Reluctant Prince Read Free Page A

father’s most trusted warrior. He was in more trouble than he’d originally thought. Was it possible the king would sentence him to death for ignoring a direct order? Surely not without offering him a fair trial, or at least granting him the opportunity to explain. But what could he say? What explanation could there be for failing to deliver the girl? None.
    “I won’t knock again.” The warrior would soon break down the door and drag him before the throne.
    He crumpled the offending photo, the evidence of his disgrace, into a ball. Instead of tossing it in the trash as he’d intended, he shoved it into the small leather satchel he wore at his waist. With a deep breath, he released the latch and pulled open the door.
    “Come.” Kai turned his back on him and strode purposefully down the corridor, their footfalls echoing through the silence of accusation.
    The thought of escape taunted him, but he would never make it out of the castle. He had only recently completed his warrior training under Kai’s watch and would be no match for the seasoned soldier. Besides, Kai was a stickler for the rules. If he tried to run, the warrior would surely take him down, protégé or not.
    Two guards stood sentinel, one on either side of double doors. When Kai reached the entrance, they each grabbed a large iron ring and pulled the heavy wooden doors open before Jackson formulated an even halfway plausible excuse.
    He nodded to each of them as he entered the throne room.
    They stared straight ahead, stone-faced.
    Uh…oh.
    Kai stepped to the side and faced him, leaving Jackson alone to approach his father.
    King Maynard rose to his full height, close to seven feet. An intimidating man by nature, made even more so by the deep scowl lining his face.
    “Your Majesty, sir.” Jackson lowered to one knee, folded his hands over the other knee, and bowed his head in the traditional greeting for the king.
    “Stand.”
    Jackson stood. He would offer no explanation before one was demanded of him. He would show no weakness. A bead of sweat ran down his back. Well, there was nothing he could do about that. At least it wasn’t visible to the other two men. He would show no outward signs of distress.
    “Explain,” the king bellowed.
    Jackson jumped. So much for not showing weakness. “Sir.” Damn, damn, damn. Oh well, when in doubt go with honesty. “I have no excuse, sir.” He forced his head to remain high, his gaze to hold the king’s.
    The king’s scowl deepened. “Were you unable to find the girl?” His father’s gaze flicked to Kai before he returned his full scrutiny to his disobedient son.
    “No, sir. I found her.” Jackson finally gave in and swallowed the lump of fear. It was either that or gag on it.
    “Then where is she?”
    “I don’t know, sir.”
    “Are you being purposefully evasive?” Weaker men had wilted under the stare the old man pinned him with.
    Jackson held tight. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, but he had always trusted his instincts, and he would do so again now. He pulled his back even straighter, lifted his chin a little in defiance. “No, sir.” He met Kai’s frown of disapproval while he addressed his father. “Permission to speak with you in private, King Maynard?”
    “You know that’s not possible.”
    He still had to try. Acquiring the girl had been his final task before he would replace Kai as his father’s second in command. Since he would now be first in line to take over the throne, everything he did was monitored. “Yes, sir.” He took a deep breath. How to explain this. Okay. “I found the girl, sir, but I encountered a slight problem.”
    “What was that?” The king shifted, pacing the platform where two thrones sat side by side. The clink of his sword handle against the chainmail covering his tunic echoed in the high, domed ceiling.
    “I couldn’t take her, sir.”
    “Obviously, but why not.” He stopped and stilled the swinging sword. “Spit it out already,