Page 85 of Princess Claimed

“I’m staying,” Crusher answers firmly.

“Or I can,” Flame adds, looking down.

Crusher shakes his head. “You and Blade take Ana. Go. Now. Get on that fucking plane so the two of us can get settled before the sun comes up.”

Body trembling, I cross toward Phil. He holds me tightly, and I fall deep into his manly scent. Inhaling deeply, I memorize every part of this moment so I can hold it inside me until we’re together again.

Leaning back, Phil looks down into my eyes. “I’m breaking my promise already.” He shakes his head, his eyes filled with shame.

I reach up to soothe him, my hand sliding over his short red beard. “What promise?”

“I promised I’d always protect you. That I’d never leave you.” His eyes fill with pain. “How can I protect you with an ocean between us?” His voice is tight.

My heart breaks yet again. I don’t want to leave Phil, but for him this is more than just our being apart. This separation means Phil is breaking a vow, and the effect on him is obvious. This isn’t a decision he’s made rashly and I have to respect it.

“You’ll join us at the palace soon.” I smile, now the one reassuring him. “And I can’t wait for you to meet my dad and my sister.”

“Ana.” He grips my shoulders. “Whatever happens, remember that I love you. I love you so fucking much.”

“I love you too.”

Crusher grunts. “Ana. Get on the plane. Now.”

Dropping his hands from me, Phil takes a step back, and I dash toward Crusher, hugging him tightly, my heart racing, and his pounding hard against my ear.

Crusher looks down into my eyes. “We’ll join you soon. Don’t worry. I’ll keep Phil safe. I promise.”

I turn back toward Phil, hoping for one last embrace, but he’s gone.

Chapter

Thirty-Three

Crusher

“What now?” I ask.

Grunting, Phil turns away from me. He’s standing in the same spot he has been for the last twenty minutes, leaning back against the outside wall of this private terminal near JFK. The sun will be up in less than an hour, and I already had to slip a security guard some hundreds to let us stay here after the plane took off, telling him my friend was heartbroken because his girl ran off with another man. Sometimes it’s best to stay close to the truth.

“Come on, Phil. Staying back was your idea, so what’s your plan? Hang out here until the demon shows up? A demon that might not even exist?”

Phil growls, deep in his chest.

My words came out harsh, but he’s refusing to move, refusing to even talk to me, and if nothing else, we need to seek shelter before sunrise.

“How about this?” I say, as if I’m making it up as I go, although I’ve been thinking about a plan every moment since Phil and I learned the demon could track him. “I say we go back to Philly.”

Phil shrugs.

“It’s the last place we know the demon existed,” I continue. “Plus, we can check in at DEFTA in case they’ve learned anything new.” That Diederik asshole keeps calling and texting me, looking for Ana. In some of his messages he teased more intel, but he could just be dangling that to get us to bring in Ana.

How could any man who’s met her, not want to see her all the time? I banish that thought from my mind.

“You okay?” I clap Phil on the arm.

He shakes his head no.

Wow. I know he’s not okay, but never expected him to admit it. Not in a million years.

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