Page 9 of Iron Unicorn

“There’s no reason you can’t. Once I’m back in New York, I’ll talk with the RPS about having reverse style scenarios. It would do my queen well to have a chance to make off with her husband during a scenario. If she wins, we’ll plan a getaway for her where it feels unofficial while she’s still protected. There’s no reason we can’t do that for the royal families.”

“Has she gotten used to you calling her your queen yet?”

I laughed. “No, and I often end up using her name in private so she’s comfortable. She’s gradually adapting to the titles, but it’s an issue. She’s afraid she’ll slip back to when she believed her title was her name. Wedouse her title and name together more than most kingdoms. That’s helping.”

“Will she be okay without you? She’d become so worried when you were on the ride with us.”

I smiled at the reminder of my queen’s willingness to leave her comfort zones and explore more of the world. “Her worry lasted for perhaps half a second before she got caught up in the excitement of being out and about and seeing a new part of the world. She had a wonderful time in London.”

“But then Daphne’s talent woke up.”

That would disturb the entire Montana royal family enough they’d need therapy, especially Daphne. “And she came back to England to chase after us and had a wonderful time. It would be prudent to evaluate how the family gifts are tested and evaluated. If Daphne has the talent, others probably do, too. But everyone is so convincedonlyHis Royal Majesty has it they suppress it.”

“Or Daphne’s love and general empathy for my brother is so strong she forced it awake to take the burden off him. They’re cousins, but they may as well be brother and sister. Daphne took it the hardest when our parents died, and for a long time, I think she felt like she’d lost my brother along with her aunt and uncle. But then to get him back and being aware of the future looming ahead of our family? She’s got more empathy than she knows what to do with. She’s always been like that. But the only talent she has allowed herself to have is her blood leeching talent.” Olivia frowned, and her expression became troubled. “She’s struggling with her horse empathy talent, too.”

“She’s made the important first steps of acknowledging she has it. She’s a wonderful woman, but even she needs time to adapt. Daphne will be fine. That she’s willing to take swipes at me is an indication she’s doing well. A stressed and worried Daphne does not participate in schemes like this one. She’s too uptight, and her leeching talent might flare.” I patted Olivia’s hand, aware she’d fret no matter what I said.

Olivia loved her family.

“Do you think she’ll really be all right?”

“I do. She’s settling, and that she was willing to go after me is a good sign that she’s comfortable with what’s going on. Of course, she will not hesitate to have fun at my expense, but that’s a small price to pay. For now, let’s worry about making sure you can breathe without struggling.”

“It’s not Will’s fault,” she blurted.

“I’m sure he holds some blame for being so persistent that your nose is perfect as it is, but I do not believe he would have hesitated to push for the operation if he thought it was hurting your health.”

“I hid it from him, and I made the physicians hide it, too.”

That explained a lot—especially if Olivia also had the family talent. “Made as in using a talent?”

“I hope not.”

I would have to address that concern later, after she made it through her operation. “We can add talent evaluations to the list after the recovery portion of your operation. One step at a time. If you’re concerned you have the talent, wear your bracelet. You brought it with you, right?”

She held up her hand and showed off the suppressor meant to shut down her talents. “I’m wearing it so I don’t lose it.”

“Good. I expect you’ll wear it throughout the first stages of your recovery, and then we’ll do evaluations to see if the operation has changed anything for you.” Something as simple as appropriate air flow to the lungs could improve someone’s basic abilities, a fact I would not ignore. “Is there anything you need me to do before you go into surgery?”

She gulped, and then she shook her head. “We best go before I chicken out.”

I offered her a smile. “If you try to chicken out, I’ll drag you in kicking and screaming. It’s okay to be afraid. In your shoes, I would be afraid, too. Our noses are quite important, and we need them.”

“Are you sure?”

Patting her hand again, I nodded. “I’m sure. Your nose is quite important, and you deserve to breathe out of it. Just trust me. Everything will be fine.”

THREE

“Play nice with Terry.”

Within five minutesof stepping foot in the hospital, the medical team on call took custody of Olivia and escorted her into one of the operating rooms to prepare for her surgery. A pair from the Texan RPS went with her while I was pulled aside and kitted with a full rig that integrated with the local RPS.

Under normal circumstances, I would have used New York’s comms and equipment, but Texas wanted me to lay low, and that meant integration. The entire process took thirty minutes, and once everything checked out and my firearm was registered with the Texans, I got to join Olivia in the operating room to stand guard.

“Read me loud and clear?” Dominic, the lead agent assigned to Olivia’s new detail, asked. While some static marred the sound, I wouldn’t worry about it until later—if it didn’t improve outside of the hospital.

Medical equipment often interfered with our headsets, although we’d been assured numerous times our systems didn’t bother the machinery. Lifting my hand, I pressed the button to activate my microphone and replied, “Loud and clear.”

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