Page 13 of A Valiant Prince

I help her to sit back in the wheelchair. Hans pats her shoulder, and she reaches her hand up to his and gives it a gentle squeeze.

“Get some rest, Uncle Hans,” she says to him. He nods at her as I push her out of the room. I see a box of tissue at the nurses’ station as we walk past. I pull one out and hand it to her.

“Thanks,” she murmurs, taking it without another word. I haven’t seen her like this before, broken, and it scares me.

Lucas follows us down to the elevator. “The car is out back,” he says, leading the way as the elevator opens.

I push Anna down a back hallway, and then follow him down another. He opens what appears to be a random exit door. There’s a large unmarked black SUV with tinted windows. Lucas opens the back door, and I lift Anna up and set her inside, before going around to the other side.

Pete is already in the front driver’s seat, and Lucas gets in next to him. Pete takes one look at Anna in the rearview mirror before driving onward. He doesn’t say a word. I look over at her as she wipes her nose with the tissue.

“Come here, baby,” I say to her, she looks at me, her eyes glazed with unshed tears. I think she’s going to say no but, instead, she leans her head down on my lap and curls into a ball. I wrap my arm tightly around her and stroke her hair with my other hand. I murmur comforting words to her, and after a few minutes, I lean forward, confirming that she has fallen fast asleep.

Pete looks back at us again. “She saw Lara,” he states, frowning.

“Yes,” I say. He doesn’t speak again as we drive toward the estate.

I stare out the window as Norddale passes by us. We drive out of the city, into the hilly surroundings. Thirty minutes later, we wind around a hill and come out on top of it. The sea comes into view, and it’s breathtaking. The coastline is dotted with rocky cliffs, and there are sailboats in the distance. Chris’s suggestion of sailboat excursions here isn’t off base. I see a large manor house in the distance, perched upon the next hill. I can only make out the roofline as tall pine trees block it from view. There’s nothing around it, no gatehouse, no wall, no hedges. It’s a lonely barren land on a rocky hillside. I imagine the views of the sea must be amazing.

There’s one dirt road that leads to the isolated estate. We drive it slowly and as we come back out of the next valley, I see a small gate in the woods. Pete pulls up, scans his hand on a monitor and the gate opens. We pull through into a tunnel surrounded by leaves, branches, and tree trunks. I see a clearing up ahead. We pull in, the sound of crunching pebbles beneath the car, as we come to a stop in front of a fountain in the middle of a driveway that loops around.

I caress Anna’s cheek with my thumb and lean down.

“Wake up, Princess,” I whisper in her ear. She moves slightly. “We’re here.”

She stretches and slowly sits up, blinking up at the large estate house in front of us. She turns to me, her cheek pink from where she lay on my leg for the last thirty minutes.

“Sorry…I was tired, I guess,” she says. I reach out and run my hand over her cheek and jaw.

“Let’s go get settled,” I say to her. Pete opens Anna’s door and holds out a hand to her. She takes it, and he helps her out of the car. I quickly walk around and pick her up.

“Show us the way,” I say to him.

Anna looks up at me. “I am capable of walking, you know,” she says with a sigh.

I lean my head down to hers. “I’m very aware of that, but maybe I like you in my arms,” I whisper in her ear. I see goose bumps form on her bare skin, and something primal in me wants to take her straight to bed and make love to her until she passes out in my arms.

“This way,” Pete says as we enter the house. An older woman greets us in the foyer and tells us to let her know if we need anything.

“I’m Maria. Please, let me know if you or…your guest need anything, Your Highness,” she says. At the woman’s obvious uncertainty on who I am, Anna emits a giggle and it’s like a balm on my injured soul.

“This is Logan Winters, my—” she starts.

“Her boyfriend,” I finish. She looks up at me with wide eyes.

“Oh, uh, so nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Winters,” Maria says.

“Likewise,” I reply. She hurries in front of us.

“Follow me, I have your room all set up as per your uncle’s instructions,” she says. She pauses for a moment. “Should I prepare a separate room for you, Mr. Winters?”

Anna stifles another giggle. “The guest room next to mine is fine. Thank you, Maria,” she says.

Maria gives us a pointed look but smiles and nods. She opens the door to a spacious, airy room with windows that open to a small balcony with sea views beyond it. I set Anna down on a giant lounge chair in the corner of the room. Maria opens the French doors to the balcony.

“There, that’ll help air it out. Mr. Winters, your room is just next door. Is there anything I can get for you?” she asks us.

“No, thank you, Maria. We are both rather exhausted. I imagine my father will want to meet with the family once we have all arrived, so please alert me when he is here,” she says.

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