The last time I had a drink was at the wedding. And last night’s orgasm didn’t fix shit. It only created more problems. Problems I have no choice but to fix myself, and that comes down to one simple truth.
I have to save Jaqueline.
I will do anything for that. Commit any crime. She’s an innocent. A sweet girl who deserves better than the nightmare her entire life has been. She doesn’t remember our father. She’s never known happiness or peace. I will do what I can to protect those who deserve it, but she will be my endgame.
After that, I’ll figure out the rest.
The path crunches beneath my worn shoes until I reach the edge of the forest, breathing out a sigh as the canopy of leaves shelters me in their cooling shade. I lean against the trunk of a tree and close my eyes. I don’t have to be back inside for a little less than an hour. It should be peaceful.
But the tiny snap of a twig alerts me that I’m not alone.
It could be an animal—I’m hoping it is—but the hairs on the back of my neck have me on alert, and I slowly turn over my shoulder and lock eyes with Rowan. Motherfucker. He followed me out here, but he didn’t want me to know it, judging by theoh shit, she caught memien he has going.
“You need to work on your tracking skills, Your Highness. You should add that to your snooping skills.”
I turn back to the woods as my ears search, finding him behind me and listening as he advances.
“I think we both need lessons then.”
I laugh. I’ve had lessons in espionage my entire life. I’ve just gotten sloppy. A weird taste of freedom and an annoying curiosity can do that to a person.
“Why are you following me?”
He doesn’t reply, and I’m not in the mood for his answer anyway. He continues to prowl toward me, now less than six or so meters away. I can tell from the sound of the ground he’s walking on. I’m salty and defensive like a caged animal.
Which is why I say, “Fuck off and leave me alone. I’m on my break, and you have no right to intrude.”
“We need to talk.”
I shake my head against the tree and close my eyes. “We have nothing to talk about, Your Highness.”
“Oh, I think we both know that’s not true.”
He’ll have to catch me then. And hope I don’t kill him with my bare hands.
On my next heartbeat, I take off at a sprint, starting on thetrail but quickly veering off it, winding my way through trees and over brush and fallen limbs. The palace property is massive, and I could run at this stretch for two hundred kilometers at least without reaching anything else.
A laugh springs from my lips. The taste of adventure and the thrill of being chased making me go faster. I pump my arms and push myself to my breaking point. Only I’m not alone. A cursory glance over my shoulder reveals he’s chasing me, determination on his face and in his stride, his eyes dark and predatory.
Shit! My pulse kicks up, and my baser instinct takes over.
“How far are you going to run?” he calls out at me.
I smile, even as my lungs burn, begging for air. “How long are you going to chase?”
“As long as it takes to catch you, mia stella.”
Something about the way he says that and calls memy starin Italian, a word that rhymes with my name, makes my empty core clench and my stupid heart skip a beat.
“You should turn around now, You Highness. I’m not your star, and I’m definitely not someone you want to catch.”
“No, you’re la mia vipera, but that won’t stop me.” His voice is closer than I expected, and it catches me off guard. I twist my head back to him, but my bangs pick up the wind and snag in my eyes. I brush the hair back and continue to run, but it’s a fatal mistake. It slows me down enough, and just as I go to leap over another branch, an arm bands around my waist and swings me around.
My lungs collapse as I’m slammed into a tree, but I don’t have time to notice it because he’s all over me, his ragged breaths panting down on me as he holds my chin and stares into my eyes.
“Why were you running?”
I can hardly catch my breath, my chest heaving as I try. “Why were you chasing?”
