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“I’ll be here,” he says with an easy smile.
I take Linc’s hand and he takes me down the hall to his room. There is something soothing about the room. It could be that it smells like him, or it could just be that this is his inner sanctum and I know that having me in here means something to him.
I move to his bed and climb on top of it, hugging one of his pillows. I get the feeling I’m going to need the comfort for whatever he’s about to tell me.
He paces in front of me, running his hand through his hair. “I’m not even sure where to start.”
I reach out for him and he moves toward me, sitting on the bed to face me. “Just start from the beginning.”
He nods, looking almost sad. “Just don’t hate me.” He looks so fucking vulnerable, my heart feels like it’s going to break in two.
“I couldn’t hate you if I tried. And trust me, I tried.” I laugh, but it’s forced and he doesn’t smile.
He takes a deep breath, squeezes my hand, and looks me dead in the eye. “When you were gone, Finley found something. It’s how we convinced the Knights to help us find you.”
“Okay,” I say when he pauses, trying to remain calm as my heart races in my chest. He seems stressed enough having to tell me this, so I do my best not to let my emotions show to keep him from feeling any worse.
“We found the agreement your dad made when he left.”
The words hang in the air and I almost don’t dare to breathe.
“Your father never really got out. He just kind of stepped down. Stone was the Regent before he took you away from here. He made a deal with Harrison that you would be out free and clear. In return, he would give up his seat as Regent and his seat at the table of the Conclave. He would work for Harrison when needed, he would never truly be free, but you would be. And so would any children you were to have in the future.”
He scrubs a hand down his face, but confusion clouds my thoughts. “I don’t understand. That sounds like a good thing. I’m free?”
He shakes his head. “You were free. The contract stated that should any Knight approach or harm you, that you would take your birthright as Regent of the Conclave.”
I feel like I can’t breathe.
That can’t be right.
“Why would my dad put that in there?” I clasp my throat, trying to suck in air.
“My guess is to keep the Conclave from coming after you. It’s a pretty good deterrent. No one wants to give up that sort of power, and the Regent’s word is law to the sect.”
I feel like my entire world just got tipped upside down. “What does this mean now?”
He lets out a deep sigh and squeezes my hand. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to find that bit out, but unsurprisingly, Harrison is being tight-lipped. What I do know is the senior Conclave has been meeting way more often since I dropped that bomb in their lap.”
“But if Harrison made the deal, surely he knew? So why invite me to the gala? Why come after me? Panda—Evan—said that he had Edward kill my dad, that they fucked with the will to make sure I came back here. Why would they do that if it meant risking me taking the Regency?”
“I’m working on finding out; it doesn’t make sense to me either. Stone must have had something that was worth them risking it. That, or Harrison figured you’d never find out with him being dead. None of the other Conclave members knew about the deal he made, which means it got signed off by one of the Kings of the Prism—the Prism is the tier of Knights that sit above the Conclave. Which also means this goes way higher up than I ever imagined.”
“This sounds dangerous,” I say, biting my lip, trying not to let fear get the better of me.
“I won’t let them hurt you, Octavia. Not while there is breath in my body. No one is ever going to hurt you again.”
I kiss him softly and he groans as I pull back. “There’s more you need to know.”
I wait patiently for him to speak. He’s always been someone who weighs his words carefully, and I’m not about to rush him.
“My father… he has made it very clear that he doesn’t want me having anything to do with you. He was clear about it before we stormed the Conclave to get you back. He’s been even clearer about it since then. He won’t have my happiness ruining his plans.” He pauses and I open my mouth to curse Harrison out, but he shakes his head. “We need to be smart about this. Harrison isn’t an enemy we want, and with this whole Regency thing, keeping him on our side is vital. He’s already suspicious. I told him we’re nothing more than friends, that you’re with Finley, and close with the other two, but that I am keeping my distance as instructed.”
“I don’t like this.” I sigh, my heart sinking.
“Neither do I, but for now, we need to play his game. When we have more leverage, when we know what he wants from you… know more about what Stone did to get you free, then we’ll have more wiggle room, but for now—”
“For now we need to pretend that we aren’t a thing where your dad is concerned.”
“Which means that outside of here, we have to be careful.”
“You mean at school.”
He rubs a hand down his face and nods. “I mean everywhere but here. I need you to be safe, Octavia, and if that means sneaking around, then that’s what I’ll do. Sacrificing for you isn’t a sacrifice.”
