“The airport,” he said simply like that was cool. “You obviously can’t take care of yourself. You’re coming home.”
“No, you’re not!” I started to unbuckle myself, but he was going too fast. “I’m not going home. That’s your home, not mine—”
“No arguments, December. You’re going home. Royal sent me to check on you. I did and I’m making a call.”
“Well, you don’t have one to make,” I said, working my seat belt off. I didn’t care how fast we were going. “You’re not taking me anywhere. You can’t. That’s kidnapping.”
“Kidnapping or not, I’m doing it,” he explained, and when he came to a quick stop, I nearly shot through the window. He lifted up his phone. “Or do you want me to call your dad? Tell him where you are and what almost just happened to you?”
My heart raced. “You wouldn’t.”
“Wouldn’t I?” he stated, starting to dial, and I grabbed his phone.
“Why are you doing this? Why do you even care?” Why did either of them? They hadn’t before. They hadn’t at all and clearly moved on, him too judging by the pics with Royal. I’d been gone for almost a month.
Knight dampened his lips, pushing fingers through dark strands. “Because Royal asked me to, and Royal is my bro. Your sister was one of those too, and Royal, Royal and us guys look out for you. ’Nuff said.”
I stared at him, jaw slack in my seat. This had been the most verbose I’d ever seen him, and for whatever reason, that had me giving him back his phone.
He pocketed it. “Put your seat belt on. I’ll drive better. I promise.”
Trusting him, I clicked it back on, settling in my seat. He had my hands pretty much tied here.
So long, Arizona.
Fifteen
December
I managed to get a text out to Ramses on the way to the airport. Knight and I were taking a red-eye back to Maywood Heights, and I didn’t want him to worry when I didn’t show up at work the next day. I also wanted to apologize, and since I wouldn’t be coming back, I felt I owed him that. He had been nice, and I’d been shit, letting him know that. I couldn’t tell him much, but what I could tell him was that I was going home, and I appreciated everything he did for me. I also told him not to worry and that I was fine, but after that, I shut my phone off. I couldn’t take any texts or calls in the air anyway and didn’t want to have to deal with anymore explanations. All that done, I continued on with the evening, Knight grabbing my bag and escorting me into the airport. He was a dutiful lackey, seeing through commands by a boy I really was trying hella hard to understand at this point. Royal had said his piece in bounds the moment he put me on a bus and decided not to go with me. Hell, he’d said it before when he didn’t go to my sister’s memorial and showed up with Mira at the reception. And then those pictures with her?
I sat with all that to myself on a dark plane, a sleeping Knight beside me. He snored to hell, his big body tight on the outer seat, so I couldn’t get around him even if I tried. I had no idea what would happen once this plane touched tarmac. But I had a feeling whatever that was wasn’t up to me.
I awoke myself to sunlight, low and barely dawn. The flight returning to ground had been easy and after getting my carry-on, Knight was taking us to his car. His Escalade was parked in the lot covered in ice, ready and waiting for the errand boy to come back. I remembered snow before I left Maywood Heights, but actually seeing it in full wintry bursts had been surprising. The trees were lined with it, the air filled with it. The world had changed so much since I’d been gone, and I hadn’t been prepared for it.
Knight was, and when he pulled up his car to retrieve both me and my bag, he had a coat with him. He wore it, pulling it off, and after, he gave it to me. “Come on. I don’t have two. So…”
He was giving his to me, literally the coat off his back. Not a fool enough to question, I took it, the thing incredibly warm when I put it on. It even smelled like him. Not nearly as good as Royal Prinze, but it did give me a comfort I hadn’t expected. I zipped the puffer coat to the top, putting the hood on, and the pair of us got into his ride.
“I’m not going home,” I told him, strapping myself in. I shook my head. “I mean, I’m not going to my dad’s house.” That wasn’t home, not anymore.
“You’d be right,” he said, pulling away from the curb. He barely flinched at the cold air in the car, obviously used to all this. “You’re going to Windsor House.”
Windsor House…
I sat low in my seat, at least where we were going was not my house. This held another possibility, and despite remaining silent about his choice of destination, a deep unease brewed in my belly. If we were going to Windsor House, we were quite literally going on Court territory. If we were going to Windsor House, we’d most assuredly be seeing Royal.
I dampened my lips, staring outside at the bare trees and limbs covered in ice. There were several inches of snow on the ground, a familiar town gone, and I sank into the chill. My destiny was as out of my control as it had been when I left, and I let Knight take me through streets I didn’t want to be on. I stayed silent all the way to Windsor House, all this ironically familiar. He’d taken me here himself the first time. The lawn had been filled over with Court boys then, guys playing Frisbee under trees that changed colors and a ground full of green. All that was long gone now, and since it was so late—well, early—absolutely no one was out but a groundskeeper past the wrought-iron gates. He waved at Knight when he passed by, allowing us to go up the cobblestone walk to what was basically a castle. Windsor House literally came out of a storybook, in this case the most tragic one for me. I really didn’t want to be here, and that showed the minute Knight pulled to the House and I did nothing.
After shutting off the car, he hopped out, coming arou
nd to me. He opened the door, and I only unstrapped and got out because it was damn cold and I wanted to get inside. He grabbed my bag, directing us to go through another familiar door. I’d been told once upon a time I’d been the only girl in this section of Windsor House. They hadn’t even had my sister back there, and I could only assume because Paige hadn’t wanted any part of that and the boys’ Court. Or maybe she did but simply wasn’t allowed. For whatever reason, they were continuing to make exceptions for me, and I let out a breath once inside only because this time it was empty and not full of judgy stares from boys. It was still too early yet. I guess.
Knight was on his cell phone once inside, typing something on his phone, and I pulled off the coat, a roaring fire nearby.
“Three. Two. One,” Knight counted down beside me, and barely after that last word, we weren’t alone. Royal stormed in, eyes wild and hair strewn. He looked like he just hopped out of bed.
And fuck did he look hot.