Royal Heiress (22 page)

He sighed with relief. “For a moment there, I
thought I was too late. Zeus’ replacement was beginning to open his
incubator.”

She gulped nervously at the thought they
almost hadn’t made it. “I hope it isn’t like this all the time as
the queen.”

He raised his eyebrow.

“I don’t think I can handle this succeeding
at the very last minute stuff,” she clarified. “It’s too much
anxiety for a woman to take.”

He grinned. “I see your point. I assume only
a few of your missions will be rushed at the end.”

She picked up the telecommunicator Athena had
given her. “Athena? Are you there?”

Athena’s voice came in through the other end.
“Yes. Jake just loaded the last god onto the spaceship. We are
almost ready to take the spaceship over there.”

Amanda heard someone shouting a question to
Athena.

“Did the Infer succeed?” Athena asked.

“Yes. Just a moment ago.”

She could sense Athena’s relief more than
hear it in her voice. “Ares’ robots just fell to the ground. And it
looks like the gods are beginning to wake up. We will be over there
in three minutes. You can start the sequence for the destruction of
this city at any time.”

Amanda put the telecommunicator away and
turned to Adrian. “Do you know where I can set this city to
self-destruct?”

He nodded. “Over here by the cloning
machine.”

She looked at the machine in wonder. “Is this
where you were created?”

“No. I’m not a clone, but all the clones were
made here. This is where life began for many of us on
Atlantis.”

She was curious about the technology that
produced someone like him but decided it was better to leave the
technology to the Augurs who were trained to handle such machines
with justice. She followed him to the machine with a sequence of
buttons on it.

“You have to know the proper sequence to
activate the destruction,” he informed her. He showed her the order
of numbers and letters she needed to type in.

“Why can’t you do this if you already know
it?”

“Because I don’t possess Raz’s magic. Magic
is what will make this machine work.”

“The leaders never intended to destroy the
city then?”

“No, they didn’t. It was the Augurs who
designed it and then told me the sequence to type in. They said I
might need to know it someday.” Again, he shook his head,
bewildered. “They must have seen into the future and deemed it was
necessary to rid the Earth of this place.”

“My dad often says Augurs are vague, but when
they make a demand, it is for the benefit of all.”

“He’s right.”

She typed in the sequence he showed her. The
machine lit up and began to count backwards from six minutes.

“We don’t have much time. We need to get out
of here,” he said as he took her hand and led her out the door that
took them outside.

She didn’t notice anything unusual in the
city except that the storm, locusts, and snakes were gone. In its
place was a bright sunny day where everything was peaceful and
calm.

Her stomach twisted in knots. “Do you think
we were wrong?”

“No. The process has already begun. It is the
technology that is being destroyed right now. The buildings will
soon follow.”

They stood quietly for a moment as they
waited for Athena to bring the spaceship to them.

“Adrian, what are you going to do now that
Atlantis is gone?” she wondered.

He sighed. “I suppose I shouldn’t feel
remorse over losing such an immoral city, but I do. It will always
be my native land.”

She took a deep breath. “Do you have a home
to go to?”

“Italy. That’s where I lived for a long
time.”

“Do you like it there?”

“It’s alright. It’s a place to live.” He
shrugged.

“Do you want to come with me to Raz?” Her
heart raced as she waited for him to answer.

He glanced at her. “I’ve never considered
leaving Earth.”

Her heart plummeted.

“But then again, I’ve never had a good reason
to,” he added. “What would my job be?”

“If you don’t mind serving me, then you could
be the king. Basically, you would protect me and help me in my rule
over Raz. The king’s role is not one of glory, I admit.”

“But if you love the queen, then it will be
fulfilling. I understand how things are done on Raz.”

She waited for him to continue.

“Just how much are you willing to love me if
I marry you?” he asked with a smile.

She returned his smile. “When I marry, it
will be for life. You know that. This is why I can’t marry just
anyone.”

“Yes, I recall you making a comment about
that.”

“You would have to give up that cane. I need
a daughter to continue the royal line, and your stone will prevent
you from having children. I know why the gods and goddesses on
Olympia don’t reproduce.”

He glanced at the cane that had been a vital
part of his life for many centuries. He threw it on the ground and
shrugged. “It’s served its purpose. It kept me around long enough
to meet you.”

“Then you’ll come with me?”

“On one condition. You give me a kiss to seal
our engagement.”

She didn’t hesitate to comply with his wish.
She had at last made her decision on who would be the next king of
Raz, and she knew that it was the right one.

***

The Olympian ship made its arrival, and Jake
and Katherine ran out of it. Around them the buildings began to
explode, flames engulfing them from the inside out.

“Hurry!” Katherine called out to Amanda and
Adrian. “Athena says we only have two minutes left.”

They quickly obeyed her and entered the
ship.

Katherine touched Jake’s arm. “Are you
coming?”

He couldn’t help but stare at the destruction
surrounding them. It was awesome and terrifying in its intensity.
Forcing his eyes off of the flames, he looked at her. Everything he
had ever wanted and dreamed of was right before him. “Now I know
what my purpose is. I can let go of the past and move on.”

She seemed confused by his statement, but he
promised he would explain it later. For now, he just wanted to go
back into the spaceship and hold her.

Quick Epilogue

Queen Amanda married Adrian a few days after
their return to Raz, much to the dismay of the available young men
who had eagerly sought for her affections. Her parents remembered
the Infer and were happy to welcome him to his new home.

Jake decided to invest his money into helping
orphans by establishing caring homes for them to grow up in. He
married Katherine, and they remained in Louisiana. Katherine
realized that the Great Magician was right and her home wasn’t to
be on Raz; she belonged on Earth where she could do the most good.
Jake and Katherine often visited Clark.

As for Matthew, he found Cara was a
delightful companion after all and married her several years
later.

To quote an old and familiar phrase, they all
lived happily ever after.

Enchanted Galaxy Series by Ruth Ann
Nordin

(This is a romantic fantasy series.)

A Royal Engagement:
An ordinary young woman on Earth learns she’s
destined to be the queen on another planet...and she’s already
engaged to a young man she doesn’t know.

Royal Hearts:
An old nemesis sends Ann Kerwin back in time on
Earth to ensure she never gets to become the Queen of Raz. It’s up
to Hathor to follow her and compete with her old boyfriend for her
affections. Because if she doesn’t choose Hathor, all they have
will be lost.

The Royal Pursuit:
On another world, a dying group called the Nicals
are desperate. If they don’t do something drastic, they will become
extinct. With nothing left to lose, they steal the power in the
Olympians’ Stone of Immortality, thereby saving themselves, but
unknowingly dooming the Olympians. A mysterious stranger promises
to help them, though whether he truly means to help them isn’t
clear, especially when he kidnaps Queen Ann.

Royal Heiress:
The new queen has been crowned, and her first
order of business is to pick a husband. Thankfully, her dilemma is
put off by her first mission: a trip to the lost city of Atlantis
on planet Earth. Or…this might be the trip that leads her to the
right man to be king.

Across the Stars Series by Ruth Ann
Nordin

(Contemporary Romances with a Hint of Science
Fiction or Fantasy)

Suddenly a Bride:
Rilo An grew up on a world with no women. One day,
he makes the decision to go to another planet to find a wife. He’ll
have to change his name and give up everything he’s ever known, but
for the sake of finding true love, he takes the risk. And his quest
sends him to Earth, specifically to Caitlyn Davis who will be
married before the night is done.

Runaway Bride:
Mark Tanner also comes from a world without women
on it, but he’s determined he’ll find his future bride on his own.
The problem? Once he meets Lexie (Caitlyn’s sister in Book 1), he
realizes she’s already engaged. But Lexie isn’t married yet, and
Mark will do whatever he can to convince her that he’s the better
choice.

His Abducted Bride:
Sandy Davis is just about to write the scene where
she finally kills the villain in her fantasy novel. But the villain
will do whatever it takes to stay alive...even if he has to trap
her into the story and marry her.

List of Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

(Chronological Order)

Regencies

Marriage by Scandal
Series

The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife

A Most Unsuitable Earl

His Reluctant Lady

The Earl’s Scandalous Wife

Marriage by Deceit
Series

The Earl’s Secret Bargain

Love Lessons With The Duke

Ruined by the Earl

The Earl’s Stolen Bride

Standalone
Regency

Her Counterfeit Husband

Historical Westerns

Nebraska Series

Her Heart’s Desire

A Bride for Tom

A Husband for Margaret

Eye of the Beholder

The Wrong Husband

Shotgun Groom

To Have and To Hold

His Redeeming Bride

Isaac’s Decision

South Dakota
Series

Loving Eliza

Bid for a Bride

Bride of Second Chances

Montana
Collection

Mitch’s Win

Boaz’s Wager

Patty’s Gamble

Native American Romance
Series

Restoring Hope

A Chance In Time (novella)

Brave Beginnings

Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

Virginia Series

An Unlikely Place for Love

The Cold Wife

An Inconvenient Marriage

Romancing Adrienne

Standalones

Falling In Love With Her Husband

Kent Ashton’s Backstory

Catching Kent

His Convenient Wife

Meant To Be

The Mail Order Bride’s Deception

Co-Written Historical Westerns

Romance Anthology
(written with Janet Syas Nitsick)

Bride by Arrangement

A Groom’s Promise

Stagecoach Bride (written with Stephannie
Beman)

Contemporaries

Omaha Contemporary
Romances

With This Ring, I Thee Dread

What Nathan Wants

Just Good Friends

Across the Stars
Series

Suddenly a Bride

Runaway Bride

His Abducted Bride

Standalones

Substitute Bride

Bride by Design (written under pen name
Barbara Joan Russell)

Other Genres

Christian End-Times
Thriller

Return of the Aliens (writing as R.A.
Nordin)

Enchanted Galaxy Series
(Romantic Fantasy)

A Royal Engagement

Royal Hearts

The Royal Pursuit

Royal Heiress

To find out more about Ruth Ann Nordin’s available books and
her works in progress, you can go to the following
sites:

Her Author Blog:
http://ruthannnordinauthorblog.wordpress.com

Her Website:

www.ruthannnordin.com

You can also find her on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ruth.a.nordin