Cas couldn’t help but notice the absent look on Iris’s face when he turned back to her. It was difficult to tell what was going on inside her head, but he was fairly certain he knew the subject of her thoughts. He bit his lip. Maybe it was a good thing that the call from security had come through when it did. Trying to kiss her had been a mistake. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship they’d been building, and he didn’t even know if she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Just because she hadn’t pulled away from him when they had been close didn’t mean she was interested in him romantically. It was entirely possible that she had just been too flustered to move. He wished they had time to talk about it, but he could already hear the hum of the security vehicle in the air. Right now, the Scourge infiltration was more important.

[color=#b97703]“Well, you’re going to today,”[/color] he said as he helped her to her feet. Private, airborne vehicles were usually reserved for the elite, so he wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t ridden inside of one before. His father used to use them as his primary means of transport when he’d been healthy enough to travel, but Cas preferred to drive himself on the ground in their luxury cars. He only let the royal pilots fly him around the capital when there was a security breach, as there was now, or when he needed to attend crowded functions in which he would be swarmed by high borns and journalists if he drove there by himself.

At her following question, the prince nodded reassuringly, [color=#b97703]“He’s fine. There was an attempt on our home, but it sounds like security contained the culprits before they could do any real damage. We just need to go back in case there are any others who might come after me while I’m in the open.”[/color] As he finished explaining the situation, he turned away from her to watch the approach of their ride. The sleek, all-black car descended in the middle of the parking lot. It looked like a small, private plane with shorter wings and a wide body that resembled a stingray.

As soon as the vehicle touched the asphalt, the doors opened, and two men in broad shades and black uniforms embroidered with the king’s seal stepped out. Cas gestured for Iris to come with him as he walked over to meet them halfway. Stopping at the edge of the park, he left some distance between them rather than closing it all the way. It was protocol to wait for the security detail to verify the code he’d been given over the com before he went anywhere with them, just in case enemies of the crown tried to impersonate the bodyguards.

[color=#b97703]“Confirmation?”[/color] he prompted them. He recognized one of the men, so he knew they were real members of the team, but he had to say it anyway.

“AEX779,” the guard on the left, the one the prince recognized as Harry, bowed his head. “Please come with me and leave your car keys with Ryan, Your Highness.”

Cas stepped forward and dug in his pocket for the keys, which he handed over to the guard on the right. Ryan bowed as well and walked over to the parked vehicle, sliding into the driver’s seat. It was another measure of protection developed by the team, in case the rebels located the easily recognizable sports car and attacked with the belief that the crown prince was inside. The vehicle would serve as a decoy while they escaped back to the mansion by air.

 Noticing that Harry seemed unprepared for his company, Cas placed a hand on Iris’s shoulder, [color=#b97703]“She’s in my care right now, so she’ll be coming with us.”[/color]

The bodyguard didn’t appear particularly happy with the announcement, but he didn’t argue. “Very well,” he bobbed his head again and led the way to the hover car. The compact vehicle didn’t have much space, since it was designed to transport just a small number of people, so Cas helped Iris into the backseat and climbed in next to her, laying her crutches across their laps as Harry climbed into the passenger seat beside the pilot. Once everyone was strapped in, the engine revved, and the car began to lift off the ground.