Why?
I take a few deep breaths and look away. It’s pretty, about noon at this point, the sun at the perfect height in the sky to shine down on all the pretty grapes and all the laughing people wandering around celebrating life while I’m left to wonder who’s trying to end ours, mainly his.
Roman reaches for my hand. It feels off, wrong in some way to touch him while I’m still in the agreement of six days, while my thoughts linger on someone upstairs having a nervous breakdown over one of his blood brothers coming after him.
How? How had it come to this?
I feel myself start to breathe heavily and then hyperventilate as I realize what this means. Some of the closest people to him, who’ve grown up with him, are going to try to draw his blood in order to take the allegiance of every Family, mine included.
“Hey, hey.” Roman pulls me into his arms as I crumple to the ground. “I’ve got you.”
Right. But who has King?
That’s what I keep thinking.
The words are stirring around my brain in a thunderous way that has my chest aching and my breaths coming out in short spurts.
“Shhh, it’s okay.” Roman rubs his hand down my back.
I want to run away.
I want to run far away from here.
And I hate myself for being weak when I’ve always ever been strong for my family despite the insane things they ask me to do. And now, because of King, I want to run?
It’s too much. It’s threatening too much.
My thoughts are jumbled, confused, and Roman’s slow hand down my back isn’t helping as I try to put each thought into different boxes and categories.
“Promise me,” I say.
Roman’s hand stops, he pulls back, and that same hand moves to my chin, rubbing back and forth. “I promise.”
“You didn’t even hear what I had to say,” I point out, almost annoyed.
“I’ll promise you anything.” His hair is tousled, his smile free and easy. Meanwhile, King’s trying not to burn down his hotel room.
I look out at the sun high in the sky, the people running around, riding bikes, laughing, drinking wine. “Protect him, no matter what.”
“I’ll protect you,” Roman vows.
“That’s not what I asked, is it?” I turn in his arms. “Protect your king, no matter what.”
Roman swallows slowly; his eyes linger on my mouth. “Even at the cost of the queen?”
“Yes.” I grip his shirt and tug him close. “Even at the cost of the queen, you bastard, you protect your king!”
His eyes widen briefly, all blue and pretty, before they narrow. “It makes a man wonder.”
“Wonder what?” I release him and look away.
“Wonder,” he says again.
I look back as he licks his full lips.
“What he did, to gain such allegiance…”
I shove him to the ground without realizing I’m actually doing it until he falls, only to jump to his feet again and grab my wrists in a lame attempt.
“Let me go.” I keep my voice even and low.
“The hell did you do that for?” Roman jerks me against him. “I was just asking a question!”
“No.” I struggle against him. “You really weren’t, were you?”
His nostrils flare, and I notice how tense he is, how his teeth are clenched, how tight his fingers are on my wrist and how it hurts to look at him, how I want to run away, far, far away from here when it’s supposed to be a celebration. “You did it, right? Y-you… slept with him?”
I finally win my struggle to get my wrist free and back up. “Remember who you’re talking to now, Roman.” I’ve never spoken to him like this before. His eyes blaze with fury. “You’re my bodyguard. Your life for mine.”
I could have sworn I heard in the back of my head, until it ends.
But that would be crazy, right? To hear King’s voice?
He takes a step toward me. “We both know you’re a pawn in a game that isn’t even yours to play, Del, all of us are, and yes, you’re right; my job is to protect him but know I’ll always protect you first.”
“Don’t.” I sound desperate. “Don’t. Promise me.”
He curses and looks away, his jaw clenched; it’s such perfection in the sunlight, all smooth lines, full lips, angry eyes, and tousled dark hair. He finally turns back toward me. “Fine.”
“Good.” I feel like a weight has been lifted from my chest. “Good.”
“Now give me your seal,” he says suddenly.
Confused, I search his blue eyes. “What?”
“Your seal. Your promise.” He shrugs. “Give it over.”
“What?”
I don’t have time to respond as he tugs me into his arms and presses a deep kiss to my mouth that I feel all the way down to my toes. His tongue shoves past my lips without permission, his arms go around me, his hard body presses tight. My hands shove against his chest.