Page 3 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne

Too full of nervous energy, Brendon chose to pace instead. “Yes, I try to avoid things like this.” He waved his hand vaguely. “I was engaged to Francesca practically since birth. Even if I knew she wouldn’t love me, bringing other children into our marriage would have only complicated things.”

“It certainly is a complication,” Rick agreed. “Maybe his mother used an alias and forgot that she didn’t give you her real name.”

The suggestion baffled Brendon. Lying to a partner about his identity had never occurred to him. “Do you really think someone would do that?”

Rick shrugged. “I doubt all of my partners told me their real names.”

“Maybe. Or …” Brendon rubbed a hand down his face. “Nine. Treasure said he was nine.”

“Yes?”

“The Anniversary Ball in Misfortune was about ten years ago.” At Rick’s blank look, Brendon explained, “That was the night I was supposed to meet Francesca and instead found her with another woman.” After he’d witnessed the scene in the garden, he’d gotten dead drunk.

Rick’s eyes narrowed. “Did thisImogenetake advantage of you when you were so drunk you couldn’t even remember?”

“I don’t know.” Brendon finally sat down, and Rick wrapped his arm around him. “I hate not knowing.”

Rick hugged him for a while, stroking his back. “There is one other possibility.”

“What?”

“Treasure may not be your son.”

“But his hair—”

“Red hair isn’tthatuncommon. If you were a woman alone, with no one to rely on, and you knew you were dying, would you leave your son to the mercy of the world? Or would you find a scapegoat to play his father?Someone who had a reputation for being a lady’s man, who lookedjustenough like him to pass. Someone who could give him a good life.”

Times like this reminded Brendon of his husband’s potential for evil. Their first meeting had involved crossing-dressing, false identities, and magic, all because Rick thought kidnapping a prince would solve his problems. Even an evil mage had once sought to take him on as an apprentice.

Brendon stared at the letter discarded on the table. “What do we do?”

“He’s a child alone in the world. Whether he’s your son or not, we take care of him. Besides.” Rick gave Brendon a tentative, guilty smile. “We need fresh blood in the royal families to maintain the Kingdom Defense Spell.”

Brendon snorted. “Do you think that would work?”

“The Good Wizard seems generous with his loopholes. As long as we raise Treasure as our son, he’s a member of the royal family.”

“Our son,” Brendon repeated, testing the words.

Rick grinned. “If I’m honest, I like the sound of that.”

Brendon leaned in to kiss his husband. “Thank you for being so understanding. When he first came to the door, I really didn’t know what you would think. I didn’t even know whatIthought.”

“I love you, Brendon, and I trust you. And I am looking forward to this next chapter together.”

Chapter One

Twelve Years Later

I always knew this day would come. At breakfast, Father said he had something important to discuss and asked me to wait in his office. I sat in the chair across from his desk, leg thumping nervously as I scanned my surroundings.Back windows—left unlocked, center locked, right jammed shut. Side door—poorly hidden behind a plant. Office door—best option if Dad doesn’t block my exit.

Father walked in first and sat behind his desk. “Your dad will be here soon. He’s finishing up with—”

Before he even finished the sentence, Dad blew into the room like a whirlwind. “Sorry, sorry, I’m here,” he said, giving me a perfunctory kiss on the top of my head before sliding into the seat next to Father. I saw his hand dip under and guessed they were holding hands.Shit, shit, this is not good.That was an ‘I’m lending you support for the difficult conversation’ gesture.

I surreptitiously glanced at the door.How much time would I lose opening it? Probably less than the window, but the window is a direct escape. If I use the door, I have to pass the guards.

Father cleared his throat, and I returned my focus to him, pretending I wasn’t plotting my escape. “Trey.”