Ivy glanced in the mirror, running a hand over the faint smudges under her eyes. After what she and the girls witnessed in the market, no one got much sleep. Maddox was clearly working behind the scenes to undermine Vander’s plans. But why? Surely the old fop knew the king had the best interests of his people at heart.

Just the thought of Vander brought a smile to her lips. Kari was right. He was just and kind. It was a blessing she found such a remarkable character inside such a gorgeous wrapper, and a romantic at heart, as well.

She glanced at the handwritten note and sighed, holding it to her chest. Vander had planned a quiet rendezvous and she was to meet him at a palm spring outside the castle. He said he’d send someone for her at noon. She glanced at the holographic clock on the night table. Twenty minutes. Damn. Doing a quick touch up with the razor everywhere she needed, she slicked cream across her skin and sprayed a touch of perfume in her cleavage and behind each knee.

“Okay, room. What should I wear? You obviously know the deal, so work your magic.”

Ivy stood waiting and as if on cue, the armoire snicked open. There was nothing inside except for a single garment hanging at the center. It was a gorgeous cerulean blue silk wrap dress, and when Ivy held it up to the light it seemed to shimmer. The tones in the material were like a water color and the play between the vibrant hues complimented her skin perfectly.

“Okay, so how does this contraption work?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than a knock sounded at the door. Soria poked her head in and smiled. Ivy didn’t care she was naked. She didn’t have the time.

“Do you need help, Miss Ivy?” she asked, walking in and shutting the door.

“Your radar is kind of freaky, Soria, but yes, I could use a little help with this.” Ivy held up the pretty wrap. “Do you know how to work this dress?”

Laughing, she took the garment and spread it out on the bed. “It’s not a dress. It is a traditional pant wrap. Very much an outfit of our women, especially here in the Palladian. It covers everything while leaving just enough to the imagination. Very sexy. Whoever chose this did well.”

Ivy laughed. “The room chose it for me.”

Soria looked at the ceiling with a smirk and the walls blushed. “Well, there’s your answer.” She helped Ivy into the wrap, tucking it where necessary and crisscrossing the slippery fabric over her breasts before tying the remainder at her neck.

Ivy looked at her reflection and smiled. Her back was bare and with the way the pants fell, long slits billowed from both her inner and outer legs. The effect was stunning, but she turned to Soria with a raised eyebrow. “The outfit is beautiful, but how the hell do you go to the bathroom?”

The younger woman burst out laughing. “You weren’t paying attention. Simply loosen the side tie at your waist. The back drops away without compromising the rest of the dress. Easy.”

Ivy unknotted the thin tie just to try it and nearly unwound the whole dress. “You know—on second thought, I’ll wear my leggings.”

Soria retied the narrow strips and turned Ivy around and gently pushed her toward the door. “You look lovely and will do no such thing. You are going to be our queen, so no arguments.”

She pulled open the door and stood with her arms crossed.

Ivy laughed. “Damn. For such a little thing, you’re pretty scary, Soria. Does Maddox appreciate how tough you are?” Ivy regretted the question the moment it left her lips, but she had to know if the girl was safe or not without tipping her hand.

At the man’s name, Soria’s eyes dropped. “My apologies, Miss Ivy. I’ve overstepped myself. Please forgive my imprudence.”

“No need to apologize, Soria. I was only half kidding.” She slipped a finger under the young woman’s chin and made her look up. “I don’t know what hold Maddox has on you, but if you ever need help, all you need to do is find me. Do you understand? Me, Henley, Riley, or Ms. Wilder. We will do what we can to help you.”

The woman nodded. “Thank you, Miss Ivy, but that won’t be necessary.” Soria pushed past the future queen and left without another word.

A hard knock on the door grabbed Ivy from her concern and she walked to open the door. Outside a single guard waited, dressed in desert gear.

“Yes?” she asked, dismissing the slap of uncertainty rushing across her mind.

He smiled. “I’m to escort you this morning, milady.”

Ivy knew she blushed at the title. It was different when Vander or the girls teased, but this was for real and the magnitude that she was to be their queen hit her hard.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to call her Ivy, but she didn’t. It would reflect badly on Vander and royal decorum, whatever that was. “Uhm, thank you?” She made a mental note to get a book on Galaxan protocol from Vander’s library as soon as possible.

“Nico…milady.”

She nodded. “Nico.”

The guard led her through a winding staircase at the back of the royal wing that led into the stables, but instead of horses, someone had saddled two camels.

A wide smile spread across Ivy’s mouth and she clapped. “This is so on my bucket list!” How Vander knew, she hadn’t a clue, but she loved he thought of it, regardless. One of the stable hands helped her mount the kneeling beast, and when the enormous creature stood, her eyes bugged.

“Holy hell! I had no idea I’d be this high off the ground!”

Nico gave her a half grin. “Galaxan camels are gentle beasts. We know you’re unfamiliar with our ways, so we made sure to pick the right one.”

Ivy nodded, but something about the man’s tone and his choice of words didn’t sit right. Kind of like her saddle. She fidgeted in the curved seat and tried to get comfortable as they rode out of the stable courtyard toward the keep. She waved to the girls on the balcony as they passed, ignoring the uneasy feeling.

The two left the castle and instead of heading toward the main square, the guard led the camels onto the surrounding road. The sun was high and their pace slow and Ivy found herself wishing she had sunglasses, or at least a wide-brimmed hat.

“Is the spring far?” she asked, trying to break the monotonous ride with small talk.

“No, we should arrive shortly.” His answer was short and clipped. Maybe the man was intimidated by her soon-to-be elevated status, then again maybe he felt she was an interloper, same as Maddox. She made a note not to do anything to make things worse. In other words, put her brain-to-mouth filter into high gear.

The villages on the city outskirts were low-ceilinged, white-washed stucco, and in the heat, she understood why. They were on the edge of the sand ocean as Vander called it, with the mountains she saw from her window in the distance. Basically, a dust bowl with no wind unless a storm brewed on the high peaks.

The road was empty as they came to a crossing. On one side was what looked to be a Bedouin type tent village, and on the other, nothing but sand as far as the eye could see. In the distance, she thought she saw a shimmer across the horizon that looked like water and dots of green, but it could just as well have been a mirage.

“Are we stopping? I hope so because my butt could use a break.”

The guard blinked at her and then pointed in the direction of the shimmering sand. “The spring is across the sand in that direction. If we stop now, the sun will bake the sand to such a temperature, the camels might refuse to go. Your choice.”

“Wow, Mr. Saturday Night. How can I resist when you put it that way? To the watering hole, then and don’t spare the camels.” She met his waiting glare and inhaled. So much for humor.

Nico steered his camel onto the sand, and immediately the heat radiating from the fine-grained carpet was intense.

“Jeez! I’m sweating in places I didn’t know I could! You weren’t kidding when you said the camels would balk. I wouldn’t want to walk this.”

He kicked the camel’s flank and the awkward animal took off, its stride clumsy and violent. She barely tightened her reins when her camel raced after the lead. Her body vaulted forward and she gripped the animal’s muscular neck, holding on for dear life.

“Holy fuck!” she managed through clenched teeth, keeping her jaw tight so she didn’t bite her tongue. Nico’s camel tossed up grit and sand and she closed her eyes, praying her animal didn’t decide to go off-roading more than they already were.

“Nico! For cripe’s sake! Ease the fuck up!”

The animals finally slowed as the palm spring came into view over the next dune. Ivy’s shoulders relaxed out of her ears and she scanned the shady palm and scrub for Vander.

“Is the king here?” she asked, those warning bells going off again.

Nico didn’t answer, just pulled his camel to a stop just outside the lush greenery and took her reins. He led both camels inside the oasis and then helped her from her saddle.

Wincing, she rubbed her backside, turning to look for Vander again, but there was no sign of him.

“Where is the king? You were supposed to take me to meet him here,” she said, her voice rising in alarm.

The guard lifted a flap on his saddle and took out a skin flask, tilting the fluted top to his lips. “I’d offer you some, but that wasn’t part of the deal.”

Ivy’s mind raced. Why the hell did she agree to go alone? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why? Because she believed Vander sent the note. Now, it was clear it was a trick or a trap. She bent to fix the strap on her boot and scooped a handful of sand, chucking it in Nico’s face.

The move caught him off guard and he sputtered and spit, blinded for just enough time for Ivy to grab the reins and swing onto the camel’s back. Easier said than done when the beast was seven feet tall. Nico grabbed her around the waist and threw her to the ground.

“I don’t get paid if I don’t deliver, milady.” He mocked the last word.

As she stared up at him, three other men walked from the tall palm grove. Nomads by their brown cloaks. “Is this the human?” one asked, and Nico nodded.

The guy tossed him a sack of coins and Nico emptied the bag in his hand. “Hey, this is only half of what we agreed.” He lifted his palm.

The man angled his head, surprised. He walked forward patting his pockets, but as soon as he was within range, a quick thrust of his wrist gutted the guard with a single swipe.

Ivy screamed, scrambling back against the scrub. The man turned, no expression on his face as he cleaned the blade on his thigh. He shrugged the cloak from his shoulders to reveal a completely different kind of clothing underneath.

His partners in crime did the same, speaking to each other in a language Ivy didn’t recognize. Mountain rogues. She had heard people talking about their ruthlessness, and their rugged clothing told her she guessed right.

The man took Nico’s flask and held it to his lips and then wiped his hand across his mouth before holding it out to her. “Drink. We have a long way to go.”

“The king is coming. He’ll be here any minute, so I would leave while you have the chance,” she tried, only to hear his laugh as a reply.

“Vander is nowhere near here, love. You are now my property and you will go to the highest bidder. If Vander wants you, he can pay, but I know a few jungle lords who would love a honey-haired beauty,” he eyed her. “Yes, I think you’ll fetch a better price than any of the goat herders we’ve taken.”

“Bors, we were paid to take her to the jungle. The worm, remember? They want to test the worm on a human.”

The man whirled, and in seconds, the other was on the ground beside Nico. Just as dead.

Bors cleaned his knife again and frowned, shaking his head. “Killing is such a waste of my time and energy.” He looked at Ivy. “No danger will come to you if you cooperate. If you try what you did with that stupid guard, you’ll end up on the ground with your guts spilled just like him. Understood?”

Ivy nodded. “Can I send word to Vander? I’m sure he’ll pay whatever ransom you ask.”

He shook his head. “I will negotiate with whom I see fit. Vander’s men are on the brink of mutiny, thanks to treachery in his own ranks. Personally, I don’t care one way or the other. Money is money and that’s the only thing that holds my loyalty.”

Ivy’s lips pressed in a harsh line. “That worm your friend spoke of. Does it squirm and ooze in a brown liquid?”

He nodded, the corner of his mouth tipping up, impressed. “Yes.”

She gritted her teeth. “Fucking Maddox. I knew it!” Her eyes flew to Bors. “Please, tell me what you know. The king will make it worth your while. There’s more at stake here than just me.” In her haste, she got to her feet, forgetting who she was dealing with.

His eyes traveled her full length and he licked his lips. “You want answers? YOU will be the one to make it worth my while.”

She took a step back. “People are dying. Women. For no reason. How is Maddox using the worm? How did he learn how?”

Bors shrugged, unmoved. “Show me your tits and I’ll tell you.”

Ivy balked, sorry she had worn the skimpy pant concoction that barely crisscrossed her full rack. “That’s not going to happen.”

He turned to put the hipflask back in the saddle.

“You’ve got me and two camels you didn’t expect. Can’t you give me the answers to those quick questions for good measure?”

Turning, he smirked. “No wonder Vander wants you.” He nodded, pointing her way. “You’re quick and you’re daring. No Galaxan woman would think to blind her abductor with sand.” He considered her. “Okay. The worm is an ancient parasite. It thrives in that brown slime you mentioned.”

She nodded. “Okay. That much I got already. I also know it only lives three days.”

He grinned and she saw his teeth were blackened and missing. “Yes,” he said. “Maddox learned about the worm when Vander sent him with Prince Jag to try and negotiate a truce with the jungle lords. He wanted them to stop paying me and my kind for raiding the Palladian.” He snorted. “Negotiate. Ha! Those men would eat their children first. He would have been better off paying us not to raid.”

His eyes traveled her body again. “Maybe I won’t sell you to them. You’re clever and it would be wasted on those savages.” He turned to finish prepping the saddle. “Maddox watched the lords use the worm to torture their people. They drop the worms live into beating hearts and watch as their people died savagely. Maddox wanted a more concealed way to poison the capitol, so he set the worms loose in the women’s bath houses and spas. As you said, outside their slime, they only live three days unless they find a host to feed upon. If you ask me, he’s a coward. If you’re going to kill, then just fucking kill—don’t skulk in the shadows.”

Ivy looked at the brute of a man. He was intelligent and he was honest. A savage and a mercenary, but truthful, and that gave her wiggle room and hope. “Where are you taking me, then?”

He blinked, looking at her. “I haven’t decided yet.”

She dusted off the back of her pants and walked toward the camel and took the hipflask, draining it. “We should resupply, then. Don’t you think?” Holding her breath, she walked toward the spring with the skin thermos, Bors’ laughter following behind her.

Vander was getting back today. Sometime. Gerri, too. As soon as they found her gone, a search party would be sent out. Now, all she had to do was delay enough to figure out how to leave a trail.