“Drea’s his guard, like I’m yours!” Eddie said chipperly.
“Yes,” Cameron confirmed, though I sensed hesitation in his tone. “Drea is also my wife.”
The room fell dead silent, and it took me a beat to process his words. I was certain I hadn’t heard him correctly. A storm brewed in my abdomen, and it took everything I had to force it back. I hid my hands under the table so he wouldn’t notice them shaking.
“I’m sorry,” I finally said, as calmly as I could manage. “I must’ve heard you wrong. You said Drea’s your guardandyour wife?”
“That is correct,” Cameron said brightly.
This was far from the great news he thought it was. It was wrong of him to marry his guard, on so many levels. My hands curled into fists.
“I understand this may be a lot to take in,” Cameron said quickly. “I know this is all still so fresh to you. It took me a long time to even consider moving on from your mother?—”
“So you forgot about Mom, like you forgot about me,” I growled.
“Charlie, you know I went looking for you,” Cameron insisted. “I never forgot about either one of you. Losing you both was the hardest thing I ever had to go through. It’s been over twenty years?—”
“I don’t care how long it’s been. You gave up!” I shouted. Forget acting like a prince. I couldn’t contain my anger. “If I lost my son, I’d spend a hundred years looking for him. Isshethe reason you stopped looking for me? Once you decided to settle down, I didn’t matter anymore?”
“It wasn’t like that,” Cameron insisted.
“She’s yourguard, Cameron!” I shouted. I didn’t miss how I’d let his name slip out. I didn’t feel like calling himDad, that was for sure. “How has anyone allowed this to happen? She can’t consent!”
“Charlie, please,” Drea said softly. “I assure you, I married your father of my own free will.”
“Yeah?” I questioned. “Or hashetold you to say that? Because I know damn well Eddie will do anything I say. He’s magically bound to do it.”
“I would never violate Drea’s free will like that,” Cameron said, his tone growing angry. “To even suggest such a thing is awful.”
“Just because you didn’twantto violate her free will doesn’t mean you didn’t unintentionally,” I argued. “I could say,Eddie, give me a blow job, and regardless if he wants to do it or not, he’s gonna do it, because as my guard he can’t disobey a command.”
“Very well, sire!” Eddie said cheerfully. He ducked under the table, and his fingers reached for my waistband.
I shoved his hands away. “Eddie, stop,” I ordered. “It was just supposed to be an example.”
Eddie poked his head out from under the table. “Oh. I see. Point made, my prince.”
He squeezed himself out from underneath the table and went to sit back down, while I raged at my father. “See what I mean? I didn’t intend the order, but he went to follow it anyway!”
“Charlie, this behavior is unacceptable!” my father snapped— like I was a child. “I won’t have you insult my wife to her face like this.”
“Then perhaps she should leave,” I stated coolly. “Eddie, why don’t you and Drea give us a moment?”
Eddie started for the door immediately, but Drea hesitated, until my father told her, “It’s for the best. Charlie and I have much to discuss.”
Eddie and Drea exited the room, leaving Cameron and me alone.
“I understand you’ve been through a lot, and all of this is overwhelming,” Cameron said calmly. “It was too much when Iwas your age, too. That’s why I ran away to Kinpago, where I met your mother. However, it’s unfair to take that out on my wife. I love Drea very deeply. It’s not fair to expect me to never love again.”
“You may love her, but the power dynamic is off,” I insisted. “You’re always going to be above her, and even if she wanted to, she can’t say no. There are lines that you should never cross, and this is one of them.”
“Don’t make me out to be the villain,” Cameron warned. “You can’t treat my wife like she’s below me just because she’s my guard. She and I are equals.”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’tbelievehe had the nerve to suggest what he had. “The last thing I’d ever do is look down upon someone for where they stand in society,” I sneered. “Have you forgotten that I was homeless and living on the streets? I’m fucking blind, and have lived most my life with no accommodations, let alone any money or status. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve lived at the bottom of the barrel. I’ve been a prince forone fucking day. I’m not going to forget everything that happened to me— I never will.”
Cameron drew in a deep breath. “I understand how hard this must be for you, but please try to comprehend that my relationship with Drea is not what you think. Yes, we connected at a vulnerable time, but she was the one who helped me through your mother’s loss. I never pressured Drea to doanything, let alone fall in love with me. When I was searching for you, it nearly killed me. After the Hawkei sent you away, I did my damndest to find you, but your records led me nowhere. I wasn’t even sure if you were alive. I continued searching, but I only came up with more questions. Without knowing if you were dead or alive, all I had was false hope. Iwantedto keep looking for you, but there was nothing else to look for.”
“I don’t believe you,” I insisted. “Even if my records led to a dead-end, you had magic.”
