He laces his fingers with mine. “Well, if it gets to be too much, we’ll just run away together. I could see us building a cabin on a nice piece of land that Ebron could spend his days flying over.”
“Run away together, huh?”
“You know I’m always here. You don’t even have to say the word. You just give me a look, and we’ll book it out of here. They can build peace with the Hollowborn on someone else’s back.”
The door to my bedroom flies open, and I jerk my head to see what the noise is all about. Of course, it’s the three princes, looking angry. I swear, they always look angry.
“What the hell?” Prince Lucien shouts.
I release Arthur’s hand, and we both sit up. “What’s your problem now?”
“It hasn’t even been an hour since our engagement was publicly announced, and you’re already in bed with another man.” Prince Lucien sounds truly enraged.
Standing up, I say, “We were just talking. Calm down.”
“You don’t have to be in bed with someone to talk to them,” Prince Lucien shouts, pointing at Arthur.
I look to Prince Alaric for help, but his lips are drawn into a thin line. “He may not be your ex-fiancé, but this is completely inappropriate.”
“Just relax, guys,” Arthur says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, which is a terrible idea, but I don’t get the chance to tell him that before Prince Gareth shoves Arthur.
Arthur hits the bed, and his eyes go wide.
“Stop,” I say, moving to stand between Prince Gareth and Arthur.
Prince Gareth’s hands are curled into fists. “Make him leave.”
“No, we’re talking. You guys leave.”
“Not a chance,” Prince Gareth growls.
Arthur stands up, looking as menacing as he can manage. “This is bullshit.”
“Got something to say?” Prince Lucien asks, taking a step closer to Arthur.
I remain between them. “That’s enough.”
But Arthur is the one coming closer, chest puffed up, jaw working. “How the hell are you three going to marry Harper when you can't even understand basic things about her?”
“Like what?” Prince Alaric says, anger and confusion warring in his voice.
“Like that she’s scared right now. She was just told, by her king, that she has to marry three assholes and a fucking Hollowborn. She’s terrified! More than anything, she needs comfort. And while I’m here providing it, you’re all too busy being in a dick measuring contest with me to notice what she needs and how she’s feeling.”
“Harper isn’t scared,” Prince Lucien says, but there’s doubt in his voice. “She doesn’t get scared.”
Arthur shakes his head angrily. “Rule number one about Harper: she may seem extra-human in nearly every way, but she’s still a person, and she’s still a woman. What she was just told would terrify anyone.”
Prince Alaric looks at me. “Is that true? Are you scared?”
My pride won’t let me answer, but my non-answer seems to be enough for all of them to understand. The tension in the room goes down a notch, and all eyes are on me.
“We won’t let the Hollowborn hurt you,” Prince Gareth says quietly.
“It’s not just him.”
“What is it then?” Prince Gareth asks.
Again, I can’t seem to bring myself to answer them. I never had a clear plan for my life, but being happily married just seemed like a given. Why would I ever sign on to marry people that hated me? And yet, how can I say that without coming across as terribly weak?
