Blaze (Virtues & Lies 3)

“For meeting royalty.”

“Oh.”

His words steep for a moment before they sink in. I don’t understand why Casper would want me here, with his family. How does that make me safe?

The guard shuts my door as Ryan gets back in the car, and at his nod the gates begin to open. A walled-in winding drive flanked by crested lions and dragons stretches in front of us. So archaic and gothic, and yet organic to the tree-swamped surroundings.

“The Infanta Beatriz is the youngest daughter of the late King Franco of Spain, making her fifteenth in line to the throne. Her husband, Filipe, is the pretender to the Portuguese throne. It’s defunct, but a title is a title and they have a way of attracting enemies.”

“But somehow I’m meant to be protected here?” The information overwhelms me somewhat, and it makes me antsy. “You all keep blathering on about safety and protection, but right now it feels like I’m being delivered to…to…to—Aaaah!”

“Use your words and not tantrums,” he sighs as though I’m being a brat.

“Yeah, all right, Dad,” I snap at him.

Maybe I am being a brat, but… “This better not be some fucking Rosemary’s Baby shit.”

“Wrong plot line. No one wants to take your baby or use it for rituals.” He frowns at me. “Rosemary’s Baby is a really poor choice. Shit concept. Shit film. Pure fucking drivel.”

“Films aren’t my thing. Unless it’s got a hot guy or a sappy, predictable storyline, it’s not for me. Although, Mia Farrow was so beautiful even with her short hair.”

“You saw those gates back there?” He points behind us with his thumb.

“Yes.”

“They’re strong, tall, and guarded. Did you see the foundation for this place?”

“The rocks?”

“Yes, the steep rocks that no one would be stupid enough to climb.”

“What about them?” I readjust myself in my seat, ignoring the slight twinge at the base of my belly.

“In these walls you are untouchable. That’s what he wants you to be.”

We drive through another set of open gates, into a cobbled courtyard. The mist is clearing, the rays of sun pouring over us.

“Sounds lonely,” I finally tell him when he cuts the engine.

Ryan gets out the minute we’re stationary. Rounding the front of the car, he takes in our surroundings, no doubt acquainting himself with all the nooks and crannies.

“It won’t be forever, and now that you’re here, you don’t have to hide. Arabella will want to come and Cassandra.” Lucian’s smile at the mention of my best friend is filled with fondness.

“I’m going to miss her wedding. I’m going to miss everything. This is going to be it. Our babies won’t be friends like we planned. There’ll be no playdates or baby brunches. This is it. I’ve never liked being alone. I’ve always had Mum and Cassie…Penny, even. And then I had Casper. I don’t know how to be on my own.”

There’s no good reason as to why I’m telling him all this. Maybe it’s the fear of the dark. I’m in the ultimate darkness right now. I have no idea what’s going to happen. How life is going to pan out for me or her.

Another twinge makes me grimace, my toes curling in my trainers. I rub at the side of my belly. So much for swearing I wouldn’t be one of those women that spends the majority of their pregnancy rubbing and patting their bump. It’s sort of comforting, and it becomes a tick over time. I wonder if I’ll be doing it once it’s gone.

“He said that trouble is brave and strong, that it’s never alone…” I twist the ring on my index finger to

stop myself from massaging my belly again. Remembering how it looked on his tattooed pinkie is a dagger to my already pulverised heart. “He called me trouble, but I’m not those things. I’m a stranger in a strange land…to myself.”

Looking out of my window, I take in the fortress surrounding us. It’s pretty, but a prison nonetheless with its high walls and barred viewpoints. Just as it’s meant to keep others out, it will keep me in. I never imagined this was how things would end.

“Your mother…” he says with renewed lightness to his voice. “Grace was a fighter. She fought everything, even her shadow. She never quit. I loved that the most—her fire. It didn’t matter whether she was having a hard time or not, she was always ablaze. You have that.”

“Her craziness?”