Crowned: Gowns & Crowns, Book 4 by Jennifer Chance

Author:Jennifer Chance [Chance, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elewyn Publishing
Published: 2016-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Ryker…Ari…whoever the hell he was, he knew he should have been leveled with a crashing headache at the prospect of stepping foot in the royal palace. But too many emotions were roiling through him at once to settle on any one thing. The shock at discovering who he really was, the unruly reaction to the knowledge that here were two men who’d dedicated a year to searching for him…and he didn’t truly remember either of them, and his pent-up outrage and betrayal at Francesca—Francesca! Who likely had been bullied into serving as his babysitter, who clearly had secrets of her own she was desperate to hide, and who now walked behind them like she was hoping to slip away when no one was looking.

Well, that wasn’t going to happen. He reached for her hand, pulling her up beside him as they crossed under the gate. She’d been by his side for his every step in Garronia, she wasn’t giving up that job yet.

And if he was being truly honest with himself, he didn’t want her to give it up yet. In the shortest of times, he’d become used to her being there, whether watching him with absolute serenity or snapping at him with a few choice curse words. He liked both sides of Francesca, and he suspected he would like any other side she chose to reveal to him. He could afford to wait.

What couldn’t wait, however was apparently a royal audience.

Ryker tried to process all he was seeing as they walked along the hallways of the royal palace. Everything in the home was stunning—hardwood and marble floors, artwork lining the walls, gilded fittings, but it didn’t have the pretentious feel that it should. He didn’t know why—perhaps because he’d grown up here, gotten used to all of the luxury.

Either way, there was still no pain, for which he was exceedingly grateful. He knew there would be more eventually, but he would take what breaks he could get.

“Sir,” Stefan said, and Ryker realized they’d stopped. The ambassador was assessing him critically. “Can you recall anything about this place yet? Anything at all?”

“Not yet,” Ryker said.

Stefan nodded. “Then you’re in luck. The royal family will be at their most cautious. Don’t take their reticence for a lack of relief, though. They simply don’t want to break you.”

“Break me?”

But Stefan was already through the door, and Dimitri gestured him in, the look on the captain’s face inscrutable. As if he’d lashed down his emotions tight enough to withstand a hurricane.

“Break me?” Ryker asked again, this time of Dimitri. The captain’s chiseled face remained tense for a moment longer, then quirked into a smile.

“The queen…you’ll understand when you see her,” he said. “She’s been grieving your loss for an entire year, and she’s afraid that if she makes the wrong move, she’ll somehow worsen your condition.”

Ryker frowned. “But that makes no sense.”

Dimitri lifted one shoulder. “She’s a mother before she is queen sometimes. And she’s been through a lot.”

Then another man he didn’t recognize was at the door, a staffer, looking out to see if anything was wrong.

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