Free The Ambassador's Accidental Marriage (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) by Rachel Clark

the famous Felicity, or perhaps the child’s mother. Eric nodded in answer to the guard’s question, and a moment later their newest visitor’s identity became very clear.
    “Lila, darling, there you are. Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? I told the Desconians you weren’t to go anywhere without me as your chaperone. Heads will roll over this. I promise you.” The woman said the words across the room, not bothering to check on her charge close up and obviously uninterested in any answers Lila might provide. As Felicity turned her attention on Cindy it was very clear that even though she’d said all the right words and made all the right gestures, the child was dismissed with barely a thought. “Finally, I get to meet the woman who stole my rightful place,” she said in a tight voice as she stepped closer. “Dismiss your servants so that we can have a friendly chat.”
    It wasn’t a request. Loukie looked upset, but Eric must have decided there was an advantage to playing along. “Shall I call security, your highness?” Eric asked, using the title a human would expect and a voice that was the perfect imitation of his most pompous assistant.
    “No,” Cindy said in a tone of voice she’d never used with anyone, let alone the servants who took very great pride in seeing to her needs. Nobody in the palace spoke to anyone without showing the proper amount of respect—Loukie and Eric included. “Leave me.”
    Eric inclined his head in acquiescence in very much the same manner that the servants addressed him during official royal functions. He glanced at Loukie, who thankfully stood behind Felicity, tilted his head toward the door, and then left the room. After a moment’s hesitation Loukie did the same.
    “Very good,” Felicity said with a sneer. “I see you’ve settled into your new life just fine. The life that should have been mine.”
    “I don’t understand. How was it supposed to be yours?”
    Felicity rolled her eyes like she was dealing with the densest individual she’d ever met. Ironically it wasn’t all that different to the way Lila had reacted to Eric’s question earlier.
    “To put it in very simple terms for your very simple mind, I paid many, many IGAC officials to find me a royal spouse. When the request came through from the kings on this planet it should have been mine immediately. Instead I ended up on some planet full of carnivores who take offense to a smile.”
    “Oh,” Cindy said, remembering back to the confusion of her first day on this planet. “But you’re already extremely wealthy. Why would you want to marry into royalty?” Cindy was very aware that the recording devices were running, but she also needed to know. If Felicity was the richest woman on the southern hemisphere of Earth why would she give that up to live a quiet life with Eric and Loukie? Although, considering Felicity had just mistaken the prince and princess for servants, maybe she was expecting a life filled with royal pomp and ceremony.
    “Why wouldn’t I?” she said, dismissing Cindy’s question with an irritated-sounding growl. “Listen, you smart-ass little whore, this is how it’s going to happen. You make your excuses and get the hell off this planet. Play nice and I might even have a few of the charges dropped so that you can live on Earth again.” She laughed, the delighted sound starkly inappropriate in the strained atmosphere. “Even I can’t believe how easy it was to set you up. Leave today and I’ll try to make sure you avoid a jail term.”
    “And if I don’t?” Cindy asked, hoping like hell Eric’s security team was catching every moment.
    “Did I mention that your little sister’s whore of a mother signed over custody to me for a few lousy dollars? If you don’t do as I say, I will make sure that your precious little sister knows the meaning of the word miserable.” The news of Lila’s mother selling her was disturbing, but the threat really made little sense—teenagers