*Genevieve*What the hell was that? I was confused by Jonah's strange display, and more than a little unimpressed. I knew better than to believe he felt any real attraction to me. More than likely, he was trying to distract me from something. I couldn't really be bothered to consider what that might be because, at this point, the plan was laid out.Unless they'd made some massive change to their plot, we would have the three of them in custody in a matter of days. Just in time, perhaps.I waited a few moments to ensure Jonah was fully out of the hall before I swept to Rowan's room. I didn't even bother knocking, I just barged in.Rowan's head snapped up to see who was comfortable enough to just force their way into his room this way.He was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. His towel was wrapped loosely around his waist, his hair dripping tiny crystal drops of water to the floor. His eyes flared with surprise, before heating with recognition."Well, if you wanted me,
*Rowan*I shoved another piece of bacon in my mouth and chewed it. The dining hall was beginning to be draped in streamers and fabric, the structures assembled that would eventually hold the endless greenery and florals that were going to decorate the palace for a wedding that would never happen.Genevieve's note was folded in my pocket, but I felt like I could still see it. I loved the hurried scrawl that marked each of her notes, the way it made me feel as if she was always in a rush to speak with me. And she seemed to be.Genevieve wanted me in spite of the fact I was a prince, not because of it. She loved me in spite of a lot of the things I'd done and had the patience to see who I was under the facade of the uncaring playboy. She might have been disgusted by who I was when we met, but she had the patience to get to know me all those mornings in the gym.For once, this note wasn't a matter of life and death. It wasn't about the fact that we had to constantly meet in secrecy
*Genevieve*This was uncomfortable. Aurora's eyes darted between the two of us, her brow furrowed. I could tell that she was suspicious."Hey, Aurora," Rowan greeted, sounding much more casual than I felt."What's up, guys?" Aurora pasted a smile on her face, but I knew her well enough to know it was a fake smile."Just getting Genevieve's arm patched back up. Would you like to help?" Rowan offered."I'll come watch." Aurora shrugged.We all entered the room. I felt like the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, but I just breathed in deeply through my nose. Something was definitely off, but I couldn't decide what."Here, have a seat," Rowan instructed, gesturing to the edge of his bathtub. I went into the bathroom and sat down as instructed, watching Aurora and Rowan in the room. Rowan handed first aid supplies to Aurora and then the two of them joined me in the bathroom.Rowan turned on the water, letting it get hot. He pulled the showerhead off the wall an
I didn't realize the palace sat on top of an old prison.It wasn't exactly a prison. At one time, it had technically been a dungeon, but now, it served as holding cells for political prisoners.There were no windows. It had been cut straight into whatever rock made up the island. It was wet, water constantly dripping down the walls. There was some sort of mold growing along the walls too, and it smelled like dead fish.I was the only one in the entire holding area. There wasn't even a guard down here at the moment. A few incandescent bulbs lit the area, but it didn't do much to light it.Old-style prison bars constructed two walls of my cell. I gripped them and rattled them, but they wouldn't give in. I contemplated throwing myself at them a few times to see if I could work something loose, but I was sore enough that I didn't want to risk any further injury.Purple and blue bruises were starting to bloom around my wrist, and I had barely managed to staunch the bleeding from m
*Rowan*There were two guards posted outside of my room. Luckily, they allowed Budge to be the guard inside my room, but we were effectively prisoners."You know, it seems a little stupid to have a fireplace in a bedroom," Budge pointed out, kicking at the ash in the fireplace. It made a little gray puff in the air."I mean, if we lived somewhere cold, it would be nice," I excused."We live on an island. It's stupid," Budge insisted."I won't disagree with that."I was on my laptop, scrolling through articles online trying to see what I could do about all of this. The problem was that there wasn't a whole lot of information online about Boldovan law."We'll get her out," Budge assured me, coming to rest a massive hand on my shoulder."I know we will. I won't survive if we don't."I wouldn't survive without her. Not just in the way that she seemed to be the only one keeping me alive, but I didn't think I could live without her by my side.It was like I had gone all m
*Genevieve*It was impossible to tell what time of day it was. The handful of dim lights in the dungeon were on all the time, so telling time was impossible. I felt like it had to be nighttime, but I couldn't be positive.Hurried footsteps trampled down the stairs, echoing against the rock walls of the wet basement."Genevieve," Rowan hissed.I stood, hurrying to the edge of the cell, grasping at the bars."What are you doing down here?" I demanded, though the relief at seeing him nearly swept me away like a tidal wave."Getting you out of here," he answered, racing from the base of the stairs to my cell door.He fumbled with the keys, jamming several different ones into the keyhole before finding the right one. He twisted it and yanked the door open."Let's go," he urged.I followed him out and down the hall. Rowan held his hand behind his back and I reached up and took it. He guided me away from the stairs he had used to come down here, and instead, toward a door at
For fuck's sake.We just couldn't catch a break tonight. They were ahead of us at every turn. I expected my heart to race, my knees to go weak, for some sign of the distress I knew I should be feeling to make itself known, but there was nothing.I was numb. I felt defeated. I let the ice-cold anguish wash through me and back out to the ocean. Maybe it traveled down those same damned drainage pipes we crawled through. Wherever the feelings went, I found some well of strength deep inside and pulled from it to stay standing.The king smiled, his yellowed teeth showing from underneath his salt-and-pepper mustache. "Am I interrupting something?""What do you want, Dad?" Rowan demanded."I don't want you to take this personally," the king began. "It's just that the blonde ruined things this afternoon, so I've had to expedite my plans.""Do we have to do the monologuing?" I sighed.I was soaking wet. I'd been falsely accused of attempted murder, imprisoned, and had to scramble f
*Rowan*I thought that if I heard my father say it himself, it would feel more real.My father had been the one to take the shot in the dining hall.He had tried to shoot me and had successfully shot Genevieve. When I finally put the pieces together and realized what was happening, I had prayed that somehow I would be wrong. I knew that my father and I didn't get along. It wasn't a surprise that he didn't exactly have warm sentiments when it came to me.But for it to be confirmed that he wanted me dead?To know for sure that he would have killed me himself if I had just been a little less lucky?I should be groveling at Genevieve's feet. How many times had she saved my life? A woman who had been in my life for a matter of months cared more about keeping me alive than my own father. I owed so much to her.She pulled out a chair for me to sit on. Budge flopped down on her bed, muttering about wanting to get a few kicks in himself. The people in this room were the people who