Read Online King and Kingdom by Danielle Bourdon - Free Book Online

him off the balcony down a side set of stairs.
    Everything after that happened so fast she couldn't keep track. One moment she was being guided into a sedan, the next she was back in the parking lot at The Trident . There was no time to organize her scattered thoughts, no chance to recover from the shock of Sander catching her with another man. Guards collected her things with speed and efficiency while she sat in the idling car. They loaded suitcases into the trunk within minutes. People moved around her in a blur, much like the faces around the dance floor had. The sedan pulled out of the lot and onto the street, Sander no where in sight.
    Chey's weak protests and questions went unanswered. The security members weren't talking when it came to Sander's whereabouts or safety. Fear and panic clamored for dominance, though neither could pierce the strange daze Chey currently saw the world through.
    Before long she was on the private jet and helped into a seat. Her body felt like a limp noodle, unable to hold itself upright. She consoled herself with the thought that she would straighten everything out with Sander as soon as they landed in Latvala. Between now and then, she would sleep off the effects of the champagne and allow Sander's temper to cool.
    The abyss rose up to claim her before the jet ever left the tarmac.

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    “Miss Sinclair, we're here,” a guard said with a gentle shake of her shoulder.
    Chey stirred, but didn't open her eyes right away.
    “Miss Sinclair?”
    “Mm?”
    “We're here. Open your eyes.” The security member gave her shoulder another gentle shake.
    Chey slit her lashes open, wondering why her ears needed to pop. The luxurious interior of the jet reminded her she was on a plane, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her why.
    “We can disembark as soon as you're ready,” he said.
    Yawning, Chey sat up in her chair. The plane... oh. She glanced across toward the other seats and the sofas for Sander. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Perhaps he'd crashed in the bedroom in the back.
    Suffering a wild headache, she got up and stretched with a groan of pain.
    “Where's Sander?” she asked, stepping free of the seats. She was still in the gown she'd worn to the party at the hotel. Distantly, alarms sounded in her head, vying with the headache that seemed far too sharp and acute to be born from champagne.
    Little by little, snippets of the evening came back to her. She fought off a bout of panic that wanted to lodge itself in her stomach.
    “He's away, Miss Sinclair,” the guard said. “All your luggage is here. Do you feel up to leaving the plane?”
    “Yes, yes, I think so. Is Sander at the castle?” she asked, wobbling her way toward the now open door. Faint strains of twilight sought to pierce an overcast, still dark sky.
    “I'm not sure, Miss Sinclair. Perhaps.” The guard provided her a helping hand down the stairs to the tarmac. Another man came behind with her luggage.
    Finding it strange that the guard wasn't sure where Sander went, she made it to the ground and murmured her thanks for his help toward the waiting limousine. Groggy and still unable to fully get her mind to function right, she got into the vehicle while the men stored her luggage in the trunk.
    She had a lot of explaining to do with Sander. Recalling the man who'd pressed her into the niche—what had she been thinking—Chey cringed. The details were muzzy and unclear, as if she couldn't quite pull everything to the surface. Sander's uncertainty pried at her memory until his face swam behind her eyes. He'd looked so disbelieving, so...not quite accusing, but certainly not happy. And why should he? That Damon had lied his pants off.
    Just why had he lied his pants off, anyway? What had been the point of driving a wedge between her and Sander?
    Disgruntled, Chey rubbed her fingers over her forehead. At some point during the flight, someone had peeled the gloves off her hands. Thankful for that,