Calina
♔ ⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞⌝⌟⌜⌞♔

The reunion with Queen Ekko had been sweeter than I thought it would be. She had hugged me gently, saying how happy she was for my return. She expressed her desire to speak more but mentioned the pressing matter of the King of Elysium that had to be dealt with first.

As she walked away, a kind-looking woman with big cat like blue eyes and golden blonde hair approached me, introducing herself with a warm smile as Alice, my personal lady's-maid. And what an honor it had been to finally meet me. Me?
I had to stop myself from snorting a laugh.

The bedroom door clicked shut behind me as I leaned against it. The queen had wanted me to change into semi formal attire and meet her and the king in the queen's parlor.

My head thumped back against the door. I swear, I've seen hot guys before, but that man was in a league of his own.
When I was hiding out in the tiny town of Valoria, his image had been hanging in the lobby of the hotel. King Knox De La Rosa. I had thought the portrait was striking. His eyes, surrounded with a fan of long, inky dark lashes were simply mesmerizing-the exact shade of mint green sea glass. I had thought they were alluring even from a simple portrait.

Who in the hell is that guy? That was what I had thought every time I walked past his portrait. I knew he was the king of the country I'd been so fond of but if I knew he was that handsome I would have come to Elysium the day I turned eighteen and hunted him down and declared my lust for him. I was sure he had plenty of women pining after him all the time.

Imagine my surprise when the portrait I had walked past for two days had been standing behind me.
In all of his magnificent glory. He was even more beautiful in person. Somehow the portrait didn't quite capture the essence of his eyes.

With one last exaggerated sigh, I pushed off the door and made my way to the en-suite bathroom. Tapping the touch screen display to turn on the shower, a little too aggressive. I still couldn't wrap my head around what happened. How I got caught. I had never felt completely unhinged from a single look a guy had given me.

In that orchard, when our gazes locked, it was like the world around us went still. That tiny smile he flashed me made everything else fade away, and all I could hear was my beating heart.

Although there was never any genuine emotion behind it, I enjoyed flirting with guys. A few minutes of fun before I grew bored. There was simply no way of ignoring the attraction he and I shared in the orchard. It was so thick in the air it was damn near palpable.

Knox. Even his name was sexy.

He was disarmingly attractive.

You know the type? The stereotypical sex god that all romance novels centered on.
Only difference was that guy was real and in the flesh.

Ruggedly good looking with silky dark hair, short on the sides and longer on the top, perfectly disheveled like he just raked his fingers through it. An angular nose, the fullest, most sensual lips I had ever seen and a sharp square jaw with a carefully groomed five o'clock shadow. My gaze had lingered on the odd imperfection amid all his beauty, an old thin scar bisecting his right eyebrow. Was it odd to find that so attractive?

Ugh, why couldn't I stop thinking about him? I was sighing over an attractive guy like some love-sick heroine in a sappy teen movie.
I turned the water off and wrapped a warm fluffy towel around my torso, then used a second one to squeeze the water from my hair.

There was genuine interest in his gaze and maybe confusion? It flickered in his eyes so quickly I almost missed it before he hid it behind an arrogant smile.

A deliciously sexy smile.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door. Grateful for the distraction, I enthusiastically yank the bathroom door open. Alice dipped into an elegant curtsy. "Good evening, princess, may I help you get ready for the evening?" She held up a fuzzy cream bathrobe. "Of course," I said sliding my arms into it. After I secured it to my waist, I dropped the towel, kicking it out of the way.

I sank into the cushioned seat in front of the built-in white porcelain vanity that dominated the expanse of an entire wall.

"You know you have a near-deadly caffeine habit, right? I have no clue how you don't get the jitters drinking three shots of espresso." Alice placed the espresso with a dollop of whipped cream on the bathroom counter.

I snorted a laugh. "It's a bad habit from pulling odd working hours when I was in college. It was worse a few weeks ago. Down to three shots a day is a win." Closing my eyes, I sipped the coffee and waited for the pain of my homesickness to subside.

Alice rummaged through a few of the two dozen drawers on the vanity, pulling a hairdryer out that would dry my hair in an instant. And a few other contraptions that would torture my thick wavy hair into submission.

While Alice divided my hair into sections with a comb, I peppered her with questions about herself. Despite being only twenty-three, she had been working in the palace for thirteen years alongside her mother, who had also been a maid here for four years before changing careers. The Queen, recognizing Alice's dedication, allowed her to stay on and continue working.

Like me, Alice was an only child. She had aspirations of becoming a nurse, but the palace job paid so well that she kept putting it off. There was an easy camaraderie between us as we talked and joked, which made me miss my best friend, Raine. I had tried calling her, but she never answered, so I left hologram messages instead. Perhaps the time difference was keeping us apart.

Alice arranged my hair into a fringe Dutch braid, pinning it into a loose ponytail over my right shoulder. She went into the walk-in closet attached to the bathroom, returning with a dark blue dress. It had a buttoned slim-fitting bodice, the hem of the flowy skirt stopped at my calf. I paired it with my combat boots, of course.

I followed Alice out of my room and into the grand corridors. Our footsteps echoed softly against the marble floors.

Ira stood guard at the end of the hallway. As we passed, he fell into step a few paces behind us. I glared at him over my shoulder, but he kept his sharp eyes straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact. We still had unfinished business. After Knox ordered his guards to remove the handcuffs, Ira and I only had a few minutes alone to talk. The queen had been in tears, devastated that I had vanished in the night, believing I had left without giving them a real chance.

I let Ira speak, thinking he had persuaded me to come back, but the truth was I was already contemplating my return to Greecia. I had no idea how my parents had remained on the run for twenty years. In the four days I had been away, I was consumed by paranoia. The anxiety made me nauseous, especially since I had no clear plan for returning to Freedom. Going through an airport would be out of the question.

When the double doors opened, Queen Ekko was standing behind a set of sofas and chairs, upholstered in a rich grey beige velvet, that were arranged around a low table set with delicate china and a steaming teapot. She was conversing with Emilio, who ran a hand through his short, light brown hair and laughed at something she said.

A soft sunlight poured in through tall, arched windows draped with sheer curtains, casting a warm blend of marigold and rose across the room. At the far end of the room, near an enormous fireplace where a gentle fire crackled, stood Knox.

My heart skipped several beats when he turned around; I was instantly entranced in his mesmerizing green eyes.

The expensive-looking charcoal grey fitted suit accentuated his broad shoulders nicely. There was a pin of the Elysanos royal crest on the lapel of his suit, and light reflected off his shiny black shoes. He looked important, untouchable.

The man's sex appeal was off the charts. The top two buttons on his shirt were undone, and it was all I could focus on. The contrast between his stark white shirt and his warm sun-kissed skin was so distracting.

I wanted to peel open his collar and press my lips just below the hollow of his throat while I slowly popped each button open to see what the rest of him looked like. I bet he had a six-pack. I bet he'd taste good if I ran my tongue down his chest, abs, and lower to his-

"Calina." The sound of my grandmother's voice snapped me out of my lust-haze like a bucket of cold water to the face.

I walked over to Queen Ekko and curtsied deeply, in the elegant way Alice had taught me fifteen minutes before she deposited me here.

"My dear, this is King Knox and his personal bodyguard and assistant, Sir Emilio Rost. As I'm sure you already know, considering you returned home on his private jet."

"This isn't my home." My tone was only mildly annoyed. It was more like a knee-jerk reaction to correct her on her word usage. She keeps trying to cram that word down my throat. Home. My home died with my parents.

"Calina," Queen Ekko reprimanded.

I wanted to shrug but fixed my face into a mask of indifference. I hadn't decided to stay here. Not really.

Knox took a step forward, a smirk playing on his lips. "I see you haven't lost your fiery spirit, little Rogue."
My face flickered through a series of emotions- surprise, confusion, anger- but then he released a soft chuckle, a delicious rumbling sound that caused an ache between my thighs. Just from that sound alone a raw hunger had replaced my annoyance.

Clearing my throat, I shifted restlessly on my feet, flashing him a teasing smile. Those pale green eyes lingered on my lips.

And I knew. I affected him the same way he affected me.

"Yet, you said Rogue again, even though I told you that was offensive. We prefer liberated. Libs are independent, quick-witted, opinionated, and opportunistic," I shot back, unable to resist the banter. My allegiance to Freedom seemed to make him irate enough to list all that was wrong with my country.

"It's an avaricious and deceitful culture," he said in a matter-of-fact way, like because he said it, it was the truth.
I rolled my eyes.

"Calina, do not argue with a king. We have more important matters to attend," Ekko rebuked in Greek. She pointed to the sofa then settles next to me.

The rakish Elysium king and his hunky bodyguard sat on the other one, facing us.

"The king has brought a matter to my attention, one that requires immediate action. It is a problem that hadn't even crossed my mind."
The serious tone of her voice snapped my gaze away from Knox and all of his distracting sex appeal. She eyed me tentatively, and suddenly my heart was aching for an entirely different reason. I was not going to like what she had to say.

"Your return as the missing princess, well, United Greecia may be averse to your likeness of Queen Ariadne."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"The country and other kingdoms may think you are a clone of her."

"I'm aware. Knox called me a clone several times. Please tell me I am not a clone of some ancient warrior Queen."
Dragging one of the decorative pillows between us into my lap, I buried my face into it. I wanted to scream.

"No, of course not. The small vial of your blood sample provided enough evidence to the King that you are, in fact, a human born to two nobles."

I frown at her, then at the two attractive men on the couch, and back at her. "Okay great. Now what?"

"These are very serious allegations. The rest of the world could easily jump to the same conclusion if we don't get ahead of this."

"Oh, for fu-FFS," I finished lamely. The hard look in my grandmother's eyes clearly stated, "Do not finish that sentence." Censoring myself didn't pack the same punch, but it gave me a second to cool down.

The whole world was going to assume I was a clone of a woman who existed centuries ago. I'd be little more than a joke-the clone princess. I could already see the headlines.

The man I was harboring a crush on only saw me as a science experiment. Facts. These were all facts.

With a grimace, I closed my eyes on an exhale, muttering a few curse words. "Wow, I'm an idiot," I mumbled in disbelief. I covered my face with my hands and threw my head back into the cushions. I'd give myself three more seconds to recover from this embarrassment, then Knox no longer existed to me. Being a princess in this country was no longer an option for me. I'd rather avoid the embarrassment.

I let the rage consume me and sink into my belly, hopefully incinerating the butterflies that took flight every time I looked at the man that only saw me as a science experiment.

"Are you alright?" Knox asked, his deep, gravely voice washing over me like warm salted caramel.

Dammit. Why did everything about him have to be so sexy? Have to affect me so thoroughly.

Dragging my hands down my face, I pinned him with a glare, seething at my inexplicable attraction to him. Leaning forward almost on the edge of the sofa, I tried to invade his personal space, but the small coffee table between us made it difficult. Knox, however, didn't miss a beat. He mirrored my pose, leaning forward in his seat, watching me with a raised eyebrow and an amused tilt to his lips. He was completely unaffected by my hard glare, which only infuriated me more.

"Of course, I'm not alright. I just learned that an attractive guy thought I was a clone..."

"You think I'm attractive?" Knox interrupted, his voice dripping with curiosity.

I rolled my eyes, attempting to hide the sudden fluttering in my stomach. "Oh please, I'm sure you hear that from lots of women."

He leaned in a bit more. I couldn't seem to control my own desires-I couldn't keep my gaze off his luscious full lips.
So, I angled my head to the side, moving a little closer to his mouth. I doubted I could intimidate a man like Knox, but maybe I could get him a bit flustered.

"You have no problems causing trouble, do you?" He whispered the words so close to my mouth, I could almost taste him. Or I was just imagining hints of mint and something masculine.

There was a long pause, charged with dark, simmering desire and too much tension. My heart pounded against my rib cage, drowning out all other sounds. I stared at Knox wide-eyed, waiting for him to make the next move. I wanted him to kiss me. I licked my lips slowly with uncertainty.

Queen Ekko cleared her throat, drawing our attention back to her. "Perhaps we should have the staff serve us dinner in here," she suggested, her tone leaving no room for argument.