Archer

This palace is always busy. Constant visitors, constant threats. Princess Waverly leaves her spot on the balcony and begins making her way in my direction.

I press on my earpiece. “Sparrow is on the move.”

My chest tightens as I watch her walk, the poise and confidence of a future ruler exuding from her. She is the most beautiful creature on this earth, and I can’t touch her. Her gaze finds mine as she walks by, the sight of her smile making my body react in ways it shouldn’t. I know I should tear my focus from her, but I can’t.

“How is your day going, Archer?” Her voice is the thing I crave most but rarely receive.

“It’s my favorite kind, your highness. The uneventful kind.”

“I’ll see what I can do about giving you more to do.” She winks and saunters down to the stables.

Her perfect ass sways with each of her steps, and I have to force myself to avert my attention, but the damage has been done. My cock is stiff and aching, but I have a job to do. People to protect. Then she glances over her shoulder, and her eyes find mine. I’m caught staring. At least I’m supposed to be watching her.

As soon as my princess reaches the stables, I radio in. “The sparrow is going for a ride.” Then I start my rounds. I walk the perimeter of the palace, eyes clear, focused, determined to see any threat. Since King Ryder’s coronation, things have been…tense, with a few extremist groups making waves politically. A change in power is always the perfect opportunity to cause chaos.

The Duke of Longmire stands with Lord and Lady Waystrom; his toothy smile makes me suspicious. When a smile is that forced, there’s a hidden secret being masked. Some might say my aversion to him stems from the knowledge that he’s supposed to marry Princess Waverly, but it would be untrue. Everyone knows the duke is gay. If they do marry, it’ll be for show only. What I don’t like is the thought of my princess being trapped in a sham marriage. She deserves a man who will love her more than life itself.

A scream pierces the air from the direction of the stables, and my heart kicks into high gear. Everything else becomes white noise as I bolt for the building, hand already going for my gun. I knew we should have had someone on each of the princesses at all times.

I burst into the stable, ready to take down anyone who’d threaten Waverly or Alina, only to find the youngest princess flat on her ass, laughing hysterically.

“What…the hell…happened?” I ask through tight lungs.

Waverly’s apologetic glance and pink cheeks calm me. “There was a spider in her riding boot. She panicked.”

I take a moment to look around the area, taking in the tack on the walls and the discarded boots in the middle of the floor. A dappled grey horse with big dark eyes stares at me from over her stall door. “I thought someone was hurting you.”

Waverly—Princess Waverly strides across the room and places a hand on my arm. That one little bit of contact makes electricity race through my blood. “We’re fine, Archer. Promise.”

I love the sound of my name on her gorgeous lips. “Thank you, your Highness. If you don’t mind, I’d very much like to be on your detail for the remainder of the day. It would ease my worry.”

She nods, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. “Is something wrong, Archer? You seem…not yourself.”

I shake my head. I can’t let her know any of my concerns until there’s actual information to offer. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

The princess stares me down. Sometimes I worry she can see right through me. If that’s the case, she knows I’m desperately in love with her. I don’t back down. Is it proper to maintain eye contact with a member of the royal family? No. But I can’t let her see me back down. It would kill me to know she thinks I’m weak.

“There they are! The little princesses.” Lord Haverford strolls into the stables, a cocky grin on his chiseled jaw. Princess Waverly frowns, and part of me is thrilled to see her displeasure.

“I’m certainly not little, but I do need to speak with you, Lord Haverford.” To my dismay, both princesses head across the room to him. Waverly takes his arm gingerly while Alina clutches him like he’s going to disappear if she lets go.

“Well, that’s a welcome pleasure. I’m at your service Your Highness.”

The three of them walk past me, Alina staring up at Lord Haverford like he’s a piece of something she wants to eat. He’s everything they should avoid. An untouchable player without a care in the world. The last thing I want is for my princess to be next to him.

I move to follow, but Waverly casts a glance over her shoulder, those beautiful eyes of hers locking with mine. She gives a minute shake of her head and just like that, I’ve been put in my place. Were she not a royal, I’d tell her to stay, that I wasn’t going to let her leave my sight. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. She’s second in line to the throne of Corline until the king’s child is born.

I press on my earpiece and grumble, “I’ll need eyes on Sparrow and Wren. They’re with the hawk.”

A voice comes over the line. “In sight.” The line goes dead but clicks as someone begins speaking again. “FYI, Clark’s called a meeting as soon as the palace is safely tucked away for the night.”

“What about?”

“Who knows? But, it’s more than likely going to interfere with regularly scheduled programming.”

I sigh. Anytime there’s a change in the schedule, we have to spend hours planning, mapping out escape routes, preparing for all eventualities. But worse than that, it puts the royal family at risk because one dropped ball can mean the rest falls to pieces.