Royal Line Read online

  Royal Line

  A Tattered Royals Novel

  Carrie Ann Ryan

  Nana Malone

  Contents

  ROYAL LINE

  ROYAL LINE

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  A Note from Carrie Ann & Nana

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also from Carrie Ann & Nana Malone

  ROYAL LINE

  A TATTERED ROYALS NOVEL

  By

  Carrie Ann Ryan & Nana Malone

  Royal Line

  A Tattered Royals Novel

  By: Carrie Ann Ryan & Nana Malone

  © 2021 Carrie Ann Ryan & Nana Malone

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-950443-44-4

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-950443-45-1

  * * *

  Cover Art by Sweet N Spicy Designs

  Photograph by Wander Photography

  * * *

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

  To Nana.

  Yes, I get to dedicate this to you, because I got here first.

  ~Carrie Ann

  ROYAL LINE

  A princess on the run finds her version of a prince in this epic beginning to the Tattered Royals stand-alone series.

  I never asked for my tiara.

  My dreams were always bigger than a palace. They’re as big as the world.

  Being fourth in line for the throne should have guaranteed me freedom.

  I thought I was one step from walking away forever, but a long-forgotten rule forces me to run instead.

  I refuse to marry a Duke and bear an heir to save our titles.

  I trust my brothers to find a way to save my future, but first I need to save myself.

  Only I never expected to meet danger…and Kannon Adams along the way.

  I never asked for her.

  My security business has secured all the clueless princess types I can handle.

  Princess London Waterford of Alden is a whole other level of trouble.

  Not to mention gorgeous and tempting as royal sin. Too bad she’s also in danger.

  When the bullets fly, I trust no one else to protect her, even if she pushes me away.

  Together, we must find who’s behind the threat to her life and try not to get caught in the crossfire.

  One night together might never be enough, but if those who want her dead have a say, it’ll be our last.

  Chapter 1

  London

  Heavy is the head that wears the tiara.

  * * *

  In the dark, with only the moonlight to guide me, my shoes made barely a sound on the cobblestones. The slight chill in the spring air sent a cascade of goosebumps over my skin even as I hustled out of the palace.

  My heart rate increased as I forced my breath to even out. If I got caught, it would be bad. Very bad. As in, find out if Alden had dungeons bad.

  It’s not a mistake. You know what you’re doing. You know why you’re doing it. You just need to make it to the car.

  Behind me there is the echo of footsteps, the clip-clop sound echoing against the walls of the palace and the exterior buildings. With each staccato step, they drew nearer, and my heart threatened to race right out of my chest.

  I whirled on the shadow chasing me. “I swear to God, Kate, you have to be quieter.”

  My childhood friend blinked dark eyes at me. “You can’t be serious. When you said you had something important to do and you needed my help, I didn’t think you meant tonight.”

  I’d needed help since I knew there was no way I’d be able to get all my equipment out of my room, down the passageways and tunnels, and all the way to the parking lot by myself…unseen. And now it seemed like I might not have asked the right person.

  I sighed and took my rolling suitcase from her. “Look, I get it. This makes you really uncomfortable. Have I mentioned what a great friend you are? You’re a star. And if you start having second thoughts, just remember, this job is important. There are people counting on me to get to Brazil. It’s an amazing opportunity. And on top of that, I actually get to do some good.”

  I hitched a thumb back toward the palace ballroom. “In there, yes, there’s duty and tradition, but I’m not doing any good. Not any real good anyway. I’m bound by my place in the hierarchy. In Brazil it’s hands-on. And it’s important. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. So please try and understand.”

  She sighed. Her thick auburn hair was coiled into a smooth chignon, and her dark eyes softened as she spoke. “I understand. You’ve been obsessed with being a photographer since you were little and your mom would take you out on photo excursions. I get that since she died, you’ve been obsessed with picking up her mantle. Taking on the dream that she had to give up by marrying a prince. But honestly, London. Your brother forbade this.”

  “And,” I whispered as I lugged my bag past the stables, down toward the north parking lot right by the visitor’s gates, “when he forbade it, he didn’t give me a good reason. It’s not like I’m needed here. Between Roman, Breck, and Wilder, they have duty and honor handled. My only role here is to sit around and look pretty if Aunt Rebecca is to be believed. And I can do so much more than that. Have so much more impact than that.”

  Kate’s dark eyes met mine. They were filled with worry and exasperation. We’d grown up together. Our mothers had been close. We’d gone to all the same boarding schools. Had all the same friends.

  I’d leaned on her a lot after Mom died. And in turn had held her hand when her father passed away two years ago. I’d also threatened to maim and dismember Jamison Croft, the financier who had broken her heart. Or rather their engagement. But I knew her heart had always belonged to my brother, Wilder.

  It didn’t matter how much Wilder doted on her like a little sister. Rubbed her head like she was one of the lads. She still looked at him like the sun shined out of his rear end.

  I knew she couldn’t understand what I was doing or why I was doing it. Kate loved the pomp and circumstance of the court. And for the most part, I loved the tradition too. But some of the rules just didn’t make sense.

  For so long, I’d wanted to please my brothers. I wanted to do all the right things. But there were moments when I felt like I was choking on all the right things. There were moments when I knew doing the right thing would require breaking a rule or two.

  And tonight was one of those moments. I’d been given a photography assignment as a junior stringer for the BBC’s environmental division. I’d applied under one of my aliases. To them, I was London Smith. Plain Jane photographer from Sydney. For the most part we corresponded online, and nobody was the wiser. And I loved it.

  By and large, if I was traveling out of Alden, I’d notify t
he team, tell them where I was going, and I would be given small assignments. It was always a bit tricky trying to do those assignments with constant bodyguards in tow. But I’d managed it pretty well for the last nine months.

  But this was my first major assignment. I was being sent to Brazil to photograph Immanuel Sosa, the newest mayor of Sao Paolo, about his Green Earth initiatives. It was my chance to really prove myself. But somehow, Roman had gotten wind of it before I’d even been able to present my case.

  I still didn’t know how he’d managed that.

  A week ago, he’d come to me and told me not to even think about it. We had words, and then, like some kind of authoritarian dictator, he’d told me to know my place. My place. My brother, who I loved with all my heart, had looked me in the eye and told me it was for my own good to stay put. For my own good to do as I was told. For my own good to give up this dream. And I knew that I couldn’t.

  It didn’t matter that I knew he was doing it only to keep me safe after we’d lost so much, but it didn’t make it right.

  Mom had walked away from her dreams for love. Dad had given up his dreams for duty.

  I was their fourth child. I had three older brothers. They had the duty thing down pat. And I knew my parents would be proud of me. Mom in particular. She’d always encouraged me to make my own way. Encouraged me to follow my own dreams.

  But then they died.

  And everyone had rallied around us like we had to be protected and, in my case, cosseted.

  The most difficult part was that I knew Roman would be proud when he eventually saw the photos. He’d once told me my photos always reminded him of Mom. If I could just get to Brazil.

  Kate must have realized I was making some good points. She tried another tactic. “Do you really intend on missing your own birthday party? Your aunt worked so hard on all the details to make them perfect.”

  We finally reached the parking lot, and I sighed with relief. My roller bag was heavy, but God, my camera kit with every single lens I owned dug into my shoulder. “Kate, let’s be clear, she planned this whole party to impress King Gustav from Sweden. Remember three months ago when I said that I didn’t want to have a party and I would much rather have vacationed with my brothers and you? And she made that face that said, but King Gustav will be here this week. That it was important that we did something to commemorate his visit. It happens to look important if he’s invited to one of our birthdays.”

  Kate winced. “Fair enough. Yes. This party is probably mostly for King Gustav. But you’re expected there.”

  “I’m expected, but no one is going to notice if I’m not there. It’s really all about King Gustav anyway. Birthday be damned. I love you for making sure I got to the car. But honestly, you don’t have to drive me to the airport. I’ll just park in long-term parking.”

  She bit her bottom lip and started to pick at her cuticle, a long-ago nervous habit I knew she hadn’t managed to break since we were kids.

  I saw it as I heaved my massive camera bag over my shoulder. “Thank you for worrying. But you know as well as I do that no one up there is going to even notice I’m gone.”

  “Your brothers will notice.”

  I reached the car with a sigh of relief. I specifically asked for the Peugeot or something reasonably priced. Nothing flashy. Nothing noticeable. I knew if I took the armor-plated Range Rover that Roman made me drive under normal circumstances, I would most certainly be noticed.

  I hit the key fob to open up the boot and then loaded my camera bag and my rolling bag into the back. Then I turned to hug Kate. “I’ll be home soon. My phone is on, so Roman can call and yell at me whenever he wants.”

  She sighed. “London, I—”

  The passenger side door to the car swung open, and I jumped back. “Oh my God.”

  My brother Wilder unfolded his long legs to stand at full height. In the moonlight, his midnight-black hair looked almost blue. “Going somewhere, little sis?”

  I turned to glare at Kate with wide eyes. “You didn’t.” I knew that she had. She was unable to deny Wilder anything.

  “London, I’m sorry, but you were going to get in trouble. And Wilder said this was in your best interest.”

  “I can’t believe you did this.”

  “I’m sorry. But I was worried. If you’re going to go, you need a full-scale security team. What you’re doing is dangerous.”

  Dangerous, my ass. I couldn’t help but wonder what my brother had offered her in exchange. He could be quite persuasive and manipulative—despite the fact that he was the quietest one of the four of us. When I turned my attention back to Wilder, he had his arm propped on the roof of the car. “A Peugeot? Really, London? You should have at least taken the Mercedes.”

  I lifted my chin to glower at my brother. His snobbery knew no bounds. “What are the chances I can bribe you not to tell Roman?”

  He merely chuckled. “I’m not going to tell him.” Hope bloomed in my chest, spreading slowly out to my extremities. Was I going to get away with this? Would it be possible to still make my escape? But then he dashed all hope. “You’re going to do the honors. As soon as you get ready for the party. Your guests are waiting.”

  “Wilder!”

  But there was no swaying him once his mind was made up. “You know how Roman is, between the paparazzi weirdos and the general lack of security. You knew this was going to happen.”

  Last ditch, London. Make it good. “Well, it could still happen if you let me go.”

  He lifted his brow, his blue eyes telling me what I knew in my soul. I wouldn’t be making my escape tonight. I was going to go back upstairs and put on the pretty blue frock that would bring out my eyes.

  I would do as I was told. There would be no dreaming today.

  There’d be no dreaming tomorrow.

  And possibly no dreaming ever.

  If I were to throw my tiara across the room, would it cut anyone?

  If no one cared enough to listen, would it make a sound as it slid across the floor, metal and jewels against marble tile?

  And if I were to complain to anyone about the fact that I had to wear a damn tiara to this function, I might as well write first world problem in permanent marker on my forehead and figure out how to kick my own ass.

  “Princess London, why is such a beautiful girl as you, standing alone in the corner?”

  I held back a biting remark that, at the age of twenty-nine—as of today—I was a woman, not a girl, but I refrained. Snapping at random people who were just trying to be pleasant to me on my birthday just wasn’t done.

  “Hello, there. I was merely taking a moment to myself.” I plastered a pleasant smile on my face and turned to the handsome gentleman at my side. He had dark hair, a chiseled jaw, and a smile that would drop the panties of half the women in the ballroom.

  I wasn’t one of those women tonight, and probably never would be.

  “Ah, sorry to bother you then.” He bowed low. “Happy birthday, Princess. I do believe we’ll talk again soon.” On that cryptic comment, he walked away, leaving me wondering if I was missing something.

  “What’s with the snarl?”

  I blinked and looked over at my brother Breck, who just smiled at me. The familiar twinkle in his eyes reminded me that I was home, even if I would rather be out with the rest of the world, not pretending like I actually had a right to be here among people who did so much more with their lives than I did.

  “I am not snarling. Princesses do not snarl.”

  “No, they smile daintily and nod their little heads while they curtsy, and they also use big scissors to cut through ribbons when they open up buildings.”

  “And what do princes do?” I asked, doing my best to hold back a smile. It was not good to encourage him, but I couldn’t help it. I loved my brother, even if he was a bit much to handle.

  “Princes smirk, they bow, they kiss princesses’ hands,” he said, lifting my hand to give my knuckles a brush of his lips. “And they wink,”
he added.

  “They wink,” I said. “And that is the best you can come up with?”

  “I’ve had short notice. I promise I will come up with something better in the future. Just give me time.”

  “And yet, it always feels like I’m running out of time.” I hadn’t meant to say the words aloud, but there was no taking them back.

  “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

  I shook my head. How could I make him understand? “Nothing, I guess. Just having a rough day.”

  “It’s your birthday party. You are the center of attention, the literal belle of the ball. You’re home in Alden, in the palace our forebears shed their blood, sweat, and tears for to create their own kingdom.”

  “I’m pretty sure there are a few oxymorons in that statement.”

  “Why do I feel like there was an implicit ‘moron’ in that remark?” he asked with a smirk.

  Brothers and princes, you didn’t know what to do with them until it was too late.

  I could do this. Put on the happy face for him. “I will smile, and I will laugh, and I will eat cake, and I will enjoy myself. I just needed a minute to act like a spoiled princess and sulk in a corner.”

  “You don’t need to hide yourself from me.”

  I didn’t think that was actually the case. I hid myself from everyone. That was how I got things done. And I knew for a fact that Breck, and my other brothers, Wilder and Roman, hid as well.