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“What’s wrong?” He peered up at him, trying to read his tense face. “Are you worried about staying in Hillsland overnight?”
Jeremiah cleared his throat. “We need to talk.”
Ice water rushed through his veins. “What?”
“Remi, I’m so glad you’re okay. All of you,” Jeremiah said carefully, stepping around Remi and putting space between them. “But you… You broke your word to me.”
Swallowing, Remi nodded. “I know. I’m sorry. I thought it’d be okay since I wasn’t going far.”
Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. “Not going far? You were planning on going to a party full of people you didn’t know without any protection. You sent me to get dessert while you put yourself in danger again.”
“Wait—what?” Remi frowned, trying to catch up and then realizing Jeremiah didn’t know what had actually happened. “No, that’s not—”
“I love you, Remi, but I’m not sure I can trust you.”
Remi sucked in a breath, warmth filling his whole body. Jeremiah loved him? Smiling, he took a step closer, wanting to hug his fucking mate, but Jeremiah moved back. “I didn’t go to a party.”
Jeremiah sighed and ran his hands through his hair, ruffling the waves. “Obviously, but I saw your texts with Thad. I know you were sneaking out to go to the stupid frat house when he kidnapped you.”
Remi crossed his arms over his chest. “You read my texts?”
“You were missing!”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, you should probably know something, Sunshine.”
“What’s that?”
“I lied to Thad.”
Jeremiah furrowed his brows. “About what?”
“Going to the party.” Remi sighed and let his arms drop. He was so tired, but he knew they needed to get this straightened out before moving forward. “I let him believe I was going to go, but I went down to his car and told him I was leaving the fraternity.”
“You did?”
Remi nodded, tentatively stepping closer, so damn relieved when Jeremiah didn’t back up again. “I did. I thought I owed him a private conversation to tell him.” He shook his head at his own naivete. “I was so dumb. I really thought he’d befriended me out of some deep-seated goodness his dad’s bigotry hadn’t touched. Instead, the guy fucking drugged me when I wasn’t looking.”
He scrubbed at his face, the tears he’d been holding back rushing into his eyes. Gods, he was exhausted. He wanted to sleep for a whole year.
“I’m so sorry I tricked you,” he said behind his hands, voice muffled. “I understand if you can’t forgive me yet, but maybe—”
“Shh.” Jeremiah’s wonderfully warm and strong arms wrapped around him, and the knot in his stomach finally eased. He threw his arms around his neck and held on tight.
“Please forgive me,” he gasped, sobs shaking his body. “I promise to listen to everything you say the next time a psycho terrorist group targets me and my family.”
Jeremiah huffed a laugh. “That’s not funny, little princeling.”
“I know.” He sniffled and buried his face in Jeremiah’s neck. “I really am sorry though. I was so fucking reckless. Thank you for saving me.”
Shushing him again, Jeremiah carded his fingers through Remi’s hair, soothing him. “I should stay mad a little longer, but you’re breaking my heart.”
“You forgive me?”
“Yes, my prince.”
If anything, that made Remi cry harder. Relief and exhaustion and residual terror all blurred together inside him, and he just couldn’t stop, big ugly sobs racking his body as Jeremiah scooped him up and carried him to their bed.
He wasn’t sure how long it was before he finally caught his breath, but Jeremiah’s T-shirt was soaked with tears and snot. “Oh gods, sorry. That’s so gross.”
