We’d been swimming all evening, and Eva went back to the castle to get snacks for us while I took a quick shower. When I came out, the phone was sitting on a table near the door. I was confused, because I was pretty sure it wasn’t there before I’d gone in, but I grabbed it and hid it in the pocket of my robe just as Eva came back in.
Later that night, alone in my room, I turned it on. I was fascinated by it. All electronic devices were off-limits to us, another effort to protect the precious princesses. So, scrolling through the photos and programs was like opening up a whole new world. I stayed up all night looking through the internet, reading news articles, even some about me and Eva and our family. I was enthralled with the outside world. It had always seemed like such a mystery to us and now here it was splayed out and open for my eyes to see.
It was like a locked door, the contents of which I wondered about every day, and I was finally given the key.
I felt guilty for not sharing it with Eva. But I also knew Eva would have told Clara right away and given it back. Eva was a lot more afraid of our father’s wrath than I. I quickly learned all he did was yell, and when that started, I just tuned him out.
His yelling reminded me of memories I didn’t want to remember, so when the shouting began, I retreated into myself. After I did that, I didn’t mind if he yelled, because I wasn’t really in the room anymore.
If he found out I had the phone and yelled, so be it. What was he going to do? Lock us up and throw away the key?
Done.
When the phone lit up the next day with a chirping sound and a friendly message that simply said, ‘Hello’, I replied with a ‘Hello’ of my own. After that, the conversation continued naturally. Dragon and I spent the next couple of weeks texting every time I could find a moment alone. It was thrilling and exciting to have my very own secret and by the time he suggested I run away and offered to help me hide, I was buzzing.
Making a plan was easy. So easy, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t simply walked off the grounds before. But now that someone was waiting for me outside the gates, I found the courage to do it.
I wondered if anyone would answer if I tried to call Clara’s phone. Had they found it? Were they looking for me?
The now familiar thread of guilt pulsed inside of my heart. I hated hurting them. They didn’t deserve this.
I pulled up Dragon’s text messages to find Clara’s phone number. The weeks-long thread between the two of us wasn’t there, but there were others. I pulled up the most recent one, between Dragon and someone he’d listed as “GP”. They’d been sent this afternoon while we were in town. I wrinkled my brow in confusion, because I hadn’t seen him texting with anyone the entire time we’d been together.
—‘I think I saw them. Are you sure this is going to work?’
‘Don’t worry. Stick to the plan.’
—‘They’re huge. They’re going to kill me!”
‘They’ll never find you. Trust me.’
—‘I switched cars. I ditched the van near Mom’s house and took her red car.’
‘How’s the girl?’
—‘I think she wants to go home.’
‘That’s not going to happen.’
—‘I’m ready for this to be over. She’s really fucking annoying.’
‘Soon. Lay low.’
—‘Hiding in plain sight seems to be working. Those assholes walked right past us today. Didn’t look twice.’
‘Did you dig the hole?’
‘—Yes.’
‘Good work.’
—‘Gotta go. Talk tomorrow.’
My mouth gaped open as I read the thread again and again. What did all this mean? Who was GP?
My head spun and I jumped up from the edge of the cliff, afraid I’d fall from the dizziness that overwhelmed me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t make sense of any of this.
Run.
That’s all I could think of, the only word that popped into my head.
I took a deep breath and did just that, my feet carrying me away from the edge of the cliff and back towards the lighthouse.
I wondered if I could climb over the gate.
And then what?
I’d just run. Run towards town. Find help.
Tears sprang to my eyes, blurring my vision.
This wasn’t safe. None of this was safe.
I’d made a terrible mistake.
I had to get out of here.
I stumbled, falling on my hands and knees in the grass, crying out in pain. I took a deep breath, swallowing hard as I tried to shake it off. Climbing back to my feet, I stood up and took off running again.
I’d taken five steps and I ran straight into Dragon.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Chapter 33
EVA
I’d woken up with a plan. Now I just had to convince my father that I could pull it off. I found him in his study, in the early morning hours. He looked terrible, but who could blame him?
“You haven’t slept at all, have you?”
“No, dear,” he said. He pulled me into his arms, a rare act of affection. I leaned into him, inhaling his scent, a combination of coffee and liquor. “How are you holding up?”
I pulled away, looking up at him.
“I think I can find her.”
He looked down at me curiously, lifting a brow.
“How would you do that?”
“Let me go out. I can feel her, Father! But being stuck inside the castle makes it impossible to feel out where she is.”
“Absolutely not, Eva,” he said, pulling away and walking away.
“Think about it,” I said. “Willa and I have been side by side all our lives. We’re bonded. We’re connected. Psychically. Remember when we used to play all those games? We’d guess what the other was thinking, and we were always right. Or, we’d hide from each other, and immediately know where to find one another.”
“This is real life, Eva. I appreciate the idea, dear, but this isn’t a childhood game. We need to let these men do their job.”
“But it’s been so long!” I protested.
“Sometimes, these things take time.”
“How much time do we have?” I asked, defiantly. He lifted a brow at my tone, but I ignored it. “These men seem nice and professional but they haven’t been successful. Let me go into town with them. I’ll wear a disguise. Just let me try. What can it hurt?”
He spun around, a storm brewing in his eyes.
“What can it hurt?” he shouted. “How do you expect me to allow you to go out there, Eva? It’s possible I’ve already lost Willa, I’m not going to lose you, too!”
“But you won’t!” I insisted. “They’ll protect me. It’s not the same thing. You have to let me try, you just have to!”
We were both shouting now, glaring at each other.
I paused, taking a deep breath.
“If it was me, I’d want you to let Willa do it. We have to try everything to find her. I can’t bear going through life in this castle without her!”
Tears began rolling down my face and he walked over and gathered me in his arms.
“What have I done?” he muttered, shaking his head, holding me close as I cried. “What have I done?”
Chapter 34
CLARA
“I can’t believe he agreed,” I said to Eva, as I put a short, black wig over her head.
“Me, either,” she said, giggling nervously. “But I do think it might work.”
“It may,” I said, wanting to be encouraging, even though I wasn’t sure myself. I wanted to tell her not to get her hopes up, but who was I to dash her hopes like that? It seemed cruel. So I just kept working, tucking her long blonde hair under the wig and securing it with pins. We’d raided the costume room where the girls used to spend hours playing when they were younger. Now that the girls were so big, they were about the same size as me, so I lent her a dress that made her look a little older.
We took a few minutes
to apply some makeup and after we were done, we stared into the mirror together.
“Wow, this is cool,” she said, twirling around. “I don’t look anything like myself.”
“No, you don’t,” I said. “You look like a much older woman.”
“It’s perfect,” she said, smiling. “I’ll be able to walk around without anyone noticing me.”
“Good luck, sweetie,” I said, smiling back at her. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“I’ll be okay with the Gods,” she said.
“You will, that’s true,” I said. “Shall we go find the others?”
“Sure,” she said, giggling again and we walked out of her room.
I was nervous for her. I wanted to go but the Gods said it would be better with just her. Once Eva had convinced her father, he called Riot and asked him his opinion on the matter. Riot thought it was worth a try, too, so he sent Wreck and Stryker back to the castle.
We found them both in the parlor with Joe, anxiously waiting for us.
When we walked in and they got a look at Eva, their eyes widened.
“I never thought I’d see the day where I didn’t recognize my own daughter,” Joe said, pulling her into his arms. He hugged her for a long while, reluctantly releasing her and gazing lovingly into her eyes.
“I’m going to be okay,” she assured him. “And I’m going to find her!”
“Let’s just see what happens, okay? I don’t want you gone too long. It’s too risky, even with the disguise.”
“Sir,” Stryker spoke up. “Riot has instructed me to stay here with you and Clara and Diana. Wreck will accompany Princess Eva back to Slade and Riot.”
“That’s fine, but you don’t need to stay by my side. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“I’ll be nearby, just in case. Boss’s orders.”
“Very well,” Joe said, with a dismissive wave, before turning back to Eva.
“Don’t go off by yourself. Promise me you’ll stay with them?”
“Of course, Father, I promise,” she said, the dutiful daughter.
Within seconds, the three of us were watching Wreck whisk Eva away down the driveway until they’d disappeared around the bend.
“I need a fucking drink,” Joe growled once they were out of sight. He turned and walked back through the front doors, leaving Stryker and I alone.
“Holding up okay?” he asked, turning to me with a smile.
“Oh, sure, if you call basically having a nervous breakdown holding up,” I replied, my voice shaking.
“Nobody is paying any attention to how hard this is on you, are they?”
“Why should they?” I shrugged.
“Because you’re practically the girls’ mother.”
“I wouldn’t say —.”
“—Why not? You’re obviously more of a parent than their own father. You practically live here with them, right?”
“I have my own apartment in town.”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to see that to believe it,” he laughed, running a hand through his long hair. I bit my lip, wondering how soft it was, wondering how it would feel sliding between my fingers.
The realization that I had a few hours to myself hit me.
“Actually…do you want to see it now?” I asked.
“Your apartment?” he said, cocking his head to the side.
“Yes!” I laughed. “Since both girls are gone, I have some time to do as I please. I need to grab some things. It’s not far. Do you want to come with me?”
“Sure,” he shrugged. “Doesn’t look like Joe doesn’t need me either, so why not?”
“My car is in the garage,” I said, leading the way. We piled inside and I drove the short distance to my apartment, my nerves shot as I second guessed my decision to invite him into my place. I’d never even brought the girls here. It was a nice apartment, but I was rarely there, so it felt more like a storage space than anything. I’d taken the time to decorate it sparingly, but it really didn’t feel like home.
“Nice place,” Stryker said, after we walked in.
“The castle feels more like home to me,” I said. “For some reason, though, I never wanted to give up my own space, just in case.”
“Makes sense to me,” he said. He seemed even larger in my small apartment as he strolled around. And the heat rolling off his body seemed to make it even warmer and stuffy than it already was.
I walked over to the window and opened it, letting in the fresh air. When I turned back, he was staring intently at me.
“What?” I asked, feeling self-conscious.
He closed the distance between us, towering over me, shaking his head.
“I’m just looking at you,” he said, softly.
“And what do you see?” I asked, his gaze holding mine.
A slow smile spread across his face, then he reached a hand towards me, his palm cupping my cheek.
“Beauty,” he said, his voice so low and warm that his one word left me flushed and breathless.
Leaving his palm on my cheek, he used his thumb to scrape across my bottom lip.
His boldness stunned me.
Frozen, I watched as he bent his head, his lips firmly pressing into mine.
His kiss was a question that I didn’t dare answer and he pulled away, searching my eyes.
“Please tell me you wanted me to do that.”
My eyes dilated with desire.
“I wanted it,” I whispered, my voice husky, surprising me.
His smile spread across his face again, his eyes lighting up with lust.
“Glad to hear it,” he growled. “Think you might like me to do it again?”
“It’s very possible,” I replied, “but we won’t know until you try.”
He groaned in pleasure, his lips crashing into mine with a hunger I’d never felt before. I wrapped my arms around him, welcoming him in like something I’d been waiting all my life for.
Chapter 35
WILLA
Morning light reflected off the lantern of the lighthouse. I attempted to shift out from under Dragon’s heavy arm that was thrown over me, but he’d pulled me close and I couldn’t do it without waking him up.
I’d somehow convinced him that I’d gotten scared by something in the woods last night and that was why I was running when he’d found me. I told him I’d taken his phone to use the flashlight so I could see in the dark. I wasn’t sure he believed me completely, but he was drunk. I’d allowed him to walk me back in and he’d made me lay down beside him while he went to sleep after tucking me in close to him.
I was afraid of what might happen today. Would he remember last night at all?
I hadn’t slept a wink, instead lying awake and thinking about the text messages I’d read. I felt like a fool. Why would I ever think he would just be helping me out of the kindness of his heart? The thought that this entire thing was just part of a plan made me sick.
I needed to get away, but I had no idea how.
I needed a plan of my own.
I lay there for another hour before I woke him up by moving around.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes fluttering open. He was disoriented and confused.
“Good morning, sleepy head!” I said, trying to sound cheerful. “Can we go to breakfast? I’m starving.”
“Sure, I know a great breakfast spot in town,” he said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “I’m hungry too.”
I tried to gauge if he remembered last night, but I couldn’t tell.
“I think I drank a little too much last night,” he said.
“We both did,” I replied. “I liked the whiskey, though,” I lied.
“Yeah, it’s good stuff, right?” He laughed. “Let’s get our shoes on and we’ll go.”
“Great!” I chirped, jumping up quickly. He stood up, then grabbed his head.
“Whoa,” he said, trying to shake it off. “I may move a little slow, give me a minute.”
&nbs
p; “I’ll meet you downstairs,” I said, after throwing on my shoes and heading for the stairs.
“I’m right behind you,” he said.
Within minutes, we were in the car and headed into town. He reached over and grabbed my hand, smiling at me warmly. It turned my stomach to think that this whole time he’d been putting on an act.
Well, I thought, I can act too.
I squeezed his hand and smiled back at him. I had to keep up the charade if I was going to get away. My plan was a long shot, but if there were truly people out looking for me then I had to hope it would work.
We ate breakfast and when we were done, I asked him if we could go back to the park.
“I thought you hated that park,” he said.
“The statue surprised me, yeah. But I want to see it again.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure, it just feels important. I shouldn’t have run away. I just couldn’t understand why they recreated one of the worst moments of our lives. But maybe if I go back, I can make peace with it.”
He shrugged, stuffing a biscuit in his mouth.
“Whatever you say,” he said.
I reached over and grabbed his hand.
“Thank you,” I smiled, the feel of his skin on mine grossing me out so much I wanted to puke up my breakfast. He paid the check and we walked out onto the sidewalk. He grabbed my hand and held it tightly as we walked over to the park.
When I tried to pull away, he flashed me a tight smile.
“Stay with me, babe. Wouldn’t want you to get away, would we?” His sneer told me he remembered last night after all. Maybe it took him a few minutes, but it was clear that now he remembered, he wasn’t about to let me out of his sight.
That’s fine, I thought.
If we could hide in plain sight, then I could do what I needed to do in plain sight, too. In fact, it worked better that way.
As we walked through the park, I took out the marker I’d stuffed into my jeans this morning and stopped periodically, drawing my perfect little horse sketch on as many surfaces as I could find. Park benches, iron railings, light posts, even the sidewalk.
BLOOD PRINCESS: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK 17) Page 11
