The Prince's Stolen Virgin

But underneath, he breathed fire.

“I am announcing our engagement tomorrow. And you will not go against me.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m going to allow you to call your parents tonight. At least, the people you know as your parents.”

“They’ll send someone for me. They’ll contact that... They’ll contact the president if they have to.”

“They won’t,” he said, his voice holding an air of finality. “And you know why? Because they do know the whole story of how you came to be theirs. They know exactly who you are, and they know why they cannot interfere in this. They were charged with keeping you safe from me, and they failed. Now, there is nothing that can be done. Once you have passed into the possession of the dragon... Well. It is too late. Tell them everything that I told you. And they will confirm what I’ve said. You don’t have a choice. Not if you want to keep your homeland from crumbling. Not if you ever hope to see things actually fixed. This is bigger than you. When you speak to them, you’ll know that’s the truth.”

Then he turned, leaving her alone with nothing but a sense of quiet dread.

* * *

“I will be having an engagement party in the next week or so,” Felipe said, staring fixedly out the window at the view of the mountains.

“That seems sudden,” his friend Adam said on the other end of the phone.

Adam was recently married to his wife, Belle, after years of isolating himself on his island country, lost in grief after the death of his first wife, and hiding the terrible scars he had received from the accident that had made him a widower. But now things had changed. Since he had met Belle, he had come back into the public eye, and he seemed to have no issue with public appearances. All the better as far as Felipe was concerned, because he wanted to have as much public support as possible.

“It isn’t,” Felipe said. “Believe me.”

“Why do I get the feeling this is the sort of thing I don’t want to know the details about?” his other friend Rafe said, his tone hard.

“You likely don’t,” Felipe said. “But I would happily give them to you. You know I have no shame.”

He didn’t. Though he was hardly going to engage in unbridled honesty and a heart-to-heart with his friends about the current situation. That wasn’t how he worked. It wasn’t the function he fulfilled in the group.

He’d cultivated the Prince Charming exterior long ago. Out of necessity. For survival. Image had been everything to his father, and the older man had always threatened Felipe and his mother with dire consequences if Felipe were to reveal the state of their lives in the palace.

The consequences of behaving otherwise were dire, and he had discovered that the hard way.

So he had learned, very early on, not to betray himself. Ever. He kept everything close to his chest, while appearing to give the whole world away.

“I would like details,” Adam said, “before I know what sort of circus I’m bringing my pregnant wife to.”

“Congratulations,” Felipe said. “Please make the announcement before you come to my party. I don’t want the impending arrival of your heir to overshadow my engagement.”

“I suppose that’s about all the sincerity I can expect out of you,” Adam said, his tone dry.

“Probably. But you see, I have found a long-lost—presumed dead—princess. And, I’m making her my wife. This is good for me for more than one reason. All political things, I won’t bore you with them. Suffice it to say, this party is going to be quite the affair.”

“I see. And how exactly did you find this princess?”

“Well, there’s an app. I just opened it up and trapped her inside a little ball.”

Adam snorted. “I wish that were true, Felipe. But I have a feeling that a lot more skullduggery was involved.”

“There was skullduggery. I cannot deny the existence of skullduggery. Ultimately, I consider that a good thing since skullduggery is a sadly underused word.”

“I do not need details,” Rafe said. “But is my support of you going to damage the value of the stock in my company? That, I do need to know.”

“And I need to know if she is the princess of any country possessing nuclear weapons. Because again, my support cannot endanger my people,” Adam added.

“If the actual details of how I came in to possession of the princess were released, it might in fact cause you both trouble. But they won’t. First of all, her parents owe an astronomical amount of money to my country. As much as they might want to contest the marriage, they won’t be able to. And, once she is more familiar with the situation, she will feel the same way.”

“So, you’re forcing her into marriage?” Adam asked.

“Do I detect a hint of judgment in your voice?” Felipe returned. “Because if I remember correctly you came into possession of your wife when you took her prisoner.”

“That was different.”

“How?”

“Because I did it,” Adam said. “Plus, I wouldn’t do it now.”

“Because love has changed you and softened you. I understand. Sadly, I’m not looking for love.” The very idea almost made him laugh. “No chance of softening. But I do believe that in the end this is going to be the best thing for Santa Milagro. If it isn’t the best thing for one woman, when all of my people could be benefited, I have to say I’m going to side with my people.”

“So,” Rafe said, slowly. “You are asking us to attend your engagement party, where you will announce your intention to marry a woman that you kidnapped, who doesn’t want to marry you, but who will have to pretend as though she does so that you don’t bring terrible consequences down on her mother and father, and her entire country.”

“Yes,” Felipe said.

“That sounds about right,” Rafe responded.

“My wife will be...unhappy,” Adam said.

“Then don’t tell her. Or, tell her that’s how all the girls meet their husbands these days. Stockholm syndrome.”

Adam growled. “I’m not going to keep it from her.”

“Fine. But I do expect that she fall in line,” Felipe said, having not considered that his friend’s potential loose cannon of a spouse might be an issue. Who knew what Belle might say to the press?

“Belle does not fall in line,” Adam said. “It isn’t in her nature. However, I will explain the sensitive political situation. I know she would not wish to cause harm. And while I don’t trust that you won’t cause any harm, Felipe, I do trust you’re trying to prevent greater harm.”

“Of course. Because I’m an altruist like that. Details will be forthcoming, but of course I had to call and give you the good news myself.”

“Because you’re such a good friend,” Rafe said, the words rife with insincerity.

No, the truth was, they were friends. True friends, the kind that Felipe had never expected to have. The kind that, he imagined, had prevented him from becoming something entirely soulless.

They had some idea about his upbringing. About the way that he was. But mostly, he showed them the face he showed the world. Prince Charming, as he had just discussed with Talia.

The dragon, he kept to himself.

Usually.

CHAPTER FOUR (#u8bc81575-8f4f-51aa-8d90-18adc4777811)