Page 59 of His Runaway Princess

Picking the pace up to a trot, he told his phone to call Thor back. He really needed to get the Øyanordian teams in his phone.

He spoke over Thor when he answered. “Call security at the North Shore. Hurry.”

Then hung up again.

Thor would understand when he found out - even if it turned out to be nothing.

It wouldn’t be nothing.

Not when his gut churned like this.

It hadn’t been like this since the incident in Sargasso a few years earlier. The one where dozens of royals were held hostage at an island resort.

He moved faster.

Then he saw her.

And him.

The man from Ravenzario.

Ryker skidded to a stop on the loose rocks.

One of the man’s arms wrapped around her shoulders. She held onto it, digging her nails in from the look of things.

The other clearly held some sort of weapon against her ribs.

Ryker held his hands up wishing he had a weapon of some sort, but also glad he didn’t.

It would put Amalia in more danger.

“Don’t come any closer!” The man seemed to press his weapon harder into Amalia.

Ryker raised his hands higher. “I’m not. I’m not armed.” He looked straight at Amalia. “Are you all right?”

She managed a slight nod. “Yes.”

“I don’t want to hurt her!”

Ryker breathed a small sigh of relief. “That makes two of us. What do you want?”

“I want her. She’s going to come with me.” He started to move sideways. “And you won’t come after us.”

Not a chance in...

“We’re going away. Far away.”

“You’re going to come back, right?” Ryker needed to keep him talking and get him away from the edge of the cliff. He moved sideways, hoping the other man would move as well. He could circle around and push them back toward the house.

He shook his head. “No. We’ll go home. To our home. The one we’ll live in together. Where we’ll grow old. Where we’ll raise our children.”

Amalia’s eyes went wide, fear shining through them.

“You’re in love with her?” Ryker struggled to keep the anger out of his voice.

“Johanne and I have always been meant for each other. I’ve known that since we were kids. I knew. So did she.”

Amalia clawed at his arm where it wrapped around her.