Defending the Duchess. Rachelle McCalla

that she was escaping deliberately—not merely adrift on her way to the gym. “Catch her.”

      “She won’t get through the gates.” Linus predicted but ran for the door anyway. The queen’s little sister was an American in town on a visit. She wouldn’t know her way around the kingdom of Lydia and might get lost if she stepped out alone. Besides that, as the ambush on the royal family just over two months before had taught them, even the most beloved royals could become targets of criminal activity.

      Which was precisely why Julia needed a bodyguard.

      Linus caught sight of her at the back gate talking to the men in the guardhouse. They wouldn’t let her through without a guard. At the very least, they’d check with him before letting her pass.

      But as Linus sprinted across the cobblestones, he watched Julia’s sweet smile and fluttering eyelashes do their work.

      The pedestrian door swung open.

      Before Linus could quite recover from his shock, the duchess was through and the door slammed shut behind her.

      “What are you doing?” Linus challenged his fellow guards as he bounded up to the open window of the guardhouse.

      Galen, a sentinel who’d defied direct orders to save the lives of members of the royal family during the ambush two months before, looked at Linus without chagrin. “She’s the queen’s sister—”

      “I’m assigned to guard her.” Linus tugged on the pedestrian door.

      Locked.

      “Open this door.” He glared at Galen, and glanced past him to see that another guard was in the booth. Good. There would still be someone to cover the gate if he took Galen with him. “And come with me.”

      “Why?” Galen did as instructed and stepped out behind Linus.

      “We’ve got to find her.” Linus looked down the limestone street. The duchess had already disappeared. “Did she say where she was going?”

      “For a jog.”

      Linus let out a frustrated breath and wished he’d followed his instinct to set up a chair right outside the duchess’s suite. But that had felt too much like he was keeping her imprisoned. It still would have been better than having her lost in a foreign country. The woman could have gone in any direction.

      “You go that way.” Linus pointed toward the foothills. “I’ll head toward the beach.” He quickly checked his earpiece to be certain he and Galen could communicate with one another. If they were fast enough, they might catch up to the duchess quickly, but they were already wasting valuable time.

      As Galen headed uphill, Linus tore down the streets, slowing at each intersection to be certain Julia hadn’t taken a side road. He told himself that she couldn’t have gone far. It wasn’t as though she’d had that much of a head start. He was bound to catch up to her any moment.

      But as he passed one side street after another, Linus’s fear for Julia’s safety grew. What had she been thinking? The sun would be setting soon. He understood that she wasn’t used to having bodyguards—she’d already expressed embarrassment over the fuss of organizing the simplest outing—but she clearly didn’t appreciate that Lydia wasn’t entirely safe.

      Sure, the sunset looked peaceful as the gentle waves slapped against the pristine white sand beach, and Lydia’s crime rates had traditionally been among the lowest on earth, but that was before all the dangers of late. Julia’s sister, Monica, had been kidnapped and held hostage just over two months before. And while the man behind those crimes was now dead, that didn’t mean the royal family didn’t have to take precautions.

      Passing the last of the cobbled streets, Linus leaped over the boardwalk and sprinted downhill toward the beach. The sand was riddled with footprints—most of them pointed inland as folks who’d spent the afternoon on the shore returned home for the night. By this hour the beach was nearly deserted.

      To his left, the sand gave way to the docks of the Sardis marina. Yachts and sailboats floated peacefully between piers dotted with the occasional human figure, but none of them matched Julia’s slender frame. None were jogging.

      Linus turned right instead, where the shoreline bent around a jutting bluff, its craggy sides clutching the sandy shore with rutted furrows where children loved to play hide-and-seek. But as the sinking sun gave way to lengthening shadows, the hiding places took on a sinister cast. The duchess could easily disappear behind any of the protruding cliffs. He could pass right by her without even seeing her.

      What if she hadn’t gone this way at all?

      Increasing his pace, Linus raced the sinking sun and tapped the relay button on his earpiece. “Any sign of her?”

      “None. You?” Galen panted. His voice carried concern.

      “She’s not at the main beach. I’m headed toward the bluffs. Let me know if you spot her.”

      “Should we expand our search?”

      Linus checked a chasm between bluffs before answering. No sign of Julia there, either. Should they call for more guards to expand the search? The royal guard had cut loose several men who’d been associated with the former head of the royal guard who’d shot the former king.

      They were slowly rebuilding their ranks under the leadership of Jason Selini, the new head of the royal guard. But they couldn’t hire just anyone. Royal guardsmen were required to have served four years in the Lydian military. Besides that, after the trouble his predecessor had caused, Jason insisted on carefully vetting all new members of the guard beyond the standard background checks.

      Training new recruits took time. Jason had a vision for rebuilding the royal guard stronger than ever, but they weren’t there yet. Linus hated to call more men on a case when they were already shorthanded.

      And yet, what was that compared to Julia’s safety? Linus recalled the stories his grandfather had told him, of his days serving in the royal guard. Those men would do anything to protect the royal family. His grandfather’s stories had inspired him to become a guard. More than that, he wanted to make his grandfather proud.

      He knew what he needed to do.

      As he opened his mouth to instruct Galen to call for more guards, Linus cleared the tip of the farthest-protruding crag and caught a clear glimpse of the northward stretch of beach.

      A lone female figure ran stalwartly along the sand, her dark brown ponytail bobbing. Though the evening light was almost gone, Linus recognized the bright pink shorts and pale pink T-shirt Julia had been wearing when he’d watched her on the security screen.

      For the first time since she’d gone through the palace gate, he exhaled freely. “No need. I’ve spotted her. She’s jogging on the beach. I’ll catch up to her. You can meet up with us—we’re north of town where the beach access trails connect with Seaview Drive.”

      “I can be there in five minutes.”

      “Great.” Linus ended the transmission and focused on approaching the duchess without frightening her. Given the darkness and the isolated spot, she’d be startled if he suddenly bounded at her out of nowhere.

      He trotted closer until she’d be able to hear him if he called out to her.

      “Miss Miller!”

      Julia didn’t look back. In fact, she appeared to increase her pace. Was she trying to escape him? Maybe she was frightened at hearing a human voice on the isolated stretch of sand.

      “Miss Miller!” He was closer to her already. She had to have heard. “Miss Miller!”

      Her steps slowed and she turned back toward him, her brown eyes wide, her lips pursed, focused, questioning.

      Linus grinned with relief. She’d heard him. He’d get her back to the palace safe and sound. “Miss Miller, please.” He slowed down so she wouldn’t bolt away again, and called out so she could hear him in