Atlantis Betrayed

and steering her toward the exit, following the crowd of media still shouting questions at Fairsby.

“No, but—”

“Mine does. That’s how I knew you were there, outside the door of the jewels room before the guard opened the door. Trust me, that man is not strictly human.”

She pulled free of his arm and headed for the gate. That was the problem, of course. Trusting him. Blackmail and wild sex did not make a terrific foundation for trust.

Ahead of them, Fairsby reached the street and slid into the backseat of his car, which immediately pulled away from the curb. The reporters took several final photographs and then turned around, almost as one, to face the Tower gate.

The Tower gate she was walking through.

Damn.

The first one recognized her and it was all over.

“Lady Fiona! Lady Fiona Campbell! Over here, Lady F,” the lead photographer shouted, aiming his enormous camera at her.

At them, she realized, panic sweeping through her. She was about to be captured on film with Christophe. For all she knew, he could be a wanted fugitive.

“What are you doing here? Were you here for the press conference? What do you think? Are you going to write a book about the Scarlet Ninja?”

As they barraged her with questions, she tried to edge away from Christophe, but he was having none of it. He put his arm around her shoulders and grinned at the journalists. She gritted her teeth around a smile.

“I was just here showing my friend the sights, when we happened to see the crowd gathering,” she said, as politely as she could manage. “Was that a press conference?”

The whirring of cameras sounded like a horde of locusts attacking, and she fought to remain calm. Publicity was the very last thing in the world she wanted at this moment.

“Who’s the guy? Is this a new man in your life?”

“No,” she said.

“Yes, definitely,” Christophe said, flashing that sexy smile of his.

Two female journalists and one male in the front row nearly swooned.

“I’m going to kill you,” Fiona murmured, smiling for the press.

“I get that a lot.”

Of course, their different answers sent the reporters into a feeding frenzy.

“Who are you, anyway?”

“Are you Scottish, too?”

“Are you an author?”

“How long have you been together?”

“You can call me Christophe,” her partner drawled. “Not Scottish, not an author. Just Fiona’s bodyguard. Those kids at book signings can get kind of frisky, can’t they, darlin’?”

He winked, as if sharing a great joke with the crowd, and they ate it up. Stupid charming man. Fiona shuddered to think of what the morning papers would be like.

More questions flew at them, this time mostly directed to Christophe. Fiona tried moving him along, but the fool was enjoying it.

“We haven’t known each other long, but it was love at first sight, wasn’t it, sweetheart?”

Her face went hot, and from the intensifying sound of the cameras clicking, the photographers caught it all.

“Christophe is just having a bit of a laugh. We’re only just friends. Thank you all, but we’ve got to be moving along.”

When the crowd showed no sign of dispersing, she came up with an inspired idea. “Of course, I’d be glad to talk about my new book, The Forest Fairies. I first thought of the idea for the book when—”

As if she’d sprinkled a little fairy dust herself, the reporters magically found other things they’d rather be doing. Amazing how interviewing an author about her book wasn’t nearly as interesting as murder and mayhem.

“We’re leaving. Now.” She marched toward the street, texting Sean to meet them.

“Whatever you say, Princess.”

“If you call me that again, I’ll let Hopkins shoot you.”

He laughed all the way to the car.

* * *

Campbell Manor

Fiona had never been so glad to return to her home. After the painfully long drive in the Saturday afternoon traffic, during which she’d done her best to ignore Declan’s chattering and Christophe’s responses, she practically flew out of the car.

As usual, Hopkins was standing in the doorway. “Anything you wish to tell me? Shall I offer my congratulations, perhaps?” His usual dry tone dripped frost.

“Funny. Did you see the press conference?”

He moved to let her pass by him into the house, then shut the door behind them, right in Christophe’s face. “Yes. I also saw the bit where your new partner claimed the two of you were in love. Shall I serve lunch or retrieve the Glock first?”

She sighed. “I don’t know what we can do, so long as he has blackmail material on me. We—”

The door opened, and Christophe sauntered in. “I guess you didn’t see me,” he said to Hopkins. “I’ll give you a free pass this time, but don’t let it happen again.”

Hopkins looked at her. “Definitely the Glock.”

“How about lunch? I’m starving,” Declan said, following Christophe inside. “Hey, why are we standing in the hallway? Let’s get some food. I’m off to get cleaned up, back in a jif.” He bounded up the stairs, and Fiona spared a moment to wish she had some of his energy. She felt as if she’d been up for days.

“Indeed.” Hopkins led the way to the dining room and then vanished, presumably to find something for a late lunch. At the thought, Fiona’s stomach rumbled a little. She hadn’t been hungry for the pastries and fruit they’d had that morning, due to pre-book signing nerves, and was surprised to be hungry now.

Someone claiming to be her had murdered those guards. “Brutally murdered,” Lord Fairsby had said. The room suddenly spun around her and she stumbled, only to find a firm arm around her back.

“Are you okay? You need to eat and have something to drink,” Christophe said quietly. “You may be dehydrated.”

“No. No, I’m not okay. I’m not dehydrated. I’m thinking about those men. How can you joke about love and lunch and whatever, when somebody killed them? Brutally murdered, he said. Somebody claiming to be me.” Her chest was so tight. Too tight. Why was it so hard to breathe?

“Not somebody claiming to be Lady Fiona. Someone claiming to be the Scarlet Ninja,” he said. “Nobody else knows that’s you.”

“Except you, and you’ve already proven you’re capable of using it against me,” she said, yanking her arm away from his hand. “Do you think that makes me feel safe?”

His lips tightened and his eyes turned to green ice. “My apologies for that bit of foolishness. I give you my word—no. I give you my oath, as a Warrior of Poseidon, that I will not betray your secret.”

“Your oath?” She shook her head. “I don’t even know you. Why should I trust your oath? What’s a Warrior of Poseidon, anyway?”

“I have been the victim of betrayal, Princess,” he said, so softly she had to strain to hear. “I would never turn that anguish on another.”

Hopkins chose that moment to pop his head out from the door to the kitchen. “Tea will be served in a few minutes. I shall serve, since I gave the staff the entire weekend off, due to our new circumstances. Do you have any preferences?”

The pain on Christophe’s face vanished as if she’d imagined it, and he grinned at Hopkins. “How about some of those little cakes?”