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For a moment, I bite the inside of my lip and press my eyes closed. I don’t matter, but this… I have to ask this favor. “My brother Cameron… He’s alone, and Blix knows how much he means to me. I’m so afraid he’ll—”
“You don’t even have to ask.” She sits beside me again and covers my clutched hands with hers. “I overheard Logan speaking to the king, my husband this morning. It’s why I wanted to come here and confront you myself.”
“I don’t understand. They let you come here to see me? Without trying to stop you?”
“Rowan knows my freedom is important to me. Anyway, I wasn’t afraid to see you. I thought it would make a difference, and I see I’m right.”
“But… what about Cam?”
“They’ve assigned two men to stay nearby. They’re watching him. Hoping Blix does make a move on him.”
Relief washes over me so strong, I’m again fighting back tears. It’s what I’d hoped for last night, and I’m so relieved and grateful. At the same time, hearing her say Blix might try to hurt my brother sends my panic levels rising again. “They won’t let him…”
“Logan seems very determined to keep your brother safe. He seems very concerned about keeping you safe.” Again her tone has changed, and she seems to be thinking, evaluating my response to her statements. “I like Logan very much. He saved my sister from Blix last summer…”
I’m doing my best to maintain a neutral expression. I’ve done enough to hurt Logan. He’s strong and perfect and still protecting me, and I can’t see how he’ll ever forgive me for betraying him—even if I couldn’t go through with it.
“Since he’s my personal guard now,” she continues, “I’ve decided it would be less stressful for him if I spend a few days here at Occitan. I’m not being completely unselfish. I love being here. It’s more relaxing than the palace. Perhaps we can get to know each other better… since we have so much in common.”
I study my hands. “I don’t have anything in common with you, your majesty.”
She stands and touches my shoulder. “You have more than you know.” She pulls the door open. “I’ll send some clothes for you to wear. The rain has finally stopped. Let’s take a walk along the beach.”
I don’t know if I’m allowed to say no, so I shrug. “Thank you.”
“I’ll send Logan to escort you down.”
Struggles
Logan
Waves crash under a grey sky. The air is cool, and both the queen and Kass are dressed in long-sleeved sweaters as they walk along the secluded beach at Occitan. I follow from a distance, keeping them in my sight.
A small outcropping of rocks protects the cove from the brunt of the ocean’s waves. The water is usually calm here, more like a lake. Not today. October is our stormiest month, and the wind whips through in occasional, violent bursts.
Ava’s dark hair curls in long spirals around her slim shoulders. She’s tall and confident, and with her sapphire-green eyes, she’s a striking beauty. It’s easy to see why the king and the people fell in love with her, why they were willing to overlook her checkered past and make her their “Cinderella queen.”
Still, my gaze is drawn to Cassandra.
For all Ava’s elegant grace, the petite drop of moonlight walking by her side has my heart and my insides tied up in knots. I watch the two of them growing closer. Kass is hesitant, but Ava acts as though she has her sister back.
It’s impossible to deny how much Zelda and Kass have in common. It’s also easy to see why I developed an attachment to Ava’s sister. It’s an easy reach.
Like Zelda, Kass is a survivor. Her bad choices have been motivated by the curveballs life has thrown at her, and her determination to survive. She’s mixed up with criminal subculture and dangerous men, but purity shines out of her eyes. Her heart is not black and hard, and I understand now she had to keep going or risk losing the only family she has left.
Intellectually, I understand her reasons. At the same time, she made me a target. She used our love as a weapon against me. The night we met at the casino, I fucking believed the universe had brought us together again, and it was all a lie. Every time I touched her, kissed her, loved her… Every time I wondered at the amazing twist of fate that I had her in my arms…
Shit. I’m getting fucking pissed all over again.
Fuck the past. I don’t believe in types. I don’t believe in soul mates. We have moments in our lives that are golden. Perhaps we try to recapture those moments with different humans who remind us of the ones we shared those times with. Or we stop being pussies and move forward, make new memories with new people.
I have to put all that shit behind me and Do My Job.
With a crash salt water breaks over my feet, and I swear, walking further up the dunes. I’ve taken my eyes off the queen. She squeals, and adrenaline spikes in my veins. I race forward.
“Your majesty,” I say, looking around, my hand moving to my gun holster.
“Logan!” Ava laughs, falling on my arm. She’s laughing so hard, her green eyes dance. “I’m sorry! I stepped on a crab. It’s so overcast, they’re all out scavenging.”
