is for regular students. The school you're taking Trisha to is
for children of royalty and diplomats so she can make
important connections for later in life. It was built many
years before we created the ones for palace children."
"So the kids that play together, stay together?"
"Exactly."
Raven laughed. Royalty were weird. He leaned
forward and kissed Kaemon. He'd learned that the prince
liked the slow brush of their mouths together right before
he stripped Raven naked and pounded him into the closest
flat surface. "Do you think you're going to get lonely while
I'm gone?"
The prince leaned over and brushed his lips across
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Raven's. "My morning will seem like an eternity without
you by my side."
Raven could feel the blush rising on his cheeks at
the prince's words. No one could claim the prince hid his
feelings.
"Are you ready?" The king's voice made Raven
jump. He hadn't realized the other man was in the room.
Shit, he'd almost kissed the prince in front of his father.
Raven wasn't shy, but he drew the line at making out in
front of parents. He'd outgrown that in his teens.
"I'm ready." Raven pulled himself out of Kaemon's
arms, an act that took more effort than it should have.
The king gave him an assessing look. Raven
wondered if the king was trying to determine if he was an
appropriate escort for his granddaughter. He noticed that
Kaemon's father hadn't warmed up to him since Raven
hadn't agreed to stay yet.
They still hadn't found the poisoner. An
investigation exposed that someone had painted the inside
of the coffeepot with poison. As the kitchen wasn't exactly
secure, anyone could've gotten in and done the deed. So far
there weren't any suspects.
"If you're not comfortable taking Trisha, I can send
her with Ms. Starny."
"No!" Raven felt oddly possessive about having
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anyone else take Trisha to school. It was almost as if
finding her had made her at least partly his. "I promised I'd
take her." There. That didn't make him sound like a
nutcase. Besides, if he really was Kaemon's mate, then she
would eventually be considered his daughter too and there
was no way in hell he'd let anyone else take his girl to
school. He wanted to check out this snobby place for
himself.
"I'm ready." Trisha appeared in the doorway
wearing a strange green and gold dress. It had that
schoolgirl uniform look so Raven assumed that was what
she was supposed to wear.
"Give Raven a minute and he'll join you outside,"
Kaemon said.
The king put an arm around the girl. "Come, I'll
walk you to the hoverlimo. Raven will be with you in a
minute."
Raven didn't waste any time. He went to his tiptoes
and pressed a soft kiss to Kaemon's forehead. "You'll have
to wait for more."
"You're a cruel man, my love, a very cruel man."
Raven laughed as he walked out the door.
Stepping outside the castle, he slid into the vehicle,
giving a nod to the driver who opened his door.
"Take good care of her," the king said.
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Raven gave him a wave. If he stayed to reassure the
king, they would definitely be late.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Trisha looked
at him with anxious eyes.
"I'm fine. I was fine a day after my poisoning."
Apparently his bout with poison had been more traumatic
for her than for him. She'd probably had horrible visions of
losing one more person in her life. Despite his many
assurances, she still watched him with a wary expression as
if she expected him to drop dead at any minute.
He needed to give her something else to focus on.
"What do you like best about school?" He hoped she liked
school. If not, this would be the shortest conversation ever.
"I like dancing and drawing the most," Trisha said,
drawing Raven's attention back to the discussion at hand.
That explained why she'd gone to watch him dance.
"Are you any good?"
Trisha sat up straight and beamed him a smile. "I've
won three medals for my drawing, and I always do well in
dance class."
"Well, I'm sure they have a good program," Raven
assured her. "You grandfather said it was the best school in
the kingdom."
"I guess." Trisha shrugged.
Raven awkwardly patted her arm. "It's hard being
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the new kid, but I'm sure you'll make friends right away."
"It's not that." Trisha looked out the window.
"Then what is it? Is it your grandmother?"
She shook her head. "Grandmother didn't really
want me. She just kept me for the money. I heard her
telling a friend once that I was worth a fortune, but only if I
was alive."
Raven frowned. "But she took the time to take you
to the ballet. Did she do stuff like that often?"
"Sometimes," Trisha said, a frown crinkling her
smooth brow.
Raven patted her leg. "Then no matter what you
think you heard, I'm sure she cared for you. She just might
not have been good at expressing it. Some people find it
hard to say how they feel."
"Maybe." Trisha didn't look convinced, and Raven
didn't push it. After all, the woman was dead, and there was
no good in talking poorly about someone he'd never met.
Not to mention Trisha had loved her nana, even if she
didn't think the woman loved her back.
They sat in silence for a moment before Trisha
asked in the smallest voice he'd ever heard, "Do you think
the prince really wants me?"
Raven resisted the urge to answer right away and
gave the question the attention it deserved. "I think your
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father never thought about having children, but now that he
knows about you, he's happy you're a part of his life. It will
take a while for you to get to know each other, but I think
once you get more comfortable together, you'll find he
loves you very much. And your grandfather is extremely
excited you are here."
"It's because dad likes men."
Raven choked on a surprised laugh. "Yes, it is
because your father likes men. The king didn't think he'd
get the joy of having a grandchild so he's very happy to
have you."
Trisha looked at him through her lashes. "I can tell
that my father likes you."
"Maybe." It was Raven's turn to avoid her gaze. "I
have some work obligations, but I'd like to get to know
everyone a bit better." Raven cleared his throat. "Your
father thinks I'm his mate."
"What's a mate?"
"It's like a husband. It means I will be his partner in
life."
"So you'd stay with us?"
Raven nodded.
The smile she gave him shamed the sun.
"We're here," the driver announced, pulling up in
front of a stone building.
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Both Raven and Trisha took a deep breath together
and then laughed at their actions.
"Are you nervous, too?" Trisha asked.
Raven shrugged. "I've never been responsible for
someone before. What if I mess it up?"
Trisha patted his hand. "All you have to do is sign
some papers and then you get to leave."
"That's true." Raven perked up, though he doubted
signing papers was necessary. He was certain the king had
already taken care of that before they arrived.
After following the signs to the headmaster's office,
they were ushered into an elegant room by a harried
looking woman who gave them a shaky smile before
rushing back out.
"Good morning." A tall man with gray hair and a
genial smile stepped forward to shake Raven's hand. "I'm
Headmaster Franklin. His Highness told me to expect you
both. You must be Trisha."
He gave Trisha a bright smile, but something about
the way he looked at her gave Raven the creeps. His eyes
had a sheen of lust in them that made Raven's stomach
twist. Warning bells rang so loudly in his head he almost
got a headache.
Raven rarely doubted his instincts. He didn't trust
the man, but surely the king wouldn't send his
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granddaughter to a complete sleaze.
Still, he didn't want to leave Trisha at the school in
this man's clutches.
"Please have a seat." The headmaster indicated two
intricately carved wooden chairs placed precisely on the
other side of the desk.
Pulling out a stack of papers, he slid them across the
desk. "Now if you could look these over, they explain
everything about our school." He gave a pompous laugh.
"Not that you need to review them. After all, the king has
already chosen us, but he's requested I answer any
questions you might have."
Raven shot a look at Trisha and saw a worried
expression in her eyes.
He pretended to examine the papers, trying to buy
time. "What kind of arts program do you have here?"
Franklin gave another laugh. Raven was really
starting to hate his laughs. They sent chills down his back.
There was no real reason to dislike the man so intensely,
but Raven's instincts screamed at him not to leave Trisha
behind when he left the building.
"We don't have any arts programs. Our students
have more important things to do than waste time drawing
and dancing about. They are going to be prominent citizens
and need to focus on learning the laws and customs of
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foreign countries."
Raven stared at the man, so appalled he didn't know
what to say.
"You don't have an arts program?" Trisha asked.
Raven could hear she was close to tears.
"Not a one," the headmaster answered cheerfully.
Raven stood up. "Come, Trisha, we're leaving."
"What? You can't do that." For the first time, the
headmaster lost his smile.
"Trust me, I can. If you think the leaders of
tomorrow don't need to be creative and know about the arts,
then this isn't the school for Trisha."
"The king will hear about this," the headmaster
threatened.
"Oh, trust me, he will," Raven promised. "I'll be
sure to share with him my opinion of this school."
Turning on his heel, Raven hooked a hand on
Trisha's arm and rushed her from the room.
"Where are we going?" Trisha asked.
"I don't know, but you aren't staying here."
"Yeah, that guy gave me the creeps."
Raven turned to her as they left the building. "You
too, huh?"
She nodded.
"Raven!"
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"Raven!"
An influx of reporters swarmed the stairs. He had to
admire their ability to get past the school gates. It only
proved that this wasn't the school for Trisha.
He put a protective arm around the girl, even though
the reporters were keeping a respectful distance. It didn't
take long before something like this could get out of hand,
and he didn't want Trisha frightened. Scanning the crowd,
he pointed to one of the few reporters he recognized.
"Gena?"
"Is she the prince's daughter?"
"Yes." There was no point in denying it. They
wouldn't be there if someone hadn't already tipped them
off.
"Why is she leaving? I heard you were registering
her."
He resisted the urge to ask where she'd heard that,
but it could've been anyone on the staff. A school of this
caliber should have better protection for its students.
"I refuse to register her at a school that has no arts
program. Exposure to the arts is what feeds the soul of
society," Raven said, warming up to one of his favorite
issues. He'd spent a great deal of time and money bringing
arts programs to lesser developed planets and poor areas
throughout the galaxy. To find such backward thinking at a
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top school was unforgiveable from his point of view.
"There is no way Trisha is going to attend a school that not
only doesn't feel that arts are important but spurns them.
The leaders of tomorrow need to be well-rounded
individuals who appreciate all facets of the human spirit,
not just contract negotiations and war room rules. To
understand a civilization is to understand their people's
soul."
"So where will she be going?"
"I'll be making some phone calls."
"Won't Prince Kaemon object to your removing her
from the school?"
When Raven hesitated to answer, Trisha piped up.
"Raven is my father's mate. My father put him in charge of