AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before Remi’s panic broke through the haze of liquor burning its way through him, there was a shout, then a scuffle. His head spun when two shots were fired, the loud cracking making his ears ring. He couldn’t seem to get his balance, but a pair of strong, familiar hands had him.
“Your Royal Highness.” It was his personal bodyguard, Greg, and he sounded pissed—which made sense seeing as he was a Demon, and their tempers were legendary. This wasn’t the first time Remi had given him the slip this semester, and he knew he was one fuckup away from his parents dragging him back home and forcing him to finish his education through tutors.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his tongue still thick. “I don’t… I don’t know what happened…”
“Come with me, sir,” Greg said. His tone was still clipped, but his touch was gentle, and he supported Remi’s wobbling steps toward the large SUV.
As the door opened, he froze and started to fight Greg’s hold. “Wait! My friends…”
“Remington,” Greg said, and the power in his voice had Remi frozen to the ground. “Your friends are fine. The guards have shut the club down, and they’re searching for any more suspects.”
Remi blinked, his head starting to hurt. “I don’t understand.”
“You were almost kidnapped, sir. Your parents have already been informed, and they’ve… requested your presence back at the palace.”
Remi tugged his arm away from Greg, but he knew he wasn’t about to get far. “I have class,” he said weakly.
Greg merely cocked one of his thick eyebrows, making him look very much like a Demon, especially the way his skin seemed to shimmer under the yellow streetlight. “I think your professors will give you extensions if you need them.”
“Isn’t this kind of an overreaction?” Remi grumbled as he gave in and finally climbed into his seat.
Greg was quick behind him and let out a sigh as he shut the door. “No. Any attempt on your life is taken seriously, sir.”
Remi scoffed as he fumbled in the little minifridge for a bottle of water. It was imported from Midlona, and it was one of the few things that could truly quench his thirst. His head started to clear a bit more, and he felt shame curling through him, making his cheeks heat up.
Gods, everyone was going to be talking about the incident. They’d all know it was because he was the stupid, fucking crown prince. They’d all stare at him—blame him for the club shutting down. Blame him for disrupting everything.
And he had to go crawl away like some scolded child because of it.
“This is stupid,” he said. “Just take me back to my apartment. It’s not a big deal.”
Greg gave him a long look, then said, “It is. It wasn’t an isolated incident.”
When Remi’s mouth fell open to ask him what the hell he was talking about, Greg pulled out his phone and showed him the screen. Remi’s vision was still screwed, so he had to close one eye, but after a second, he processed the article headline.
Siren Queen Grace and her husband, King James, of Midlona, along with the young prince and princess, were attacked today on a royal walkabout during the opening of a new children’s hospital.
If anything could sober Remi, it was that. His parents were overprotective, but he loved them, and they loved him—almost beyond reason. And the fact that his little brother and sister had been involved was like taking a bucket of cold water to the face.
“Are Sadie and Percy…”
“They’re fine, Your Highness,” Greg said softly, tucking his phone away. “But there’s something going on, and until we can get to the bottom of it, your parents feel it would be safer for you at the palace. And,” he added when Remi sucked in a breath to argue, “I happen to agree. I’m better at my job with my whole security team. I can’t let anything happen to you.”
Remi deflated against the seat of the car, pissed as he was because he was tired of his life being disrupted all because of who he was. But he couldn’t deny that Greg was right. At least for now. He’d go home and wait a week, and when nothing happened—just like always—he’d annoy his parents into letting him come back.
He’d use all of his charm to get his professors to give him some extensions, and life would go back to the way it was. The way it should be. And who knew? Maybe while he was home, he could finally mourn the loss of… well, maybe not Ozias, but the loss of what he thought Oz was going to be.
His first relationship. His first disappointment. And one more person who thought he was too weak and pathetic to take care of himself.
* * *
Remi knew he was behaving like a petulant brat, but the alcohol was wearing off, and he was pissed. All the quiet understanding he’d felt in the car had dissolved with his buzz, and he’d kicked up enough of a fuss that Greg gave in and took him back to his place so he could pack.
The Demon also didn’t put up a fight when Thad showed up and Remi proceeded to lock Greg and the small security team out in the hallway. Greg knew Remi didn’t have the power to slip away from him, and Thad was just a human, so there was little they could do.
Not that Remi didn’t consider it.
“I wish I had, like, a secret bathroom window or an attic or something,” he muttered savagely as he tossed more of his shirts into his third case.
