The Queen's Bodyguard

Juliette is the Queen of Meadows, leader to the ten circles of mages, the most powerful woman in her kingdom, and she is dying. Her search for a husband to lead her kingdom before she dies leads her to hire a travelling artist who has a penchant for creating masterpieces to create portraits of her to be sent to marriage candidates.

Damien is an enigma and a mystery wrapped in one. His dark gaze devours her as easily as he recreates her likeness on canvas and he draws out emotions in her that she did not think herself capable of. There is very little to be gained by falling for the man, but her heart demands otherwise.

Her advisors are not the only ones who are against their blooming relationship. James, her bodyguard and most trusted companion follows their every movement with a jealous possessiveness that threatens to consume her. He is unused to sharing her and the thought of losing her to someone as insignificant as a mere artist infuriates him enough to want to lock her up and keep her from ever seeing him again.

But there is no time for love for someone like Juliette, who needs to do what's best for the future of her kingdom.

Except she soon finds out that her days are not as numbered as she thought. Lies and deceit are uncovered and she is left reeling in the aftermath.

Does she love a man who desires her enough to cure her or, or a man who is so devoted to her that he would give his life for her?

What happens when she falls for both?


~~~~~ PG Excerpt ~~~~~

The fire crackled loudly in the ensuing silence and when the painter did not resume his task immediately, she asked, “Have I said something to displease you?”

“I didn't say that,” his voice rumbled lowly, barely heard through the sound of the crackling fire.

“No, but you stopped working,” she pointed out.

“You mentioned…” he paused and looked around.

James was nowhere to be found today. It was not rare to find him away from her side, especially when he had placed her somewhere he knew she would not be able to escape from. With so many of her family dead, the task of keeping the kingdom from falling fell upon his shoulders.

She tilted her head and considered all the ways he could finish the question and landed on a rather interesting answer. “Are you unaware that I was dying?” she asked.

He jolted a little, and then tilted his head in a nod.

“I've been in poor health my whole life,” she replied, shuffling her body further into the pillows as she propped herself against the headboard. “They're surprised I've lived as long as I have.”

“So their solution is to waste what could be the last of your good days getting your portrait painted instead of getting you a physician who's worth his salt?” He sounded oddly upset about it.

It was refreshing to see, mostly because she had made peace with her death so long ago that the possibility of fighting it had long since fled her mind. The corner of her lips curled up into a sardonic smile, “At least they've offered me a good view.”

He paused before turning back to the canvas. “There is nothing I can do to improve upon perfection,” he said at last.

She didn't understand what he was talking about at first and when it sunk in that he was responding to her first comment on making her look more beautiful, she felt her whole face heat up. “Flirt,” she said, her chest feeling lighter than it had in years.