#Chapter 436- Meeting the Prince Ella
Sinclair moves away at Roger’s side as Cora comes to mine. We both fuss over the baby for a moment, checking to ensure that he doesn’t need anything, but when we’re sure that he’s ready to go I turn him in my arms so that he can look out at all of the people who have come to visit us on this big weekend.
Cora, Rafe and I head into the room together with Conner close behind us, as planned. We decided to split up on this one always staying in sight of our mates, but giving people the opportunity to come and speak with us privately if they’re so inclined.
The strategy works. A great variety of people come and introduce themselves to Cora and I, and I’m pleased to see that the majority of these people are women. I smile a little smugly inside, glad that I was right that the women who attend our coronation as part of these delegations who might feel awkward or shy approaching the gigantic, intimidating Sinclair brothers feel differently about approaching two women, one pregnant and the other holding a baby.
The result, to my pleasure, is a great deal of happy chat. I meet a variety of fascinating women who are all eager to tell me about their lives, their plans for their nations’ futures, the collaborations that they’re excited to pursue with us. At each turn Cora and I are genuinely enthusiastic, wanting to work with these people to make our world a better place.
“Wow,” I say to Cora after we part ways with a dowager Queen and her granddaughter, who is the next in line to her own throne. “It’s…incredible. I had no idea that most of these nations and people even existed.”
“I know,” she murmurs, running a hand over her hair and looking around. “I feel like we need to go back to school, Ella – we’re not nearly prepared enough for our positions in this nation. We need some serious history lessons.”
“Well, you go to school,” I murmur, sighing. “And just give me the wikipedia version of whatever you learn, okay? Because I am done with schooling.”
“You were good at school!” Cora protests, a little appalled.
“I was good,” I say, looking at her with raised eyebrows, “but I wasn’t addicted to it, like you were. Honestly, Cora, you’d still be in school if there were more degrees to get.”
“Well,” she sighs, putting her hands on her hips for a second and tiling her head to the side for a second. “That’s probably true…”
I laugh, smiling at my clever sister, and then Rafe gives a sad little cry. Curious, I look down at him and instantly smell something very unpleasant.
“Oh, geeze,” I murmur, realizing that he needs to be changed. I look anxiously over my shoulder, wondering where the closest bathroom is that has a changing area
Honestly, it’s my house now – I should know this stuff –
“Here,” Cora says, reaching for Rafe. ” Let me.”
“Cora, I can’t -”
“Let me,” she insists, taking Rafe from my arms. “You’re needed here more than I am – go talk with Roger and Sinclair, and Conner and I will take the baby to be changed. All right? It’s going to take a long time and the Queen should be present to…do Queen stuff.”
“All right,” I sigh, though I hate handing my baby off to her for the second time today. Rafe doesn’t seem displeased, though, smiling happily up at his aunting and reaching out his hands for her, trying to grab her cheeks. Cora laughs and sends me a quick wink before turning to Conner and letting him know the plan.
I turn then, looking for my mate, and seeing him across the room speaking with a bunch of Alphas with Henry and Roger by his side – I set off towards him.
I take the long way around, hoping to disappear a bit into the shadows at the sides of the room and avoid anyone in the center of the room pulling me for a chat.
And I almost, almost make it – honestly, I’m about three-fourths of the way there – when someone steps into my path, clearly wishing a word.
I sigh a bit inwardly but take a deep breath, putting on my Queen expression – calm, smiling, interested as I look up to see who desires a moment of my time.
But my smile falters a bit when I realize that it’s…him.
“My Queen,” the Prince of Atalaxia says, giving me a sharp, formal bow. ” It is a pleasure to meet you.”
I go a little still, my smile increasing a little at the irony of this because…
He stands straight and looks at me then, staring at me for a moment, clearly waiting for a response. But I just stand in silence, not knowing what to say. Then, I’m a little shocked to see a smile pull at the corners of his lips.
“Can I take your silence to mean…” he says quietly, “that it is not precisely a pleasure for you?”
And damn me but…
Something about the way he says it his self-deprecation, the warmth in his voice…
I feel my smile growing.
“I have to say,” I reply, a little laugh on my voice now. “That whether or not it is a pleasure to speak with you, highness, is…complicated to say the least.”
He bows his head a little, nodding, and I hear him huff a sad little laugh under his breath. “Honestly, I warned them against bringing that man, surprising you all like that -”
“Then why did you do it?” I ask, taking a step forward, wanting to look up into his face –
He raises his eyes to mine again and I’m shocked again by their color and clarity – by the light blue-violet color of them, such a surprise under such a dark head of silky black hair.
“I don’t know,” he replies, shaking his head and slipping his hands into his pockets as he takes a deep breath. ” They spent hours deciding on it on precisely what to do, what to say. I promise – it was a very deliberate choice.”
“And were you not privy to those meetings?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him, wanting to push him for more information.
“I am my father’s sixth son, Highness,” the prince sighs, shaking his head, again smiling that sad little smile at me. “I am a figurehead at best on this mission, and privy to nothing important. You’ll have to forgive me for that. I wish I could tell you more.”
I stare at him now, my eyes narrowing a little bit because…honestly, I can’t put my finger on it -but something about the way he says that makes me believe him. I believe that if he could tell me more, he honestly would.
He smiles at me again, and I realize that I’ve been silent for about thirty seconds now. I blink and stand up straighter, a little embarrassed, but he just grins at me an expression that causes a single dimple to curl onto one cheek. Then, he holds out a hand.
“I’m Calvin,” he says. “And honestly, your highness, it is…more than a pleasure to meet you. I hope you believe me on that.”
Slowly, I reach out, my eyes still on his face, and I reach out my hand to slip it into his, accepting this small gesture of friendship. I open my mouth to introduce myself but –
Before I can
A pulse runs through me when my palm meets his, like the sound of a deep bass note resonating through my chest
It thrums through me, chased by something sharper – lighter – a second pulse, like lightening jumping through me, a spark that runs through my veins
I jump, working to pull my hand away, but before I can his fingers close around my hand, holding it tight.
Any expression – polite, or kind, or happy – falls from his face as he stares at me in shock.
We stand there, palm to palm, for a long, long moment. A moment too long, frankly, until I hear someone clear their throat next to me.
And then I look up into my mate’s green eyes, his stern face, with my palm pressed tight in another man’s hand. Our enemy’s hand.
“Ella,” Sinclair says, his eyes flicking to the Prince next to me, “are you…all right?”
“Yes!” I say, suddenly gasping in a deep breath and pulling my hand from Calvin’s – honestly, I hadn’t realized that I’d stopped breathing –
“Yes, Dominic,” I say again, regaining my equanimity and smiling up at him, taking a step closer to his side. “I was just…greeting our guest,” I say, gesturing towards the prince.
Sinclair turns his expression to the Prince, his eyes dark.
