1

Dominic

“It was a pleasure, sir.”

I grimaced, strolling past the last administrator I’d have to deal with in this place. He held the door. I didn’t respond. I just wanted out.

I threw my hand toward the sky to block the sun. Fuck. Why was it this bright outside? I pressed the sunglasses on my face.

“Your highness.” Kurtis nodded as I walked toward the long black car parked behind the building. It was nice to have a familiar face from the palace, even if it was only my chauffeur.

“Thank you.”

He was like an iron statue next to the car. I spotted two men from my security detail on either side of vehicle.

I ducked inside, relieved when the door closed behind me and I could sit in the cool shadows. The two guards climbed into the front.

I looked at the building as we pulled away. White marble. Ornately carved statues. Fountains every twenty steps. It was hell dressed up in fancy architecture.

No one knew inside those guarded walls Galona’s prince had been forced to face his demons.

Demons I had chosen to live with. Demons I embraced. Demons I greeted every morning when I opened my eyes. Only, no one else wanted them lurking in the palace. They didn’t like that I carried the demons with me, willingly inviting them to join in. My brother sure as hell didn’t.

But this place. I huffed. I had to give it to them. They had accomplished something no other center had done before. I’d completed the program. It was the first time I had made it a full month. I tacked on an extra few weeks for good measure. That surprised even me.

I patted the inside pocket of my jacket. It was still there—the letter.

I pressed the speaker. “Where is Kenley?” I asked the driver.

She should have been waiting for me. I expected to see her on the sidewalk or inside the car at least.

“Your highness?” the driver responded.

I sighed. “My royal manager. Kenley DuBois. Did the palace fly her in from Freychon this morning? Where is she?”

I realized she might be waiting at the royal jet, but still this was unusual. Kenley was always within reach. And she never missed an opportunity to orchestrate my activity. She should be here with a full itinerary that clocked every second of my day. It wouldn’t be the first time she would have to spin one of my scandals.

“I’m sorry, sir. I had instructions to escort you to the airport. That is all. We should be there in fifteen minutes. Do you need anything before we arrive, sir? Should I stop?”

“No. That’s all.”

I turned the speaker off. Kurtis didn’t know anything. I was irritated Kenley wasn’t here to answer my questions. It was pointless to ask the driver where my sister was. Isabel should have been here too. They all had waited for this day.

Wasn’t this what they wanted? My sobriety.

Wasn’t this my re-entry into royal life? The shameful brother redeemed and saved after fifty days.

That’s all it took for salvation in the crown’s eyes. Fifty fucking days.

I twisted the cap off a bottle of water and began to chug.

After a few swallows, something Dr. Garcia had said in one of our sessions seemed glaringly obvious. Recovery is a lonely journey.

She was fucking right. After fifty days, I could admit that much. I frowned.

There were a lot of reasons I needed to atone. What was the other thing she said? Oh yeah, the rough Spanish translation: recovery was a long hike upward, not a walk down the street.

How many of those clever sayings did she have stockpiled for people like me?

Other addicts.

I never thought I’d be able to say it, but that’s what I was—an addict. My drug of choice was bourbon. Occasionally gin. I mixed it with women regularly.

The women didn’t care. I was second in line to the throne. It didn’t matter to them if I smelled like expensive booze, as long as my cock worked and they had the chance to moan my name when I made them come harder than they ever had. That’s all they wanted—to fuck His Royal Highness.

But the day I showed up drunk to a children’s library wing dedication was the final straw for the crown. My brother had ignored my addiction for too long. He had conveniently assigned morning events, banking on me being sober.

He pushed Kenley to manage all my habits, thinking she was going to stop me from taking a drink or a woman to my bed.

However the morning at the library changed the course of everything. I was finally able to drown out all his hope that day. He saw what an all-night bender looked like, and signed the royal order to send me to rehab. My brother, the king, took one look at me and admitted he had no choices left. I had backed him and the crown into a corner, something he despised.

I created a royal scandal. I mocked the family. Embarrassed my brothers and sister.

Rehab was my only path to redemption. I was off the rails by that point. Even I knew I needed help.

The letter crinkled next to my chest. Only, my family didn’t know what motivated me. Why this time I took it seriously. Why I put up a fight, but didn’t wage a war when they forced me into the car. I wanted to be stone-cold sober for once.

“We’re here, your highness.” Kurtis beeped in.

“Thank you.”

He pulled the car on the tarmac and parked in front of the jet. The Sauvage family crest glinted in the sun.

Tags: Violet Paige The Crown Erotic
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