LITMIR.BIZ

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jacket and skirt. Her blond hair was neatly braided into a bun. “Good evening. Allow me to hold your backpack for you, Your Royal Highness.”

      Before Izzy could say a word, the backpack strap was lifted out of her hand. Every one of her muscles tensed, bunching into tight balls. She wasn’t used to being catered to. It was disconcerting because she didn’t feel like royalty.

      She sat in the window seat and buckled her seat belt.

      The flight attendant handed the backpack to Izzy. “Would you care for something to drink or eat, ma’am?”

      “No, thanks.” Izzy didn’t want to upset her stomach any more than it already was. Her nerves were getting the best of her. Over the flight, over Vernonia, over Niko. Maybe if she distracted herself.

      She pressed a button that turned on the overhead light. She twisted a knob that regulated the airflow nozzle.

      Niko sat next to her. “Are you certain you do not want anything?”

      Izzy wanted this to be over with. “No, thanks, Your Highness.”

      “Call me Niko.”

      “I’m not sure I should get in the habit of calling you by your first name. As soon as our marriage is annulled I doubt you’d want to be on such familiar terms with a commoner.”

      “You are not a commoner,” he said. “You are a princess by birth. Royal Sachestian blood flows through your veins.”

      “That may be true, but I was raised American. Royalty is something other countries have.”

      “Americans have unofficial royalty. The Kennedys, the Rockefellers, the Hiltons.”

      “I suppose, but a princess isn’t something I aspired to be beyond the age of four or five. Wearing a tiara has never been a dream of mine.”

      “You may feel like an American, but you are a Vernonian.” He spoke as if her being a Vernonian was the most important thing she could be. No one had ever spoken to her that way. Not even Uncle Frank. “You will be amazed by the history of your family.”

      Intrigued, she leaned toward him. “I have a family history?”

      “Your lineage goes back centuries. Your father’s family played an integral role in the formation of our country, when Sachestia in the north merged with the south to form what we now call Vernonia.” He fastened his seat belt. “If you have questions about anything, please ask.”

      “I—” The lights in the cabin flickered. She clutched the seat armrests until her knuckles turned white. “What’s that?”

      “The APU, auxiliary power unit, coming on,” he explained. “It powers the lights and air system while we are in flight.”

      “Oh, yeah. I should have remembered that.”

      The plane moved backward.

       Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

      “Do not worry.” Niko covered her hand with his large one. His skin was warm, but not soft. Scars and calluses covered his hand and fingers. “The plane is being moved so the pilot can taxi to the runway.”

      Forget about the plane. His touch disturbed her more than it comforted. She tried to slip her hand from beneath his, but couldn’t. “I’m sorry if I’ve acted like a wimp, but I’m okay now.”

      “You’ve handled everything remarkably well, Isabel. You should be proud of yourself.”

      He wouldn’t let Izzy remove her hand from his, but his words made her sit taller. She wanted to be brave for him, but mostly herself. That was what Uncle Frank would have wanted her to be.

      The engines roared to life. She sucked in a breath.

       Nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about.

      The words became a mantra.

      The plane taxied to the runway. Out the window, she saw the airport lights shining in the darkness. Pretty, but she would rather be at home watching a television show than sitting on a luxurious private jet holding hands with a handsome prince.

      Too late to back out now.

      Izzy pressed her feet against the floor of the plane.

      “We will be in the air shortly,” Niko said.

      All she could do was nod.

      The jet lurched to a stop. The engines whined, the sound growing louder. She was too nervous to appreciate the speed of the rotor. The cabin shook like the crowd at Daytona when cars went three wide. Izzy held her breath.

      Suddenly the jet speeded down the runway.

      She glanced out the window at the world passing by her.

      “Remember to breathe,” he said.

      She did.

      Nikola squeezed her hand.

      This time his touch reassured her. She met his eyes. Her gaze dropped to his mouth. She thought about kissing him until she couldn’t think straight, but that seemed a little extreme. Maybe burying her face against his chest until this was over would be better. She closed her eyes instead.

      “Look at me, Isabel.”

      She forced her eyes open. Her gaze locked with his intense green eyes.

      “You are safe,” he said. “As long as you are with me, you will always be safe.”

      The confidence and strength he exuded made her almost believe his words. But she knew safe didn’t really exist. If it did her parents would be alive. Uncle Frank, too.

      The vibrations increased until she thought the plane might break apart. The forward momentum pushed her back against her seat. Niko laced his fingers with hers.

      The plane lifted off the ground.

      The lights below grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared altogether. The plane climbed at a steep angle, as if it were a fighter jet not a passenger plane.

      The aircraft jolted. She sucked in another breath.

      “A patch of turbulence,” Niko said. “Normal.”

      None of this was normal. Not the takeoff, not the prince sitting next to her. And certainly not this life-altering adventure she was embarking on.

      After what seemed like forever, the plane leveled.

      “We’ve reached cruising altitude.” Niko kept his hand on hers. “Not too bad.”

      It wasn’t a question.

      “No,” she admitted. “But we still have to land.”

      The corners of his mouth lifted. “Landing will be easier.”

      “Really?” she asked.

      He nodded. “You’ll be tired due to the time change. You may even be asleep when the wheels touch ground.”

      “I’m not sure I’ll be sleeping after everything that’s gone on. My mind’s a big jumble right now.”

      “You should try to sleep,” he encouraged her. “Tomorrow will be a big day.”

      “Are we going straight to the court?” she asked.

      “The High Court is not in session on Saturday. We will go to the castle.”

      “Castle?”

      “My parents want to meet you.”

      “I’ve never met a king or a queen.”

      “You have, but you don’t remember.”

      “What’s your father like?” Izzy asked.

      “He’s very … kingly.”

      “That’s intimidating,” she admitted.

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