I had so much fun writing Anya and Makram’s story. Check out The Prince’s Unraveling first chapter.
Saying yes would get Anya Morrison into trouble one day. But considering she was at Portsville International, Saturn Island’s sole airport, searching for a prince, it was too late.
Why had she agreed to pick up Prince Rashid? Insisting on alternative arrangements would have been the smarter move.
It was Leilah’s fault. The princess was not only Anya’s client but also a close friend.
When the princess asked Anya to pick her half-brother up at the airport and drive him to Idlewood, Anya agreed without hesitation. But she should have declined.
In the six months she’d been corresponding with him, the man had proven himself to be prickly, authoritative, and the antithesis of everything she valued. The overhead speakers squawked with a static-heavy announcement for a delayed flight to Venus Island, and her eyes darted to the display.
What was taking him so long?
His plane had landed almost two hours before. With his diplomatic clearance, shouldn’t he already be outside? But then, why was she complaining? Standing inside the air-conditioned arrival terminal was better than sweating in the afternoon heat.
Mentally, Anya paced the crowded floor while keeping her body motionless. Therapy had taught her this specific coping mechanism.
A man strode toward her, his purposeful gait cutting through the airport’s chaos. One look at the figure, flanked by two hulking guards, confirmed his identity. The Palace’s website photos didn’t do the prince justice.
Exuding confidence and status, Prince Rashid carried himself with powerful grace. With shoulders back, eyes forward, and head straight, his every stride spoke of absolute influence.
A bubble of hysteria flew up her throat, and she swallowed it. The last time they’d discussed his arrival, he had claimed to be traveling incognito. The man must not know the meaning of the word, as he was attracting attention from every passenger in the waiting area. One woman lost her balance and tripped over her hand luggage, so intent was she staring at him.
The poor woman. If Anya hadn’t been immune to love, her heart might have fluttered at the man striding toward her, too.
“Mister…”
Hmm… She bit back the last name in time. How did you get the attention of a man who wanted to remain inconspicuous?
The way he told the story, if she so much as mentioned his name or title, the residents of her beloved island would lose their minds. Either that, or a swarm of reporters would descend on them.
“Excuse me,” she stepped into the man’s path. One of the muscular guards blocked her advance.
“You are too close.” His voice was crisp and British. “Please step aside.”
She bristled at his curt tone, straightening to her full height of five feet seven inches. “I need to speak to him.”
The second man moved forward, blocking her view of the prince. “Why do you need access to Mr. Haddad?”
Her eyebrows shot up, but she resisted the urge to ask why he was using a pseudonym. Maybe it was normal for royals to travel under assumed names. She’d ask Leilah when she returned home, if she ever did.
At the rate things were going, she’d be stuck here all day until the prince’s detail could run a full security check on her.
“I’m his escort.” Her cheeks burned as both guards arched their eyebrows and folded their arms across their chests. “I meant that his…” she lowered her voice, “…sister sent me to drive him to Idlewood.”
“Aziz, Omar, please let Ms. Morrison do her job.” Prince Rashid’s command cleared the path like Moses at the Red Sea. “Thank you for coming, but your presence is unnecessary.”
Her jaw dropped. “Unnecessary? I canceled my plans for today.”
It had been an appointment to refresh the front row of her braids, but he didn’t need to know that. Or that she’d sacrificed an hour of sleep last night to do it herself.
“I drove two hours to get here.”
The prince tugged at his cuffs, though no part of his suit was out of place. “I have procured a vehicle, and Omar has the route mapped out. There was no need for you to inconvenience yourself.”
“Huh.”
Perhaps now she’d learn to say no when she didn’t want to do something.
“Fine.” Pivoting, she headed for the exit.
Why had she expected him to be less rigid in person than he’d been via email? She blamed herself.
“Wait.” A warm hand grasped her elbow, sending a spark of electricity up her arm.
Swallowing her gasp, she spun to arch a brow at the man who’d made it clear through their interchange that he considered her a liability.
“How may I help you, sir?” Her tone flattened into cool notes that mimicked his.
“Won’t you accompany us?”
“I—” Prepared to snap at him, she had no comeback for the unexpected kindness.
“Please. It is the least we could do for the inconvenience.” His gray eyes met hers, and for a second, they transfixed her.
“Thanks, but I drove here.”
“Aziz can take your vehicle.”
“Sir?” The taller of the two guards spoke up.
“It is the perfect solution.”
“Sir,” Aziz lowered his voice, “consider the risks.”
“This is more secure than our original plan. Omar will drive us while you take the lead car.” What might have been a smile on anyone else flickered across the prince’s face, then disappeared. “A diversion.”
The ticking muscle in the guard’s jaw was the only sign that he disagreed.
“No.” Anya edged away. “I’ll meet you in Idlewood.”
“I insist.” The prince cupped her elbow as if she’d agreed. “We can finalize the logistics for Amira’s wedding.”
“Leilah,” she corrected.
“I would appreciate it if you reviewed the guest list with me.” He flashed her a crooked smile that sent her heart fluttering. “For Leilah.”
Resting a hand against her stomach, she searched for an excuse—any reason not to spend time with the man whose physical presence had evoked emotions she hadn’t felt in over a decade.
“You would be granting me a favor.”
And just like that, her people-pleasing heart capitulated. With a barely suppressed groan, she handed over her keys and led the way to the rental counter.
Five minutes later, the prince helped Anya into a black SUV, climbing in after her. The cool air-conditioning blasted against her skin, but his scent swirled around her, spicy and delicious, cutting through the new car leather smell.
Lord, why am I having this visceral reaction to him?
It was annoying. They’d had a somewhat antagonistic email correspondence for months, and she’d never responded like this.
Sure, he was handsome. But she’d pulled up photos of him before their first meeting, and they hadn’t intrigued her the way the man had with one glance.
It was because all her closest friends were coupling up. Yes, that was it. Prince Rashid was on the island for one week. A few hours in his presence, and she’d get over this unsettling connection.
If not, he was leaving after the wedding, and things would return to normal.
Please, God.
Anya had already experienced the great love of her lifetime. She was content to spend the rest of her life alone, no matter how amazing Prince Rashid smelled.
***
The Prince’s Unraveling (The Hummingbird Chronicles Book 5)
She’s planned a thousand “I dos,” but her own heart is closed for business.
Wedding planner Anya Morrison is a pillar of her Idlewood community — steady, capable, and certain her own season of love ended the day she buried her fiancé. She’s made peace with a life helping others plan their happy endings. The sharp emails from a prickly prince were a nuisance — until they met in person. Now the careful life she built around her grief feels more like a prison than protection.
He’s a man of protocol and procedure, with no room for an invisible God.
Prince Rashid Makram Iqbal runs his life on duty and clear perimeters. This wedding assignment is a PR mission. Nothing more. But the unhurried rhythm of Hummingbird Cottage is unlike anything in his world. The people there live their faith in ways he can’t explain away, and he can’t dismiss Anya the way he does everything else that doesn’t fit.
One week to change a lifetime of plans.
When circumstances strip away the layers of protocol and force Makram to simply show up for Anya as a man rather than a prince, his carefully ordered world unravels. And Anya is left with one question: what if trusting God means opening her heart to the one person she has no business loving?
Can a prince who has only ever relied on his own strength learn to humble himself before the King of kings for a love worth more than his crown?