“What do you mean ‘if’ I remain in the king’s army? . . . what has that got to do with any of this, Matthias?” Adalia asked.
“The day I let you go . . . my father—placed a bounty on your head. You are being hunted each time you patrol the Veil. That is why those Thorns shot at you. It was a warning to me and to you. I’m so sorry Ada . . .” Matthias took a step towards her.
Disbelief and hurt filled her mind as she digested his words.
“You chose to let me go,” Adalia said quietly, “and the price was a target on my back. As frustrating as that is, you should have told me. This is yet another example of you deciding for me. You don’t get to choose what I do with this information. Your only responsibility is to give it to me. What I do with it after that is purely my choice,” Adalia said.
“Are you telling me that every time my sister leaves the safety of Lucius and steps into The Grey, her life is at an even greater risk because of you?” Nick stepped in front of Matthias and crossed his arms.
Adalia huffed and pushed her brother aside. “It’s not his fault Nik, just leave it be. I’m not concerned about the bounty. As soon as I signed up to be a part of the king’s army, there was always going to be a target on my back. This won’t stop me from doing what I love.”
“Are you mental?! If you go back out there, they will hunt you down and take you to my father . . . alive. And with what he has planned for you—I’m not sure I will be able to save you again.” Matthias seethed as his wings flared out behind him.
“I don’t appreciate the tone you’re using with my sister.” Nikolas squared his shoulders and took another step towards Matthias.
“Yeah, well, I don’t appreciate you listening to a private conversation that is none of your business.”
“My sister is my business, and I won’t have her being hurt by the likes of you,” Nikolas spat at him.
“Someone like me? Is that supposed to be an insult? You forget I am a prince, a dark one too. Nothing you say to me is something I haven’t heard before, so stop trying.” Matthias laughed. “It’s honestly pathetic. You follow her around like a stray dog, like she even needs you.” Matthias shook his head. “Don’t you have a life? Another girl, one that’s not your sister?”
Adalia watched in horror. Her brother was about to lunge for Matthias as the dark prince unsheathed a dagger from his side. They were going to kill each other in her courtyard. There was no way she was going to clean up blood, not tonight. Not while she was trying not to cry about the fact that he was actually leaving. All because she got too close.
“STOP!” she yelled.
The two men halted in their tracks and spun towards her.
“Nikolas, you know better than that. And Matthias, we don’t act like that here. Both of you need to put away your egos and be grownups. I don’t have the energy for this tonight. I just wanted us to all have a nice dinner and now you two are ruining it.” She hissed. They hesitated, avoiding her gaze.
“Ada–” Matthias started, but she stormed into the house, locking the door behind her.
If they were going to act like beasts, they could stay outside.
Adalia fetched Bone’s dish and filled it with his dinner. “At least the two of us have manners.”
The white wolf scarfed his food as the front door opened and Shiloh stepped through.
“Woah, the tension seems thick in here. Where are the boys?” she asked as she placed her bag down on the counter—handing Adalia a bottle of wine.
“They are outside . . . where they should be,” Adalia said with a huff.
“Oh dear, what happened?”
Adalia sighed. “Just stupid feelings getting in the way. I shouldn’t even care about it, really.”
Shiloh came around the side of the counter and squeezed Adalia’s shoulders.
Adalia wiped a tear. “I shouldn’t like him like I do, Loh—I should hate him. He’s a prince of everything I stand against. I want to hate him.”
Shiloh hugged Adalia again. “I know. I know, Ada. But you don’t.”
Chapter Eighteen
The Grey
Last night hadn’t gone as planned and this morning there was no hot coffee beside the lounge.
Yesterday, Matthias had gone over everything he wanted to tell her a million times, but as soon as she’d freshened up and walked out of her room, all sense left his body. How was he supposed to tell her about the bounty, and that he was leaving when she looked like that?
