It wasn’t that I needed that show of respect, nor did I really want it, but it felt odd to work with someone so new who treated me as if she’d known me forever. Selene came and went as she pleased, had a way of telling me something in a motherly fashion while still maintaining protocol. Apparently working with Tabitha was going to be a very different experience. Sighing, I shook my head and went into the room. When I shut the door I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.

My head was pounding, but it was probably from the stress. Stripping my clothes off, I made my way to the bathroom and felt my first smile in hours. The smell of lavender and the warm water went a long way to easing the tension in my neck and shoulders.

By the time the water was cold, I could barely hold my eyes open. Thankfully there was a fresh housecoat hanging on a hook from the door. I barely took the time to dry off before wrapping myself in the thick softness of the bathrobe. I shuffled to the bed and flopped onto the down comforter and was fast asleep before I realized I had closed my eyes.

It felt like it had been only moments when Max’s voice woke me. Groggily I looked at the clock in confusion. Why was he making so much noise at midnight? I scrubbed at my eyes and tucked the robe closer to my body. One leg was almost frozen because I hadn’t taken the time to climb under the blankets. Sitting up, I pulled the robe tight and looked around my temporary room. There was a small clock sitting on the bedside table and I blinked. The little red dot on the side said it was p.m., not a.m.

“For the love of all that is holy!” I jumped out of bed and dashed across the room to yank the door open. “Why did you let me sleep so late? How is Selene?”

My eyes scanned the room for Tabitha but landed on David instead. He was sitting on the small sofa with a book perched on his leg, but his eyes were trained on me. It was in that moment that I realized I was still wearing a bathrobe that was barely held shut by the loose belt.

“Good morning.” His deep voice sent goose bumps over my skin. Everything in the room seemed to disappear, and for a moment it was just the two of us staring at each other.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Hi,” Chadwick piped up from his seat at the dining room table. His laptop was open and he shot a smile over the screen. “Nice to see you too.”

“Chadwick! Why did you let me sleep so late?” I started to put my hands on my h*ps as I glared at him, but thought better of it. Instead I pulled my belt a little tighter and glared at my friend.

“I was instructed to let you recuperate after your trying day.” He stressed the one word in such a way that it became a language of its own.

“Where is she?” I looked around the room for Tabitha but she was nowhere to be seen.

“I believe she’s taken it upon herself to contact your appointments and reschedule. She’s also sent a message to Samantha.”

“She what?” My voice dropped to a whisper and I could feel my temper brewing just under the surface. “Why? Why would she bother Sam?”

“She just wanted to alert the princess of the unfortunate events.” Chadwick raised an eyebrow. “Of course, Sam and Alex were ready to come back to help out, but I’ve made them promise to wait until they could speak with you directly.”

“Is that why you’re here?” My eyes shot from Chadwick to David and back.

“Well, partly.” Chadwick shrugged. “David and I were worried about Selene . . . and you.” He closed his laptop gently. “And I wanted to have a talk with Tabitha about contacting my charges directly. That’s against protocol.”

“There is a protocol for who can contact Sam?” David asked from his seat. He had closed his book and was watching the exchange between Chadwick and me with interest.

“Yes. All correspondences should be delivered through me or my staff. Tabitha should know this.” Chadwick leaned back in his chair. “I’ve never said anything before, but she’s—”

“Overzealous?” I sighed. The last thing I needed right now was an assistant who couldn’t manage her job. Trying to find another that I could trust during a time like this would be nearly impossible. “I was going to call Alex today. He’s known Selene longer than I have and figured that he would want more information. There was no need for her to upset either of them on their honeymoon.”

“Especially considering how recently Sam lost her father,” David spoke up. “I know she seems tough, but she’s sensitive.”

“We know,” Chadwick and I responded at the same time.

“I forget that she’s been here for so long. It still seems weird that she is royal. You guys got to see the transformation firsthand. For me, she’ll always be the girl that got crapped on by a vulture.” David shrugged.

“Sam got crapped on by a vulture?” I laughed loudly. “Oh, now that’s a story I need to hear.”

“I’ll save it for our date.” He smiled at me and my knees went a little wobbly. It didn’t sound like he was upset about our date. “Whenever you’re ready for one, that is.”

Oh, I was ready. Until I remembered Selene and the help she would need. “It might have to be pushed back a little.”

“You two are a little disgusting, you know that?” Chadwick said. “I think I might drown in the pheromones floating around. And your scheduled interlude is not going to need to be pushed back.” Only he would be able to get away with such a comment without getting sacked. “I spoke with the doctors this morning and Selene is doing very well. She’s sleeping a lot, but they expect her to heal quickly. And if you think you’re going to be nursing her back to health, think again. I’ve seen how you cook, and your chicken noodle soup would land her back in the hospital.”