Dragon Guard Scholar - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,3
able to move around the palace and amongst the staff without any suspicion.”
“That makes sense,” Poppy added. “No one really pays any attention to me, unless I’m with the prince.”
“Of course, Poppy will stay to do her duties and pretend to train you,” Queen Sybil added.
“That’s great! Because I don’t know shit about babies,” Ginny chortled. “But don’t worry, I shouldn’t take too long. If you have a traitor in your midst here, then we can’t waste any time. I’ll sniff him out for you, lickety-split.” She gave herself a week to solve this case. Ten days, tops.
“It’s settled then,” the king said. “Rorik, please inform the rest of the guard of Ginny’s presence so they can assist her in any way possible.”
“Or just tell ’em to stay outta my way,” she snorted. “I work better alone.” And it was better that way. Working alone meant she could make decisions on the fly without having to consult a partner.
And if she was alone, no one else could get hurt.
After saying their goodbyes and the couple left the room, the king turned to Ginny. “I hope you are up to the task.”
“I’ll do my best, Your Majesty.”
Sybil clapped her hands together. “Oh, sorry, I was so excited, I didn’t introduce you properly.” She cleared her throat. “Aleksei, this is Ginny Russel. Ginny, this is my husband and mate, His Majesty, King Aleksei of the Northern Isles.”
“Your Majesty.” She bowed her head in deference. “An honor to meet you.” That’s what you said to royalty, right? She’d never met any king or queen in her life—well, not real ones anyway. She was pretty sure that guy with dreadlocks on that beach in Thailand wasn’t really royalty, even though he proclaimed himself king of the Phi Phi islands and invited her back to his palace–hut made of coconut palms.
“Ginny is actually from Blackstone and a friend of the family,” Sybil continued. “You were in Jason and Matthew’s graduating class, weren’t you, Ginny?”
“My younger brother Gabriel was,” she corrected. “I was in the year ahead.”
“Ah, right,” Sybil said.
“Ms. Russel, thank you for coming on such short notice,” King Aleksei said. “If there is anything we can do to assist your investigation, do let us know.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“But first, we must make the necessary preparations to keep your identity a secret.”
“I’ve arranged for your apartments in the staff wing of the palace. It’s not fancy, I’m afraid,” Sybil said.
“I don’t need to stay in a five-star hotel. I’m sure it’s fine. Besides, it’ll help me blend in better.”
“You can use this day to get settled in,” King Aleksei said. “I’ll arrange for you to meet with the rest of the Dragon Guard first thing tomorrow.”
“Dragon Guard?” she asked.
“They’re kinda like our Secret Service,” Sybil explained. “The man who was here with Poppy was their captain, Rorik.”
“Oh right.” Oops. Maybe I should have been nicer to him if he was the head of security.
“Let me call on one of them to escort you to your rooms,” King Aleksei said. “Excuse me.” He turned around and faced the windows.
“I’m going to call our head housekeeper to make sure everything’s ready for you. Have a seat.” Sybil led her to the living area, then walked over to the console table and picked up the phone. “This won’t take too long.”
“Awesome.” Ginny dropped her backpack on the floor and plopped down on the plush couch.
Seconds later, the door opened, and a figure appeared in the entryway. “King Aleksei, I’m here.”
Wow, that was fast. Ginny glanced behind her. The king didn’t even move an inch from where he stood. How did he call this guy?
When the newcomer stepped inside, his gaze immediately landed on her. “Oh, hello,” he greeted, a grin spreading over his face.
Oh, brother. She knew that look in his eyes, and she was not in the mood. Her lioness, on the other hand, eyed him warily, sensing another big predator in the room. You’re going to have to get used to that, she told her animal. This was a land of dragons, after all.
He stalked over to her, his tall, lean body moving languidly like a cat. “I think I recognize you.”
“You do, do you?” She crossed her arms over her chest and stared up at him. He was cute, she gave him that, though blond pretty boys weren’t her usual type. Not that she had time to entertain any type these days.
“Uh-huh.” He stared right back at her, amber eyes twinkling with amusement. “You look