Page 13 of Coral Prince Conundrum (Runaway Prince Hotel #1)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Daryl

I’m awoken in a bed that’s not mine to words that I don’t understand. I sit up and wipe my eyes, gradually remembering that I was sleeping with Seero. Our first night together felt so lovely, and I adored having him like a muscly blanket around me. But now he’s not in bed.

My vision comes back, and I spot my hookup buddy standing near the doorway. He’s talking frantically in Corali as he puts on his briefs. I might not understand his tongue, but panic is a universal language. I can’t make out the person he’s talking to, so I stand up.

“Seero?”

He turns to me, but before he opens his mouth, the figure shrouded in darkness opens the door. He manhandles Seero into the light of the hotel hallway. “Daryl, I…let me—ah!” He stutters while hopping up and down, putting on his kilt-skirt-thing. He hikes on his green knapsack, and I step forward.

“What?” I mutter, following them into the hallway. Luckily, I chose to put on my boxers in the middle of the night, so I’m not just sauntering around Renversé Hotel nude.

“Daryl, I can explain,” Seero says. The figure pushes him forward, making him stumble back, but he complies. The fear in his eyes is undeniable, and courage swells in me.

“Hey, don’t you touch him!” I shout and stride over to him, hoping to make a scene. I can tell by the blue light outside that it’s early, but I need as many witnesses as possible. I need bystanders to know that I’m protecting him. No one hurts Seero in my presence.

Before I can step forward, a blue blur surrounds me. A wall of ocean water cascades and engulfs my personal space. The spray touches my bare chest, and I instinctively step back. Being surrounded by a supernatural whirlpool inside a hotel hallway isn’t exactly an everyday occurrence.

After a few moments, the water disappears behind me, and I turn around.

Two men, Asian and copper-toned like Seero, maneuver their hands to seemingly compel the water toward them.

The waves turn into large spheres, and they place them into green knapsacks by their side.

They stand in an identical stance with focused confidence; I know they are willing to blast me with water at any moment.

No matter what country they’re from, authorities ready to take down an innocent man look the same.

“Young man, I ought to hold you in contempt for touching the Coral Prince.” I turn back around to the booming voice with a familiar accent. The cloaked man undoes his hood, revealing a rotund face with a gray beard.

“Who…who are you?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.

“Papa, please!” Seero says, just as the man replies, “I am Ero, the Coral King.”

My throat goes dry, and my gaze darts from this large, regal man to a very frightened Seero. What .

“And you can call me Your Majesty.” He pulls back his robe to reveal a round stomach, and his lower body is wrapped in green-and-black cloth, similar to Seero’s.

I turn back to his personal police force, as if to look for someone to verify this.

They, of course, don’t react. When I turn back around, King Ero—Seero’s freaking dad—walks closer to me.

He gazes at me up and down with a mixture of contempt and clinical observation.

Down to my boxers, I feel smaller and more exposed than ever.

I want to move to cover myself, but Dad always told me to keep my hands still when police are facing your back.

That rule for sure applies to kingdom cops armed with magical water powers.

“Papa—” Seero’s words are silenced when his dad raises his fist.

“Young man, I can hold you in custody for going to bed with my son. Foreigners are not allowed to touch the royal family,” he says in a deep tenor.

Oh crap . My dick and ass are about to get me locked up overseas.

“Oh no, you don’t!”

He turns to the voice in the hallway. A small audience, workers and gusts from the hotel, have gathered behind Seero. Layla walks in front with purpose, wearing a blue sweatshirt-and-pants combo. The look on her face can only be described as livid.

“You won’t touch him, Your Majesty,” she says with gritted teeth.

The king looks at her, then at me, with a neutral expression. He turns back to her and says, “Who are you?”

“I am the owner of this establishment. And you have no jurisdiction here over American citizens.”

Oh, please let this be true . I’m shaking in my boxers, and the two guards walk forward, now paying attention to Layla. Seero looks bewildered at everyone. Then, behind Layla, two more identical Corali guards walk through, their hands armed with sacks of ocean water.

Everyone stares at this tense showdown. A million thoughts buzz through my head. Crap, is Layla going to get shot because of me? Am I going to spark an international incident? Is Seero going to get hurt, too? Am I going to end up on the news in just my boxers?!

“Do you know who I am, Madame…?” The king continues to switch his stare from Layla to me.

“I am Layla Fischer, owner of the Renversé Hotel. And I know all about you, Your Majesty, King Ero Dagat of the Coral Kingdom.”

She takes a defiant step forward. “And I know you cannot arrest or detain any citizen outside of the Coral Kingdom shores, lest you invoke the United Regions Treaty of 1901, Section 1.0, Article B.”

The king’s back tenses, but only for a moment before he relaxes again. Layla lifts her chin with a victorious grin. “So, unless you and your little friends book multiple hotel rooms, you need to vacate the premises immediately.”

After a moment of tense silence, the king nods, and the soldiers near me march forward as he slowly walks away. “Very well, Layla Fischer. But I have jurisdiction over my son. We will leave your establishment now.”

He taps Seero’s shoulder, and my friend slumps forward.

He seems so resigned, and my heart aches.

This is exactly what we were both afraid of, his royal status ending our arrangement.

But I thought we had more time. I thought we’d get a real goodbye, and I had hoped it would be a lot less public and dramatic.

“Seero,” I murmur. They proceed down the hall towards the lobby, and Layla steps out of their way. The prince looks at me one last time, sorrow pooling in his dark eyes. My heart feels like it’s leaping out of my chest. This isn’t right.

“Seero!” I can hear my voice echoing before I realize what I’m saying. “You can’t take him away from me!”

The guards turn and glare at me. In another moment, they crouch in a fighting posture and, with some hand gestures, they wield giant spheres of ocean water.

The azure orbs rotate supernaturally, weaponized waves ready to strike me down.

Fear rises through me, and I freeze in place.

The king announces words in Corali language, but even I can tell it’s an order to attack me.

Layla looks on with fear, and time stands still.

That was a mistake . My life doesn’t even flash before my eyes.

All I can think of is Seero holding me last night and making love to me.

When I see his panicked expression yards away, I hope he knows I care for him.

He gazes at me with despair, but before I get power-washed away by the Corali royal guard, his expression changes.

“ Kaluluwa ko sya!” he shouts.

The energy in the room shifts, and the guards immediately soften their stance. The king looks at Seero with surprise, then back at me. No one seems as shocked as Seero, but he was definitely the one who said the words. What did it mean? Was it some sort of command?

King Ero puts his hand up, and the guards all relax.

He exchanges words with his son, and Seero seems genuinely shaken.

After some muttering, he walks toward me, and once again, the hotel is silent.

The king strides right up to me, and I’m so afraid he’ll summon a water sword and stab me.

I’m gonna die in this hotel with hardly any clothes on.

Before I can apologize for my outburst, he opens his arms. “Welcome to the family!” he says, in jovial, clear English. The king laughs and hugs me, wrapping me in a strong embrace.

What ?

The king laughs again, and the guards all applaud. What the hell is happening?

King Ero steps back, and I’m freed from his royal vice grip. Seero approaches wearing a strained smile. The king says something to him again, happiness written on his face, and he taps his son’s shoulder. My throat feels like sandpaper. I’m so confused.

Seero gets closer and holds me tight. “I’m so sorry. I did what I had to, just go with it,” he whispers urgently.

He pulls back and smiles while holding my shoulders. I shake my head. “Go with what?—?”

And now he’s kissing me. Seero’s mouth is on mine, and I could be wrong, but the Corali are all applauding. He’s making out with me, but I’m too freaked out to enjoy it—we’re in public, after all. When he’s done forcing his tongue into my mouth, he pulls off and holds me at his side.

Layla approaches, almost as dumbfounded as I am. “Um, what…?”

“Layla Fischer. I would like seven of your finest rooms for one night, please,” the king says in his regal tone. He shakes her hand, then looks at us. “After all, it is not every day that my son gets engaged to be married. Come, let us celebrate! Take me to your finest eating establishment.”

The guards flank us, all cheers and laughter as I’m whisked away. Seero has his arm wrapped around my shoulder while chattering with the guards. I’m forced to walk forward with him, my bare feet nearly dragging on the linoleum floors.

“En…en…engaged?” I whisper to him.

“I’m so sorry. It was all I could come up with,” he whispers. He has a manic grin as he waves at his fellow Corali.

“Who are you engaged to?” I try to mentally process everything that’s been happening. I cross my arms, still shaking with fear and cold from wearing no clothes.

“You.” He grins and rubs my arms. “You are my fiancé now,” he mutters.

Oh. Oh .

He did this to protect me. The guards don’t want to kill me anymore because they think I’m engaged to the freaking Coral Prince —things just went from weird to worse.