Chapter 1
Everything is too loud, there’s a hole in the side of their home and Kate is staring at the wreckage of their house. “Daddy!” She screams, head whipping around, eyes burning from the dust. “Daddy!”
There’s no answer and Kate’s gut twists as she maneuvers the rubble. Her heart beats hard in her ears as she climbs over a piece of marble, scuffing her hands on the ragged edge. “Daddy!” She shouts once more, shoe catching on a piece of the ceiling causing her little body to hit the ground.
She coughs as a cloud of dust surrounds her, eyes squinting as she does her best to keep going. She’s halfway down the main hall when she hears it. Loud shouting that sounded just like her father.
Kate zeros in on her father’s voice, tumbling through the hallway until she comes to her father’s office pushing the door open to find three men in bright red tracksuits surrounding her father’s desk.
“Katherine, get out of here!” Her father shouts from behind his desk, his arms tied down, his face swollen and bloodied.
“Daddy!” She yelps, ducking when a large man lumbers toward her. “How can I help you?”
“Find your mother and get out of here!” Her father replies, struggling against his restraints. “You leave my daughter alone, this is between us!”
“A rotten king and his spoiled princess, the boss would be delighted to have both of your heads,” one of the men says and it makes Kate’s heart sink. They were going to kill them both. “Get the little brat!”
Kate hesitates only to look at her father who shares a look that says more than it should and she finally starts to run. She only focuses on finding a safe place to hide, ditching her pursuer pretty quickly. As Kate tucks herself into a secret cubby, she hears a loud bang, and her whole body turns to ice.
Kate wakes with a start, chest heaving as she scrubs the tears from her cheeks. She hates nights like this. “Fuck’s sake,” she mumbles, raking a hand through her mess of hair. She sighs softly, eyes trained on the foot of the bed as her body comes back to life. She swears she can smell the stink of explosives, feel the thick layer of dust against her skin.
As if on cue there is a soft knock on the door followed by the silky voice of her bodyguard, Yelena. “May I come in, Miss Bishop?” She asks, her Russian accent curling around every word.
And just like someone had cranked up the heater, Kate thaws out and answers with a quiet, “yes” as she settles against the pillows.
Yelena comes in, her usual suit now replaced by shorts that leave little to the imagination and a baggy t-shirt that hangs off of her lithe frame just right. Her golden locks are free from their usual ponytail, left to curl around Yelena’s chiseled jaw.
The goddess in human skin moves to settle at the end of the bed, folding her legs underneath her as she sits. “Are you alright?”
Kate chuckles at that, the sound coming out a little sadder than she means. “How do you always know?”
“Sixth sense,” Yelena smiles, tapping her temple. “I just had a feeling you needed company, I guess.”
Kate pauses for a moment to absorb that information before she just flops against her pillows. “I had the dream again,” she admits with a soft sigh.
Yelena makes a small sound in reply as she rests her elbows on her knees. “I am sorry, Miss Bishop.”
“Yelena,” Kate huffs, lifting her head to fake glare at the young bodyguard. “How many times do I need to tell you to just call me Kate?”
“At least once more,” Yelena replies smoothly, a slight smirk on her lips as she leans her chin in her hand.
“You stubborn, stubborn woman,” Kate grins, shaking her head as she reaches for her phone. It was four in the morning and she had about three hours until she needed to be up and ready for a day of too much responsibility.
“I am not stubborn,” the blonde hums, shifting so she can lounge across the end of the bed, the movement reminding Kate of the cat she had at six years old. “I am simply polite to my superior.”
“Ugh, I am not your superior,” Kate groans, tossing the phone back on the end table. “Please just call me Kate.”
“I have a compromise,” Yelena smiles, a small yawn sneaking from her lips. “May I call you Miss Kate?”
Kate lets out a soft sigh but relents, patting the spot next to her, eyes pleading for her friend/bodyguard/secret crush, to come and try to sleep with her. “Fine, but only if you come up here.”
“Fine, but only because you have had a rough night,” Yelena replies before shifting on the bed, crawling her way up to lay next to Kate. “Is this better?”
Kate smiles, reaching over to take one of Yelena’s hands in her own, eyes starting to feel heavy once more. “Much better,” she yawns, tucking her head into the pillow happily.
“Sweet dreams, Miss Kate,” Yelena murmurs, settling against the pillows as well, doing her best not to disturb Kate.
“Goodnight, Lena.”
Kate sighs softly as she stares at her reflection in the mirror, makeup brush held steady in her hand. She hides the dark circles that hang heavy under her eyes with a quick swipe and some blending, bringing a little life back to her exhausted face. The rest is a matter of habit, blush and highlighter, bronze and contour, light shadow on the eyes and simple liner. Everything as close to perfection as she can manage, perhaps today her mother would not point out a single flaw.
“If only miracles were real,” she snorts, cracking a smile at the mirror before she moves away to find an outfit for the day.
She paws through hung up sets until landing on a cream colored two piece suit with a pencil skirt, one of the few that she doesn’t mind wearing. She’s sure her mother will find something to complain about but she pushes that thought off to the side as she pulls on the outfit. She smooths the fabric out, glancing in the full length mirror for a moment before moving on to jewelry.
Kate picks a set with matching earrings, a necklace and tennis bracelet, one her mother gifted her for her birthday two years ago. Once everything is settled, she runs a brush through her hair, pulls it half up and shoves her feet into a pair of heels that match her outfit.
She turns toward the dog bed next to her own bed, finding her golden retriever lounging on his many pillows. “Are you ready for the day, Lucky?”
She receives a soft bark as a reply as the dog moves from his bed, tail wagging lazily. Kate smiles softly and ruffles his ears before grabbing his leash from the hook by the door and a treat from the jar on her vanity.
“Sit,” she commands softly, praising him when he does, offering him the biscuit before leashing him. “Let’s go!”
Kate pulls the door open, unsurprised to find the strong back of her bodyguard when she does. “Morning, Yelena.”
“Good morning, Miss Bish—uh, Miss Kate,” Yelena stumbles out, shifting to offer Kate her arm.
Kate takes the offered arm with a shy smile, feeling silly as she blushes. “When did you leave?”
“I woke up about an hour before your alarm,” Yelena replies as they take the stairs down. “I needed to be ready before you.”
Kate nods at that knowing that even though Yelena was meant to be her friend, Yelena’s first job was to protect Kate.
“I’m sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night,” Kate murmurs, flashes from the dream going through her mind.
“You do not have to apologize,” Yelena hums as they take a corridor to the dining room. “You know I am here for you, no matter the time.”
“I know, but still,” Kate says, eyes flickering down to look at her friend. “I feel bad.”
“Miss Kate,” Yelena starts, letting Kate into the dining room first. “It is my job and even if it wasn’t you are my best friend. I’ve got you.”
Kate ignores the butterflies that erupt in her stomach as she settles down at the table, pulling a chair out next to her for Lucky and the other for Yelena. “Thank you.”
Yelena rolls her eyes and sits down, hands reaching for the bacon. “Eat well, you have a long day ahead of you.”
Kate serves herself some bacon, giggling when Yelena piles it on her own plate. “Hungry, Lena?”
“You know that I have to eat more because of my work out schedule,” Yelena replies earnestly, now reaching for the fried potatoes.
Kate’s cheeks warm at the thought of Yelena working out, her stomach clenching when a strong hand lands on her shoulder. “I’m sorry what?”
“I asked if you would like some potatoes,” Yelena says, brows furrowed. “Are you alright?”
“Y-yeah, yup, I’m awesome,” Kate rushes out, nearly knocking the plate from Yelena’s hands when she grabs it.
Yelena steadies the plate, one hand over Kate’s as they set it down. “I do not think you got enough sleep.”
Kate is too focused on Yelena’s hand to really care that the lie is just a kind way of giving her an out, she just smiles and nods and lets the small blonde continue to put food on her plate until she’s satisfied.
“Thank you,” Kate says, ducking her head to avoid the way Yelena looks at her. She knows it's just her mind playing tricks, but it’s like she’s the only thing in the world.
Yelena rolls her eyes but nods before digging into her plate of food, they both had a long day ahead of them, if Kate really thought about it. Yelena, for the most part, went where Kate went. And today it would be to sit through meeting potential suitors while Kate’s mother tried to make political deals.
Kate nearly drops her fork when her mother comes into the room, her voice far too loud for the soft atmosphere Kate and Yelena had managed to create together.
“You’re still eating? We need to go!” The queen all but shouts as Kate mechanically chews the food still in her mouth.
“I thought we weren’t leaving until nine,” Kate says after she swallows, hands wringing the napkin in her lap.
“We weren’t but someone just got added to the list,” Eleanor explains as she has Kate’s plate taken away.
Kate wants to argue, to pitch a fit and say no but she knows that nothing will come of it and if the country of Kostaa is to stay in the right hands, she would need to become Queen.