“We need to get that fixed,” Sylas tells Ellie as she fills her glass with wine. “We need a lawyer to search those records and contracts and find a damn loophole.”
“I might know a guy.” Jocelyn walks over to the table and begins rummaging around in a purse.
“I don’t want to be an heir. Why aren’t you guys listening to me?” I snap loudly to get everyone’s attention. “I don’t want any of this.” I shake my head in frustration. “You all sound as crazy as James.”
It’s a lie. They’re clearly not even remotely close to being as insane as him, but I’m pissed off.
River angles his body toward mine and pulls me closer to him so he can whisper in my ear, “Why don’t we go upstairs for a minute, and take a break? Let them handle trying to dissolve the contracts. You’ve been through a lot. You don’t need to deal with all of this at once.”
With an exhale, I nod and then let him guide me out of the room, up the stairs, and into the bedroom I’m staying in. While he’s closing the door, I flop down on the bed and stare up at the ceiling.
“I know this might sound crazy, but I want to go back to being just northside Maddy. I don’t want this, River. I don’t want to be a Royal. I don’t want to be the heir to the world.” I feel the mattress concave as he sits down beside me. I turn myhead toward him. “I thought when your dad told me this, he was being crazy. I didn’t think I’d escape him and end up in the same position.”
He lies down beside me. “You’re not in the same position. Everyone who’s downstairs is here to protect you.”
“How do you know that for sure?”
“Because I’ve been here for a few hours, and the entire time, all of them were discussing a plan on how to protect you.” He traces his fingertip along my hairline and sweeps a lock of my hair from out of my eyes. “I’ll agree with you, though, that it does all sound crazy. But I believe it’s true, as out there as it all sounds.”
“I don’t want to be a princess or queen, or whatever the hell it is they want me to be,” I gripe. “I’m not made for that.”
He contemplatively chews on his bottom lip. “I actually think you are.” He pushes up on his elbow and slants over me. “You are the most honest, strong, kind person I have ever met. And if anyone can do this, it’s you.” He dips his head to press a chaste kiss against my forehead. “Please don’t be upset with me for saying that.”
I grasp the bottom of his shirt. “How could I? When you’re the sweetest guy I’ve ever known.” I wrap my hand around the back of his neck, pull his mouth to mine, and kiss him.
He kisses me back with so much passion I feel it all the way into my soul. Our tongues tangle as he props his body over mine and tangles his fingers through my hair.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmurs between kisses.
I splay my fingers across his lower back. “I’ve missed you, too, gothic prince.” I kiss him again and let myself get lost in it, in him, hoping I’ll never find my way out.
But because reality is really beginning to hate me, the moment is ruined as someone knocks on the door.
“Maddy, River?” Finn says from the other side of the door. “Are you guys in there?”
If it had been anyone else, I might have ignored them.
“Do you want me to let him in?” River asks as he pushes back, breathing raggedly.
I nod, my feelings a clutsterfuck of tangled knots tugging me in all sorts of directions.
River gets up and opens the door to let him in. Noah is with him, and the two of them file into the room. Finn briefly notes me on the bed with the blankets crumpled around me, but he doesn’t comment, which might not be a good thing since he usually teases River and me whenever he’s caught us kissing.
I sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed, and River takes a seat beside me. Finn and Noah take a seat on a small sofa that’s in front of us and right by the window.
“Anyone else feeling like they’ve lost their damn mind?” Finn is the first to break the silence as he scrubs his hand across the top of his head.
“I do,” Noah says, raising his hand. “I feel like I lost mine the moment the car accident happened. Honestly, part of me believes that I'm in a coma and this is all a hallucination.” He glances at me, as if he’s trying to tell if I’m real.
I wish I weren’t. I wish he were right. But I don’t believe he is.
“And what about Aiden being our brother?” River fiddles with a ring that’s on his finger. “He scared the shit out of me when we were kids.”
“Me too,” Finn agrees, reclining back on the sofa. “I once saw him break a guy's finger, and he was like ten when he did it.”
“I broke a guy’s finger when I was ten,” I point out with a shrug.
Finn snorts a laugh. “Of course you did.”
