AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But he’s not mine.
He doesn’t even know who I am.
And this is not right. So even though it kills me, even though it goes against every instinct screaming in my head, I wrench myself backward away from the promise of his kiss, toppling onto my palms.
I shoot to my feet.
Prince Alden blinks up at me, jaw suddenly tense. “Olympia. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to overstep.”
“Nothing to forgive.” I snatch up my sandals, ears ringing, and stumble backward up the jetty. My hand waves at my hair, my clothes, a false smile plastered over my cheeks as I go. “It’s just, the ball is in a few hours. I need to, um. Prepare. Do my hair, that kind of thing.”
“Of course.” His tone is flat. The prince doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. He scrubs a hand over his jaw, then pushes to stand too. “Shall I walk you back to the palace?”
“No, thank you.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw. Prince Alden frowns, but he doesn’t complain. Doesn’t call me out for running away.
My palm is slick around my phone two minutes later as I hurry across the grass.
I pull up my sister’s name and hit Dial.
* * *
“Bea?” I’m so used to calling my sister and hearing nothing but an endless dial tone, her voice doesn’t register at first. “Bea? Hey! Did you call me to pant down the line like a creep?”
“Oh my god.” I stumble to a halt in the middle of the palace lawns, hand clapped to my forehead. “You picked up. You finally picked up.”
“Yeah…” A deep voice murmurs something in the background of the call. I swear, if I ever meet my sister’s scuba instructor in person, I’ll strangle him with his respirator. She hisses at him to be quiet for a second, then clears her throat. “There’s hardly any signal out here. What’s up?”
What’sup?
I clench my jaw so tightly my teeth ache.
“Did you read my texts?” My stomach hurts. “Or listen to my voicemails? Did you check the freakingdate, Olympia?”
There’s a long pause. My sister’s breath catches. “Oh shit. That ball thingy is tonight?”
My voice is grim. “Tonight.”
Her strangled laugh makes my head throb. “And they haven’t even noticed I’m gone yet? This is hilarious. So much for my noble fiance; their precious Alden doesn’t even realize his fiance left the grounds three days ago.”
“Stop it.” I’m so mad I actually stamp my foot, my heel thudding against the grass. I’m like a cartoon woman, stomping her feet with smoke curling out of her ears. “Don’t talk about him like that. Prince Alden is—iswonderful, and the only reason he hasn’t noticed you’re gone yet is because he thinks I’m you. We’re lying to him, Olympia. You and me. We’re the villains in this tale.”
Olympia’s giggling like crazy. In this moment, I truly hate her. “The villains? Oh come on, Bea, do you hear yourself? He’s a royal. He can dry his eyes on an ermine cape.”
She’s joking, I know she is, but the thought of Alden upset by what we’ve done makes me want to scream.
So I do. I tip my head back and screech, a pair of doves bursting out of a nearby tree.
“Bea?” My sister’s not laughing anymore. She sounds worried.
“Get. Back. Here.” Each breath scrapes in and out of my throat. “I’m serious. I won’t keep lying. I can’t do this.”
“I will.” She’s talking quickly, tone soothing. “I’m coming back right now. We’ll turn the boat around and I’ll call as soon as we reach the marina.”
They’re out to sea?
I sink down onto my knees, never mind the risk of grass stains on my dress.
