Royal Hearts Read online

  Enchanted Galaxy Series:

  Book 2

  Royal

  Hearts

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Wedded Bliss Romances, LLC

  Royal Hearts - Smashwords Edition

  Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at Smashwords

  Copyright © 2015 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please do. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover Photo images Copyright Dreamstime. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Other Books in the Enchanted Galaxy Series

  More Romances by Ruth Ann Nordin with a Science Fiction/Fantasy Element

  All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Where to Find Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chapter One

  Location: Royal Palace: Combat Practice Room

  Planet: Raz

  Galaxy: Enchanted

  In the two years since Ann Kerwin had become the Queen of Raz, she’d gotten used to these fighting lessons, but Hathor had warned her that today’s lesson was going to be particularly challenging. He hadn’t said any more than that, and right now, she wished he had because if she had an idea of what was coming, she would know how she should stand.

  “Just one hint,” she told her husband as she pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail.

  “I can’t give you a hint every time we do this,” he softly admonished from the other side of the room.

  She stepped up to the center of the circular mat and shot him a pointed look, setting her hands on her hips in the best ‘do what I want’ posture she could muster.

  But he only smiled and shook his head. “In real life, the enemy isn’t going to prepare you. You need to adapt quickly to the situation.”

  “What if I give you a kiss?”

  “I can’t.” He stood behind the white booth. “There may come a day and a time when I can’t be with you. You need to be able to defend yourself.”

  Letting out a long sigh, she mumbled, “I hate it when you’re right.”

  “What was that?” he called out.

  “Nothing.” Tucking her t-shirt into her sweatpants, she added, “You’re lucky I have a weakness for blond-haired men or I’d make you pay for your insolence.”

  He grinned at her joke then dimmed the lights.

  She stood, trying to prepare herself as much as possible for the attack. A moment passed and nothing happened. That wasn’t unusual. The program usually took a few seconds to get going.

  A slight movement above caught her attention. She dropped and rolled to her side in time to avoid the two-foot vulture that landed on the mat where she’d just been standing. It screeched, baring its sharp claws in her direction. It made a move to strike, but she jumped up and kicked at the claws.

  As she hoped, her sudden action startled her opponent long enough for her leap over the bird’s head. She landed behind it and quickly wrapped one of her hands around its beak then she grabbed its claws with her other hand. Forcing it to the ground, she stepped on its neck. It gave up in defeat and disappeared.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. First one down. The next would be coming soon.

  After several seconds, a slight breeze blew across the back of her neck. Before she could react, something grabbed her by the ankles. She gasped as she fell on the mat. She struggled to roll over so she could see her opponent. If she could see who was attacking her, it’d help her know how to defend herself.

  A cold hand gripped the back of her neck, pinning her to the mat. She tried to grab her attacker, but it was a futile effort since her hands only waved in the air. When she realized she wasn’t going to succeed in turning the fight around, she went limp and waited for the program to end.

  Soon, the program shut down, and her mysterious attacker was gone. She stood up and rubbed the base of her neck which was sore.

  “Okay, I give,” she said as Hathor left the control panel. “What was that one?”

  He handed her a towel so she could wipe the sweat off her face. “A Paler.”

  “Why would I be fighting a Paler? We’re allies with them.”

  “It’s a program from twenty years ago. While we’re at peace with them, you never know if something else will have the same fighting strategy. Palers are known for their sleek and quiet movements. They’re hard to detect in an attack, which is why they are perfect for this program.”

  “I guess so.”

  The last thing she wanted to do was fight anyone. Up to now, she had been able to enjoy a peaceful reign, and quite frankly, that suited her just fine. She wouldn’t mind it if all these lessons never needed to be used in real life.

  “What would you like to do now that we’re done with the lessons today?” Hathor asked.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled closer to him. “How about you let me know how good of a job I did?”

  His smile growing wider, he lowered his head and kissed her. She responded to him, deepening the kiss. As she did so, she couldn’t help but think that her life was perfect. She was the queen, Hathor was the king, and they already had a one-year-old daughter. She had the perfect life. She couldn’t imagine that anyone would ever come between them.

  But though she couldn’t imagine it, across the galaxies, someone from her past was hoping for that very thing.

  ***

  Location: an apartment in Cincinnati, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  Galaxy: Average

  William Nichols sat on his couch, trying to concentrate on the show playing on his TV. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. Ann Kerwin haunted him. Even after six years, he still remembered everything about her. He remembered her long dark hair, her blue eyes, her laughter, and her smile. She haunted his every waking moment.

  But she was gone. And no matter how hard he tried to put her behind him, he couldn’t. No one had been able to fill the void she’d left. Not his many girlfriends. Not his ex-wife Carol. No one.

  Ann Kerwin. The one who got away.

  Ann Kerwin. The one who followed her destiny to be a queen on a planet in a galaxy far away.

  He’d spent the past six years struggling to forget her, to push her memory aside, but her memory insisted on lingering in the back of h
is mind, refusing to let her go.

  Many times over the years, he’d recalled the last day he saw her. A Sphinx had taken her to Raz. A Sphinx! A creature that he thought had only belonged to mythology but had been right there in front of him, giving credibility to everything she’d told him about being the queen of another planet. He’d watched as she climbed up the Sphinx’s back and flew away.

  She’d waved to him as she left, and he’d wanted to return the gesture. But he couldn’t. And he couldn’t understand why until this very moment six years later as he was watching the same movie he’d shown her that day.

  What those other girlfriends and his ex-wife couldn’t give him, she could. Sure, she was on another planet. And yes, the notion of traveling to another world without the aid of a mythical creature was unheard of. But deep down, he could feel that their paths were destined to cross again. Somehow, someway, he’d see her again. And when he did, he wasn’t going to let her get away.

  ***

  Location: Outer space near Earth

  Galaxy: Average

  Passing through the stars was a small device. And not only was it small, but it remained undetected by those on Earth who were watching for foreign matter coming to the planet. This device had been released from Pale at the moment of Omin’s death.

  As this object passed through the galaxies over the course of two years, no one from Pale or Raz suspected a thing. Omin’s death hadn’t been the end. It had only been the beginning. Raz had selected an Earthling to be its queen for a reason. Somehow, Earth would be the key to fulfilling his alternate plan if the first one didn’t work….and it hadn’t.

  Now, the device was just about ready to be used. All it needed was a human desperate enough to unlock it. Having studied up on humans, Omin had been assured finding such a human would only be a matter of time.

  ***

  Location: Throne Room in the Royal Palace

  Planet: Raz

  The next day, Ann adjusted her crown as she sat on her throne.

  “Are you ready, my queen?” Hathor asked, putting his own crown on his head.

  She nodded. “Yep. Anytime you are.”

  With a bow, Hathor opened the doors to the throne room, ready to receive anyone who came to address a concern with her.

  She couldn’t help but chuckle. Even now, he was so formal around her. Well, he wasn’t when they were alone, but when it came to her duties as queen, he was every bit the professional.

  Part of her job as queen was to judge matters between those living on Raz, and she did this for several hours, four days a week. This happened to be one of her favorite duties since it gave her a chance to meet those she ruled over.

  On this particular day, she saw two centaurs approach Hathor.

  After they talked to him in low tones, he left them and approached her. He bowed before her then said, “My queen, Elam and Qual had an oral contract in which Elam promised to pay Qual 348 nems if Qual gathered enough hay to support Elam’s family for six months. Qual says he fulfilled his part of the deal and should be paid in full, but Elam argues Qual only gathered three months’ worth and should only be paid half the cost.”

  “Alright,” she replied. “I will call you when I’m ready to see them.”

  As he went back to notify the centaurs that she was aware of the problem, she picked up the book of Razian Laws and Customs from the pocket on the side of her throne and flipped to the section she needed. There was still a lot she needed to learn, and it seemed that each time she met with the Razians this way, she learned something new. She read through the section she needed and called to Hathor when she was done.

  He brought Elam and Qual up to her, and the centaurs bowed.

  “It’s good to see you,” she told him. “First, do you two agree to your oral agreement regarding that six months of hay was to be gathered in exchange for 348 nems?”

  They nodded their agreement.

  Now that they had established the terms were accurate, she asked, “Elam, do you have any proof of the amount of hay Qual gathered for you?”

  “I do not, Queen Ann. As soon as I told Qual that the amount of hay was not enough, he took his barrels back so I have not been able to get a third party to come in and do a formal review.”

  “Well, we will get that review for you now. Hathor, I need you to go out and check how much hay Qual gathered together.” She used her magic to produce the paper with her seal on it and handed it to him.

  He took the paper and bowed to her. “As you wish, my queen.” He then instructed the centaurs to follow him.

  Realizing she now had some time to herself, she stood up and went to the nursery that was adjacent to her and Hathor’s bedchamber. She would often sneak in special visits during the day to see her thirteen-month-old daughter, Katherine.

  Katherine’s maid jumped up from the rocking chair and bowed to her. “Good day, Queen Ann.”

  “Hi Naomi,” she said with a smile. “How are things going in here?”

  “Wonderful,” the woman replied. “Katherine has just finished her snack and is now resting in her crib.”

  “Oh, then I won’t disturb her.” She softly crept up to the crib and spied her daughter, sound asleep on the pink sheets. Her brown curls framed her angelic face. “They always look innocent when they’re sleeping, don’t they?”

  “Indeed, they do.” Naomi giggled. “I think children are meant to look this way so that we won’t be too hard on them when they test our patience.”

  “I’m glad you’re taking care of her. You do an excellent job.”

  “Why, thank you, Queen Ann.”

  “I heard you are expecting a grandchild in a month.”

  “Yes. I am getting more excited every day.”

  “I was thinking that it would be good for you to take a vacation and go visit your grandchild and your daughter’s family when the baby is born. Take as much time as you need.”

  “That is very generous of you.”

  “It’s nothing,” Ann said. “Hathor will take care of Katherine while you’re away.”

  “I will only be gone for two weeks.”

  “Will I be able to see pictures of your grandchild if I send you with a camera?”

  “Certainly! I am pleased you asked.”

  “I’m interested in your family,” Ann said. “You’re like a second mother to me.”

  Sometimes Ann couldn’t help but think about her own mother who’d died years ago. It had been especially painful to be without her when Katherine was born. The birth of a child seemed to the time when a daughter needed her mother. But she’d been fortunate, nonetheless. She had Hathor, and his mother had been there to lend support. Breaking out of her thoughts, she nodded to Naomi and quietly left the room.

  She returned to the throne room and waited for Hathor and the centaurs to arrive. Ten minutes passed before Hathor handed her the result of his review.

  She glanced up from it, so she could look at the centaurs. “According to the Razian Laws and Customs book, in order for Qual to gather six months’ worth of hay, the total amount of hay must weigh 170 crylos. Hathor measured the hay at 155 crylos. So that equals about 5 months’ worth of hay. There are two ways we can solve this. Either Qual gets paid for 5 months’ worth of hay or Qual can go gather one more month’s worth of hay.”

  “I will gather one more month’s worth of hay,” Qual suggested.

  “How does that sound?” she asked Elam.

  “It sounds good to me,” Elam agreed.

  “Good. Hathor will measure the hay when Qual is done, so come back with the rest of the hay when you are finished, okay Qual?” she asked.

  “I will do as requested,” Qual replied.

  She watched as the centaurs left the palace, seeming to be in a better mood than they had been before.

  “Once again, the queen acts wisely,” Hathor told her, a familiar twinkle in his eye.

  She grinned at him. “It helps to have a book on hand to tell me what to do.”
>
  “Don’t underestimate yourself. You’re doing great.”

  “You say that about everything I do, Hathor.”

  “That’s because it’s true.”

  He paused as if he wanted to say something but was afraid to, so she encouraged, “What is it?”

  “You’re just so beautiful. I don’t think Raz ever had a lovelier queen. I was just wondering, before someone else comes to see you… Can I kiss you?”

  Chuckling, she stood up and went over to him. She took his hands in hers and kissed him. “When you came to get me from Earth, didn’t you say the king could kiss the queen without her permission?”

  His face turned pink. “I guess when I see you in your gown and the crown’s on your head, I can’t help but think you’re the queen—the most important person on Raz—and you chose me, out of everyone you could have married, to be your king. I still can’t believe I’m here. With you.”

  Laughing, she hugged him. “Good grief, Hathor, I’m from Earth. You remember Earth. The boring planet in the boring galaxy where there’s no magic.” She gave him another kiss. “I might be the queen, but I’ll always be the same person I was before I came here. I’m just a regular person, like you.”

  “You’re the queen.”

  “Alright. I’m a regular person who happens to have been picked for an awesome job. But I did nothing out of the ordinary to deserve it. If you knew me before this whole queen thing popped up into my life, you wouldn’t be so shy around me.”

  “I doubt it. You’re incredibly beautiful.”

  Pleased, her smile grew wider. “Okay. I won’t ever turn down such a great compliment. But Hathor, you’re a great looking guy. Not only that, but you’re sweet and wonderful. There’s no one else I want to be with. Whether I was a queen or not, it wouldn’t matter. So, just think of me as a very beautiful woman who is just your wife.”