Free Reluctant Prince by Dani-Lyn Alexander

a bonus, but she still had to eliminate the immediate threat.
    Would he have the courage to sacrifice himself to save the people of Cymmera? He thought he would, or he would never have trained as a warrior, wouldn’t be next in line to inherit the throne. He shifted in his seat.
    “What happened after that?” Mia leaned forward between the seats.
    He had no doubt he would sacrifice his life to protect this child. “When King Maynard returned—”
    “Maynard? Are you a descendent of the king?” Ryleigh twisted her fingers together. Nerves? Or was she having a hard time believing him?
    “Yes.” How much to tell her? “A direct descendent of the King and Queen.” Not a lie. He held Ryleigh’s gaze.
    “What happened when he came back and found out what the queen had done?” Mia’s rapt interest saved him from answering the further questions he sensed Ryleigh had.
    “We sent—”
    Ryleigh sucked in a breath.
    Oops —”a rider to inform him.”
    Mia remained still, though, and Ryleigh didn’t call him on it, so he continued.
    “He was heartbroken…more than that.”
    His father had been inconsolable.
    Queen Dara had been the light to his dark, the kindness to his ferocity. Her sensitivity had balanced his strength and power. Without her, he became a dark, brooding figure who ruled with an iron fist and a heavy heart.
    “He sent out a team of assassins to kill Daygan, but the sorcerer eluded them every time. The inability to send an army to Argonas to punish Daygan ate at King Maynard, caused him to become even more bitter, more angry. But his hands were tied. No less than an army would make it past Daygan’s savages, yet he couldn’t send all of his warriors and leave Cymmera unprotected. His bitterness festered. Until one day…” He blew out a breath. Would they hate him? Hate his father, his king? Could they understand?
    Jackson took a moment, opened his senses, searched for any sign of danger. Nothing, but without his extra senses he couldn’t be sure. They seemed safe enough for now.
    Ah, well. “Cymmera’s seer, Elijah, approached King Maynard. He relayed a vision he’d seen in which humans fought alongside Cymmeran warriors. Not just any humans, specially trained men who were experts in the art of battle. The King wasted no time assembling a team of Death Dealers to retrieve the humans from the vision. And so it began. Each time Elijah had a vision of who was needed, the Death Dealer squad was sent to acquire them. Humans can’t be transferred to Cymmera alive, so the team was aptly named. Once the humans were reborn in Cymmera, they had no hope of returning to your realm. They were all given a choice.” Some choice. “They could survive eternity as slaves, or fight for Cymmera and receive all the glory due a warrior. The Cymmerans are good people.” He silently pleaded with Ryleigh to believe that. “All of the humans eventually joined us, even the ones who initially held out.”
    That was the worst of it, well almost anyway. “Come on, let’s get Mia inside, and I’ll tell you the rest.” He needed a break, if only for a few minutes, a little time to collect his thoughts, reign in his grief, prepare himself for her rejection.
    Neither of the girls argued. They probably needed time to digest it all as well.
    His protective instincts ratcheted up as they crossed the pitch black of the front lawn and climbed the stairs to the porch.
     
     

Chapter 4
     
    “I need a shower.” Ryleigh unlocked the front door, opened it, and stepped aside to allow Mia to enter first.
    “Me too, but I’m so tired.” Mia rarely whined.
    Tonight Ryleigh understood. Hell, if she didn’t get off her feet soon, she’d start whining. She flipped the switch beside the door, bathing the small, comfortable living room in light, bringing instant warmth. “You’ll feel better once you’ve had a shower. You can go first, use extra conditioner and comb it through your hair while you’re in there.”
    Mia