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Her father gave her an indulgent suards surrounding hi him from view

Elle closed the door and surveyed the rooht she’d occupy in a country she’d never thought she’d see again Being queen wasn’t a choice, it was her destiny, her duty, but it wasn’t all she was She was still Elle, and she wasn’t alone any open the door

“Major Bendtsen,” she called

He appeared ihness”

“I have a mission for you”

…

Dolanced down at his watch The jet should have taken off ten o Instead it was frozen on the airstrip, and dalad to still be breathing the sa that as soon as the plane took off he’d never see her again

The pilot opened the cockpit door and headed toward Dom

“What’s the holdup?” Dom asked

“Sir, you ht want to look out the ”

Annoyed at the cryptic response, he shoved up the shade covering thenext to his seat—a line of Hu the royal seal surrounded the jet Fear twisted his heart in two Elle The Fjende He should have stayed He should have watched over her

Major Bendtsen got out of one of the Humvees, a bullhorn in his hand

“The princess requests your presence at the Kronig She says…” Bendtsen paused, a s his nor deserves another”

Chapter Sixteen

The garden was filled with Elskovian aristocracy, dripping with dia chane in honor of the country’s new queen, but the oneon the dais, the Elskovian crown firmly atop her newly blond hair, she listened with half an ear to a foreign diplo his respects