Free The King Takes A Bride (Royals Book 4) by Danielle Bourdon

come back to haunt her later. Once or twice, the rebel that lived inside her had wanted to chide Natalia for being a child and at the same time, dress Bashir down for forcing the exchange.
    None of those things would go over well. At all. Not only would she give people something to whisper about, she thought Sander might look at her with disapproval, a thing she wasn't sure she could tolerate. He trusted and believed in her. Believed she could handle any event that came up.
    Lost in thought, Chey became aware that Bashir had said something to offend Natalia. Glancing up, she tried to discern what it was that got under Natalia's skin.
    “I'll choose my own food, thank you,” Natalia said.
    “I thought to--”
    “Well maybe you shouldn't think,” Natalia replied, cutting Bashir off.
    Several of Bashir's attendants frowned.
    Bashir, watching Natalia beside him, wore an expression of disbelief and offense.
    “Why don't we have the platters brought out and we can choose what we want from there,” Sander said, tone neutral. Calm.
    “I don't want to pick at food from a platter. You know I like it served on my own plate,” Natalia said.
    “Natalia.” Sander's reply carried a clear warning.
    Chey, without being obvious about it, glanced at Bashir to see if she could tell what he really thought of Natalia's truculent nature. She was beautiful, yes, but far from easy to live with. Perhaps Bashir had hit his limit of tolerance and would write the whole thing off. Chey couldn't tell what he was thinking beyond the scowl and affront he displayed. Whether he'd decided to ditch the idea of marriage to Natalia wasn't apparent.
    Natalia exhaled and pushed to stand. “I'm tired of pretending. Your Excellency, I'm aware of why I'm here, and why you're here. It's just not going to work. My apologies, but I don't want to marry you.”
    “Unfortunately, your father promised your hand. Signed a binding contract. And I've decided you would make a perfect third wife,” Bashir said, rising to his feet to meet Natalia's gaze head on. He lifted his chin, imperious, as if his word was law. The charm and tolerance he'd displayed so far melted like ice under a hot summer sun.
    “Contracts, like rules, were made to be broken,” Natalia said, staring Bashir down.
    Chey hadn't ever known Natalia to back down from a confrontation. Why should this be any different. She glanced at Sander, gauging his reaction. The King of Latvala regarded the interaction with a sharp gaze, remaining seated for now. Mattias as well observed without interrupting.
    “Not this one,” Bashir said, using a softer tone. As if marriage to him was inescapable.
    Giving Bashir a belligerent look, Natalia stepped around him and marched out of the dining hall. Chey decided it could have gone worse, considering Natalia's state of inebriation.
    Bashir followed Natalia with narrowed eyes, cheek twitching. Several of the Crown Prince's advisers murmured low in their own language. Bashir answered and looked at Sander next, one brow arched expectantly.
    “She doesn't want to marry you.” Sander stated the obvious in a bland voice. Reclining in his high backed chair, he had the air of a lounging lion.
    “That is not the correct answer,” Bashir said. “The correct answer is: I'll get her to come around, your Excellency. I've decided she will become my third wife, and that you will honor your father's contract.”
    Sander allowed an entire thirty seconds to creep by. Silence descended on the dining hall. Waiters stood by at the entrances, hands full with trays of drinks and appetizers. None dared to intrude on the standoff.
    Finally, Sander said, “You might think you can order her around. Control her. But don't think for a second you can control me. Have your lawyers contact mine and we'll see who comes out on top, hm?”
    Bashir gave Sander a mocking tilt of his head and exited the room with brisk steps. His attendants and advisers followed like ducks in a row, refusing to