Royal Line by Carrie Ryan (lightweight ebook reader .txt) 📗

I didn’t even want to be a royal. So why the hell did I have to suck it up and fulfill the duty? Just so my brothers didn’t have to? “Aunt Rebecca, thank you. What would I do without you?”

She smoothed her hand over my cheek, her thumb caressing my cheekbone. “You’ll never have to find out. I’ll take care of this, okay?”

When she left, I turned around and leaned against the door. “I cannot do this. I’m not getting married. Not to some random duke. I want love. I deserve that.”

Roman sighed. “Relax, I’m not going to let it happen.”

“Okay, then who’s it going to be who’s popping out an heir? It’s not you, Roman, for obvious reasons.”

Breck pepped up. “Listen, I don’t even have anyone on the horizon to marry. Can you imagine me married?”

I rolled my eyes in disgust. There were stories about how Breck lived up to his reputation constantly. So many rumors in fact that I shuddered just thinking of one.

“Roman, I can’t.”

“And you don’t have to. I’m not going to let it happen.”

Breck stepped forward. “All right, so she obviously can’t get married to some random duke. What are we going to do?”

Roman scrubbed his hand over his face. “Well, for starters, she’s going to get the hell out of Dodge.”

My mouth fell open. “Roman, Mr. Follow the Rules, what are you going to do, squirrel me out of here? Didn’t you just forbid me from living my life not thirty minutes ago?”

“If I didn’t, you would just go on your own, right?”

“Do you have a point?”

Breck clapped his hands together. “All right, someone hand me my laptop. I can mess with the cameras to make it look like she’s in her room, at least through the morning. I’ll buy her some time. You’ll need cash and documents.”

“We’ll find you a safe house. There are many on the council who are loyal to us. They were loyal to Mom and Dad. They’ll help. They’ll stall the vote until we can find a loophole.”

I blinked at my brothers. “You’re serious? You’re going to help me?”

Roman’s brow furrowed. “Did you think that we wouldn’t?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know. You like being a king.”

“Like is the wrong word for it. But no way in hell will I allow Barkley to take this throne. Or anyone else for that matter. I care about the people more than I care about being king. But right now, my personal interests are in line with the common good, so come on. I’ll figure out a way to get you the hell out of here.”

Roman went to the safe behind the massive painting of our parents. “Before they died, Mom and Dad were clear that we all should always have multiple passports. Yours are in here.”

“How is this my life right now?”

“Better you do it with help than on your own.”

Wilder nodded. “I have a list of safe houses we can send her to. America. Hell, let’s go farther. Australia. Ooh, we have Tonga.”

Roman shook his head. “No, she can’t be anywhere that the lords would know because they would summon her right back.”

“Oh wait,” I offered. “Remember my friend, Rian? She lives in Paris. I can stay with her. We’ve been friends since boarding school. No one knows her.”

Wilder stroked his jaw, rubbing at his stubble. “That might work, actually. Does she have security?”

“I— I don’t know.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. Breck, see if you can find her security company and tap into their systems. See if she’s got any security.”

“Well, she’s an actress, so she probably does, in order to protect herself,” I said.

Roman stiffened at that. “Wait, that Rian?”

“Yes. You met her once when you came to pick me up at school.”

He swallowed hard then. What was wrong with him? 

Breck nodded. “She has a decent security system in her country flat. It’s basic but a little more upgraded. Panic room and everything. It’s a good place to hide out until we figure this out.”

Roman handed me the passports. “You’ve got a couple of options there. One is American, which is great because it’s from when you went to boarding school, and you can pull off the accent.” He handed the little portfolios to me, and I stared down at them. Next, he handed me cash.

Wilder rolled his eyes and stepped into the safe and pulled out a bag. It was a cross-body situation that looked sturdy but slightly fashionable. “Here, use this.”

I shoved the passports into it. The money was harder.

Wilder said, “This backpack should do. We’ll pack you a few sets of clothes, but you’re going to have to borrow. You want to travel as light as possible right now.”

Breck tapped away on his laptop. “I’ve already got her on a charter flight to Paris using the name on the passport.”

I glanced around at my brothers. “Oh my God, you guys are insane, but I love you.”

Roman pulled me in for a tight hug, and I almost didn’t know what to do. He never touched people, but slowly my arms wrapped around him. He felt solid and warm, like home. He smelled so familiar, just like Dad always had. I could have nestled there all day. But too soon, he was shrugging back, pushing me away, and erecting the walls again. “We have to get you out of here.”

Wilder nodded. “I’ve got a way out. There’s a tunnel right outside the offices. It’ll lead her down to the back exit. I’ll drive her to the airport myself.”

So this was happening? “I didn’t even get my cake.”

Roman chuckled. “Eat cake in Paris. Right now, your safety and your freedom are more important than anything.”

“You obviously don’t know how important a cake is to me.”

Breck gave me a tight squeeze and picked me up off the floor. “Look, we’ll figure this out. This is just a mini vacation in Paris. How bad could it be?”

His smile was light, but I could see it in his eyes; he