“She wishes,” he snorted. Then he waved a hand at his modest outfit. The simple pants and collared jacket were hardly royal attire. Still, he silently expressed a small amount of gratitude that even though he was dressed like a palace chore boy, he wasn’t covered in rubbish stains, which most days he usually was.
He pictured the prince’s fancy uniform with the brass buttons, wishing he’d taken the jacket as well as the dagger.
The dagger! An idea started to form.
“You’re right,” he said, dipping his chin, feigning guilt. “I arrived on one of the ships last night, but as a worker, not a guest. After all, what kind of prince worth vying for our future queen wouldn’t travel without his own trusted…” Then he paused—she said she was escaping!
“How far exactly are you planning to go in this ship?” He smiled, hoping it looked charming. “It would be a shame not to let it stretch its legs. Let’s see how fast you can get this machine going! How about another planet? I’m quite handy to have around, plus I can pay you.” Would she take the dagger as payment?
The pilot remained silent.
He tried another tactic. “And don’t take this the wrong way, but someone traveling the galaxy alone is at risk and, if I may add, hints at unpopularity. You need protection.”
“Protection?”
“Absolutely.” He smiled again, putting a hand to his chest. “I come highly recommended. My family has been protecting royalty for generations.” He even had a fancy dagger to prove it!
There was a gasp from behind the visor. Then she mumbled a few words under her breath that Aidan was quite certain were curses. “You’re a bodyguard?”
He held up his hand as if taking an oath, pleased she’d helped him out with this brilliant lie. “One of the best in all the Four Quadrants.”
“Then why are you on this ship? I’m assuming the job description of a bodyguard is to guard another body.”
The smile froze on Aidan’s face. He gave himself a mental slap. “Er, the truth is … my prince is absolutely awful. I loathe him so much I fear that I might kill him myself. In fact, he should have a bodyguard to guard him from me.”
“Which prince?” The tone of her voice hinted she already knew the answer.
“I can’t say,” he whispered. “It’s classified. Plus, I’m hoping to escape with you, so what’s the difference anyway?”
“That’s not going to happen,” she replied smartly.
“I completely understand your hesitation,” he lied. “And I promise we can talk all about it once we get to whichever planet we’re escaping to.” He put his attention back on the control panel. “Now, which button gets us back in the air?”
“You’re not coming with me,” she said. “I appreciate your situation, but I have bigger problems to deal with.”
“You mean the handsome and rich fellow you’re being forced to marry?”
A small nervous laugh escaped from her. “My mother would like you,” she said. “She thinks I lack passion.”
“I doubt anyone who’s ever met you would underestimate your passion. Certainly not anyone who has ever flown with you.” Then he frowned at her. “Sorry, who is your mother again?” he asked, as if he knew any women at all.
She gestured at the open door again. “You need to leave.”
“You’re letting me off here? This close to Pirate’s Canyon?!”
“So?”
“So that means there are pirates close by.” He stared back at her incredulously. “Obviously you’ve never encountered them. Then again, most people don’t get a chance to talk about them since most of them don’t survive the first encounter. Are you getting the picture? You’re sending me to my death.”
A bird began singing outside. “Pirates were outlawed ten years ago,” she answered smartly.
“Yes, but nobody told them.”
She checked the radar again. “I can’t take you with me,” she said, the plea in her voice obvious. “Trust me, the guards will pick up my signal soon.”
Aidan weighed the danger of risking another flight with this daredevil or the wrath of what might be waiting for him back home. “Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?” he asked.
“If they catch me the penalty will be severe; however, if they catch us together—I can promise whatever punishment the queen has in store for me will be one hundred times more miserable for you.”
Aidan mulled this over. Perhaps, he’d stretched all his luck for one day. At least he was out of the palace alive. He should be grateful for that. In addition, he still had the dagger to sell. Besides, this woman, whoever she was, seemed unstable and erratic, not exactly the finest qualities in the person flying the ship you’re riding in.
“You’ve got a point,” Aidan agreed, unbuckling his harness. He made his way to the back, but then paused at the doorway.
She was still strapped into the pilot’s chair, but was turned around, facing him.
Without warning a sudden heaviness settled in his bones. “Will you grant me one last grace, then?”
She nodded.
He pictured himself sneaking around the palace, staying in the hiding places as he spied on grand rooms full of courtiers, eyeing jewelry and dropped coins. But if he knew this woman’s name, he’d make sure not to steal from her. “Maybe tell me your name,” he asked. “Or at least let me see your face?”
After a moment’s hesitation, she flipped up her visor.
The dizzying trip in the ship earlier was nothing compared to the falling sensation Aidan felt as he looked into her eyes. He’d never seen her this close up before … and in person.
In the small cottage, directly above his cot, was an old infoscreen, battered around the edges with spiderweb-like cracks distorting the images of the daily updates from the palace. But even then, there was no mistaking the rich brown eyes and aquiline nose.
I’ve been riding with Princess Delia this whole time.
He bowed his head, partly in respect, but more so in embarrassment. “Beg pardon, Your Highness.” In a daze, Aidan jumped out onto the soft forest floor. He backed up a few steps, staring at the ship. He had to admit, to land in such a small clearing took a considerable amount of skill. It was a shame they’d never fly together again.
A twig snapped behind him. Suddenly a massive bulk dropped onto his shoulders.
CHAPTER FOUR
Delia rolled her eyes. “Pirates,” she whispered. Ridiculous.
Classified!
She should have demanded his name, or at least the name of the prince he was guarding.
Her hand was on the steering controls; one finger tapped a random beat. She thought about his expression when she revealed who she was. Unlike most of the young men in court, who were all nervous smiles and anxious grins, the bodyguard’s reaction to her true identity was so quick, she was sure it was genuine surprise. But there was something else she wasn’t used to seeing on all those other faces.
Regret? No, she decided. More like remorse at getting caught.
An alarm grabbed her attention. The radar showed a Queen’s Guard ship with two smaller deluxe gliders approaching at full speed. Delia did a quick calculation. She had less than three minutes before her ship would be spotted.