Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 117(@200wpm)___ 93(@250wpm)___ 78(@300wpm)
The silence was deafening. When the quiet stretched, she finally turned around to look at him. He was studying her in an odd way. “What?” She was suddenly self-conscious. Why was he staring at her like that?
“Where’s your tattoo?”
What a weird question. Why would he think she had one? “What tattoo are you referring to? I don’t have any.”
“The royal tattoo. All members of the royal family have one so that they’re identified properly.”
Paris spread her arms out and twirled around for his benefit. “See? No tattoos.”
He leapt off the bed and grabbed her shoulders. Zahn examined her body thoroughly as if she were an insect under a telescope. Then he backed away from her as if he’d been burned. “Who are you?”
Chapter
Eight
“Are you finally ready to listen to me?” she asked softly as she took a seat on the edge of the bed.
Zahn took several steps backward, putting as much distance between them as possible. He couldn’t trust himself being so close to her. Not after what they’d done together…or what he’d done to her.
He hung his head. “Say what you need to say. I’ll listen.”
“As I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m not London. Twenty years ago, my mom took my sister to see the doctor and left me with a babysitter. They never returned. They’d disappeared without a trace. I was raised in the foster system until I aged out.”
He furred his brows in confusion. “Foster system? What is that?”
“It’s basically a state run system where children are raised in by appointed guardians. Those guardians usually receive a stipend from the state to care for the foster child. Some of the homes I lived in were okay, some bad, but I survived. I definitely wasn’t raised a princess. I can understand why you would mistake me for London because we’re identical twins.”
“Twins? As in you share the same face?”
“Yes, aren’t there twins on your planet?”
“I have heard of the concept on other planets but Thibian women are only capable of birthing one child at a time but it seems Earth women can produce more.”
“Yes, the record is ten I believe but that’s with artificial drugs, but there are records of women giving natural birth to identical quintuplets. Anyway, that’s beside, the point. You mistook me for my twin. And you say she ran off despite being engaged to you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, considering how you tend to act first and ask questions later, I can see why. I don’t have a lot of memories of my sister, because we were separated when we were really young. But I always took her lead. She was very spirited. I can’t imagine her wanting to be with someone as strong-willed as you.”
He flinched at her assessment. Zahn could admit how arrogant he’d been when it came to Paris, and to some extent London.
She’d been telling the truth all along. It explained so much— the beauty mark, the shorter hair, and the fire within her that hadn’t been there before. And it also explained the way she excited him like his betrothed never had.
London—no, Paris sat on the bed, her hands folded in her lap.
Shame coursed through his entire being. He’d arrogantly allowed his pride to block him from listening to her when she’d protested. And because of that, he’d defiled this innocent woman. “I… I don’t know what to say… Paris.”
“Is there anything to say? What’s happened is done and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Zahn paced the room. The only thing to do was return her to where he’d gotten her, but part of him rebelled against the idea. She was now a part of him. When they’d made love, she touched something within him he didn’t think possible. Having experienced what they’d shared, there was no way he could settle for a lukewarm marriage with London. He just couldn’t see that happening.
He clenched his fists at his sides and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to, but he had to ask. It would be the honorable thing to do.
“Paris, do you wish to return to Earth? The story you told me is uh… quite extraordinary. I never knew the princess was a twin. Everyone knew she was adopted but — it’s amazing how like her in looks you are.”
Paris shrugged one elegant shoulder. “Well, we are identical twins. It happens.”
“Yes, of course. As I said before, twins are not a Thibian phenomenon so it didn’t occur to me that there were two of you. What I’m trying to say is, if you don’t want to go back to Earth, maybe you’d like to see your mother. The queen is a good woman. It is widely known how she loves her children. I’m sure she would want to see you.”
Paris seemed to perk up at the idea. “See my mother?”
“Yes, I can take you to her if you’d like.”