She grabbed both of his hands in hers and met his gaze. “You have been given a great honor! Hanupali City is just a place, but the people are what make it amazing. They need you! They need someone who will put their best interest first, even if it means sacrificing your own heart’s desires.”
Kai could tell that she spoke from experience. “Makoa wasn’t your first choice either, was he?”
She shook her head and gave a pained smile. “He definitely wasn’t my choice, but Mother thought he would make a great ruler. And to a certain extent, he has. He wanted to make Hanupali City one of the greatest below the surface, but he didn’t want to do it for the people, he wanted to accomplish things for his own pride. I was glad he was forced to step down.”
“But that meant you would have to as well.”
She nodded and her smile shifted to one of excitement. “It was one of the best things that could have happened. I’ve been able to leave the palace and actually talk to the people of the city and to help them with their daily lives. I feel so much more useful than some figurehead that kept her distance and followedeveryone else’s edicts.” She paused and tilted her head at him. Then, she asked, “If you don’t want to rule, what do you want?”
He wanted to fly again. He wanted to sail the world with Hollyn by his side on her boat, free from her father and his past. He wanted…Hollyn.
“I want to be with Hollyn.” It felt so good to admit it out loud.
But when he looked at his sister, the smile fell from her face, and she chewed her bottom lip. “I’m concerned about Hollyn. I saw her yesterday, and she was talking about leaving the city. I tried to warn her not to go, but I’ve just come from checking her room, and she isn’t there.”
It was just as he feared. He moved around Oleen and burst into the room where Hollyn should have been. Not only was she not there, but her bed didn’t look like it had slept in at all.
She was gone! She had left him behind. A hollow feeling formed in his chest. She hadn’t cared about him enough to even say goodbye.
What would he do now?
