The Wrath of the King by Danielle Bourdon Read Free Book Online

take a step back, put another foot of space between herself and the Prince. He was distracting her with his scent, the gleam in his enigmatic gaze.
    “If you're finished with this, please do. But this project you're working on is just as important, so don't rush. I'll update you on all the specifics if you miss the press conference.” Paavo smoothed a hand down his tie. “All right?”
    “Yes, right. I'll get to work.” Wynn forced herself to break away and head to the chair in front of the laptop. What was wrong with her? She needed to stop noticing Paavo's attributes and focus on the important things. Like Chey and Sander and getting ahold of Mattias. Sitting down, she pulled the chair closer to the table. Paavo hadn't left the room yet, though she refused to look up.
    At the door, he said, “By the way. The contents of the statement are confidential, for your eyes only, hm?”
    Wynn locked eyes with Paavo and inclined her head. “Absolutely. I wouldn't expect any less.”
    “That's my girl.” He spoke low, intimate, then departed with a quiet click of his shoes on the floor.
    Wynn closed her eyes. She centered herself, struggling to ignore the echo of his voice and scent of cologne he left behind. This was ridiculous. She had a job to do and Chey was counting on her to do it right. Above all else, Wynn would not let her best friend down in a time of need.
    Putting her fingers on the laptop keys, Wynn found the voice file and set to work.
     
    . . .
     
    Paavo walked in on a scene of blatant tension. The formal conference room where important matters of the nation took place seethed with unease and apprehension. Divided into sections, the seating for the councilmen sat to the right, with seats for advisers and other legislators to the left. Only the councilmen were currently present; the advisers and other important leaders would be brought up to speed after the meeting. Sporting a high ceiling and broad lighting fixtures to make up for the lack of windows, the conference room was a study in dark mahogany furnishings and light colored walls.
    Silence descended as all eyes turned on him. Clasping his hands behind his back, Paavo paced down the middle of both seating areas, perusing the faces gathered. He knew the ones who remained clueless about the secretive coup about to happen. Those were the faces wearing confusion and frowns at the angst the rest of the councilmen portrayed. Oh, they all knew a vote would happen to officially make him the sitting King, but the rest had no idea what else was coming.
    Andersen took the lead, stepping from his seat onto the open floor. Like the rest of the councilmen, he wore a sharp suit, the tie knotted snug at his throat. He cut to the chase, wasting no time getting to the subject at hand. “Gentlemen of the council, we're here to take a vote. Those in favor of ascending Prince Paavo to sitting King, say aye.”
    A chorus of ayes echoed off the walls.
    Choosing to remain standing, Paavo ceased pacing and faced the congregation. A thrill shot through him hearing the men agree so easily to put him in a temporary position of power. In all truth, that milestone was a small hurdle—the officials had little choice. Mattias could not be found and Sander was unfit to rule. The next issue is where men's mettle would be tested.
    “Pass the decree around and sign it,” Andersen said, passing a legal document into the hands of the first councilman at the end of a row.
    One by one, the men added their signature to the document with brisk strokes of a pen. None took the time to read any of the fine print, a thing Paavo had counted on. The document looked exactly like any other of its kind barring a few subtle changes at the very end. Assuming it was the same document they had already seen many times, the council members added their name with little trouble.
    Paavo signed it last, keeping his smirk hidden from view.
    “There is another matter at hand,” Andersen added once Paavo handed