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“Thank you! I promise everything will be perfect.” I highly fucking doubt that, but it’s too late. It looks like Alix is getting a birthday party, and I’m getting yet another fucking opportunity to pretend I’m not growing obsessed with her.
I don’t want to make her go into detail if she doesn’t want to, but there’s still a question that I can’t help asking. “So…sorry if this is rude, but why do you have legs?” In my head, Gretchen Weiner’s voice screams, Oh my God, Alix. You can’t just ask people why they have legs!
He takes the instrument and I’m surprised that he actually does know how to play. I was half expecting him to play Wonderwall, but I’m pleasantly surprised when he strums the strings a few times, before starting up a jaunty tune.
I dig my nails into my palms so hard I feel them penetrate the skin. I wasn’t talking about the king’s orders; I just can’t say no to her anymore, and nothing scares me more than the inevitable moment she realizes that and asks me to let her go.
“What the hell is that?” I hold it up. “Thieves’ Honor. It’s a mafia romance.” He raises a skeptical eyebrow. “I’m not sure what’s worse—that the library has that book or that you want to read it.”
“You know, men should be more open to smut. I’ve learned so much from books like this.”
“Good. If you knew half the things I’ve thought about doing to any male who looks at you, you should be afraid. As long as I’m breathing, no one will fucking touch you, because I’ll kill them and fuck you in their blood.”
Alix doesn’t realize it, but she’s playing the ballad of the first king of Vernallis. It’s a celebratory song that hasn’t had much reason to be played in the last century. It’s hopeful. Triumphant. Everything the court needs to hear and everything their king isn’t.
“I want to fuck you so hard my cock will form a permanent imprint inside you, and I can’t do that while making sure you don’t fall off the balcony.”
“Tu es tellement belle que je ne peux pas me contrôler en ta présence.”
“Je suis amoureux de toi, mais tu vas être ma mort.” “What does that mean?” “It means you’re a beautiful demon sent here to torture me.”
“Tu te sens tellement bien Pêches. Je ne désirerai jamais personne d’autre que toi.”
“Je pense que tu es mon soul-bond,” he says, breaking our kiss. My entire body is loose and lazy, but at those words, my eyes widen and I pull back from him again.
Understandably, the police have a lot of questions. Where have I been? Am I aware of how worried my family is? Why am I dressed like a theme park princess?
“Ma’am, you need to calm down,” rumbles one of the officers. “The next person who tells me to calm down is getting punched in the nose.” Huh. I guess that’s where I get it from.
She finally looks at me and spots my dress. She gasps. “Oh my God, it’s a cult. You got taken by one of those exercise sex cults! Please tell me you did not become someone’s eighth wife, Alixandrea.”
“I hope you know I am not prepared to listen to any nonsense about worshiping aliens or secret bunkers.” “Yup, sure, I got it.”
“Shhhh,” she soothes. “That cat came from Ellender.” I narrow my eyes. “Wait, are you serious?” “Very. Of course I had to keep renaming him every couple of decades to make it less strange that I had a sixty-year-old cat. Sushi was originally called Pooka because he had this magical ability to always turn up right where I needed him. I’m sure he’ll make his way back to me eventually.”
“Big talk coming from the man with one arm. None of them needs to help me destroy you. In fact, would you prefer I use one hand, just to make it fair when I slit your throat? The only reason you’re still alive is because I promised I wouldn’t hunt you down.”
“No. Don’t you get it? No one who does this could ever love anyone. He’s not a narcissist, he’s a sociopath. A monster.” “But without knowing who he loves–” I turn my back. “Thorne doesn’t love anyone except himself.”
“You just said it! Thorne only loves himself. He never soul-bonded anyone even though he’s been married multiple times. He didn’t even seem to care for his parents. You’re his brother, and he obviously doesn’t love you.”
“The curse is broken when the king of Vernallis admits he is powerless and sacrifices the person he loves most. Don’t you get it? He has to die. He has to admit he’s powerless and sacrifice himself to save the kingdom.”
“Fox?” Nana raises a brow. I gesture across the courtyard. “The tall blonde guy who looks like that Viking vampire from True Blood. He doesn’t talk much. Don’t take it personally.”
