Chapter 7 - The Prince's Pawn

On the Run

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Khalid

I shut the door behind me, a strange and unbecoming twinge of jealousy rising up as Callum readjusted Aria’s unconscious body in his arms.

I couldn’t help but admire her loveliness even now, despite the fact I’d just ordered her shot.

I hadn’t missed the flash of rage on her face right before she lost consciousness, the way her eyes had gone and even more terrifying shade of unearthly blue.

God only knew what version of her I would face when she woke up.

“We taking the main lift?” I asked.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Callum muttered, pushing past me and striding down the hall toward the service lifts.

I kept an eye out for any hotel staff or other guests in the hall, grateful that women’s floors were often silent after sunset. Once evening prayers were said, men went out on the town, but women—the respectable ones—stayed in. Good thing for us. The last thing we needed was unwanted attention.

As we stopped at the service lift, I pressed the call button and tried to steady my pulse as we waited for the doors to open. The ding of the lift arriving seemed overly loud in the quiet hallway, and I tensed, half expecting someone to come running and ask what our business was.

“Get in,” I urged Callum, shifting my weight from one foot to the other as I scanned the area for signs of activity. He stepped inside, Aria still cradled in his arms, and I followed close behind.

“Can you manage holding her like that?” I tried not to sound overly eager with my question. Objectively speaking, it would be better for me to carry her so Callum’s hands were free if something happened when we landed on the main floor. Though my desire to hold her had little to do with tactical considerations.

“She’s a wee thing. Besides, it’s best if you avoid contact with her. God knows what she’s already absorbed from you when she shook your hand.”

“There’s no guarantee her abilities are touch-based,” I said, trying to convince myself more than anything. What I had seen was so outside the realm of possibility, it was hard not to let my imagination run wild. Could she kill with a single thought? Read minds from across the room? Control other people’s actions?

Callum snorted a laugh. “You saw her face. If she had the power to kill those arseholes with just her mind, she would have. Nah, she’s got to touch you to make it work. So we’ll just have to make sure she never gets the chance, eh?”

I nodded, looking away from Aria. What was that roiling in my gut, shame? Embarrassment? Touching her was something I think I’d definitely like to do. The way her dark hair contrasted with her pale skin, the way her body swung so easily in Callum’s arms. Even unconscious, she was absolutely captivating.

I could tell the attraction was mutual… or at least it had been. At this point, I doubted she would be receptive to any advances, though that wouldn’t stop me. Somehow the risk that she could kill me made it more tempting.

Maybe it’s worth it?

The lift stopped on the main floor and Callum exited first, looking both ways, then jerking his head for me to follow him.

I glanced around nervously, my heart pounding in my chest at the sight of a man approaching.

Callum nodded at the man as he passed us and got on the service lift.

“He’ll be seeing to the luggage,” he muttered to me in assurance. “They’ll make sure that it appears as though she left on her own.”

“Good,” I replied tersely, relieved Callum had taken care of everything—as usual. The last thing we needed was the U.S. government digging into a mysterious disappearance. Any other country, we could just make it look like she’d decided to take an extended holiday. But with the shooting and the way she’d be treated here as a woman, no serious person would buy that.

Weaving through the service corridors, we were undisturbed on our way to the garage. Any staff who passed us made a point to look away. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d seen such a thing. A woman, trying to escape her father or brother or husband, seeks refuge in a hotel. And the father or husband comes to retrieve her. Even if the woman screams for help, no one will interfere.

It had been that way when my father was a boy, but never since he’d ascended to the throne. But now, all that was old was new again.

You’re hardly any better, I chastised myself.

It wasn’t because she was a woman. I would have done exactly the same thing if it was Arjun who turned out to have this talent. But it wasn’t. It was Aria. Unfortunate though it was, this was the way things had to be.

We emerged into the garage, the line of cheap European cars lined up, the night shift already at their posts.

There among them was my Mercedes. Normally, I would have a driver, but I couldn’t risk anyone knowing where we were going.

I’d gotten a message from an unknown number, most likely Sarra’s drop phone.

Don’t go home. He’s looking for you.

Obviously I knew that already, but her willingness to warn me was kind. I knew better than to confide in my sister that the moment my uncle ascended the throne, Callum and I had planned for various contingencies. I knew it wouldn’t be long before the new king would come after me, as I’d made my displeasure with him known early on.

He was my elder and the Crown Prince, so I’d been subtle in expressing my contempt, but it had been obvious to everyone with eyes to see. And on the day he was coronated, Uncle Faisal made a point to look straight at me, his eyes flashing with undisguised victory, and a promise that he would make me answer for every insult.

I watched as Callum carefully laid Aria on the plush leather seat. He was so gentle, so deliberate in his movements, ensuring that her skin never came into contact with his own. Even unconscious, Callum seemed to be scared of what she could do—and what she might know.

He was a closed book, something I had learned to accept about him.

Once Aria was settled, I slid into the back seat beside her and Callum walked up to the driver’s side.

The engine purred as we pulled away from the hotel, leaving behind any semblance of what Aria considered normal life and toward something even I didn’t know what to expect.

It was only a few minutes to the marina, but this was the heart of the city, and a lot could happen in a few short miles. Callum’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel as he drove, his attention focused on any signs we were being followed.

“Not to be critical, but for the record, I don’t think taking her is a good idea,” Callum said, flicking his eyes at me in the rearview mirror. “It would be better just to fuck off back to Scotland. Your money’s in trust; your uncle can’t touch it. He can’t get you there.”

“Horse shit,” I replied, my eyes never leaving Aria’s unconscious form on the seat beside me. “The kind of money he has means he can get me anywhere. Going abroad just makes it easier for him.”

I could see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the way her hair tumbled over her face like a curtain. I had to restrain myself from sweeping her hair back so I could look at her face once more. She wasn’t beautiful in the Instagram way—no full-lipped, wide-eyed pout that had become so common among women. Rather, she had a cutness to her—the sly prettiness that only emerged when an otherwise average girl smiled or giggled just the right way.

In Aria’s case, her beauty only unveiled itself in her fury—when she’d stopped a man’s heart.

“Besides,” I murmured, giving in to temptation and sweeping Aria’s hair back. “These are my people. I can’t abandon them.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” Callum persisted, the worry evident in his tone. “What if the girl does what you want and people still find out you were the one pulling her strings? Then you’re dead and so is she. And so am I for that matter, just in case that slipped your mind.”

My heart clenched at his words, the thought of failure making me ill. “I’ll protect her,” I vowed, gritting my teeth. “And you. This has to work.”

“You’re sounding like my commander in Iraq. And no, that’s not a compliment,” Callum sighed, turning off the main road, toward the Marina.

Good as he was, Callum didn’t understand. He was still very much his own man, not tied to any land or people. When trouble arose, he could fight or flee, as circumstances dictated.

But fleeing wasn’t something I could ever do. I only had one homeland, the country my family had ruled for ten generations. We fought too long to become what we were. I would not be the one to abdicate that legacy to a fat idealogue who had built nothing, traveled nowhere, and made it his mission to denigrate any man who outshone him.

“You can always go home,” I offered. “I won’t ask you to die for me.”

“You can fuck right off with that shite,” he snapped.

I offered him a grateful smile, and we turned our attention to the task at hand. The car came to a halt beside the boat and I stepped out of the car, leaving the door open.

As badly as I felt for Aria at the moment, I knew it would increase substantially when she woke up and found out she’d been dragged into a dangerous world she had no part in.

You’ll just have to suck it up and do what you have to.

“Want me to get her?” I asked, reaching out towards her.

“No, I’ve got her,” Callum insisted, reaching into the back seat and lifting Aria into his arms before I could object any further. He cradled her carefully, as if she were made of glass, but the curl in his lip made it clear it was for his own protection, not out of any tenderness felt toward her.

We made our way up the gangway, the yacht’s pristine white hull gleaming under the moonlight. I had bought it a few years ago from a visiting Frenchman and it had become a second home ever since. In some ways, I liked it better than my actual residence. Fewer eyes on me, and all the cameras aboard are mine.

The thought of what lay ahead weighed heavily on my mind as we stepped onto the deck, my heart aching for the simpler times before power and politics had corrupted everything around me.

I didn’t need to play the bad guy very often, neither in business nor in family disputes, and I had never had to show that side of myself to a woman. I had been fairly sure at the outset I wouldn’t have to, that Aria would understand and go along.

Now I wasn’t so sure, and I needed time to get right with what I might need to do to get her cooperation.

“Where am I taking her?” Callum inquired, his voice low and cautious.

“The main guest suite on my level,” I informed him, gesturing towards the door that led to the living quarters. “She will be comfortable there, at least.”

As we made our way inside, I couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of dread that accompanied our every step. I had no way to predict how she would react when she woke. It was like handling a viper.

She had initially seemed intelligent and thoughtful, even kind. Only to then be overcome with fury at the sight of Al-Tuwaijri coming toward her.

Would she view me as a similar threat? Obviously, yes. But for how long?

Only time would tell.

I followed Callum through the corridor, each step echoing against the polished wooden floor.

“Khalid,” Callum spoke softly, breaking the silence that enveloped us. “I need you to be sure about this. If we’re wrong about her powers, we could both end up dead.”

I could only nod at his words and hope he was overly cautious.

“Here we are,” he murmured, turning the handle with care.

I opened the door for him, making way for him to carry her over the threshold.

Callum lowered Aria onto the bed and I pulled back the comforter and sheets. She was still barefoot and I couldn’t even be sure she was wearing anything under the abaya. There were plenty of clothes for her here, but that would likely come as cold comfort when she realized all of the things she’d brought here with her were out of her reach. At least for now.

Her pale face looked utterly ethereal against the dark fabric, a peaceful mask for what I knew lay just beneath.

“Are you sure she’ll stay unconscious?”

“Positive,” Callum responded, his tone firm. “The dart should last for at least ten hours.”

“Good,” I sighed, pulling the blanket up to cover her slender frame. My fingers brushed against her arm, and I marveled at her lack of jewelry. No rings. No watches. No earrings. Not in the conference room or now. A simple woman. So rare to see.

I took one last look at Aria, her chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. With a heavy heart, I closed the door behind us, praying that I had made the right choice, and that I wouldn’t pay for it with my life… or anyone else’s.

V