Page 42 of Torin and His Oath (Torin and the Princess #2)

LEXI

W e pulled into my driveway. I scanned the landscape, dripping wet from a quick storm that was now gone. Marcus said, “Wait here?—”

But there was a big commotion on the porch, someone on the ground struggling against two guards, another man on his knees.

I peered through the rain. Marcus said, “Looks like they have them subdued… We’ll go up as soon as we get the all clear.”

I put my hand on the door handle.

His brow furrowed. “I can see you planning it, ma’am, but you can’t go. Wait until we figure this out.”

“I just can’t tell who it is…”

He said, “That’s why you hired security. Let us finish the interrogation, let us decide if it’s safe or not.”

I peered, “But look, it looks like Torin — my friend . That might be my friend on the ground… I think that… it might be him—” I opened my door and jumped from the SUV into a rain puddle, sopping wet shoes, rain splashing all over the bottom of my pants as I raced across the grass to my house, setting all my security guards into a commotion.

They were a freaking bunch of drama queens, but I didn’t care.

I sprinted up the long, slick porch steps, my heart hammering with dread, but then it changed to hope because by the time I made it to the porch, I could tell — Torin!

He was thrashing about, struggling against the tie at his back, muscles straining, stomach down on the boards of my porch, having his wrists roughly zip-tied, with one of my security guards’ knees on his lower back.

“Torin!”

A security guard tried to push me back.

Marcus was right behind me. “Ma’am, I told you not to go!”

Torin lifted his head, wet hair plastered to his face, his eyes blazing green even through the dim light of the porch light. Torin. He stopped struggling and turned his head to see me as I ran up. “Och aye, mo leannan?—”

I was pulled back and away by two guards. “You don’t understand, he’s a friend. He’s okay, let him go.”

No one was moving quickly enough, I was being jostled, pushed away, as one of the guards pressed his knee harder into Torin’s back. He grunted with pain.

“Let him go!”

Marcus said, “Ma’am, you sure?”

“Release him, yes, please. ”

The guard with his knee on Torin’s back said, “We confiscated their swords, not comfortable giving them back.”

“Just let him go, please.”

Torin gasped out, “This man accompanying me—” He groaned as the security guard wrenched his arms. “—is Max, Princess. Ye need tae release him as well.”

I said, “Release both of them.”

A guard cut Torin’s zip-ties, but before they could cut the zip-ties on the other man’s wrists, he lumbered to his feet and lurched towards me across the dark porch. The guards shifted, stepping in front of me, hands raised, shielding me.

Marcus said, “Step away, asshole. Don’t come any closer,” but the man ignored him and dropped to his knees under the porch light.

I could see him, truly. He was broad-shouldered, soaked from the storm, but carried himself regally.

His chin lifted, his voice commanded, “Ye art Alexandria? Daughter of our father — my sister?”

I was frozen, stunned, shocked?—

A look of anguish crossed his face, he shook his head. “Och, daena answer, I can see it, ye hae the visage of our mother. Tis enough tae break m’heart. I hae found ye at long last. Praise be tae the Heavens, I hae been delivered tae yer door.”

Marcus tugged my elbow. “Want us to remove him?”

“No…” I shook my head. I couldn’t stop looking at the man kneeling in front of me, but drew my eyes away to say, “Actually, can everyone leave, please? I need the porch.”

Marcus said, “You’re sure, ma’am?”

“I’m sure.”

He said, “We have a shift change anyway. I’ll leave two guards to walk the perimeter.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

My security detail left the porch, most of them left my property.

I stepped closer to the man. “Are your knees bothering you, do you want to get up?”

“Nae I wish tae remain on my knees.”

“Can you please continue?”

He looked up into my eyes, the porch light accentuating the sharp planes of his face. “…when Torin told me he had found ye, I asked for assurances. I dinna fully believe him, yet here ye are — Alexandria, standing afore me.”

There was something achingly familiar in the set of his jaw, the tilt of his eyes. Oh.

Who are you? Are you…?

But my heart already knew long before he said it.

“I am Maximilian.” His voice was firm, almost solemn. “Prince of the Kingdom of Riaghalbane. I hae searched long years for ye.”

Tears welled up. My voice was small and scared when I asked, “Who do you think I am?”

He said, “I ken ye are Alexandria, Princess of Riaghalbane, ye are wearin’ her locket.”

My hand went to the locket. “This?”

“Aye, tis from our kingdom. Och nae… as yer brother I swore tae protect ye. I dinna, I am ashamed tae say, ye were stolen away. I couldna… I dinna ken how tae find ye. I hae searched, tryin’ tae find ye, but — I was not good enough.”

My fingers, without planning it, went from the locket to his cheek. “Max?”

“Aye, Alexandria, dost ye ken me?”

I returned my hand over the locket, near my heart, tears streaming down my face. I nodded. “I do, somehow… How? You seem familiar.”

He nodded. “I am yer brother. I swear, Alexandria, I will return ye tae our kingdom. I will win m’throne, I will protect ye for all the rest of my days.”

I was sobbing. “Where are our… parents — what happened to them?”

He looked up at me. “I fear they are gone. The kingdom has fallen tae a usurper. Tis upon us tae regain it. Tis our duty as the last remaining bloodline of the Campbells of Riaghalbane.”

I nodded, less in understanding, more because it was a lot to think about.

I would need to think about this all later.

Right now I was dealing with a grown man who was my brother, here, finally, and everything I knew about the world had come crashing down.

The crash had started with Torin, but now the wreckage was all around me.

My eyes glanced over at Torin, who was standing to the side, his head bowed. I wanted to rush to him, embrace him, but he seemed distant, as if he were just the delivery guy. He had delivered Max, as promised, and now he had stepped aside.

Max asked, “Torin, will ye unbind my wrists?”

Torin wordlessly grabbed his dirk from a pile at the edge of the porch and slashed it through the zip-tie on Max’s wrists.

Max lumbered up in front of me, taller than I thought. And now he was looking down on me, a small smile pulling at the edge of his mouth. “Och, ye are a sight that fills my heart, Alexandria. I haena seen ye since ye were verra wee.”

His face grew solemn. “Ye daena remember our parents?”

“No, I didn’t remember any of this, I had no idea until Torin told me about it.”

I looked over at Torin.

Max’s eyes followed mine, then he watched the side of my face.

He said, “Torin has been a verra good man, he has always put m’own needs afore his own.”

I said, “True, he has always done that for me, too.”

Torin raised his eyes to mine.

I said, “He made an oath to me and fulfilled it.”

Max said, “Aye, tae me as well.”

Then he asked, “Might we go inside?”