Free Any Price by Gail Faulkner

like, I’ll know immediately.” He knew the man was not a threat, but the primal part of Lore rebelled at leaving his woman in the care of anyone else.
    Thomas smiled. “Her honor is forever above my own in all things.”
    Forcibly removing his hands from Kenna’s body, Lore nodded once and turned swiftly to do his duty and be king. It was what he’d been fighting for all day, keeping her with him and fulfilling his responsibilities at the same time. Reminding himself that everything they were experiencing was larger than life, Lore gritted his teeth for less than a second as he stepped through the door.
    Lore was seldom conflicted on any issue. His personality didn’t waste time with argument after he’d gathered all the available information. If he’d been wrong, he dealt with the consequences and moved on. Right now there was one issue he was particularly clear about and that was the lack of any inclination to tolerate nosy inquiry about Kenna.
    Another change he’d not been aware of ’til closing the door behind him was that he knew her scent. For a moment it was startling. This was not how humans operated.
    Her scent was not the heavy aroma of arousal that any male should be aware of. This was a light perfume that was Kenna. He could draw a deep breath and assure himself that she was safe in the next room. The implications of that physical change were correspondingly disturbing.

Chapter Four
     
    At her questioning look, Thomas smiled and pointed through the bedroom. Kenna headed straight for the door he indicated. Up to this point, her royal surroundings had made no impression, but in the bathroom, she came face-to-face with the opulence of the king’s private apartments. It wasn’t that the place dripped with gems and precious metals. It was the classic simplicity of his space.
    His apartment felt right to Kenna. It didn’t intimidate or overwhelm. Everything settled around her calmly in simple comfort. The bathroom was masculine shades of cobalt blue, white with warm brown accents, large but not pretentious. When she wandered back into his bedroom, she took in the lush tones with appreciation this time.
    The space Lore inhabited was decorated in rich creams, chocolate browns, muted gold and burgundy. His huge bed was obviously an antique with four heavily carved posts reaching to the high ceiling. Through an arched opening was the private sitting area, Thomas stood in front of the door to the living room and smiled at her more relaxed return.
    The rest of the furnishings had been picked for comfort as well as timeless style. In the sitting space was a full-length sofa and matching easy chair. The end table was carelessly stacked with things he’d been reading. TV and stereo were both high quality but utilitarian, not the latest item as one might expect to see in a king’s apartment.
    Kenna roamed around, trailing her hand over his possessions as if she could absorb knowledge of him through them. Almost nothing personal was in view. A very private man, he could not have others see what he valued. Interesting concept.
    On his dresser was one photo of a lovely older couple. His parents, she assumed. Beside that was a smaller frame containing a Trident pin mounted on dark blue velvet. Nothing else adorned the long, gleaming surface.
    She’d been wrong. There were the two things he valued most. The only reminders of the life he’d led before these two small countries had managed to extract themselves from the crumbling Soviet Union.
    She knew what she’d read in news accounts of his being a third-generation American whose pregnant great-grandmother, the then queen, had escaped to the U.S. just prior to World War I. That generation’s king had died in suspicious circumstances and his widow had gone into hiding to protect her unborn child. After the war, there had been nothing for her to return to.
    Raised in rural Pennsylvania, Lore never expected to regain the crown. He’d entered the U.S. Navy after