Maybe he was wrong about the potential issues being so close to her. It couldn’t be a legal thing, could it?
Then it hit him.
There was something in his contract about being a member of the protective service and getting so close to a member of another royal family.
He couldn’t focus enough to remember exactly what it said, but he hoped the unusual circumstances would play a role in any inquiry that might take place.
There wasn’t anything he could do about it at the moment, so he turned his head enough to press a kiss to the princess’s hairline then closed his eyes. Daylight hadn’t broken yet which meant it couldn’t be time to get up. He should. He should find a way to slip away from the princess without waking her and find another place to sleep for the rest of the night.
But after a couple of false starts, Ryker decided it wasn’t possible.
The princess’s safety had to be his top priority. His professional, and more importantly his personal, reputation depended on it. If that meant acting as a couple would? So be it. He’d accept any consequences that might be forthcoming.
Because Ryker knew one thing for certain.
No matter what it might do to his reputation, or job prospects, he’d do whatever necessary to keep Amalia safe.
* * *
When Amalia awoke,the first thing she noticed was a sense of loss. Of being alone.
But she’d always woken up alone.
So what made this day different?
She blinked her eyes open to see Ryker standing at the door talking softly to whoever was on the other side.
He glanced over at her then nodded and opened the door farther, letting the person on the other side walk through.
Amalia glanced down, glad she still wore something comfortable and not actual sleep wear. She pushed herself into a seated position before looking to see who the other person was.
Her eyes went wide as Yvette came into view.
“Good morning, Johanne.” The name already seemed unfamiliar.
“Good morning, Yvette.” Amalia shifted until she sat criss-cross with her hands resting in her lap. “Thank you for not saying anything yesterday.”
Ryker closed the door behind their guest.
“Nicky and I still haven’t said anything. We decided you needed the chance to come clean yourself, and we couldn’t come talk to you last night.” The other princess sat in the rocking chair. “But everyone is quite worried about you. The assumption is that you ran off rather than being kidnapped because there hasn’t been any sort of demands in the last few days. Your family, your team, they’re all beside themselves.”
Amalia nodded. “I know. I just needed some time away, to be Amalia, and not...” She glanced at Ryker who didn’t seem surprised by any of this conversation - or the fact that a princess had come to see her. Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” she asked him.
The look on his face changed to one she’d seen thousands of times before as he bowed slightly at the waist. “I am Ryker Drasil, protection officer for Her Royal Highness Princess Genevieve of Eyjania.”
Amalia blinked, staring at him. “You’ve known all along?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The sudden veneer of formality and loss of familiarity stung Amalia in a way she couldn’t have anticipated - or define. “Why didn’t you say anything? Or call in the troops?”
“I didn’t know how to get in touch with your team, and I’d received word that communications with my superiors may have been compromised. I sent a coded email, but we don’t have a code name for you, ma’am. While my superiors knew I was unavoidably detained with a situation of some seriousness, they likely wouldn’t have known you were involved. The only way they might have would be if your team had reached out to the others for assistance.”
“They didn’t,” Yvette told them. “I believe only the Ravenzarians and Øyanordians know you’re gone.” Amalia’s friend’s eyes softened. “You need to tell them where you are. Heads are going to roll for this, you know. That’s not fair to them.”
Properly chastised, Amalia went back to staring at her hands. “I know. I’ll do my best to mitigate it for them. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but my own. I used subterfuge and their trust in me to get out of the building. I’m safe. That’s all that really matters.”
She could see Ryker’s lips thin as he tried to keep himself from saying something. Amalia even knew what he wasn’t saying.
