Royalty in Death - an In Death series fanfic (J.D. Robb)

Chapter 1

"I hate rain." Lieutenant Eve Dallas muttered while looking outside of their bedroom windows.

She was holding her second mug of coffee as she leaned on the sill. Her husband Roarke, who was busy scanning on the stock reports and daily news on his monitor screen, glanced at her.

She was wearing a white tee and a black trouser that matches her leather belt and dark boots. Her weapon was already holstered on her shoulders as if she was ready for combat.

My beautiful warrior, he thought as he reclined his back and watched his wife's indifferent attitude towards the weather.

"And what did the rain do to make you hate it?"

"Well." she shrugged her shoulders, "Rain can make people gloomy. When they're gloomy, they will feel depressed. When they're depressed, they will think of whacky things. Once they began to think of whacky things, they will kill people. Now if they are going to kill, they might do it outside. Then what do you think will happen to the crime scene? Destroyed!"

"Darling Eve, I have no idea that desk-works made you this miserable enough to think of outdoor mass killings. I never thought that you would succumb to your boredom and jinx everything that you have maintained these past few weeks. You were the one to blame for your causes, you know." he mused.

Eve shot him a beady look. With his Celtic blue eyes and long mane hair, it was a miracle that she was able to control herself not to feel gooey all the time.

He was in his dark suit like always, probably cost more than her monthly cop's salary, which only added to his powerful and dangerous demeanor.

He's mine, she said proudly in her thoughts.

"Cops should be chasing criminals and throwing them to their miserable cages, not doing liquidations and filing documents! It's excruciating, painful and...boring!"

Roarke went near to her then ran his hands over her arms. After she solved her previous case, she was always moody. It was her fault, she admitted, why she has several file backlogs and crime reports that were piled on her desk unattended – thanks to her hot cases. But it was unexpected that the Records division could suspend her by filing a petition on her and forcing Commander Whitney to put her into 'drone work'. She was told that her punishment was a means of 'disciplinary action' from the Records and for her to be set as the best example for every cop in every division.

Thus, everybody in Central was suffering from Paper Epidemic.

Until now.

"Even so, Eve, it's relaxing to know that you'll be avoiding some dangers for a while. Besides, consider it as a training ground in case you will advance your brass."

Eve only sighed as she leaned her head on Roarke's shoulder. Even though he didn't say it, she knew he was pissed when she declined the Captaincy. Not only him but also those people whom she shared about it.

They couldn't blame her, really. They knew that she needs time to think.

She didn't marry Roarke out of whim anyway.

"Don't forget Wednesday." Roarke reminded her.

"Huh? What – ah, yeah right. The consulate party." she said while rolling her eyes. This made Roarke bit her ear lightly.

"Don't ever make some reasons to ditch it out. We all know that your 'punishment' will not be lifted until you're done with your paperwork, and it will be a miracle if you're able to file them on Friday."

She frowned.

"Okay, okay I get it. All I need to do is to listen to their boring stories, right?"

"You will not be bored, I promise.", he said as he pecked a kiss on her lips. "Besides, I made a commitment to Harminian royalty that I'll be bringing the hero behind the Icove's Agenda."

"Ah, the princess you've been bragging about...", Eve trailed off then gave him a narrowed look.

"How many princesses have you banged in a lifetime?"

This time Roarke frowned and gave her a narrowed look.

"I find it inappropriate for you to interrogate me about my previous love life considering what we just did a few minutes ago. And to answer your question, it is no, as I never indulged in affairs that could lead to a national scandal or could tie me up to an obligation. I haven't banged this Harminian princess you believed I bragged as I haven't met her personally. And as to why I bragged her, it was the other way around. She was the one who was bragging me as the husband of the Icove's cop she idolized. What a cute turn of events, eh?"

"You're slick. You're slick as ever.", she grumbled.

"I'm just brutally honest with myself, Darling Eve. And don't worry.", he whispered as she deepened his kiss. "I don't do it with princesses. I only do it with a Queen, and that is you, Eve."

They both stayed nuzzling for a while until the rain began to dissipate. She pulled her leather jacket on then bid Roarke a kiss goodbye.

"Take care of my gazillionaire."

"Take care of my cop."

When she stepped outside the foyer, her DLE was already parked at the entrance with its muffled engine roared on.

She knew that their bony majordomo, Summerset, arranged it there before she went downstairs. Just before she could buckle her seat, her link' beeped. It was her Commander.

"Commander.", she answered.

"Lieutenant. Are you on your way to Central?"

"No sir, I'm about to leave the house at the moment."

"Good. Don't proceed to the Central. There's an incident at the Pearl Skyline Hotel, Fifty-eighth floor. You're the primary."

Hope bloomed in her chest but decided to feign her expression.

"Commander, I am under the jurisdiction of not accepting case orders unless I finished with the Records."

"That's why don't proceed to the Central. You have an override. Now proceed to the scene of the incident. This is Code Five."

"Yes, sir.", she said as his Commander's face flashed off the screen.

Code Five means Sensitive Case. Regretting that she won't be able to tag her partner Peabody or shared the information to Roarke, she drove to the opposite direction of her usual route where the crime scene is located.