The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (22 page)

Earlier, after the Prince had dragged Elizabeth away from him, he reluctantly tracked them. He got the shock of his life to find them kissing passionately behind the hedges! He'd noticed the Prince's possessiveness towards her and he even looked ready to bite his head off when he'd inte
rrupted. Somehow, he couldn't shake the notion that the Prince seemed jealous of
him
.

As her bodyguard,
surely he understood that the closer Elizabeth was to him, the better he could protect her?

The Colonel pulled into the driv
eway of his luxury housing and pondered about what he'd spied during the Prince's visit with Elizabeth. He had given her a white rose and they held hands, looking into each other's eyes.
How uncharacteristic of the Prince,
he thought,
he'd never seen him woo a girl before.

He shook his head. The Prince should know it was forbidden for a Royal of his position to get involved with a Tainted! European Royals like him never wasted their time with breeds below their standing.
Doesn't he realize the implication of his actions?

He got out of the SUV and slammed the door forc
efully, biting out a curse at the simple logic that occurred to him.

Of course, the Prince knows!
What else could his intentions be? Everyone knew of his conquests! He's playing Elizabeth just like all the other girls!

Vexed, he threw his keys on the table as he went i
nside the house. He took out a can of drink from the fridge and leaned against the kitchen island, savoring the aromatic liquid slowly.

He thought about his ward
. Young, fresh-faced, innocent, and yes—, quite beautiful. Who could blame the Prince for noticing her? He himself couldn't deny his attraction when he first saw her in class and at the dining hall. Wasn't that the real reason he asked her to ride with him to and from school?

Now, now, Gunther,
he smiled,
you know the rules. You can't fall in love on the job, especially if she's the job!

Well—, maybe after,
he capitulated
.
It would be appropriate to pursue her then, since Descendants like him have the freedom to choose their mates—, except from the European Royal variety, of course.

He ambled to the living room with his drink and sprawled on the couch, staring at his reflection on the blank TV screen. The beautifully chiseled countenance of an archangel looked back at him, adored by many l
adies regardless of rank. Even Elizabeth wasn't immune to his seraphic charm that never failed to convey the impression that he was a gentleman of fine bearing who could do no harm.

His eyes smoldered to a sherry red. What would she think if she knew that in the battlefield, he was the dreaded fearsome assassin christened by the enemy as ...
The Angel of Death?

He sighed, knowing his hands were tied. He'll just have to carry on with the charade, stand aside, keep his feelings for himself, and let the Prince break her heart.

For now.

The thought made him wince in disgust as he gu
zzled the last of his drink, suddenly feeling powerless to protect Elizabeth. He must be very careful. Most of all,
he must watch himself.

Back at the yellow cottage, Elizabeth's mother entered through the back door, carrying a load of drinks from the depot.

“Mom? Is that you?” She heard Elizabeth running down the stairs.

“Yes!” She opened the fridge to restock it with their supply.

“What took you so long?” Her daughter asked b
ehind her.

“I had to wait in line.” She glanced over her shou
lder and tossed the wig and large hat she wore on the table, to keep herself from being recognized. “Is everything okay?”

“Uh, yeah.” Elizabeth reddened, combing the to
usled black curls on the wig with her fingers. Her daughter had gotten used to seeing her wear a variety of wigs over the years whenever they went out in public, and accepted the accessory as part of her eccentric taste in fashion. “S-someone came by to visit me.”

“Oh?” Mom paused from her task. “A boy?”

Elizabeth nodded and she noticed the sparkle in her eyes.

“Someone special?” The deepening bloom on her daughter's cheeks was enough for her to guess her fee
lings. “Care to tell me his name?” she persisted, though she already knew.

“William.”

“Do you like him?” Mom tried not to sound too eager.

Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded.

Mom went to her and gave her a big hug. “Well, I'm happy for you. Maybe you can introduce him to me sometime.”

Several minutes later, she spied her daughter through her partly open bedroom door, staring with a dreamy smile at a solitary white rose in a bud vase on her bedside table.

This is the way it should be,
she thought to herself. And just like that, all the sacrifices she made for the past seventeen years felt absolutely worth it.

That night, Prince William leaned on his elbows on the wrought iron railing of the balcony, overlooking the gardens of his mansion. His lips curved up, as he thought about his visit with Elizabeth before sunrise. Everything had gone well, thanks to Sophia and his cousins for straightening him out. But now, he needed to straighten out another matter by himself.

Earlier, he'd summoned one of the guards to inform Catherine to meet him in an hour, and that time had come.

This won't be easy,
he sighed, thinking about what he had to say. Catherine's feelings for him were as clear as day, in spite of the fact that he had shown no interest in a serious relationship. However, he must deal with her once and for all.

At the townhouse across the courtyard from Prince William's mansion, Catherine stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had taken extra care with her appearance. Wearing a form-fitting, low-cut cobalt blue dress that made her black hair and stunning eyes the color of sunset, stand out.

She smiled at the beautiful girl who looked back at her. Since she received the Prince's summons, her i
nsides had been whirling.

Would he take her out tonight? D
esire to share his bed with her after a long dry spell? Or perhaps ... ask the one question she'd waited for all this time?

She tickled with anticipation at the thought, absen
tly stroking her bare ring finger.

Then with a deep breath, she made her way to her waiting Prince.

Prince William and Lady Catherine

       P
rince William pushed himself away from the railing and turned, as soon as Catherine materialized under the arch of the open double glass doors leading to the balcony.

“William,” she said in a husky voice, slowing her pace to a graceful sashay.

“Hello, Catherine.” He slipped his hands in his pockets, watching her glide towards him. She truly was a beautiful creature, with a fine visage fit for a Queen. Royals and Highborn males from every continent pursued her, but for reasons he couldn't comprehend, she had set her sights firmly on him.

“I missed you.” She laid her palms on his chest, looking up at him with her heart in her eyes, affection vis
ibly written on her lovely face.

He swallowed the compunction ri
sing in his throat.
Just how the hell does one make it bearable to break a girl's heart?
He might have carelessly done so in the past, but those were just brief liaisons with no strings attached.
  

With Catherine, it was different. She was persistent and ardent, never discouraged by his impassiveness. Her loyalty baffled him, sticking around for decades, waiting and hoping for him to reciprocate her feelings wit
hout complaint
. Ah, it makes it all the more difficult to hurt such a devoted friend—, which is all she was, and all she would ever be to him.

“Are we going somewhere?” she asked with unco
ncealed enthusiasm in her voice, deftly fixing his shirt collar.

Prince William dragged in a lungful of air and shook his head. “No. We have to talk.”

“What did you want to talk about?” Her eyes took on a soft luminous glow, smiling expectantly at him.

He heard her thoughts as audibly as if she'd spoken them aloud. She had misconstrued his intentions tonight! He squeezed his eyes for a second and cursed himself.
Son of the devil! —
She
thought he was going to propose!
He felt inundated by a wave of self-reproach, wishing he could've made the purpose of his summons clearer. He now realized, the best way to make things easier was to be honest and forthright.

“Catherine,” he began, and then cleared his throat. “You know I'm fond of you and enjoy your company.”

She nodded with a big smile.

He sobered, aware that he would hurt her worse than he'd anticipated, but he must press on.

“You're a beautiful and wonderful girl, and I'm glad to have you as a friend.” He watched the blush spread on her face and felt nauseous with what he needed to say next.

“Why thank you,” she replied, oblivious to his pr
edicament. “That's very sweet of you.”

He forced a half-smile and looked away, mentally shuffling for the right words to say. He wasn't any good at this, but damn it all, he must at least try to do it kin
dly.

“Somewhere out there, an equally wonderful guy awaits you,” he hastened to make his point, seeing her puzzled expression. “Someone who deserves you.”

“W-what do you mean?” she asked in earnest.

He braced himself to deal the i
nevitable final blow. “I sincerely wish I could offer you more, but—.” He riveted his gaze on her, determined not to falter. “I'm not the one for you, Catherine. It's best if we remained ... just friends.”
There. He said it. It's done.

She stared at him blankly at first, followed by di
sbelief as the words sank in. He saw the light in her eyes fade away, replaced by a fresh spring of glittering tears. Abruptly, she turned her back to him, walking in a daze towards the balustrade, bracing one hand against it to support herself, and covering her mouth to stifle her sobs with the other.

Prince William dragged his fingers through his hair and waited for her to say something.
When minutes passed and she didn't, he took a few steps towards her, but she held up a hand and whirled to face him. Hurt and anger marred her countenance.

“After all this time,” she hissed through gritted teeth, “you just want to be friends.”

“Catherine—”

“How dare you!” she snarled, eyes blazing. “You strung me around for five decades, showed me off like a trophy girlfriend and slept in my bed, William! Does that sound like
just a friend
to you?”

“You knew I couldn't promise you anything more than that,” he replied grimly, “I have always told you what I—”

“You used me!” she cut him off, tears sliding down her cheeks. “You led me to believe you cared for me, you selfish, unfeeling bastard!”

“Watch it.” He jabbed a warning forefinger towards her. “You know none of that is true. I never used you, nor treated you unkindly! And yes, I do care for you, but only as a friend, nothing more!” He slashed a hand in the air.

“How could you do this to me?” she cried. “I did everything to make you love me! You knew I loved you and you never once asked me to stay away. How could you make me think there was something between us?”

His temper rose to a dangerous d
egree. He was mad at her for saddling him with her baseless delusion that they had some kind of a committed relationship, yet he was angrier at himself for condoning her behavior over the years, consequently giving her false hope.

Somehow, he knew it would eventually lead up to this point, but he procrastinated, avoiding confront
ation. Catherine may have been presumptuous in snaring him, but he was partly to blame. Indeed, the time has come to finally end this.

“Stop lying to yourself.” He na
rrowed his eyes and muttered an oath under his breath, unable to quell his frustration. “You were well aware I regarded you the same way I did my other
lady-friends.
You knew exactly where you stood, but you were in denial, clinging to some fantasy of your own making.” Her astonished, wounded gaze made him pause, but he willed himself to tell the truth that he very well knew would crush her.

“Listen to me, Catherine,” he said in a deep, somber voice. “I don't love you. I never wanted to marry you.”

His scathing words rendered her speechless. She blinked repeatedly, as if waking herself from a bad dream. Then without warning, she flung herself to him, gripping the lapels of his jacket in desperation.

“William! Don't do this,” she sputtered between sobs. “Isn't fifty years of devotion enough to please you? Couldn't you love me even just a little? I'll do everything to make you happy, I'll—”