Chapter 5

            Chloe woke up the next morning to a text message. Her phone gave that cute little chime she'd picked out and rumbled somewhat violently on the nightstand.

            Behind her, Ethan groaned, pressing his face closer to the back of her neck so his hot breath warmed her spine. "Why?" He mumbled through sleep. "It's my day off."

            "Sorry." Chloe reached over blindly for her phone and squinted at the sudden brightness.

            "My eyes!" Ethan joked, covering his face with his hands and rolling over.

            Chloe mumbled something about wussy princes and opened her inbox. The number made her freeze.

            Can't w8 2 c u & ur dress 2morrow.

            She pulled up the number on her phone but it was blocked. The blood in her veins turned cold.

            Jason couldn't be behind it. One, did he even know how to block a number? Two, even if it was a joke, why hide himself?

            "You okay?" Ethan must've noticed her go tense.

            Chloe clicked her phone off. "Fine." She curled back closer to him. "Go back to sleep."

            A little bit later, he did just that.

            If anyone would have told Chloe six months ago that she'd be lying in bed and sharing a room with the prince of Sarias, she would've laughed in their face. To this day, she still had a hard time coming to terms with the idea of being Ethan's mate. Yet she couldn't deny that something really special happened when he sang to her.

            The text message woke her up. There would be no way she'd be able to go back to sleep now. So instead she rolled over onto her stomach. Next to her, Ethan laid on his back, already breathing deep again with sleep.

            Her hand came up of its own accord to brush softly at Ethan's hair. Her eyes outlined the shadows along his nose and hard jaw. The dark of early morning made it difficult to see much of the stubble along his cheeks and chin. In sleep, he looked peaceful and handsome and she must've done something really spectacular in another life to get so lucky.

            The tips of her fingers traced upward towards his temple where his Acemark rested. She loved the way the over-lapping lightning bolts worked in perfect harmony. She'd heard of some people having their Acemarks appear more like scribbles than anything else, which sounded kind of horrible. If that didn't make her too shallow.

            Ethan had spent quite a bit of time rehashing their younger years. The way he'd talked about them as kids made her crave the memories she was missing. Instead she had to make do with imagining little Ethan running around. He had probably been a good-looking child, if his adolescence was any indication.

            Of all the memories of her childhood, there was only one she remembered—the lullaby Ethan used to sing to her, over and over and over. So much so that it became their song. Of all the things her ex-father Frank did to her, she was glad he couldn't poison this.

            Humming the melody softly under her breath, she smoothed her fingertips over his Acemark and smiled when it began to shimmer. The words whispered through her mind. Down by the bay, where the watermelon grow, back to my home, I dare not go...

            Ethan moved his head, leaning unconsciously closer into her hand, which made her smile grow. She moved leisurely through the song until the last verse ended on a breathless note.

            Her mate's breathing changed after she finished. His eyes slowly opened.

            "Hey." Embarrassed to be caught, she cupped his warm cheek in her hand. The stubble scratched against her palm.

            "Hey yourself." Ethan's hand came up from under the blanket to cover hers. "I should take days off more often." Usually by now he'd be up and out the door already.

            She grinned down at him. "I like waking up with you here."

            "Me too."

            Then, with one sudden movement, Ethan gripped her wrist and flipped her under him. She gave a yelp at the unexpected turn of events and held her breath when she realized the position he'd put them in. His hips lined with hers and even with both their pajamas separating them, his body temperature was like a furnace.

            Chloe squinted up at him. "Are you running a fever?"

            His forehead felt soft against her hand. "Mm...nope." Ethan bent and placed a kiss at her neck under her ear.

            She couldn't help but giggle and squirm. "Stop! I'm ticklish."

            However, instead of stopping he released her wrist and dug his fingers against her hip. "Are you now?"

            "I swear to—" Chloe bit off with a sudden shriek.

            Eventually he did stop, but only after she could barely breathe and had begged for mercy. The prince rolled off her.

            "I hate you." She joked.

            "Sure you do."

            They laid in silence for a while backing in each other's company. It wasn't until the sun had long since crept through the blinds that they actually got up and got dressed.

            "We are recording that song today, right?" Chloe asked from the closet. She couldn't find her favorite pair of jeans. Where were they?

            "Where did you want to do it?"

            Ah, there they are. She pulled her dark navy skinny jeans on and threw on a t-shirt. "I was thinking we could do it in the Great Room."

            Ethan was in the midst of pulling on a shirt himself when she walked out of the closet. She soaked up the brief image of his toned body before it was gone.

            When Ethan turned around, he caught her looking. The grey in his eyes darkened like clouds before a storm. Both warned of danger, but Ethan's a whole different kind. "If you keep looking at me like that, we're never going to record that song."

            Chloe coughed as her cheeks burned red-hot. "Anyway...All we need is my computer and my microphone, so really wherever is fine."

            Ethan shrugged. "The Great Room has awesome acoustics. Except the tours pass through there..."

            That could be a problem. "Maybe we can just have some guards outside warn them?"

            "We'll figure it out." Ethan stepped forward and grabbed her hand. Tingles shot up her arm like she'd stuck her whole limb into a bucket of needles. "I'll get some people to bring a few mics from the studio."

            "Oh, how official." Ethan shook his head at her. "I still don't understand why we cannot use the studio."

            Chloe's gaze found the floor. She bit her lip. How could she ever explain to him that the extravagance of the studio made her feel spoiled? Because she was. At the same time, the idea behind recording in a random room with a regular set of microphones and no auto tune made it feel so much more real. And that's all she'd been after lately.

            They walked down the corridor in the direction of the kitchen and formal dining room for breakfast...er, lunch. "You sure you don't want to use the studio?" Ethan asked one more time.

            She shook her head. "Naw, it's more...starving artist this way."

            With a laugh, Ethan said, "You're awesome."

            Ziggy aimed his camera at the back of Ian's head. He could feel it, even as his friend narrated their lives.

            "We are deep into the pit of the government today on a visit to the civilized and political world of the palace to discover palace life." Ziggy revealed as the rest of the group slowly followed. "In all our time as friends, Mr. Ian Leonger has neglected telling us about his secret double life. But today, as a show of good faith, he's allowed us a sneak peek into first class livin'."

            Ian had to roll his eyes. They'd just made their way out of security. After being patted down in a usual routine check and having their bags searched, the group—Ian, Cam, Ziggy, Sarah, and Havana—made their way through the foyer.

            Customarily when guests got tours through the palace they had to each go through security. This consisted of a quick pat-down, a run through the metal detectors, and a search through any bags or purses. Even for Ian. It was like, "Welcome home! Now let us frisk you for weapons."

            It took a lot of work to get Jackson to let Ian bring his friends here. As such, they'd agreed that his friends weren't allowed anywhere further than where the tours went and Ian himself could go. Which was fine.

            He didn't know how Ziggy was able to get his camera in though. That was a mystery.

            "Ian, this place is huge!" Havana whispered with awe. "How do you come home to it every day? Better yet, why do you even go to the academy?"

            Ian shrugged. "It's always been home."

            From a different view, the first couple of steps into the palace could be overwhelming. After the marble tiled entrance room the hallways went in many directions. A couple set off towards the parlor and the King's offices and another lead off to a spiral staircase up towards the west wing. That was where most of his siblings—and his father—had their rooms. Except for Chloe, of course, who practically had her own wing with the prince.

            The excitement of the group was palpable. "Oh my gosh, what if we get to see the prince?" Sarah squealed. "Could you set us up, Ian?"

            Sometimes, like moments like this, he forgot that the kingdom did not know that his sister and the prince were mates. A lot of people had their own suspicion, but that particular rumor had never been confirmed nor denied. For the sake of Chloe, of course. Jackson had explained it to him briefly once, stating that there were factions of people out there who would find it "helpful" to their cause to harm Chloe if they knew. No one wanted that to happen.

            However that meant that a couple of people (girls, mostly) would try to use him to get close to the prince. There had always been that price though. Everyone knew the Leonger family lived with the Royal family due to their father's—and now Jackson's—position.

            "I don't know." He said tonelessly. He liked Sarah. She was a great friend. But sometimes she could be a little too much. "Today might not be his day off."

            Ian led them slowly—watching them gawk—toward the kitchen. They'd come straight over from school. He didn't have much for lunch and hunger pained him.

            Inside the large kitchen the staff floated to and fro as they cooked and prepared the dinner meal, The flush of activity and sizzle of food on the stoves was as familiar to Ian as the sound of his own voice.

            "Master Ian." Natalia, one of Sarias' greatest cooks greeted him warmly. "Is there anything I can get for you and your friends?"

            "Is there any taco dip left from yesterday?"

            "Of course." Natalia said. " I can bring it to you in a moment."

            "Thank you." Ian's friends echoed his gratitude.

            They took a moment to enjoy some snacks before Ian continued their tour of the grounds. He led them through the usual tour spots, starting with the garden and working through the guest wing. They weren't allowed in the office wing, except for the first room where Jackson's office was. Jackson was out, but Ian managed to convince his lovely assistant Avery to let them poke their heads in.

            "How does he get any work done?" Havana had asked upon seeing the clutter of files on his desk.

            "I ask him that everyday." Avery replied with a sigh. "He's just a mess. I'm only one person."

            Sarah and Havana had giggled at that, probably laughing at the idea of the commander of the Royal Guard being a bit of a piggy.

            "What's he like as a brother?" Havana turned to Ian.

            Ian shrugged. "Like any brother, I guess. He's busy a lot. And overprotective."

            "My brother just sits on the couch all day and eats." Cam said. "Be thankful he at least does something."

            They moved on further on their little tour. Ziggy narrated the whole way, describing the palace pool in detail even as he got it on camera. After they moved from the parlor room and the den, they headed toward the Great Room.

            A tour was just beginning and passed them on their way over. The tourists looked onto their little group with interest, no doubt seeking any famous faces. Most of them moved on, ignoring everything except the tour guide's voice. A few girls at the back stopped, giggling behind their hands.

            Oh boy.

            "Excuse me," A tiny voice spoke up." Are you Ian Leonger?"

            Ian glanced away from Ziggy and his camera to the small frizzy brown haired girl now in front of him.

            "Yeah?"

            The girl—couldn't be past twelve or thirteen—blushed and raised her camera. "Can I get a picture? Maybe?"

            Almost embarrassed that this was happening in front of his friends, Ian shrugged. "Sure. I guess so."

            "I can take it if you want." Havana, ever the nicest, offered.

            "Really?" The girl handed the phone over. "Thanks."

            Ian awkwardly rested his arm on the other girl's mid-back. Havana snapped the pic, urging them to 'smile'.

            When it was all said and done, Ian pulled his arm away. "What's your name?"

            "Cecilia." The girl's cheeks went super red.

            "Well, it was so nice to meet you." Ian scratched the back of his head. "You should probably catch up with your tour."

            "Okay. Thanks again!" She threw over her shoulder as her group moved away. Their giggling got louder even as they retreated down the hallway.

            Cam nudged his elbow into Ian's stomach. "Ladies man, huh?"

            "Shut up."

            Havana smiled her usual beautiful smile over at him. That same smile that always made his heart act wonky. "I think it's cute." The words made the tips of Ian's ears burn.

            Sarah clapped her hands, "You're like, famous!"

            Meanwhile, Ziggy's camera pushed into his face. "Don't worry, bud. I got it all on tape for yah."

            Ian smacked the device away from him. His collar started to get too tight. "Let's just move on." He grumbled.

            The Great Room really was a glorified ballroom with very tall ceilings and huge day windows that casted a ton of natural light onto the marble floors. The doors to the Great Room had to be at least twenty five feet of massive oak. They took a lot of muscle to get open, which was why they often stayed open.

            Today though, they were closed and two guards stood outside. Weird.

            "Hey guys." Ian gestured toward the doors. "Think you can help us out?"

            "No flash photography today." The guard on the right spoke up. "And no video." He pointed a look at Ziggy's camera.

            Ziggy slowly lowered his device at the look the guard gave him. "Aw, man."

            "I'm actually surprised you lasted this long, dude." Ian said, then turned back to the guard. "Who's in there?"

            "His Royal Highness, with Lady Chloe."

            "BOTH of them are in there?" Ziggy exclaimed, glancing sadly at his camera. "And I can't bring my camera? Damn."

            "They have asked that any guests coming through could please refrain from being loud." The guard continued like Ziggy hadn't spoken.

            "What are they doing?" Ian asked.

            "Recording."

            Ian could physically feel the increased levels of excitement behind him. "Okay. We will."

            The guard nodded and together the two guards opened the heavy wooden doors.