I shrugged and got up as more security people started to come in.
"Everyone," I barked, "get the fuck out. Secure the perimeter. Search the castle room by room. Any unauthorized people are to be taken to the dungeons. Lock the doors. Nobody in or out until I say so."
The men reacted to my command instantly, relaying orders over the comm system. I got a pair of sweatpants and a shirt out of the closet for Bryce and handed them to her before getting dressed myself.
Once she was clothed, I helped her up. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly against her.
"It's going to be okay," I said to her. "I promise, assassins are not a common thing these days."
"Trip," she said, "you killed him."
"He's not the first man I've killed," I said softly.
I pulled her back and kissed her lips gently. "Come on. Let's get into the other room, away from him." I picked her up, swooping her off her feet, and carried her into the living room. I didn't want her to have to step over him, or risk her stepping in his blood.
Once there, I put her down on the couch. I got her a blanket and began to make tea.
"Sir," Al said, "the castle is locked down. We're beginning the sweep now."
"Update me every five minutes," I said. "When the sweep is complete, update me every fifteen."
"Understood."
"And get someone to clean up this fucking body."
"Yes, Your Highness." Al disappeared back outside.
Once the herbal tea was finished, I carried it over to Bryce and placed it down in front of her. I sipped from my cup, frowning at her.
"Are you okay?" I asked her.
"I think so," she said. "I mean, I'm not hurt. Just in shock."
I nodded. "Of course. That sort of thing should never happen here."
"It should never happen anywhere."
"Of course, but my security failed. I was too cocky."
"Trip, this isn't your fault."
"I wanted privacy," I said, angry with myself. "I dismissed our guards because I wanted to be completely alone with you. That was foolish."
"It's not your fault," she said. "It's this war."
"It is this war," I said, feeling the anger rise. "It's this war and those violent bastards in the south."
"Are you sure it was them?"
I laughed, nodding. "Of course."
"I heard someone say that nobody unauthorized was allowed in or out of the castle today," she said.
"That's true."
"So how did that guy get in here?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "We'll find out who he is soon."
"Trip, what if someone let him in here?"
I stared at her for a second. "Only ministers and high-ranking officials were allowed in here today," I said slowly, "plus you and your family."
"We didn't let him in," she said.
"Then someone in my administration did."
She nodded but was silent.
I stood up. "Fuck," I said. "Fucking fuck."
Who would betray me like this? There were so many possibilities. I knew some of my ministers had democratic leanings, but I didn't think any of them were out-and-out traitors.
I knew I was unpopular. People wanted Leo, my perfect older brother. They thought he would have been the perfect king and ruler, but they were stuck with me. Nobody was happy about it, least of all the ministers and the democrats.
But I never in a million years imagined that my own ministers would try to have me killed. Or at least I never thought someone would turn against me like this.
"Who do you trust?" Bryce asked me.
I clenched my jaw. "Max. Lynette. Richter, to an extent."
"Bring them here. See what they know."
I looked at her. "Are you giving the king advice?"
"I'm trying to help Trip, not the king."
I cracked a small smile. "Very well. I'll consult with them. For now, you need to go back to your room. I'll have George stand guard."
"No," she said. "I'm not leaving you."
I went to her and knelt down in front of her. I took her hands and kissed her knuckles. "You're strong," I said, "but you're a foreigner still. This is a crisis, and right now I can't have whispers about you. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she said softly. "People might think something bad about me."
He smiled and nodded. "You hit me once already."
She smiled softly. "True."
I stood up and walked to the comm panel. I hit some buttons. "Send George," I said.
A minute later, there was a knock. I let George into the room.
"Your Majesty," he said.
"George, would you die to protect Bryce?" I asked him.
"Yes, sir," he said. "If commanded, I will obey."
"George, take Bryce to her room. Put her inside, close the door, and stand guard. Nobody enters or exits for any reason. Understood?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Put a similar detail on her parents' room."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Wait outside."
He left. I walked over to Bryce. "Okay," I said. "You should go."
"Okay." She stood and frowned at me. "I'll be okay."
"I know." I kissed her quickly and then she left the room. I caught a glimpse of George leading her back to her room, his weapon at the ready.
She'd be safe with George. Besides, Bryce wasn't the target.
I was.
Somebody wanted to kill me. I knew that in the abstract many democrats in the south wanted me dead, but there was a dead body in my room, someone sent to kill me. We only survived because he didn't respond when I had called, and because I happened to be a fucking paranoid sleeper.
I shook my head, angry and confused. I didn't know how this had happened.
But Bryce was right. I needed to consolidate my power, and quickly. I called for Max, Richter, and Lynette, and then I got an update from Al.
We'd come up with a plan, the four of us. We'd figure out who the traitor was, and quickly.
And then we'd hang that fucking bastard from the ramparts for the whole fucking city to see what we did with traitorous dogs.
19
BRYCE
When I decided to come to Starkland, I figured it would be a fun, easy vacation. We'd do some sightseeing, maybe go to some museums, probably eat some new foods.
I never thought I'd end up sleeping with the king, let alone watching him kill a man.
I'd never seen death before. I'd actually never seen someone shoot a gun. It was loud, really loud. Nothing like in the movies at all. The gun had looked dangerous and powerful, not like one of those little peashooters in the movies.
I couldn't believe it had happened. As I sat there alone in my room, George just outside the door, I kept going over the moment in my mind.
Trip had grabbed me and pushed me away. That was his first instinct, to protect me. Next, he dove down on top of me, further protecting me. He almost got killed because of that.
And then he grabbed that gun and shot back.
If he didn't have that gun, we'd be dead. Al wouldn't have gotten to us in time. We just wouldn't have survived without Trip.
Only minutes before, I'd felt the best I ever had. In his arms, blissed out on an orgasm, I felt so at peace and incredible that it was hard to describe. Trip made my body feel things I never could have imagined.
And then that damn assassin had to go and ruin all of that.
I sat down on the couch and flipped through Starklandian television. It was a little weird, but I couldn't understand anything they were saying anyway. In the castle, people mostly spoke English, or at least they did around me. It was easy to forget that people in Starkland didn't speak English as their primary language.
I sat there staring at the television, trying to forget about what I had seen. The man's body, lying on the ground. He was tall and thin, with a large, crooked nose and dark, scraggly hair. He hadn't said a word, just began to fire as soon as he saw us.
Those moments played through my mind, again and again, over and over. I wished I could go see my parents, but I knew I had to be confined to my room as long as the castle sweep was ongoing.
Minutes trickled by and turned into hours. I should have gone to sleep, but I was way too wired for that. I thought about texting Trip, but he was probably busy enough.
At around two in the morning, I heard a soft knock at my door. I got up and pulled the door open.
George nodded at me. "I wasn't sure if you were awake, miss."
"I'm awake."
"The king is on his way down. Just thought I'd warn you."
"Oh. Okay. Is everything okay?"
"The lockdown is over," he said. "We're safe."
"Thanks," I said. I went back into my room and waited for Trip.
My stomach was a knot of tension. I wondered if he had taken my advice or if I had overstepped the line by even offering it. That didn't matter, though. Ten minutes later, there was another knock, and then Trip came into my room.
"Trip." I went to him and threw my arms around him.
He looked tired. "You shouldn't be awake," he said softly.
"Oh well," I said.
"Listen, Bryce. We need to leave the castle."