Royal Hearts Read online

  But if William got his way and she chose him, then that would disturb future events. Hathor would still fulfill his role and bring her to Raz, but he would be bringing William with her. The realization made him cringe. She was too good for William. The queen of Raz deserved someone who could honor her. More than that, Ann deserved someone who could love her for who she was instead of what she could give him.

  He wanted to tell her everything, but he had been warned not to. She had to be ready. But even so, he kept wondering if there was a part of her—buried somewhere deep—that remembered something about him and the life they’d shared on Raz. Surely, there had to be an echo from their past that told her this wasn’t right, that she didn’t belong here anymore. Or, perhaps, it was wishful thinking.

  ***

  William glanced at Carson as they played a computer game in his bedroom. It was fun to watch Carson lose. William had had more practice since he had played it for years, but Carson didn’t know that. To Carson, William was a natural winner.

  Carson had been so smug, so sure of himself all of his life. He was better in school, better with getting girls, better in sports. Carson excelled in everything he ever tried, which was why William had planned to put a wedge in his relationship with Lisa in the past.

  It had been a month after Ann went to Raz, and William was sick and tired of watching Carson and Lisa, the happy couple, going out all the time. Once again, he was left with nothing while everyone around him got exactly what they wanted. It was so unfair. Carson had everything. It wasn’t his girlfriend who left for another planet, destined to rule there.

  William figured it was time to wipe that annoying smirk off of Carson’s face. So he planted a rumor here and a rumor there. He worked his way subtly through their mutual friends, never coming out and saying anything but offering little tidbits of gossip. And it worked. Within three months, they broke up.

  For once, Carson understood what it was like to lose something. For once, they actually had something in common. But his plan had backfired because Carson found out what happened and never talked to him again. He had the nerve to say William wasn’t his friend. William rolled his eyes. Carson always believed the world was full of good things, that everything was fair and nice to everyone. William was only showing him that it wasn’t. If anything, Carson should have thanked him for the lesson he’d taught him.

  Just thinking of Carson’s ungratefulness in the past compelled him to win another round of the game.

  Carson sighed and stood up. “I’m tired of this game. Can we do something else?”

  Why? Can’t you handle the fact that I’m better at something than you? William thought. “What do you want to do?” he asked Carson, his expression void of any emotion.

  Carson walked over to the couch and sat down. “Why did you show up at Lisa’s today?”

  “What?”

  “Look, I promised myself I wasn’t going to bring this up, but it’s been bothering me all night. You already knew that Ann was seeing someone else, and I trusted you enough to tell you that Lisa was going to meet him so that Ann could get Lisa’s opinion about him. Since you’re my best friend, I told you what was going on, and I told you I was going to tell you what Lisa said. I had you covered. But then you showed up as if it was a coincidence. I think Ann saw right through it. You might have just blown whatever chance you had with her.”

  William bit his tongue to keep from saying anything inappropriate. He didn’t appreciate the lecture from Mr. Perfect. But Carson was probably right. Ann might choose Hathor now, especially since Hathor told her he and William already met.

  “I want to see you get a girl who’ll treat you right for a change,” Carson continued. “I’m on your side.”

  William forced himself not to laugh at the comment.

  When he didn’t respond, Carson asked, “Don’t you have anything to say?”

  “I screwed up,” he finally replied, trying a tactic that he hadn’t used before.

  His friend blinked in surprise. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting a confession.

  “I’m sure she won’t see me tomorrow,” William said. “I had a good thing going and I ruined it. I guess I just wanted to see how Hathor and Ann looked together. You know, to see if they were serious or not. I was stupid.”

  “Hey, I didn’t mean to come down on you so hard. It’s easy to make a mistake like that. I’ll tell you what, I’ll explain everything to Lisa and she’ll call Ann and tell her how sorry you are.”

  “No. I don’t deserve it. Ann should have someone who’s going to be honest with her.”

  “And that is what you’re being. I’ll work things out for you. You’ll see.”

  As Carson picked up the phone to talk to Lisa, William grinned. Carson was so easy to manipulate. Too bad Ann wasn’t quite as easy. She was turning out to be more difficult than he’d planned. He figured it would be easy to get her. All he had to do was pour on the charm and tell her what she wanted to hear. Then she would fall in love with him and take him to Raz where he would be a king. The plan was so simple. It was supposed to work. Until Hathor intervened. William couldn’t believe the audacity of the Razian. Hathor had had his time to be with her and rule with her on Raz. Why couldn’t he let someone else have a turn?

  While Carson was busy talking to Lisa, William pulled open a drawer in his desk and saw the strange device that had given him his second chance. He didn’t know who sent it or why, and he didn’t care. Instinctively, he knew that he had to make sure no one found the thing. If anyone tampered with it, he might end up back in the future he had just come from, and he’d had enough of that misery to last him several lifetimes. As long as Hathor didn’t get his hands on this device, he should still have a chance of getting Ann. Then his life would finally be complete.

  ***

  After the movie, Hathor and Ann went out to eat at a fast food restaurant. All of this was new to him as well, although he had eaten at one such place in the mall. He’d eaten the rest of his Earth meals in the campus cafeteria.

  “I hope you don’t mind tacos,” she said as she parked the car. “I especially love soft tacos.”

  “Soft tacos?”

  “One of their tacos,” she explained as she took the key out of the ignition. “The hard shell tacos are good, too. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just that with soft shells, I don’t have to worry about the shell falling apart while I’m eating.”

  “What’s a taco?” He asked the question before he had time to think about it. He was desperately trying not to give his true identity away, but he was so used to being able to discuss anything with her that it was natural to ask her about Earth-related things.

  She turned to him and laughed. “Everyone knows what a taco is. It’s as common as a hamburger. Just what kind of place did you come from?”

  He looked away. He knew she meant it as a joke, but the comment stung. Was this how she felt when he assumed she should know something about Raz that she didn’t?

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Hathor, will you forgive me?”

  The sincerity in her voice made him look back at her. He knew she hadn’t meant to be mean. She was just surprised. Someone from Earth would know what a taco was because it was common on this world.

  “Of course,” he replied, reaching for her hand. It was something he often did when she was troubled, but it was different this time. He wasn’t touching her as a queen. He was touching her as someone equal to him.

  She blushed and smiled. “Thank you. I don’t make it a habit of sticking my foot in my mouth, but sometimes I slip up.”

  He returned her smile.

  “So, are you ready to try your first taco?” she asked. “I think you’ll like it.”

  He nodded. If she liked it, then he had no doubt he would, too.

  They left the car and walked into the place.

  He examined his surroundings, just as he did at the movie theater when they first got there. Was Omin’s clone here, watching them
? No doubt the clone would assume the identity of a human in order to blend in. But Hathor didn’t see any human who looked suspicious.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. It looked as if she was still safe. He was hoping that they could continue their date without having to face Omin’s clone. He was enjoying his time with her. He had missed her so much. For tonight at least, he didn’t want to be her protector. He simply wanted to be her companion.

  He ordered the same thing she did. After they sat down at a booth, he tried his first taco and found that it was delicious after all. Surprisingly, Earth wasn’t as dull as he’d originally thought. Between the varieties of food, the entertaining movie, and many stores, humans had plenty to enjoy.

  “I don’t know how well you know William, but I just met him,” she said.

  The mention of William’s name brought his attention back to her.

  “Lisa and Carson introduced us the weekend before I met you, so it’s not like I’ve been seeing him for a long time or anything,” she said. “I just didn’t want you to get the impression that we were serious.”

  He put his half-eaten taco down. “I know of William more than I actually know him. I have only talked to him once.”

  “So you’re not friends with him?”

  “Are you kidding? He’s the last person I’d be friends with.” The comment came out before he could stop it.

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Is he really that bad?”

  How much could he tell her without coming off as negative? It seemed there was a fine line between the truth and scaring her away by revealing too much. She wasn’t used to concepts like time travel, magic, or life on other planets. She’d forgotten all that stuff.

  “It’s hard to explain,” he finally said. “Let’s just say that he’s not my favorite person.”

  “Hmm… It seems that a lot of people have been telling me that.”

  He leaned forward. “They have?”

  “Well,” she began, “first there was Lisa. She’s the one who fixed me up with him, but she’s regretting it now because she said he’s changed. She even said that Carson says he’s different than he used to be, and Carson has been his best friend for years. I don’t know how it’s possible he’s changed so fast, but apparently he has.” She shook her head. “I guess something just seems wrong somehow.”

  His ears perked up. Maybe she did remember the future on a subconscious level. Maybe going back in time hadn’t completely wiped her memory as Omin’s clone and William had hoped. “Do you have any idea what that something is?”

  She chuckled. “This is going to sound stupid. I mean, there’s no way it can be possible.”

  “Maybe it’s not as stupid as you think. What is it?”

  “Well, I guess it doesn’t add up. Carson said William had no plans of going to Florida or even going to college. But when I met William, he said he was doing both, and I happen to be moving there. It just seems like it’s more than a coincidence. Then there’s other stuff. I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.” She chuckled. “Listen to me. I sound paranoid, don’t I? I promise, I’m not.”

  “I know you’re not,” he replied. “You’re just listening to your instinct. If something is telling you to be wary, you should listen to it.” He really hoped she would listen to it. It might be the thing that would save her.

  “I told you she’d be here,” someone said.

  He glanced over his shoulder and saw Stacey with another teenage girl heading their way.

  “Oh, hi.” Turning to Hathor, Ann said, “You know Stacey. This is Teresa. Teresa, this is Hathor.”

  “Hathor? That’s an unusual name,” Teresa replied.

  “I think it’s cool,” Stacey added.

  Ann shot him an amused grin then asked them, “What’s up?”

  “I was wondering if you could let me see your notes from English Lit,” Teresa said. “I’ve been trying to reach you, but you’ve been impossible to get a hold of lately.”

  After a moment, Ann’s face lit up. “My notes are at home, but I can go over to your house tomorrow to drop them off.”

  “Aren’t you busy tomorrow?” Teresa asked.

  Stacey nudged Teresa in the side, and Teresa’s face turned red.

  Hathor guessed they were aware that Ann had made plans to see William the next day and Stacey was trying to warn Teresa not to let him know about it.

  “We have a test on Monday,” Ann told Stacey. “If Teresa needs those notes, then she’ll need them tomorrow, and since I haven’t had time to study for the test, I think it would be fun to study with her.”

  Stacey seemed confused for a moment but nodded. “In that case, it’s a good thing we found you here. Sorry to interrupt your date though.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Hathor replied, his spirits lifted now that he knew Ann wasn’t going to see William tomorrow.

  Teresa excused herself to go to the restroom.

  “I asked her to wait until you got home, but she’s been panicking since this afternoon because she lost her notes,” Stacey said. “I told her you were on a date and everything, but you know how she gets when she’s upset.”

  “Yeah. Nothing stops her.” Ann grinned. Glancing at Hathor, she shrugged, “Some things work out at the right time I guess.”

  He returned her smile. It seemed that she had made her choice, and he was glad she’d done it on her own, without having to be told William was bad news. That made things much easier.

  “Hathor, do you know anyone that Teresa can go out with? I meant to ask Kent, but I forgot,” Stacey said.

  “I’m sorry,” Hathor replied. “I’m still new to the area, and Kent’s the only one I know. Kent knows a lot of people though. He’s involved in almost every activity there is on the campus.”

  “He’s quite the people person, huh?” Ann asked. “I wouldn’t have guessed it. He seemed so shy the other day.”

  “Just around girls he likes.” He winked at Stacey.

  Stacey beamed. “He’s a great guy.”

  “You two make a good couple,” Ann said.

  Teresa came back. “Okay, I’m ready to go. I’m sorry I interrupted you two, but if I don’t do well on this test, I may not get the A I’ve been hoping for. Right now, I’m between an A and a B, and a B will bring down my grade point average and make it harder for me to get the scholarship I’m going to apply for.”

  “It’s no problem, Teresa,” Ann assured her. “I’ll call you before I go to your house tomorrow.”

  “Great. See you around,” Teresa said.

  “And you’ll give me a call, right, Ann?” Stacey asked.

  “Sure.” As soon as they were gone, Ann turned her attention back to Hathor. “She wants to know all the details about William now. There’s something you should know about girls. We love to gossip.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy about this,” Hathor admitted.

  “Well, I’m relieved. Now I can cancel my date with William tomorrow, and when I tell him why, I won’t be lying. Anyway, I’m tired of talking about him. Let’s get on with our date.”

  He was more than glad to put William behind them. Thankfully, William’s plans hadn’t interrupted the time line. Hathor’s future with her and the life of their daughter were secure.

  They continued eating, and by the time she drove to the visitor’s parking lot, there was just enough time for her to drive home so she’d be there when her parents told her to be.

  “I wish tonight could have gone on forever,” he said.

  He didn’t want to spend another night without her. He never realized he’d taken it for granted she’d allowed him to her bed every night when they were on Raz. He especially wanted to make love to her now that she had gotten William completely out of her life. But he had to remind himself that she had forgotten the last six years of her life. That being the case, he had to wait.

  “I had a good time,” she told him. She paused for a moment then added, “You know, this campus isn’t too fa
r from Teresa’s house. If you’re not doing anything tomorrow afternoon, I could always stop by to say hi.”

  The thought of seeing her the next day took the edge off of saying good-bye tonight. “You can stop by whenever you want. Just give me a call and let me know when to expect you. Then I’ll meet you here.”

  “Okay. I’ll do that.”

  He leaned over to kiss her. He’d missed kissing her, but this time he didn’t feel like he needed her permission as he had at other times.

  She smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

  He smiled back and got out of the car. As always, it was hard to watch her go. He glanced up at the sky. Somewhere out there was Raz.

  His heart ached to go back, but he didn’t know how to get there in the future. He couldn’t go back in this time. Raz wasn’t ready to accept Ann as its queen. But he’d find a way back somehow. Then all would be right again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Present day

  Mount Olympus

  Planet: Olympia

  Hades and Persephone brought the three Palers with them to the Ivory Palace, and on the way there, Falon expressed his appreciation to Jaz and Lino for coming to his aid.

  “It was no big deal,” Jaz said. “As soon as Hades found out we were on a mission to find Queen Ann, he set you free. Apparently, Queen Ann has a tremendous influence on this planet.”

  “I’m still honored that you took the risk. You didn’t know what was going to happen,” Falon replied.

  “You’re our friend, and we weren’t going to abandon you when you needed us,” Lino replied.

  They reached the entrance of the palace, and Hades opened the door without waiting to be summoned in. “I have the Sands of Time,” he called out.

  The others followed him, and Jaz watched as Hades placed the hourglass on the glass table.