steal the throne from Prince Alex?”

The voices were coming thick and fast. Liss was jostled against the car as strangers propelled cameras in her face. She looked left and right, but they’d surrounded her. She took deep breaths as flashes blinded her to anything but shapes. She blinked rapidly, but there was no gap to flee through.

“Has your grandma left the country because she’s ashamed?” asked a perfectly tailored blond Liss recognised from breakfast television.

She shrank as bodies closed in on her, but it didn’t stop the onslaught. The questions and comments took a darker turn. Tears brimmed in her eyes, and her body shook.Don’t cry. You’re fucking strong.But there was no escape.

“What would your dead mum say about you meeting the King dressed like that?”

She pulled her arms in and squatted like she did when the bullies at school cornered her before laying into her. Suddenly, an arm thrust through the crook of her right elbow. “I’ve got you.”

Bear pulled her against his side as Strike pushed through the baying crowds. “Move,” he roared without apology.

Liss took deep breaths, but the air was thick and didn’t reach her lungs. They were getting her to safety, yet her chest tightened and her pulse climbed. People moved as the two beasts of men manoeuvred through the crowd. They paused as they neared the door, where a pair of photographers refused to budge.

Bear didn’t let go of her even as he stood alongside Strike, and they used their presence to make them back down. “Get out of my way!” he shouted, but Liss was distracted by a small voice whispering in her ear.

“Are you scared for your safety? You should be, Felicity.” She whipped her head around to locate who’d threatened her. But all she saw were faceless strangers, her vision still blurry from the flashes of cameras.

“Wait,” she tried to shout to Bear, but the crowd swallowed the word before the bodyguards shoved her through the door.

Bear dragged her up the stairs as Strike locked the door. Her legs wobbled at each step, but the air of her home was easier to breathe than the suffocating atmosphere outside.

“Don’t you ever do that again,” Bear snarled as he helped her up the stairs. “We’re here to protect you.”

His face burnt redder than the sunset picture from a holiday with her mum that hung behind him, and he refused to make eye contact as they reached the top of the stairs. She implored him with her stare, unsure what reaction she wanted from him. Suddenly, Isla and Steve rushed her with open arms, but Strike stepped between Liss and her friends.

“Isla and Steve,” Bear said simply.

“Is there anyone else here?” Strike growled.

“Let me hug my friend,” Isla snapped, attempting to push him out of the way.

Strike’s posture was rigid, and he widened his stance.

“Isla, is there anyone other than you and Steve here?” Liss asked so quietly that Bear side-eyed her.

“No. There’s only us two.” She stood on her tiptoes, but she couldn’t eyeball either bodyguard. “You can check if you want, you nosey bastards.”

“We will. Don’t worry about that.” Strike was curt.

Steve hung back as Bear checked the bedroom, bathroom, and tiny kitchen in about twenty seconds before re-joining them. “It’s just us.”

Strike stepped to the side, and Isla pulled Liss into a hug. The tension barely eased as she took the love and support she needed. Liss held on tight, squeezing her eyes shut as if the day could fade into a forgettable nightmare. Isla was her only real friend and had stood by her even when she dropped out of university and throughout her mum’s illness. Yet Liss continued to fight the tears as Isla dragged her to the plush sofa. It cost more than the rest of the furniture combined, but it was Liss’s haven. Steve perched on a chair as the women let the cosy sofa envelop them.

“Shush, you’re okay,” Isla whispered as she stroked Liss’s back. “Take slow breaths.” But the questions from the strangers outside played on a loop.

“We’ll decide on a plan for where you’re staying, and we will do it properly with you following our instructions this time,” Strike declared before he led Bear out of the communal space and into the kitchen.

“What does that mean?” Steve stuttered once the three were alone.

His golden curls shone under the spotlights that brought little pools of light to the room. Liss considered what Bear had said in the car about Steve fancying her. The guy was a lovely friend, but there hadn’t been any suggestion of attraction between them. Most days, he was like an annoying little brother. Liss shruggedto hide the gag that came with the image of Steve kissing her as Isla grabbed a blanket and tucked it around her.

Steve stared towards the kitchen. “Do you want a drink or anything?” As lovely as Steve was, he’d never offered to get her a drink and usually preferred to be waited on. He probably wanted to question the bodyguards.

She shook her head as her punishing thoughts returned to her present dramas. It left no space for words. Her life had transformed within hours. She pulled the blanket higher and hid her eyes as if creating a fort removed her from the situation. Liss wanted her mum to hold her close and make all the problems disappear. Even with their struggles when Liss was a child, her mum magically made things better with a smile or a story. The grief of losing her rushed her as it often did. Liss withdrew further under the blanket as she shivered.

Suddenly, Liss was aware of a shadow above her, and she peaked above the blanket to find Bear’s looming body. A mug of coffee and a chocolate bar looked tiny in his hands. He knelt beside her and popped the coffee on the table next to her. The action forced him to lean closer, and a woody citrus scent accompanied his movement. It was already familiar, and she breathed it in as his hand rested on the blanket above her knee.

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