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Annie hadn’t hesitated. “I will not let that happen. You’ll have to kill me.”

It had been a desperate bluff. Obviously, her uncle was determined to have her returned to his control. That meant she was important to his plans. Surely, he would not want her dead.

And she was right—but in the worst possible way.

“Perhaps the princess requires a better incentive,” one man had said to the other. Then he’d turned his cold eyes on her. “Here is a choice you may find more interesting, Princess Anoushka. You will return to your country with us—or your friend dies tonight.”

“My friend?” she’d said, even though she knew right away, she knew…

“Declan Sanchez,” the second man said. “How does it feel to hold a man’s life in your hands?”

Annie’s thoughts had whirled. Declan was a skilled warrior—but these men were cold-blooded assassins. They would attack Declan when he was most vulnerable: when he was in his own home, asleep.

“Choose, Anoushka. And choose wisely.”

She had begged to be permitted to leave a note. “People will wonder what happened to me.”

The two men had exchanged knowing looks.

“They will be told you moved,” the one who’d awakened her said. “Nothing of you will remain in these rooms.”

“My landlord—”

“Your landlord just inherited a handsome sum of money. He is a happy man.”

They gave her five minutes to get ready. An hour later, she’d been on a plane bound for Qaram.

The next time she saw Declan was at her friend’s wedding in Texas.

At first, she’d been amazed her uncle Cyrus would permit her to attend, but he’d said it was important to show a civilized face to the world.

And just in case she thought she could turn the Texas visit to her advantage… He’d used the threat that always worked. Did she want Declan Sanchez to live—or to die?

“You won’t be able to harm him,” she said. “He’ll be surrounded by his friends.”

“His friends will not be able to save him,” her uncle had said with an icy smile, “but in trying to do so, they will create an international incident. Imagine the headlines. American Special Forces solders attempt to harm Qarami diplomats at Texas social event. Excellent, don’t you think?”

Annie knew there would be no Qarami diplomats. There would only be her uncle’s thugs, men whose job it was to keep her from running away, but she also knew that her uncle could and would spin the story to suit himself and effectively end Dec’s career, if not his life.

The day of the wedding, her first view of Declan had damn near undone her.

She’d come dangerously close to throwing herself into his arms.

But she hadn’t.

Still, for the couple of minutes they were alone, she’d almost told him the truth.

And then sanity had returned.

Flying home, she’d told herself she’d survived the worst her uncle could do to her.

Wron

g.

A couple of weeks later, he’d summoned her to his chambers and told her that she was about to do something of vital importance for her country.

“You will marry the king of Tharsalonia,” he’d said.