For five long days, Sander held the world at bay. He deflected inquiries regarding his and Chey’s absence from the castle, avoided the media at every turn, and continued to demand complete secrecy from the doctors, nurses, and other staff at the hospital. He refused to call anyone else about Elias’s condition, even his own siblings.

It had been his hope that Elias would recover his memory during that time. Each day he’d desperately searched for progress, progress that never came. Although Elias was healing well from his injuries, he remembered nothing of his past. The last forty-eight hours had been especially taxing; Elias was beginning to ask for more and more privacy away from his immediate family. Sander sensed a growing distance between himself and his son, which resulted in sleepless nights and miles of restless pacing up and down the hallways. Every idea he and Chey had come up with to help Elias find himself had failed.

Failed miserably.

It seemed the harder they tried, the more Elias turned away.

The time was long past for an official announcement and for Emily to take Elias’s place as heir to the throne, but he had stubbornly refused to take the necessary step. Just one more day had been Sander’s answer to the pressing crisis unfolding around him.

He couldn’t wait much longer. To delay meant putting Latvala and its citizens in jeopardy. The throne needed its king and it needed a direct successor.

“Sander.”

Chey’s soft voice drew his attention from the window. The overcast, rainy day had done nothing for his mood anyway.

“Is there a change?” he asked immediately.

The open distress on Chey’s features assured Sander that, no, nothing had changed. She had held up well these last days in the face of overwhelming angst, but he could see cracks starting to take shape beneath the surface.

“No. I think it’s time we consider calling Inari. Maybe her presence will jar a memory for him,” Chey said. She stood near the door to the waiting room, wringing her hands.

Sander leaned against the windowsill and crossed his arms over his chest. He’d known this moment would eventually arrive. Elias’s girlfriend would undoubtedly drop everything and fly to Latvala the second she knew the truth.

He just wasn’t sure he was ready to take that step, even after delaying the news much longer than he’d planned. One or two days had turned into a week. It wasn’t fair to Inari, but he was more concerned with secrecy and Elias’s health than anything else. Regardless, he couldn’t put it off forever. The longer he waited to come out with it, the more he risked exposure or at least conjecture by the tabloids. And he couldn’t even think of contacting Inari before calling his own brother, Mattias.

He scrubbed fingers through the stiff whiskers on his chin.

“I know you’re not ready,” Chey said into the silence. “But I just don’t think we can wait any longer.”

“You’re right. I’m not ready. I wanted to give Elias time to come around on his own in a nonstressful environment. But that hasn’t happened.” He paused, reluctant to take the next step. “If we don’t see any improvement by tomorrow morning, I’ll set everything in motion. I’d like to wait to contact Inari until after I recall Mattias from Australia and have a meeting with the council.”

“I haven’t been ready either,” Chey said, as if it had been a secret. “It feels wrong. Like giving up. But I know we’re not giving up.”

Sander pushed from his lean and crossed the room. Chey’s anxious hand wringing and the haunted look in her eyes drew him to her. He coaxed her into the circle of his embrace and kissed the top of her head, relieved to feel her arms creep around his middle and squeeze. For several minutes they stood just that way, taking solace in each other’s company.

“We’ll never give up,” he said at length. “I’ve been making plans. If he doesn’t recover his memory soon, I’m going to try and talk him into taking a few excursions with me when he’s well enough to leave the hospital. Canoeing, hiking, a visit to the hinterlands. Things we usually do together before winter sets in. Maybe it’ll help.”

“That’s a good idea. I just hope he’ll go. He’s been so distant the last few days. Uncomfortable with us.”

“I know. I don’t know what else to do.” Sander wouldn’t ever admit defeat, however, and had begun to plan days ago.

Chey tipped her head back to see his eyes.

Sander stared down into her face, one palm cupping her cheek. Despite the haunted look in her eyes, there was also strength and the same determination he knew shone in his. She would never give up, either, and he was thankful for it.

“I’m going to go check on the girls. Neither of them got much sleep last night, taking turns sitting with Elias,” Chey said.

“All right. I’ll go relieve Erick.” Erick had spent the last several hours at Elias’s bedside. Sander touched a kiss to Chey’s mouth and released her.

Once she was gone, he closed the waiting room door and fished his phone from his pocket. First things first.

Mattias answered on the second ring. “You have interesting timing.”

“Hey, brother. I need you to come home.”

“I’m already here.”

“Who told you?” Fury started to build under Sander’s skin. No one was supposed to be talking about the accident.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but no one told me anything. I got on a plane the second I heard you’d canceled all your future state visits. Something must be amiss for you to do that.”

Sander exhaled, releasing the pent-up anger. He should have known Mattias would put two and two together. “Where are you?”

“We just landed fifteen minutes ago. I’m en route to Kallaster. What’s going on?”

“Don’t go to Kallaster. Come straight to the hospital in Kalev. I’ll tell you when you get here.”

Sander met Mattias at the elevator. He clapped his brother on the shoulder after a brief embrace and led Mattias to the closest empty room, where he closed the door for privacy. Despite the long flight, Mattias looked refreshed and professional in a black business suit. Only a few slivers of gray touched his dark hair at the temple.

“I haven’t ever seen a mantle of secrecy this thick. What the hell is going on?” Mattias asked the second he faced Sander inside the room.

Sander paced away from the door. The hospital suite, complete with a crisply made bed and leather recliners, was large enough for him to make broad circuits. “It’s Elias. He was in an accident out in the hinterlands. Vehicle went off a small cliff and rolled. He was the only survivor.”

“But he’s alive? Is he on life support?” Tension entered Mattias’s voice for the first time.

Sander made eye contact with his brother. “No. He’s recovering from a broken wrist, internal injuries, other lacerations they had to stitch up, and a head wound. He doesn’t remember who he is, Mattias. Elias has lost his memory.”

Mattias broadened his stance and frowned. He crossed his arms over his chest as he appeared to digest the news. “Bloody hell. What do the doctors say?”

“They say his memory could come back at any time, but Elias also might never regain it again. It’s up in the air. They relieved pressure on Elias’s brain with surgery, and the swelling has gone down. That’s a good sign. No one can say for certain how long it might take for Elias to remember who he is.”

“I think I understand better now why there is a media blackout and why it was impossible to get any information on the flight over. You have waited longer than I expected to install Emily as heir to the throne.”

“I couldn’t in good conscience strip Elias without giving him a shot to recover. The council won’t be happy I waited beyond three days to make an announcement, but right now my son is my sole concern. Clearly, though, I’ll be forced to act soon. Tomorrow, in fact. I told Chey that if Elias doesn’t remember anything by morning, I’ll have to call a meeting.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you want to say to the advisors and I’ll go in your stead? I can make an announcement to the public as well,” Mattias said.

“I was hoping you would act as go-between, although I hadn’t thought to put an announcement off on your shoulders. I would appreciate it. It means I won’t have to leave the hospital right away, which I’m hesitant to do for obvious reasons. Leander has been helping as much as he can, but I could use him here rather than running back and forth to Kallaster.”

“Don’t worry about it, Dare. I’ll take care of the council and the media. You take care of Elias. Will you have Emily sworn in as heir before the week is out?” Mattias asked.

“I have no other choice. I’ve waited longer than I should have, and to hold off another week or two might spell disaster. I don’t want to give any other country a reason to cause problems because they think our line of succession has been compromised.” He paused near a window. Still raining. Still gloomy. Sander looked back to Mattias. “Three days. Schedule Emily to take the oath in three days.”

“What do you want me to say about Elias?”

“I want his condition downplayed. Spin it in a positive light. Yes, he was in an accident; yes, he’s recovering. But I don’t want any mention of his memory loss. Installing Emily as heir is a temporary move until he recovers.”

“That’s the wisest move. Leaders of foreign countries are aware of Elias, they’ve studied his actions during state visits and other formal affairs. They know his character and that he’s just like you in how he’ll one day run Latvala. In other words, they know they can’t pull anything over on him. Emily is another story. She’s untested insofar as the bigger political stage goes, and it’s possible Latvala will become a target if others believe she’ll one day rule. Not because she’s incapable, but because they don’t know her like we know her,” Mattias said.

“She’s definitely capable. But she does need to be brushed up on state affairs. I’ll see to that. We can get her up to speed behind the scenes, out of the public eye.”

“I’ll help. I know you’re going to be busy with Elias. She can come with me back to Pallan Island. Three days isn’t a lot of time to work with her, but it’s better than none.”

“Thanks, brother. That would take a load off my shoulders.” Sander resumed pacing. “I haven’t told Gunnar and Natalia yet. Maybe you can give them a call.”

“Consider it done. I’m surprised Gunnar hasn’t shown up here as well.”

“He was never quite as intuitive as you.” Sander paused next to Mattias and clapped his brother on the shoulder again. “It’s great to see you. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“I wish it was under better circumstances, too. We’ll get ahead of all this. I’m hopeful Elias will come around sooner rather than later.”

Before Sander could say anything else, someone knocked at the door. Three solid raps. A moment later, Leander stepped in.

“Sorry to interrupt. There’s a situation,” Leander said.

Sander followed Leander into the hallway with Mattias at his heels. His stride lengthened when he spotted Erick standing outside Elias’s door, looking undeniably upset.

“What is it?” Sander demanded. He looked through the window to Elias’s room, expecting to see a catastrophe unfolding: CPR, doctors rushing around, nurses stabbing more needles into Elias’s arm. But there was only Elias in his hospital bed, staring off at nothing. No doctors, no nurses, no emergency.

Erick wiped a hand down his face, features a mask of distress. “Elias wants to leave the hospital. He’s determined to find a place to live somewhere in the city while he looks for a job. Says he’s too uncomfortable to stay here any longer and that he doesn’t feel right living at Kallaster. It doesn’t matter what I say; he’s adamant about leaving.”

That sure as hell hadn’t been what Sander expected to hear. He left Mattias and Leander in the hall with Erick and stepped uninvited into Elias’s room.

“I hear you think you’re well enough to leave the hospital,” Sander said, hoping he sounded calmer than he felt. Elias could not be allowed to wander around Kalev unguarded. The risk to his life was far too great.

“I am. I don’t want you or anyone else to try and talk me out of it. Just understand that this is what I need to do,” Elias said. A new strength was in his voice, an indication he was healing well from his injuries.

“It’s still too soon. I know you feel ready, Elias, but I wish you would reconsider. Just give it another two or three days.” Because of Elias’s somewhat defensive demeanor, Sander didn’t go all the way to the bedside. He stopped near one of the chairs and braced his hands against the back.

“I’m leaving tomorrow. What I need to know is whether I have a place to live in the city. Do I keep an apartment here? How do I get ahold of my funds?”

Sander hadn’t foreseen this complication. Elias received income the same as other members of the royal family, an account held in a private bank in Kalev. Somewhere in the hospital room, with Elias’s other belongings taken from the scene of the crash, was a wallet with his bank cards. The money might be Elias’s, in his name under his own account, but there was no way Sander could allow him to simply walk out and start spending money on a whim. Someone in Elias’s condition might make all the wrong decisions, resulting in thousands upon thousands of dollars spent that he could never recover.

“Why don’t you stay at the castle? You have your own room there. Your own vehicle. There is plenty of space—you won’t feel cramped or crowded, I promise,” Sander said. He was trying to buy himself some time in case Elias actually tried to follow through with his plan.

“I don’t want to stay at the castle. But the car would be useful. Can you have it delivered here?”

Sander said nothing. Elias seemed determined upon a certain course, and he didn’t think he was going to change his son’s mind. There were several places in town Sander could stash Elias, most of them used for emergencies. Hideouts only a few knew about. When assassination threats grew too serious to ignore, Sander waited out the situation in any one of the facilities, protected from unexpected attacks. He had a feeling that Elias would not want to stay in any of those, however, and switched his thinking to other safe houses nearby. None were as secure as they needed to be to protect a member of the royal family, and Sander realized he wouldn’t have time to fortify any of them before Elias’s release.

“Look,” Elias said, an edge in his voice. “I know you want to help. I appreciate it. But I don’t know you. The pictures aren’t helping, neither are the heartwarming stories. I’m not sure how to convey to you that you’re all strangers to me and, right now, the very last thing I want to do is go live in a castle with all of you. This is unsettling enough without being forced to do what I don’t want to do.”

“I understand that. But put yourself in my place for a minute. Imagine you’re the father of a son who has lost his memory and wants to put himself out into the public like there will be no repercussions whatsoever. You don’t seem to realize the danger you’ll be in if you walk out of here without your usual guards. The target on your back is already big, Elias, because you’re the heir to the throne. Don’t make it bigger by strutting around Kalev to prove a point.” Sander struggled to keep his tone even and nonconfrontational. What would he do if Elias pushed the issue? He couldn’t very well kidnap his own child. It wouldn’t accomplish anything but to drive an even bigger wedge between them. But he could not allow Elias to just walk out the door unprotected.

“I don’t believe the danger is as high as you say it is. None of this feels real. Castles and kings and thrones? Come on.” Elias turned his head away as if in disgust.

“And yet you’ve seen the proof with your own eyes. You’ve seen yourself in uniform, at the castle, with me out in the hinterlands. You can’t deny what you are. If you think about it for a second instead of following your knee-jerk reaction you’ll understand that you need guards. You need protection.”

“Because that helped so much the last time,” Elias said.

“It was an accident. They happen.”

“I’m leaving tomorrow morning. Make whatever arrangements you think you need to.”