’ I could not believe that someone had it as bad, if not worse than me. ‘Your name is Valentina Hart? Seriously?’ Val reached into her purse and...pulled out a wallet, then extracted something and tossed it across the table. I picked up her New York State drivers’ license. The picture predictably did not do her justice, but it was clearly her. And the name on it was ‘Valentina Hart.’ I noticed that the address was only a few blocks from the bar, which gave me some fleeting hope of taking her. I try to hide a shiver at the unmistakable punch of lust it gives me. The gesture sparks a memory and I look up into dark eyes I remember very clearly.“You,” I whisper, taking a step back.“Call me Lucian, please,” he murmurs. “Should you not have that intimacy with the father of your children?”“I don’t know you,” I say, pulling my hand free to take a step backward. He already has his feet planted in the doorway, so I can’t shut the door without hitting him. “Did you submit an application for. But one thing seemed to jump out at them. Oh, things were realistic in the simulation, but now they knew that what they were seeing was truly real, and that's what they were actually witnessing on the screens.There was no comparison between the screens created by Ship's technology and TV's or monitors developed on Earth. There seemed to be no visible difference in looking out a perfectly clear port into space or seeing the same thing viewed on the scout's screens, well, other than. "My wife was wounded. Badly. Her head had slammed into the roof, and she had fallen into a coma. At a nearby lodging-house, she was looked after by the innkeepers and the doctors in a manner, I must admit, that befitted the Queen she was."If I appear to be emotionless when I write this, it's because the shock has numbed me. In spite of all the misfortunes that may befall a King, he has to keep a straight face - for in that face is the hope and the strength of a nation. But never in my life have.