Inari’s first course of action when she stepped into Somero Palace was to find her sister. She bypassed heavy security at the doors, in the hallways, and at the entrance to Lisbet’s suite. Her petite sister looked a disaster in bed. Pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, mussed blond hair.

Inari only cared that she was alive and breathing.

She spent an hour telling Lisbet everything that had happened since the initial drugging at Imatra Castle, careful to watch for clues that Lisbet was becoming overtired or didn’t have the energy for such a complicated story. Lisbet surprised her with her determination and stamina, such as it was. By the end of the second hour, though, Lisbet was visibly flagging. Inari dropped a fond kiss on her sibling’s brow and left her to sleep.

At the door, Inari paused to look back. She made a promise to herself, then and there, that she would never take Lisbet’s presence in her life for granted again. She would spend more quality time with her and her brother. Have more family meals, take trips, just the three of them. It was too easy to get caught up in royal duties, galas and balls, and other worldly events. The most important things were right there beneath that roof. Those were the relationships she needed to nurture and covet, the people she needed to protect.

Her mind strayed to Elias. She’d heard he was there somewhere, having arrived sometime in the early hours of the morning. A few discreet inquiries of the staff led her to a downstairs parlor, where she found Elias standing near one of the tall windows, looking out over the garden.

The damp ends of his blond hair brushed against the nape of his expensive black suit, indicating a recent shower.

A tall glass of ice water dangled from his fingers, the contents half gone.

He turned his head before she could move or make a sound, as if he’d sensed her standing there.

“I heard the short version of the story on the flight over. I know the assassin is in custody and that Valentina confessed to the crime,” she said by way of opening conversation. She stepped deeper into the room and closed the door.

The parlor was one of several on the ground floor of Somero Palace. This particular parlor happened to be the most spacious, with three different seating areas and a distinctive marble fireplace. Tapestries covered the walls and gilt console tables provided a place for family photos and small trinkets.

Inari maneuvered through the furniture as she closed the distance to the prince.

“Yes. Valentina caved to the pressure, as I’d hoped she would. I think it’s safe to assume that once your father has her arrested, the specific threat she posed will exist no longer,” he said.

Inari stopped a few feet away. It took great control not to step into his arms and lift her mouth to his for a kiss. She wanted to. She wanted that same moment of intensity they’d had at the top of the stairs in Imatra. It was more than gratitude that drew her to him. It was undeniable attraction, a sense of something new blossoming between them. Butterflies erupted in her stomach, a strange but telling side effect of his presence.

“I’m not sure how to thank you, Elias. You, Caspian, and Erick worked so hard on this. It means everything to know that my family won’t be hurt again because someone was targeting me,” she said.

He sipped the water and set the glass aside.

“You’re welcome.”

The closer he came, the more she had to tilt her face up to retain eye contact. “What will you do now? Return to Latvala?”

“That is where I live,” he said with a flicker of amusement.

She swatted his chest and huffed a laugh, then sobered a moment later. “So you’re pretty much done with the Valentina thing, right? You won’t have to go back to Weithan Isle or deal with court proceedings?”

“Your father’s people will take it from here. No, I won’t be returning to Weithan Isle, and it remains to be seen whether I’m called up to testify or not. I think Valentina will take a plea bargain so this doesn’t blow up all over the media. I’ve done what I set out to do. It’s time for the lawyers to take over,” he said.

“When will you depart?” she asked, taking one step closer. Deleting the small distance between them by half.

“Later today,” he said in a quiet voice. “Unless you give me a reason to stay.”

That was all the invitation she needed. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed his mouth, reveling in the masculine cologne clinging to the hollows of his skin. He pulled her flush with his body, tongue boldly exploring until she felt weak in the knees—a ridiculous affliction she’d never believed in before now. Even Wolfe Novak hadn’t affected her like this.

“Actually,” she said, when their lips parted, “I found some interesting things in the Crypt that I think you and Caspian should take a look at.”

A spark of interest lit his gaze. “What things?”

“An old journal. Not from the same king as the other two papers you found. There’s no mention of the crest or anything, so I’m sorry about that. But I still think you’ll both be interested in what the journal has to say.”

“Now I’m curious.” He nuzzled her cheek, her jaw.

“You should be. It’s fairly striking, the things I read.” She paused to make eye contact again. “But that’s not the reason I want you to stay.”

“Then what is?”

“This. Us.”

He smiled and, just before claiming her mouth again, whispered, “That’s good enough for me.”

---

Elias stalked the hallways of Somero Palace with single-minded intent. His senses were full of Inari: her kisses, her scent, the feel of her lush body pressed against his. They’d spent fifteen minutes discovering, kissing, touching, before they’d been interrupted by a guard. Inari had been summoned to the king’s private study, and the king waited for no one.

While she dealt with her father, Elias traversed the corridors until he reached the room he’d crashed in earlier after his talk with Thane and his father.

Once inside with the door closed, he fished out his phone and put in a call.

“I hear things went well,” Caspian said by way of hello.

“As good as I could have hoped for. Listen. I just got done talking to Inari, and she mentioned finding something of interest in the Crypt. I’ll be here another few days, but I wanted to see if you’d snap some pictures of the journal she found and send them to me. She says we’ll be interested in the contents.”

“I’ll send your pictures as soon as you tell me details about Valentina.”

“You’re as bad as the women,” Elias complained, but proceeded to lay out his entire visit, beginning to end. He left nothing out, not his quick repartee with Wolfe, Valentina’s threat to have him thrown in the dungeon, nor the confession he’d gotten on tape.

“You are one lucky bastard, Elias. Any number of things could have gone wrong.”

“They could have, but didn’t. We’ve had our share of mishaps during missions. It’s time something went mostly right for once.”

“Mostly right?”

“I had a talk with Severian. Weithan Isle is in dire straits, and I think it’s worse than they’re letting on. While I loathe Valentina, I think Severian is authentic and honorable, and I hate to see the country fall.”

“You think it’s that bad, then?”

“It’s not far off. A year or two, I’d guess, before they face serious financial ruin. He’s desperate for trade.”

Caspian grunted. “We’ll have to have a longer, more serious talk about that over a snifter of brandy. By the way, why are you sticking around Somero?”

Elias smirked. Caspian knew damned well why. “I’ve suddenly developed a fear of flying.”

Caspian barked a laugh. “Let me guess. That fear will strangely disappear once the visit is over.”

“It’s funny how things like that happen. Send the photos.” Elias ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed. He walked to the window and stared out over Someran lands. The view from this particular suite reminded him of the view from a high tower in Ahtissari Castle, his family seat. Woods stretched beyond an open meadow, affording the palace and its occupants a wealth of privacy. Somero was not quite as large in land mass as Latvala or Imatra, but it had all the amenities that drew large tourist crowds year after year: quaint towns, jagged mountains, lazy rivers. Somero’s terrain was as wild and untamed as Latvala’s when one got out into the hinterlands providing a buffer zone between their countries and Russia. Inari would someday rule all of this, just as he would rule Latvala. He did not allow himself thoughts of a future with Inari, and all the possible complications it might bring. Not now, not yet.

Tonight he’d been invited to dinner with her family, and to spend an hour with Inari at Lisbet’s bedside. That was all he planned to concentrate on.

He had other things on his mind as well. Weithan Isle and Severian, the journal Inari had found, and his own tunnel mapping to get back to.

There was still the mystery of the dagger waiting to be unraveled, which he planned to give his full attention as soon as he was back on Latvalan land.