LITMIR.BIZ

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royal coat of arms.

      A chill ran down her spine.

      She could never have imagined this happening to anyone let alone her. A grease monkey who cared more about the Winston Cup standings than the lines of succession for European thrones was now a princess?

      Below her at the bottom of the stairs, a local security detail stood watch. A custom agent checked paperwork with the security liaison officer who wore a uniform and seemed to be part of the flight crew.

      The shock of discovery still had her reeling. Denial battled acceptance. In spite of the physical evidence, Izzy still found the truth hard to accept. Would she ever feel like Princess Isabel Poussard Zvonimir Kresimir? She doubted it.

      Facing the open doorway, Izzy sensed rather than felt Niko standing behind her. She clutched the strap of her backpack.

      “It’s time to board,” he whispered from behind her. His warm breath fanned her neck.

      Awareness shot through Izzy. Her uneasiness quadrupled.

       Hold it together.

      She straightened, not wanting to appear weak. “I know.”

      Yet the open doorway loomed in front of her like a mysterious black hole. Her heart pounded so fast, Izzy thought her chest might explode.

      All she had to do was step across the threshold and board the plane. Too bad her feet felt as if they’d been permanently attached to the staircase. But they knew what Izzy kept trying to forget.

      This wasn’t only about never having flown before. She had absolutely no idea what waited for her on the other side. Of the doorway or when she arrived in Vernonia.

      She’d never had to face the unknown alone. Uncle Frank had always been there to pave the way. Even after his death, she’d continued working at Rowdy’s, living in the RV and following the plan they’d dreamed up together. But now she found herself on a new, uncertain path with all her plans swept away.

      Worse, there was no turning back.

      Her life was irrevocably changed whether she boarded the plane or stayed in Charlotte. The realization made her lightheaded.

      The prince moved closer, crowding her from behind. He emanated strength and warmth. Her pulse skittered.

      Uh-oh. Izzy needed to put a little distance between them. Not that she had much room to go anywhere. She shifted to the side until her backpack and hip hit the staircase railing. “Give me a minute.”

      Niko gently placed his hand on the curve of her back.

      Izzy stiffened. The slight touch made her more apprehensive.

      “You will have plenty of time once we board,” he said.

      She was losing control of this situation, of her life. “Things are happening too fast. I need everything to slow down.”

      “Everything will slow down when we are in the air. We have a long flight ahead of us.”

      A long flight that would carry her away from everything familiar. Nerves smacked into her like a rogue wave. Her stomach churned.

      “Isabel,” Niko said.

      Another plane took off. The roar louder than any engine she’d ever heard at the racetrack. Goose bumps prickled her skin.

      “I told you I needed a minute.” The words came out harsher than she intended.

      “It’s been an eventful day,” Niko said.

      “You think?” She swallowed around the crown-jewel-size lump in her throat. “I doubt anyone else has ever had a day like today. I wish it were all a dream. But it’s not. And now I’m stuck.”

      “Stuck?”

      “Having to go to Vernonia to annul the marriage and get my inheritance,” she admitted. “Unfortunately I have no idea what’s going to happen once we arrive. I may have been born there, but it might as well be Mars.”

      Niko’s assessing gaze made her feel like one of Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters. “Vernonia is different from what you are used to. Some would call the country old-fashioned. Others antiquated. Especially when it comes to gender roles.”

      Izzy half laughed with a mix of desperation and fear. “If you’re trying to make me feel better, it’s not working.”

      “I will not lie to you, Isabel,” he said. “Your life has changed. But you will not have to deal with any of this on your own.”

      A sense of inadequacy swept through her. Izzy was used to handling everything on her own, but she was completely out of her comfort zone here and practically shaking in her held-together-with-super-glue tennis shoes.

      “It will be my pleasure to help you,” he offered.

      Niko made a dashing knight in shining armor, but Izzy didn’t like being cast in the role of damsel in distress. She didn’t want or need his help. “Thanks, but I can do this on my own.”

       Please let me be able to do this on my own.

      With a deep breath, Izzy stood and stepped through the doorway of the plane.

      “Welcome aboard, Your Royal Highness,” a male flight attendant with a crew cut and navy blue uniform greeted. “We have a seven course dinner for you as well as movies for your entertainment.”

      It took Izzy a minute to realize the man was addressing her. “Thank you,” she muttered, wondering how he knew who she was.

      The flight attendant smiled at her. “Would you like me to escort you to your seat, ma’am?”

      “Thank you, Luka, but I will show Princess Isabel the way,” Niko said before Izzy could answer.

      Luka bowed. “Enjoy your flight, ma’am, sir.”

      “I thought you wanted to keep my identity a secret to avoid publicity,” she whispered to Niko as she moved away from Luka.

      “Only until after we appear before the High Court,” he explained quietly.

      As his male scent surrounded her, heat rushed through her veins. She hoped the High Court would be their first stop after they landed.

      “Do not worry,” he continued. “The crew is part of the Vernonian Air Force. They can be trusted with the information. As can the palace staff.”

      That seemed like a lot of people in on the secret, but he was the prince. “If you say so.”

      “I do.”

      Izzy made her way down the aisle, holding her backpack in front of her. The interior, a mix of warm beiges, browns and blues, created a welcoming environment. Couches and tables filled the first section of the cabin.

      “This is the lounge area,” Niko explained. “Feel free to come up here if you want to stretch your legs.”

      “I doubt I’ll unfasten my seat belt during the flight.”

      The corners of his mouth lifted. “That may get uncomfortable if you have to use the facilities.”

      Her cheeks warmed. She hadn’t considered that.

      The second section of the cabin contained rows of seats. The wide leather seats looked comfortable and luxurious, not narrow and cramped and squished together as her high school classmates had described after their graduation trip to the Caribbean. Izzy hadn’t been able to afford the trip, so had stayed home and worked at Rowdy’s garage.

      Times sure had changed. Mechanic Izzy Poussard was now Princess Isabel, the wife of the crown prince of Vernonia. She nearly laughed at the absurdity of it.

      “This is where we sit for takeoff and landing, or, if you choose,” Niko said, “the entire flight.”

      Izzy passed the row where Jovan sat. A few other seats

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