I got lost in the books. Hours passed. It could have been days. I didn’t stop to find anything to eat or drink. I was mesmerized by Alaric’s family collection. I had questions. Who put it together? Were there records on where each book was acquired? How did they catalog it? Was there a palace librarian?

I thumbed through a tattered copy of Le Petit Prince. I guessed it was worth more than my apartment. My neck and shoulders were sore. I had my own research to complete. And I hadn’t checked in on Bonnie.

There was no way to know when Alaric would finish with the prime minister. I had no idea which prime minister was here. It was surreal to think I was in the same building as world leaders. I returned the book to the shelf and ventured out of the library. The halls were quiet. I remembered which direction we had walked this morning.

The elevator was at the end of this corridor.

I arrived, smiling at the guards.

“Hi.”

The one on the right broke his staring contest with the wall and cut a glance at me.

“I’d like to go upstairs.” I knew my voice wasn’t confident. I didn’t know the protocol or what to say. If he would scoot, I could hop on the elevator.

“His Royal Highness has not given instructions, mademoiselle.”

“Well, I—I’m visiting.” I tried to think of how to put our arrangement in suitable terms. I had already been warned once about my word choice. “His Royal Highness asked me to stay.” It sounded funny referring to him that way. I knew he was the king, but I don’t think the weight of his position had hit me yet. After last night I felt things were as personal as they could be between us.

The men didn’t budge. “There are no instructions,” he repeated.

I crossed my arms. What in the hell was I going to do? I couldn’t wander aimlessly around the palace. They weren’t going to let me upstairs. I was starving. And I needed to get home to check on my best friend.

I was going to make one more attempt to plead for their compassion when an older gentleman appeared from a side room. He was thin with a silvery mustache.

“What is this? Are you lost, madam?”

“Oh no.” I shook my head. “I’m visiting the king and wanted to return to the royal residence,” I explained.

“Master Wallace, we don’t have her on the royal roster and there are no instructions from the king,” the guard informed him.

“I see.” He glanced at me. I could tell from the way he looked at me, he wasn’t going to take pity on me. “You’re sure you didn’t get separated from a tour group?”

“I’m not on a tour of the palace. I’ve been with Alaric.”

His eyes widened at the use of the king’s first name.

“I was in the royal library, studying texts. And now I’d like to go upstairs.”

He folded his hands behind his back. “I’m afraid that is impossible. Do you have some form of identification?”

I had nothing on me. It was against all the rules of The Titan.

“No.”

“Then, I’m going to ask you to leave.” He turned to the security officer. “If this becomes a problem, please call me.”

“Yes, sir.”

He stormed off down the corridor toward the library.

I sighed. “Is Emmanuel here?” I asked. “The driver?”

“Yes.”

“Would he be able to take me home?”

The officers looked at each other.

“He brought me here last night. I’m not a tourist.” I was getting irritated with the royal treatment.

They finally seemed to be convinced by some part of my story. “Outside, mademoiselle. His car is parked in the tunnel.”

“All right. If you see A—” I corrected myself. “His Royal Highness, will you please tell him for me that I went home?”

“Certainly.”

“Thank you.” I felt this innate need to curtsy, but stopped before I reached the hem of my skirt. I turned for the door and walked outside. I recognized the car from last night. Emmanuel polished the eagle on the hood.

“Bonjour.” I smiled. Maybe talking to the driver wouldn’t be as awkward. “Hola.” I didn’t know what to say.

He looked up from the hood ornament.

“Oui?”

It was hard constantly bouncing between French and Spanish. “I was wondering if you would be able to drive me home?”

“Of course.” He rounded the engine and met me at the rear door.

I looked at the palace over my shoulder. Something told me I should stay. Camp out next to the king’s security, no matter how they glared at me. But the fantasy had to end at some point. It couldn’t last forever. I knew how this worked.

“Merci.” I nodded as Emmanuel closed the door behind me.

It was strange to be in the same car from last night. It didn’t feel the same without Alaric. He had consumed the air around us. Now, it just felt like an empty back seat.

Emmanuel called through the speaker, “Do you have the address, mademoiselle?”

“Oh yes. It’s 1408 Rue de Santa Lucia.”

I settled into the seat as he pulled from the curb and drove us through the tunnel. We exited on the other side of the entrance. The palace grounds were immaculate. The flowers whizzed past me. We turned outside the gate and I wondered if I would ever be back here.

Would I see the king again? Or had I just made the stupidest decision of my life?

* * *

My notecards were exactly where I had left them fanned out across the living room floor.

“Bonnie?”

“In here.”

I walked to her bedroom. We shared a comfortable two-bedroom apartment. It was one of the perks of the city. Freychon wasn’t as expensive as other European hubs.

“Hey.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. I was getting worried.”

“I’m sorry.” I sat on the edge of her bed. “No phone, remember? I couldn’t call you.”

“But I was back by nine. Where have you been? I thought something happened.”

Shit. I didn’t mean to scare her. And I didn’t know what I could or should say without revealing more than I was allowed. It was strange how yesterday, I felt like Bonnie and I were the ones who shared the secret—we shared the bond of going through the Titan experience, but that had shifted overnight. I had some sort of weird allegiance to Alaric. He was the one I felt I shared the experience with. I didn’t want to share it with her. I didn’t know if that was selfish or naïve, but it seemed like something I needed to keep private.

“I-I was looking at a special collection.”

“You worked? After last night?” Her eyes bulged.

Lying didn’t feel like the right thing. My stomach twisted, but I continued to protect the truth.

“It was a rare collection,” I explained. “I thought this might be my only chance to see it.”

She sighed. “Only you would do something like that.” She eyed me suspiciously. “What outfit is that?”

I bit my lip. “Oh, it’s something D—I mean, he gave it to me.”

“Really? You look so elegant. Sexy and proper at the same time.” She winked.

I wondered if that’s what Alaric had thought. I blushed, remembering our walk to the royal library. I wondered if he had discovered by now I had left. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed. He had world leaders to entertain. The house manager had made that clear.

“How was your night?” I asked.

She sighed, throwing herself back on her pillows. “Amazing.”

“That good?”

She nodded. “It was more than amazing. I wish I could relive it. Or that I had a picture. Something to remember it. Anything.”

I saw the way she looked at my clothes. I hadn’t thought of them as a souvenir, but in her eyes, they were. Proof that I had spent the night at the palace.

“I’m sorry. But you had a good time? That’s what counts, right? You checked it off your Galona bucket list.”

I wished I had something to give her. A coin from The Titan. A cocktail napkin. Something that said we had been there.

“I did. More than once.” She giggled. The curiosity was killing me. I wanted to know who it was, but unless she volunteered I couldn’t ask. I also realized that would open me up to more sharing, and I didn’t want to trade stories. “Now that you’re home safely, I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m kind of exhausted.” She smiled sweetly.

I paused in her doorway. “Bonnie?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for talking me into it.” I closed the door behind me and left her to her nap.