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Even through all the bullshit, Verity Sinclaire sees me. And it’s both terrifying and thrilling.
I’ve never wanted anything—or anyone—more. I’ve wanted her since the day I saw her after winning my Fury, so timid and gorgeous in that back hallway.
I’ve never not wanted her. It’s just the reason that’s changed.
What matters is this: No one’s rescued me before, and they sure as hell have never rescued my brothers. Not until her.
“I want to give you all of me,” my lips brush the shell of her ear, “and I want all of you in return.”
TRISTAN MERCER CODED AND I AM OBSESSED
“I want you to be mine.”
ate your banana pudding.” She pauses, blinking. “You what?” “You were in the dungeon,” I explain, a touch defensive. “It was going to go bad. I ate it.” Her jaw drops, but the outrage is all artifice. “I can’t believe you!” Her eyes narrow. “Did you like it?” I make a face. “Of course not. It was disgusting.” Tapping her hip, I add, “So the next time you get some, you should give it to me. Save yourself the trouble.” She snorts. “Oh, really.” Smirking, I push a kiss into her collarbone. “Absolutely. I’m falling on grenades for you left and right here.”
Sparing the dahlias a glance, I don’t let myself feel any sort of way about it. It was a joke to grow them here. A way to get a jab in with Father. A taste of irony, knowing that Clive Kayes’ favorite flower is growing in this cursed place, just like I did.
One day, these flowers will wilt and die. But the five of us won’t.
“You said she took your shitty car?” Pace asks, pulling up the footage from the garage. Verity’s mouth goes pinched. “It’s not shitty.” “It’s a piece of crap, Red,” I confirm. “Do us all a favor and let it go where all things that should never see the light of day again go to die.” I wink at her. “The moat.”
Two more days, and we’ll no longer be the Princes of Forsyth. We’ll be ghosts.
“You keep her safe.” His Adam’s apple bobs under a thick swallow. “Two of my girls have already gone missing. I sure as hell can’t take a third.”
In the end, I think that’s what makes me so sick. That she was such a bright light in a dark world, and somehow, Forsyth is trying to snuff it out. I’ll be damned if I let it.
My mother?” Lord, she’ll lose her mind and burn down the entire city looking for me. Then, it hits me.
These men may care for me—they may have feelings for me and this baby—but they’re still Royals. They possess. And I belong to them.
“They’re trying to protect me, I just… I have things to do in Forsyth.”
That’s what months of being Princess has instilled in me. Paranoia. Fear. Anxiety.
The men I’ve come to care for are the same men I’m scared of finding me.
To run to the safety of my Princes. Because here, at the end of it all, that’s what they are to me. Protection. Salvation. Home.
“I’m here to show you that creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin.”
“Promise me…” Darkness seeps into the edges of my vision, but I whisper through the pain, “Promise me that you’ll save the baby.”
If we lose her… If we lose him…
Mama B strides into the middle of the group with fists clenched, like she’s wondering who to hit and what to hit them with. Worse than that, however, is the look on her face. Pure, naked terror.
It’s an indicator of how protective they feel about Verity. I’m not sure I like it. Jealous over the fact other men hold importance in her life? Or should I be glad to know she’s not alone in her own territory? Not the way my brothers and I are.
“Listen,” I try in vain to keep the irritation out of my voice, “whatever happens here tonight, or tomorrow, or twenty fucking weeks from now…” I press my fingers into my temple, “Don’t let him near her.”
we didn’t try to kidnap a girl tonight. We tried to save our own.”
despite what happened earlier tonight, they’re our responsibility. Ours to take care of. Not yours.”
What’s the point of any of it if we lose her?
“I should have killed him that day he showed up on my porch.”
“Leave it to men to turn your crisis into being about them.”
Do I dare tell her the only thing that kept me alive was the hope of getting back to the men upstairs?
I’ve seen what it’s like to belong to a Royal who hates me. Spites me. Resents me. That was awful in its own right, but our child is going to see a side of them that’s possibly even scarier. Because they’re going to love him.
I want so badly for these men to have the chance at becoming something more than what their father has made them into. But not at the expense of the small, fragile life growing inside of me.
if someone had told me five seconds ago that I’d ever see light in Lex’s eyes again, I wouldn’t have believed it. But it shines like the fucking sun. “It says Wicker is the father.”
YES I KNEW IT
I was too exhausted to fight for him. At some point, Whitaker Kayes has to learn to fight for himself.
I feel a soft smile spring to my lips at having this new little nugget of knowledge of who my son will be. He’ll be so beautiful.
She turns her head away from her Lord, mouthing, “Sorry.” I peer inside, idly hoping for something greasy and delicious. “Oh,” I say, inspecting the container of salmon, steamed broccoli, and wild rice. “You have one, too?” “One what?” Tristian says.
Iykyk 😂
“Can I get a minute with the Princess?” His hand curls around her neck, eyes tracking the sweep of his thumb down the elegant column of it. She bats her eyelashes. “Girly stuff.” “Don’t think I don’t see how diabolical you are.” He lifts her chin and brushes his lips over hers.
Ugh I miss them, still think about that party scene at his parents
“No matter what you choose, you’ll have three of the Royal houses on your side. Take a moment to let that sink in because it might be more power than anyone has ever had in Forsyth.” Her thumb strokes over my hand, lips curling into a tender smile. “You’ve already changed so much. Don’t ever think of yourself as weak.”
“I’ve made a lot of compromises since becoming Princess. First, my idea of sex, and then my concept of motherhood. I settled for something that wasn’t love, and then I gained the world’s worst father.” I follow Pace’s anxious stare. “I settled for what I was given because I was never in a position to ask for anything more.” Looking at Lex, I say, “I’ve decided I’m done settling.”
“You were all raised in a cage, and then taught to keep it a secret. It never even occurred to you to look outward instead of inward, because you can’t trust them.” Holding his stare, I add, “But you can trust me.”
I look down at my hands—at the ring I’m now realizing can’t be removed. Not without cutting a piece of myself away.
“I realized I’m more than just a Princess. I’m a Royal, and for once, I’m going to be selfish because… because I want it all.” I look up, catching Wicker’s glare. “I want my family—East and West—and I want my baby to grow up with fathers who love and protect him. The kind of father his parents never had.”
“This isn’t a negotiation, Lex. This is… it’s a relationship.”
“Because I’m glad it was you. The only things that make you special are your pretty face and your Baron blood.” He leans forward, grinning. “My heir will inherit them both. It’s the perfect combination, is it not? Light and dark. Creation and death.”
“I don’t know how to do this, Red. Be a good dad. Take care of a kid.” He looks up at Verity from beneath the thick weight of his hair. “I don’t know how to take care of you.”
Once she’s gone, we turn to him, and maybe it’s petty, but it feels good to know he’s seen what we’re like without him. Better. Stronger. A family.
