Page 2

TWO

Circumstances could change with time and effort.

Two and a half hours after talking to my sister, I arrived at the palace. While I had my van, my junker of a truck, and a few beaters, I’d dug out the closest thing I had to something fancy, an upper end luxury family car I’d purchased a few years back used.

With Terry about to fall off his rocker, I’d try a little harder to blend in. And if anyone had been following me as of late, they would never expect a nice vehicle leaving my junkyard to belong to me.

The windows were as tinted as New York law allowed, and I kept the car in pristine condition.

Upon arrival, I discovered chaos in the form of a small crowd. I parked in front of the palace and regretted agreeing to come to my least favorite place on Earth.

My sister waited on the steps with Ethan, grinning at Terry’s antics, which involved a great deal of pacing.

Princess Olivia of Montana stared at her RPS agent with open adoration, and I took the opportunity to capture the moment in a photo. After some thought, I took a short video. Then I pocketed my phone, went to her, and stole a hug.

Olivia patted my back. “I’m sorry, Ian. Terry really thought your detail was doing their job; they were submitting your location and detailed reports, and everything looked quiet but normal.”

Terry quit pacing, heaved a sigh, and cast a guilty look my way. “Had I known they were relaxing in the monitoring and operation rooms, I would have dealt with this a lot sooner. Please accept my apologies, Ian.”

“I accept your apology, but there’s nothing to forgive, Terry. I’ve been plenty safe, and had I felt otherwise, I would have gone to you or my sister promptly.”

I would have, too. While life hadn’t gone the way I wanted, I had no desire for everything to end early.

Circumstances could change with time and effort.

How my circumstances might change continued to elude me, but I could hold on for however long was needed. My sister had proven that life could cut a sharp left turn and become something worth living.

Maybe such a thing could happen to me, too.

Terry released another sigh, and while it took him a few moments, he relaxed. “Still, I should have noticed everything was going a little too well.”

“Considering that your job is to make sure my sister stays safe, it’s understandable. It might be worth having someone who has a dedicated job of monitoring detail reports for this sort of thing. New York has more than a few details, and it would be a full-time job.” To reassure the RPS agent, I clapped his back before giving him a hug, something he appreciated and would comfort everyone present.

Terry gave my back a solid thumping before releasing me, stepping back, and narrowing his eyes. “That’s a good idea, Ian. I believe I shall do just that.”

“I’ll make room in the budget for it,” my sister promised. “It’s a good solution, and it’ll take a lot of work off your plate. That’ll give you the time needed to work on establishing our mounted program. As Ian will be going to California, California can assist with establishing a proper detail for him. Right, Ethan?”

My sister’s husband joined Terry, heaving a sigh. “My brother is going to laugh at me for years over this, but yes. I’ll give my parents a call in the morning and start getting the ball rolling on that. Will your junkyard be all right if left unattended for a few weeks, Ian?”

Fortunately, I transferred my metal bars to the vault beneath the junkyard after every session. Unless someone had the key or the right talents, my physical wealth would be safe enough. I pointed at my car. “I brought the only valuable object readily accessible at the junkyard with me. My bars are in storage, and I wish any would-be thieves luck accessing them. There isn’t a whole lot in there right now. I did a delivery recently.”

The delivery had bagged me over a million dollars in rare metals in their purest form. The next batch would be worth even more.

I had a mountain of old computer parts to melt down when I went back to work.

“I can test Monty on some trips to the junkyard this week so you can get everything sorted for a few weeks away,” Terry offered. “That would give him some extra experience.”

I read between the lines: he’d appreciate the chance to work on the problem in a way he could monitor. As my sister trusted Monty, if I could step outside of my comfort zone, she’d feel better about the situation, too.

“Sure. I probably need ten total hours in the junkyard to finish the project I’m working on. After that, everything can sit without an issue.”

Computer parts were easy to dismantle, extract the viable metals from, and otherwise prepare for sale. With ten hours, I could have everything barred. Two or three extra hours would let me get the metal sold off.

I could talk to Monty about getting those two or three extra hours. Had it been any other agent from the original New York RPS, I wouldn’t have been willing to even try, but Monty cared.

It wasn’t his fault I had trust issues.

“Tuesday and Wednesday,” Terry promised. “Do you have everything you need to be here for the evenings?”

“It’s in my car.”

“I’ll go with you into the parking garage and help carry everything over. If you missed anything, I’ll be sending the agents who weren’t fired on the worst errands I can come up with for the next six months to change their attitudes. And if they don’t show an immediate willingness to work, they’re out.”

“You’re going to need a great deal of luck, Terry.”

“I know,” the RPS agent replied, his tone one of despair. “May we both survive a week of hell with our sanity intact.”

* * *

My sister insisted on escorting me through the palace. In an effort to make me more comfortable with the changes in our lives, she’d deferred to me regarding my new suite. I appreciated that, although I doubted I could handle many more changes before I lost my mind.

I longed for something comforting in its familiarity.

One day, the changes would lose their edge and become normal. It would take time. Everything always took time.

“I’m so sorry. Terry wasn’t taking no for an answer, and he couldn’t handle the thought of you being unprotected. We’re traumatized New Yorkers. Clearly, you might perish if you aren’t nearby where he can keep an eye on you.”

I rolled my eyes at the thought of the RPS agent having lost his mind over the situation to that degree. “Seriously?”

“Monty is sorry, too. He wasn’t responsible, but he feels like he should have noticed.”

Well, that was something. “It’s nothing new, Rachel.”

“I know that, you know that, everyone who has been in the RPS in New York before I got saddled with the kingdom knows it. Terry? According to Terry, the world is literally ending.”

Behind us, the RPS agent in question snorted. “While I’m confident he won’t immediately perish should we take our eyes off him for a minute, it’s the second or third minute that concerns me. I’ve learned I can take my eyes off your sister for precisely one minute before she finds some way to create trouble, Ian. I left her unattended for many minutes.”

“Rachel, he’s using our names. What did they do to him in Texas?”

“Exposure therapy in high quantity. Those Texans ganged up on him and made him use their names. Then his princess helped. They returned him to us capable of using our names. We let him use titles sometimes during the day so he doesn’t start to cry. RPS agents are delicate.” My sister stopped, turned to face the head of her detail, and stomped her foot. “You’re babying Ian.”

“Yes, I am. If I could bring His Majesty of Texas over to do the babying, I would. Instead, I am prescribing some Californian babying. It should be an effective treatment plan. I am expecting him to be capable of accepting general affection without becoming overly conscious of the fact that he needs attention to thrive. I will overhaul the RPS here while he is gone and make certain there are agents capable of babying at the appropriate intervals. I believe we can adapt him to being the baby of New York given a few months.”

I realized the agent teased me, and I scowled at him. “Terry.”

“Prince Ian,” he replied in a rather amused tone. “If you demonstrate you can keep your assigned agents nearby until your departure date, I’m sure you would be subjected to slightly less babying.”

“You’re an evil man, Terry. It comes as no surprise to me that the Montana royal family hired you. Your evil is a match for theirs.” I wrinkled my nose at the man, aware he appreciated a more relaxed atmosphere. I wouldn’t trick him regarding my emotional state, not with his strength of magic, but at least I could defuse some of the general tension. “I’ll even let an RPS agent into my car with me when I go to work.”

“Excellent. That’s all I can ask of you. Now that we’ve taken care of that business, what do you want for dinner?”

My sister’s eyes narrowed. “You haven’t had dinner, Ian?”

I eyed Terry. “How did you know I skipped dinner?”

“You have anxiety, and when you’re that anxious, you skip large meals because you’re afraid of throwing up. As such, I guessed you haven’t had dinner. But thank you for confirming it. If you are concerned about becoming ill, I’ll have the cooks make you some soup and provide a protein shake. Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Chocolate,” I requested, aware if I asked for one, my sister might indulge in a milkshake. “Can you make it in milkshake format?”

“I am sure an arrangement can be made.”

As expected, my sister made a soft sound, which I deciphered as her trying to behave.

“You can have one, too,” Terry promised. “We can arrange for a few extra minutes of exercise a day to make up for your indulgence.”

In reality, Terry would trick my sister, giving her slightly longer but easier exercises to deceive her into believing she needed to maintain lower calories. The last I’d checked, he wanted her to gain a few more pounds. Despite his best efforts, Rachel still weighed below a hundred and twenty.

Terry wanted her at a healthy one thirty, which would be a balance of good body fat and muscle.

As far as I knew, Terry worked hard to keep his goals for my sister a secret from her and her husband, and I valued that I’d been asked for my opinion on the matter.

Rachel wouldn’t learn that her prized agent tricked her, not from me. “I’ll pay penance with you,” I offered.

“We can try the mud run together.” My sister stared at Terry with wide eyes. “We can, can’t we?”

“I’ll allow you to do the course with your brother as a team. Neither one of you are up for it solo, but working together, it should be manageable. After I make sure your brother is fed and settled, I’ll make the arrangements. If you’re fine with it, Ian, we’ll tack on two days to our itinerary. That way, you’ll have a chance to recover from tomorrow’s adventure.”

For Terry to want to delay a matter involving another kingdom by even two days, the situation truly bothered him. An extra two days wouldn’t hurt anything.

Well, I hoped.

* * *

For the first time in a long time, I slept in until after noon. Terry or one of the RPS agents had let Dr. Stanton into the room, and the woman fussed while prowling around my new suite. I checked the time again, groaned, and covered my head with one of the extra pillows. “Don’t you live in North Dakota?”

Dr. Stanton chuckled, came over, and sat on the bed beside me, patting my shoulder. “I do, but your sister called me last night. She wants me to check on Terry, and she wanted to make sure you can run this mud course they’ve got set up. Then you slept in, and the entire lot of them panicked. Fortunately for my sanity, I was already here, so I had them let me in to check on you. Fatigue is the first official diagnosis for the day, but I’m approving the obstacle course. You’ll rest better when you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically tired. Also, good job coercing your sister into having a milkshake yesterday. Her metabolism is up again, so she gets to have one of those every evening before bed.”

My sister would never tire of chocolate milkshakes, of that I was certain. “Terry was trying to trick her into more exercise yesterday.”

“I’ll make sure she gets a large milkshake if he’s trying to improve her endurance—and make certain he isn’t exerting himself again. If he starts trying to get you into shape, call me. Terry is not sensible, and he has zero control over his mending talent.”

As the doctor wouldn’t leave me alone until satisfied with my general health, I tossed the pillow to the side, untangled from my blankets, and sat up with a yawn. “Why do I have a fatigue diagnosis?”

“You work too hard and don’t sleep enough. Concentrated empathy types without a bond, like yourself, tend to work to pretend depression is not an issue. Honestly, you’re better than I expected on the depression front. Terry has been monitoring you, and while he’s concerned, he admits you’re nowhere near as despondent as your sister before she settled her bond with Ethan. As such, I’m not going to be making any recommendations on that score. Working hard is helping you cope, so keep working hard. That said, I’d like you to try for a minimum of six to eight hours of sleep a night. If you need to work harder to tire yourself out, I’m sure we can accommodate that. I am going to ask one uncomfortable question, however. Are you like Adam?”

I winced at the reminder of how North Dakota’s king and my friend had suffered for so many years, separated from the woman of his dreams due to her father’s greed. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Why don’t you tell me about it. I’ve got all the time you need.”

I considered the woman, wondering if telling her would change anything. After a few minutes, I sighed and said, “There was a woman from a lower caste who came to the palace, and I loved everything about her. I didn’t tell her who I was. When she found out, I guess she left.”

“Or she finished her work at the palace and had no reason to stay?” Dr. Stanton sighed. “It’s funny how something as simple as meeting someone kind can wake magic. And for your magic to work, she must have felt something similar towards you. That’s all it takes, two people sharing similar emotions at the same time. It’s much like how your sister bonded with her husband. They both wanted the same thing at the same time.”

As the doctor’s speculations matched my personal beliefs on the matter, I nodded. “The first time I saw her, she’d just arrived at the palace and stared at everything in open wonder and delight. She’s not the prettiest woman in the world, but then? That joy made her beautiful. It was so honest, so genuine. It was like she had stepped into a dream and found nothing but magic in everything—magic she won’t ever have because of her caste.”

“Magic she doesn’t need as your partner. If anything, her having a limited talent would benefit you and your children, should you have any. And your empathy would know about your fears. You met her after your brother spontaneously combusted, didn’t you?”

As always, the pain of my brother’s death stirred.

He hadn’t wanted our magic, and before his death, he’d made me promise to think of him as Dennis, boring and normal and everything a prince of New York could never be. I’d promised him I would—and I did. I also kept my word to keep boring and normal Dennis a secret.

Secrets I handled well.

But one truth I could speak without betraying my brother, not that anyone listened or heard me. “My brother did not spontaneously combust. He hated his magic, he hated being a Royal of New York, and he wanted the vigil to end. He suicided, and he stopped fighting the magic that always sought to eat him alive. He had tired to the point of no return. And so he went. And because he was a Royal of New York, he couldn’t escape here, he couldn’t find somewhere better to burn. He combusted at the point he’d lost all hope for some better future, one without his magic eating away at him every day.”

Rather than say anything, Dr. Stanton reached over, wrapped me in her arms, and pulled me close. The grief I’d carried with me from the day of his death stirred, but rather than bottle it, I allowed it to escape.

Dr. Stanton was many things, but I could trust her to understand the words I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

Time passed as it did, and after a while, she sighed, rubbed my back, and said, “Your magic is not a cruel thing trying to undermine or hurt you, you know. Your magic is wise—as wise as you are, which is far beyond your years. Your magic knows what you need, and her lack of magic, her joy and wonder at your world, and her kindness are it. Your magic just didn’t understand how you, the Prince of New York, couldn’t act on such a perfect woman for you. And so you linger in the shadows.”

The ridiculousness of the title did a good job of pulling me out of the dark hole my brother’s loss always managed to create whenever someone mentioned him. “The Prince of New York? There are more princes in New York than we can shake sticks at, Dr. Stanton.”

“I can’t help what people call you, Ian. They call you that because you’re the sole prince among you who proved that New York does actually have a heart. And you were the one who helped bring your sister home. People know what you have done. And I expect you’ll always be part of the succession, or at least until the eldest of their children turns eighteen or twenty-one. I expect twenty-one. Someone who cannot legally drink surely cannot rule a kingdom, not when there’s a handsome man who can do the kingdom justice. And the people will accept you if anything were to happen to your sister.” After rubbing my back again, Dr. Stanton pulled away, reached to my nightstand, and grabbed a few tissues, offering them to me. “I will tell them you have had some minor reaction to excess dust in your suitcase to explain away the redness in your eyes. As I would never lie about a patient’s health, they’ll believe me.” The woman cast a sour look at my luggage, which I hadn’t put away. “I will be dealing with that travesty, Ian. That thing is caked in dust. Did you find it at the bottom of the closet?”

“Worse. I had it in my workshop at the junkyard.”

“Tell me, Ian. Do you trust me?”

After having witnessed the miracles Dr. Stanton had worked on my sister, if the woman told me to take a long walk off a short pier, I’d likely do it without much in the way of hesitation. “More than I probably should,” I admitted in a wry tone. “You’ve done so much for Rachel.”

“Let me help you. Tell me who this woman is, and I’ll make an arrangement for her to accompany you to California. I’m sure I can concoct a program for someone of a lower caste to join you.”

I winced at the thought of seeing Madelyn again. “I don’t think she was pleased when she learned who I am. I went out of my way to make sure she didn’t know. The only thing she got out of me was that my name is Ian, and she pitied me for having to share my name with a prince. I pitied me for that, too, except I was pitying me for being me.”

“You let me worry about that. You worry about playing with your sister on the mud course, resting, and finishing your work. I know you won’t be able to relax if you have anything left in that shop of yours. I’ll make certain that you have all your work finished before I approve your trip to California.”

“It won’t take that long to finish, assuming I can use my talent.”

“You can. It’s not your flameweaving that’s strained. However, you’re going to have to give me a good reason not to pursue checking you for metalweaving. You’re a little too adept at separating metals with heat. I suspect you have a hybrid talent like your sister. You work with metal, perhaps, a little better than a pure flameweaver might.”

“My sister’s talent is a lot like mine,” I confessed. “I’ve been giving her tips and tricks in how to better control her abilities and use her abilities with more finesse.”

“You didn’t like when she was burned.”

As there was no hiding the truth from Dr. Stanton, I nodded. “There might be some metalweaving, but if I am a metalweaver, it’s minor.”

“It would be just enough to allow you to pinpoint the metals you wish to melt so you can bar it in as pure a form as possible.” Dr. Stanton made a thoughtful noise. “I will ask Terry to test you; he’s adept at identifying metalweaving, and he can help train you if it’s necessary. With how you’re using it, I don’t think it’s necessary to specifically train it. However, it’s good to know if you do have it so you can be trained if you wish. It might help with your work. But in any case, I would like for it to be identified.”

“As I want to be a good example for my little sister, I will go through any evaluations you feel are necessary.”

The woman snickered. “Well, that should boost her morale some. Anyway, it’s your empathy talent that’s likely exerted. I can’t tell you why. It could be due to your sister. You’ve been worried about her. However, I’m concerned that there might be an issue with your bond, and your concentrated talent is trying to monitor her without your awareness of the situation. At the very least, I’d like to evaluate the woman and make certain she’s not suffering from a similar problem.”

I winced at the thought of Madelyn suffering for any reason. For her to possibly be struggling because of me?

I’d do more than throw myself under a bus to put an end to that. “Her name is Madelyn, and she worked in the palace for a while.”

“I’m sure I can find someone in this mausoleum who can point me in the correct direction. I’ll concoct an excuse to meet with her, do an evaluation, and figure out how to help your symptoms, especially if the bond is actually non-viable. And if it is viable, well, I’ll help push things along in a fashion beneficial for you both. I make no promises, but I’ll do what I can.”

My sister had taught me that little things could become big changes in time, and while I doubted I’d ever have what she enjoyed with Ethan, a chance was better than nothing at all. “What do you need me to do?”

“Be yourself, Ian. Much like Adam, you’re a guiding light. You just illuminate the world in a different way. You’re in line to rule, yes, but I hope you don’t. You’d do well, but it would tear you apart. You’re not like your sister, who is taking to her role rather naturally. You shine in diplomatic roles and applying bandages to bad situations. Your sister needs that, as does your kingdom. But right now? You don’t find any joy in it. I want that to change. And I suspect having a partner who can accompany and help you with your role in the kingdom will accomplish that. Do you think Madelyn would fit in that role?”

“I don’t know. She did good work in the palace, and I’m not sure why she left.” I heaved a sigh, aware of the strongest possibility. “It was probably my fault.”

“Why would it be your fault?”

“I wasn’t honest with her about my rank.”

“She worked as a contractor, didn’t she?” Dr. Stanton got to her feet, went into the sitting room, and returned a moment later with a bottle of water, tossing it to me. “You need to drink about twice as much as you currently are, by the way.”

I opened the bottle and drank to appease the woman. “I’ll try to do better.”

“I’ll talk to Terry, and the RPS can occupy themselves making sure you stay hydrated and fed. That should help with the other problems. If I do a blood test and discover you’re a mess, however…”

I shuddered at the thought of earning the woman’s wrath. “Can I ask for a week to do my best to pass the blood test?”

“That should work. I’ll use it as an excuse to keep you here until I’m satisfied with the situation. Then we’ll get you sent over to California. In fact, I might see about getting some Californian RPS agents sent over here. They’re becoming experienced with Royal messes.”

Who did she consider to be a Royal mess in California? “Do you mean Cassandra?”

“I do. She’s doing well, but her talent training isn’t going as well as she prefers, and she has had a few spectacular meltdowns over the situation. Add in that her beloved, bonded horse is old and is showing signs of her age? They have learned how to handle touchy Royals over there. New York is behind the curve.” Dr. Stanton shook her head, made disgruntled noises, and said, “Get yourself put together, dress in clothes you’re willing to ruin, and make your way to the mud course. I will do my share of the work in the meantime, find out more about this Madelyn woman, and see what I can do. But you are not escaping the mud course, so don’t even try.”

Knowing how much my sister looked forward to trying the course, I’d deal with it even with broken bones to make her happy. “I won’t run away.”

“And Ian? There’s no need to shower. You will be showering soon enough. You’re about to run a mud course, not go to court.”