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“We could cut their dicks off,” Thorne offered.

My stomach lurched. I must have looked as horrified as I felt because his shoulders dropped.

“I was really hoping you’d go for that.” He lowered the knife.

Ronan glanced toward a man in a dark suit standing near the side of the stage. I hadn’t noticed him approach.

“Have you heard enough?”

“Yes.” The man came forward, holding up a badge, and several officers followed him up the steps.

“I’m the investigator handling April’s case,” he told me. “We’ve already obtained the original messages. We’ll need to talk, but we can arrange that privately.”

I stared at the badge, trying to understand what he’d said. “You’re arresting them?”

“Yes,” the man said. “I apologize for the mishandling of this case. I’ll also file a report with their jurisdiction and start an investigation into the officers involved.”

Dylan, Mason, and Owen were all hauled to their feet, and we stepped aside to let the officers lead them toward the stairs.

“Gwen,” Owen called just before crossing through the curtain. “Please. Tell them.”

I looked straight at him. “I did.”

I watched until they disappeared behind the stage. My legs shook so badly that I locked my knees, afraid they would give out.

A cheer broke out, and I flinched at the sound. The reminder of our audience made me reach for Thorne’s hand. I was standing above a crowd in a borrowed shirt, crying in front of strangers. They’d heard what had happened to April. For a moment, I could think of nothing except getting out of their sight.

Then I saw Jenna.

She stood near the front with the girls I’d danced with. Tears shone on her cheeks, and when she caught me looking, she gave me a small wave.

“I’m still saving you that seat,” she mouthed.

I tried to smile at her and ended up crying harder. They believed me.

Thorne brushed my cheek with his thumb. I let him wipe the tears away, then caught his hand before he could lower it.

Ronan lifted the microphone from its stand and turned toward the lawn.

“Gwen Merritt is your queen,” he said. “From now on, anything she says is to be treated as if it came directly from the Regents.”

My fingers tightened around Thorne’s.

I waited for someone to laugh. Even now, I could imagine how quickly it could turn, how one ugly comment could give everyone else permission.

A man in the front row shouted, “Long live the queen,” and it didn’t take long for it to become a chant.

I hadn’t realized I was smiling until Silas brushed his thumb over the corner of my mouth.

“That’s my brave girl.”

With my men this close, it was hard to remember why other people’s opinions had frightened me so much. I liked standing up here. I liked knowing that whatever I chose to say, Ronan, Thorne, and Silas would back me.

Ronan leaned close. “What do you want, Gwen?”

“You.” I caught the front of his shirt, then glanced at Thorne and Silas. I could finally truly ask for what I wanted without any fear. “All of you.”

Ronan’s smile widened as I pulled him down to kiss me. Thorne squeezed my hand, and I felt his lips brush my hair.