Page 3 of The Spy

A man shoved past, and Sammy almost forgot her cover, ready to show him how little she appreciated his rudeness.

After too many hours in the crowded airport, she at last boarded a plane home.Home.For months now, she had been feeling like it was time to return home. She craved a quieter life, or at least one as herself. She had spent so much time immersed in other cultures as someone completely different, she didn’t know if she could find Princess Anna any more. She preferred the identity she’d gone by in her espionage training, Sammy, but even Sammy didn’t know who she was anymore. Princess Anna had enlisted as a spy right out of college and had quickly risen to the top of all her trainings. She blushed, thinking of Lucan. He had been right there with her through it all, the two competing for each top spot as it came open.

Did he still track her? She saw his surveillance camera in Egypt. But she couldn’t imagine he would still be watching, not when she had pushed him away like she had.

Lucan was never far from her thoughts, but they now turned to her mother. Sammy knew her mother had limited time and that same amount of time counted down the moments until Sammy would take her place as Queen Anna of España.

She groaned and the person to her right on their row on the airplane glanced her way and then put on headphones. She had once heard King Nico Valdez say that coronations were equally joyful and sad because when one royal was crowned, it always signified another had passed on. How true those words. Sammy’s heart ached for the arms of her mother, for the confidence she infused. And she regretted this last assignment in Egypt. Especially now that she had placed someone else on the case.

She slept on and off during the flight and at last landed in her beloved España. Because she was still dressed as Ayatalia, an Egyptian woman with head covering and full dress, she forwent the palace car. She would visit a safehouse first, collect the things she had left there, and then proceed to the palace. Every moment spent in transition weighed on her as stolen time she could have spent with her mother.

At last she arrived at her home, in the decorated cars of the royal family. The peace of familiarity filled her, a sense of right and responsibility descended, and she allowed a sliver of the weight of the crown to touch her. Her mother was the rightful heir, and her father was king as a courtesy title by marriage only. He would be there to help her, Sammy knew, but so much of the governing and decision making would fall to her.

She needed Lucan. The thought came before she could squelch it. But she had no right to ask him for help, or to invite him back into her life, not after the way she had dismissed him so easily.

He would have done the same, were their situations switched, but he could never know that.

She hurried through the palace halls, staff greeting her quietly as she moved. When she arrived at her mother’s door, she paused. She released the deep breath which filled her lungs and braced herself.

But when she entered the room, a lovely feeling of sweet peace permeated her soul. Her mother, all cheery smiles, grinned at her from the bed. She reached out a shaky hand. “You have returned.”

Tears welled in Sammy’s eyes. She must be Princess Anna now. “Dear mother. Are you in pain?” She rushed to her mother’s bedside, kissed her head, and held her hand.

The regal queen looked away for a half second and Anna recognized the lie before she spoke. “I am well enough. Come, tell me how you are. What adventures have you been having at that school of yours?”

Anna hated lying to her family. No one at home knew of her espionage activities. “I was just on my way to Egypt actually.”

“Really! They do have you traveling, don’t they?” Her eyes twinkled as she drank in Anna. Her mother’s yearning expression brought a lump to Anna’s throat and she regretted again being gone so long.

They chatted for two hours before Anna knew she must let her mother rest. As she stood to leave, the words she had been dreading filled the quiet space between them.

“And Lucan?”

Anna sighed. “He’s not a possibility for me any longer.”

The combination of sadness and insistence formed a tight ball in Anna’s stomach. “I have no right to expect that he would be. I’m sorry mother.” At times she wondered who loved Lucan more, herself or her mother.

“He’ll come around. You’ll see.” She patted Anna’s hand, and Anna let the soft assurance fall down around her, wrapping her in the warmth of hope. Even though she knew it was fruitless, she welcomed the respite from all that was sad and overwhelming. “Thank you, mother. Get some rest, I’ll be back when you’ve woken.”

She closed the door softly. Her father waited and pulled her into an embrace. “I’m sorry,mi hijitayou have to be called home for such a thing.”

“This is my responsibility. Even now with her unwell, I must take my place.”

His hand cupped her face. “You will be magnificent.”

The strength of his confidence brought tears to her eyes. “Thank you,Papi.

They made their way, arm in arm to the family sitting room. “Shall we play chess?” His eyes sparkled with competition. Anna set aside her plans to further coordinate all the work she had left behind, and grinned in response. “Think you can still beat me?”

He tilted his head to the side. “Well, now, that remains to be seen, doesn’t it?”

She relaxed into the happy routines of home, hoping it would dull the ache and the knowledge that everything was about to change. For the hundredth time that afternoon, she wished Lucan would be at her side, as she had always imagined him to be in such a time.

Chapter 3

Lucan knew the moment Sammy arrived in Spain, knew when her car pulled up to the palace, and then he stopped knowing anything. The royal residence in Spain was one of the few places, his own surveillance could not penetrate. But he didn’t wish to have surveillance there. He ached, thinking of all the sorrow and responsibility ahead for her in the next few weeks and maybe months. And he wished to be at her side.

He joined his family for breakfast. At last everyone was present. Dahlia was home for a long weekend; Thad had returned from New York, and Sage was with him. They looked too sheepish, too happy, and Lucan knew at once there would be an announcement.

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