Royal Duties--Book Three Read online

  Royal Duties - Book Three

  Royal Duties, Volume 3

  Nikki Steele

  Published by NightVision Publishing, 2017.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  ROYAL DUTIES - BOOK THREE

  First edition. December 15, 2017.

  Copyright © 2017 Nikki Steele.

  ISBN: 978-1386996392

  Written by Nikki Steele.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

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  ROYAL DUTIES BOOK THREE

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

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  Also By Nikki Steele

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  This is book three in a four-part series. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, please read the ‘previously on’ section on the following page. Each book is a self-contained episode, but the story is connected.

  It is a short, Erotic Romance. It contains strong, explicit, smoking hot sex scenes.

  ***

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  ROYAL DUTIES BOOK THREE

  Previously in the series: Baxter is a two-year-old Maltese West Highland cross. He’s the only good man in Kate’s life—that is, until he runs in front of a handsome stranger’s car.

  Kate and the stranger rush Baxter to the vet, and while in the waiting room they get to know each other; the stranger’s name is Xander, and he has a mysterious, regal air.

  They try to stay away from each other, but the chemistry is too strong; Kate and Xander can’t keep their hands off each other. Xander is from Europe, he’ll be returning there soon, and she can’t go with him.

  It looks like the end when Xander boards a private jet to return to Alonia. But Baxter won’t give up that easily—the cheeky puppy brings the two lovers together one last time. It makes Xander realize the mistake he’s about to make, and ask Kate to come with him.

  The story continues when they arrive in Alonia. Kate thinks all her problems are over, but the truth is they’re only just beginning. Xander is a prince. And she’s about to meet the Queen mother...

  Chapter One

  From the air, Alonia was a scenic swath of white mountains and green valleys. From the ground it was even more beautiful; curving roads through big old forests, fields of bright flowers, and villages against a backdrop of mountains.

  “I can’t believe I’m actually here,” I murmured to myself. I pulled my little dog, Baxter, into my lap. “I actually did it.”

  Had it really only been yesterday? Who would have thought that a nurse with two jobs, a dog and not much else, would suddenly find herself on the other side of the world!

  The town we were driving through was straight from The Sound of Music—cobbled streets, beautiful white-washed buildings and flowerpots on every balcony. I kept expecting Julie Andrews to fling open a shutter and burst into song.

  Xander had a smile on his face. “It is nice to be home.” He took a deep breath. “Even the air smells different here.”

  I leaned out the window, displacing Baxter. He was right. The air was cooler, and smelled crisp and clean. I felt more alive breathing it in.

  Baxter wormed his way in front of me once more, opening his mouth to the wind. I stroked the spot behind his ears that he liked so much. He’d been my constant companion ever since I’d found him as a puppy at the pound. I’d begun to think he would be the only man I could ever trust in my life.

  And then Xander had come along. Xander, with his beautiful blue eyes and dark heavy lashes. Xander, the man who had stolen my heart. Xander, the prince.

  Prince. Back home, that had been an abstract concept, good for tickets to the opera and disbelieving looks from my friends. But here? “So you’ve really got a castle.”

  He laughed. “For the hundredth time, yes. You’ll see one of them shortly.”

  “And your mother’s name is Maria.”

  “Yes. Though remember it’s Your Majesty until she tells you otherwise.”

  My face went pale. “Merde,” I said, whispering the French swearword Xander had taught me.

  “It’s no big deal. My mother is lovely.”

  That wasn’t what he’d said the first time he’d told me about her. Before he invited me to join him. My chest tightened. “Does she even know I’m coming?”

  Xander shifted uncomfortably.

  I stared at him, wide eyed. “So I’m just going to rock up unannounced? What do I do? Curtsy? What the firetruck are we going to talk about?” I looked down at what I was wearing, then groaned. “And I’m in my travel clothes! I must look horrible. I’ve got bags under my eyes and I haven’t had a shower or washed my hair and-”

  “Stop.” Xander took my hand, forcing me to look at him. “Calm down. My mother does know you’re coming. And you look beautiful.”

  “Then what was that look, before?” I asked. I pointed as a frown flitted across his face. “That look right there!”

  “She’s... unsure of you, that’s all. You don’t fit into her plans.”

  “And what are those plans?” I asked suspiciously. Xander had hinted at problems many times before. But he always seemed to avoid explaining himself.

  “You have to understand, many women in the past have sought my money and title. It’s something my mother warned me about even when I was very young.”

  “That’s not an answer,” I said. “What plans?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. It’s not important.”

  “Xander Grenouille. Stop avoiding the question.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not important. You don’t need to know.”

  “And why not?” I demanded. “It sounds like I do.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t. Because it’s not going to happen.”

  “Oh, and why is that?”

  He looked at me. “Because I love you.”

  My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. Xander loved me. I knew I should press the question, but... Xander loved me!

  He’d never actually told me that. He’d said other things—done other things—that showed it. But he’d never said those three little words.

  Xander loved me. My eyes softened. When he said things like that, nothing else mattered. My whole world might tumble and turn around me, but as long as Xander was holding my hand, I could never get hurt.

  He smiled, and then pointed out the window. “We’re almost here. Look.”

  I blinked, but did as he directed. We’d left the town behind, the road curving to the right of a large lake. “I don’t see-”

  I broke off suddenly as Baxter shifted at the window, revealing a castle on a large hill directly in front of our vehicle. I gasped. It was beautiful, with soft cream walls and black tiled roofs, and soaring arches straight out of a Disney movie. Pennants flapped on turrets at each corner; a larger red and black flag flew high from a central spire. “That’s your home?”

  Xander smiled. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  I nodded, eyes wide. It covered the entire top of the hill; a long, winding road leading from the town at its base to a portcullis in the outer wall.

  “Tell me again why I’m doing this?” I asked, the nerves from before making a reappearance.

  Xander reached across to grasp my
hand. “Because I can’t live without you.”

  “Will your mother be waiting for us?”

  He shook his head. “She’s away today. It’s just us and 147 servants.”

  We reached the portcullis and proceeded to a small circular driveway inside. Several staff in black and red livery waited patiently in a line at its apex.

  The door opened.

  The staff snapped to attention.

  “Welcome home Prince Alexander.”

  Chapter Two

  A fluffy cloud licked my face.

  I grumbled, swatting at it. It licked me again and I cracked an eyelid—a black nose filled my vision. “Okay, okay. I’m up!” I inched myself up on the huge bed, pushing Baxter away. “You’re seriously the most annoying dog ever, you know that right?”

  Baxter cocked his head at me. I opened my arms and he bounded into them with an energetic bark. “Yeah, you’d better apologize.”

  I’d slept so well last night; a combination of jet lag and the most glorious bed I’d ever fallen into. I’d been asleep by the time I’d sunk to the bottom of its duck down depths.

  I looked around blearily for Xander before remembering we had separate rooms. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. It was a respect thing—it was technically his mother’s house—but I’d been so looking forward to sleeping beside him! Well, that and other things.

  A soft knock sounded at the door. Baxter barked, and Xander’s head appeared at the frame. “Good morning, how did you sleep?” Baxter leapt from the bed, trotting toward him. Xander stooped down to tussle his head.

  I smiled sleepily. “Well, though I missed you.” Then I gave a puzzled frown. “You know, I never realized Alexander was your full name?”

  He moved into the room, then sat on the edge of my bed. “What do you mean?”

  I shrugged. “I tried googling you when we first met. I couldn’t find a thing! I guess I never thought that Xander would be short for something longer.”

  His fingers ran gently through the tangles of my hair, massaging my scalp. “You’re funny. In a cute way, of course.”

  I felt a small thump as Baxter leapt back onto the bed, then padded across to settle in Xander’s lap. The dog nudged him with his nose, and Xander began to stroke him.

  I eyed the dog, peeved at my stolen massage. “You know he’s just doing that for attention, don’t you?”

  “What?”

  “Sitting in your lap. He only did it because he was jealous you were talking to me.”

  “Really?” Xander asked. His hands stilled on the dog and a cheeky grin crept slowly to his face. “Then what would happen if I did this?”

  He leaned down and kissed me gently on my lips.

  I closed my eyes, drinking in his scent—the smell of coffee, and a cologne that I didn’t recognize, but liked. The kiss lingered. My hands went to his head. Our lips began moving more urgently. Warmth began to flicker between my legs.

  Suddenly a wet nose wormed its way between our bodies. It licked us both across our chins and I recoiled, wiping the slobber away with a grimace. “See?”

  Xander was eyeing Baxter. “After all the things I do for you, this is how you betray me?” He picked the puppy up. “Well I’ve got news for you my little friend. You’re about to go outside.”

  I laughed, but held his arm. “Let him stay, there’ll be time for what you’ve got in mind later. Right now I should really get some breakfast.”

  * * *

  Someone had done a fabulous job filling the wardrobe for me—everything from designer cocktail dresses to casual tees. Although I did eye the multiple drawers of lacy underwear with suspicion—some of the choices seemed more for Xander’s enjoyment than mine. I chased him out of the room to get changed, and then we made our way to breakfast.

  I wasn’t sure what I’d expected of the kitchen—certainly something larger than what my own tiny apartment offered. But this... this was an actual kitchen. The space was larger than my entire apartment. And it was bustling with activity.

  Steam billowed along the roof and a series of ovens took up one entire wall, humming merrily with what looked like roasts inside. Racks of savory muffins wafted delicious scents in my direction, making my mouth water. Pans sizzled, dishes clinked and everywhere, busy staff bustled; chopping, slicing and dicing. One turned toward us. “Bonjour Monsieur!”

  A chorus of hellos went round the room as staff looked up from their duties. “Bonjour Monsieur!”

  “Bonjour Monsieur!”

  “Bonjour Monsieur!”

  Xander answered each greeting with a hello. “Bonjour Charlotta. Bonjour Karl. Bonjour Heidi— comment va ton bébé?” He spoke easily to them, calling each one by name. “Don’t mind us—we’re just taking a quick breakfast.”

  A heavy-set cook bustled toward me, holding two plates. “Que voulez-vous manger?”

  I frowned. “I’m sorry, do you speak English?”

  “Of course madam,” she said, switching fluidly. She had only the slightest accent. “I was asking what you would like to eat.”

  “Oh. That’s very kind. And please, call me Kate.” I bit my lip. “It was Heidi, right? Um, would it be possible to have one of those amazing smelling muffins?”

  She broke into a grin. “I baked them myself—cheddar, bacon and sweetcorn.” Then she winked at me. “Tell you what, I’ll give you two.” She proceeded to heap three on my plate.

  We sat at a table in the corner of the kitchen and I broke one apart, smearing it with freshly churned butter. Flavor exploded through my mouth when I bit into it. “OMG. These are amazing!”

  Xander frowned. “OMG?”

  “Sorry—it’s a bad habit. It means Oh My Gosh, it’s an expression of amazement. The juniors at work say it.”

  After the muffins I had hot, thick slices of roast lamb with rosemary and mint sauce, and Heidi whipped me up several eggs as well. She served them on thick potato pancakes with bacon, onion and cheese, which she called Rosti. I bit into it with relish. It was crisp on the outside and soft and melting inside, and immediately begged for seconds.

  * * *

  We collected Baxter after breakfast—the little dog ran through the hallways in excitement, snuffling at the myriad strange smells all around while Xander gave me a tour.

  The castle, he explained, was built in the 1400’s by his great, great, great grandfather many times removed. Cannons on top of each outer wall had originally provided protection for villages in the area but were now purely ornamental. An open area at the castle’s heart was still used for parades and outdoor ceremonies today.

  Over time, successive generations had added their own touches to the castle; expanding the walls, making it more comfortable, adding buildings and turrets. At the back of the castle, a beautiful terraced garden flowed from the crest of the hill down to the massive outer wall at its base. He’d explained that generations of princes had courted many a giggling woman there, and then winked at me—telling me he would take me there later.

  We crossed the parade ground Xander had described, and entered a long wide hallway with red carpet and banners along each wall.

  “Where are we going now?” I asked.

  “You’ll see. I think you will like it.”

  A pair of guards in formal regalia stood before a huge set of double doors at the other end. The guards saluted when we approached, uncrossing long ceremonial halberds to let us pass.

  As the doors opened, I stumbled to a stop. My mouth dropped open.

  He chuckled. “You’d be surprised how many people do that the first time they see the throne room.”

  It was huge—several stories high, with the same red carpet that we now stood on continuing in a straight line to two enormous golden thrones at the other end. But that wasn’t what had made my jaw drop. Gems studded each wall, literally thousands upon thousands, making the entire room sparkle in a cacophony of color.

  I crossed to the wall and ran my hand down the sparkling surface. I recognized diamonds,
emeralds, rubies and sapphires to name just a few. “These are real?” I asked Xander in awe.

  He nodded. “One of the pleasant benefits of having the largest state owned gem deposit in Europe.”

  My fingers traced the hard ridges of a diamond the size of a penny. I’d probably just smudged something more valuable than me. “I don’t know. It could grow on a girl.”

  Xander smiled. “I suggest you look up then.”

  I did as instructed, and my jaw dropped once more. A huge chandelier hung above us—one of several that dotted the room. “I’ve never seen a crystal chandelier before.”

  “The central gems are actually all diamonds. They help refract the light into the gems on the walls. When all the chandeliers are lit, the whole room fills with rainbows.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not particularly practical—it gets too bright, so we only do it for coronations and weddings. But I asked one to be lit just so you could see. Come on,” he said, taking my hand and pulling me toward a door in the far wall. “The next place on the tour is something for Baxter.”

  * * *

  It turned out the castle housed about 15 or so dogs—all of them huge; Alpine Mastiffs and St. Bernards, mostly. They were in an enormous outdoor area to the side of the castle which had been purpose built to entertain them—an artfully made waterfall fed a stream at one end; green grass and beautiful manicured trees covered the other. In the middle, beyond the gate where we stood, a series of smart timber kennels sat 50 yards distant, each with a gleaming dog bowl before it.

  “We use the dogs for search and rescue during the winter months,” Xander explained. “During the summer, the Master of the Hounds exercises and trains them.”

  He pulled a leash off the wall. “Let’s put Baxter on this until we know how they are going to react to him.”

  Several of the St Bernards lay panting in the stream. I could see a huge, vicious looking German Shepherd lying under the shade of a tree. It looked like it could eat Baxter for breakfast.