Page 49 of Royal Rebel

I grab her hand in mine. “Please come with me. I have this horrible feeling once we get to the palace things are going to change, Shannon, and I’m not sure if they’re going to change for the better.”

“Did you get your tux situated?” I ask Tristan later on as we sit down for our evening meal.

“I did.” He grins, the slight beard covering his face giving him an illusion of it being slightly sinister. “Did you get your dress situated?”

I grin back at him. “I did.”

Deciding to flirt with him a little, I lean in over my plate so that we’re in whispering distance of one another.

“The top is so tight I don’t have to wear underthings.”

He groans deep in his throat. “You tell me these things at the most inopportune of times.”

I bite my lip, giving him a wink. “I know.”

“I’m convinced you want to make me walk around in a state of uncomfortableness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

“Not me.” I put a hand to my chest.

“Yes, you.”

Our exchange is halted when Parker comes into the room. “My apologies, but I just wanted to let you know you’ll see many people around the area in the coming days.We’re preparing to move you back to the palace. Which means we’re taking extra precautions. You were to move at the beginning of next week, but I’d like you both to be ready to go tomorrow.”

My world slightly comes crashing down. I wasn’t prepared to go back this soon. It’s too soon, honestly. I enjoy my time here, and I’m not ready for it to change. I know without a doubt it will as soon as we go back.

“Is there a problem?” Tristan asks, looking at his friend. These two don’t lie to each other, but I can tell Parker isn’t being completely truthful when he says. “Nothing we haven’t faced before.”

Which makes me wonder exactly what we’re facing. When Parker leaves, I look at Tristan.

“I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

He throws his napkin on the table. “Neither do I, Lia, but we have to trust Parker knows what he’s doing. I trust him with my life, and even more so I trust him with yours.”

It’s unspoken I should leave well enough alone. It’s hard, but I realize this is the first of many times I’ll be expected to sit back and believe other people know what’s best for me. And honestly, that’s not something I can do.

CHAPTER 29

TRISTAN

“Why are you sitting in here with no lights on? Is this about the slight argument we had?”

I glance over to the entrance of my study, seeing Lia standing there. She’s backlit by the light in the hallway. It’s giving her an ethereal glow, and I can’t help but give her a smile. She’ll learn the way of things soon, especially when we’re dropped into the middle of the frying pan, so to speak.

“No.” I shake my head. “You have a right to know what’s going on, but the fact is, it makes us safer not to. Parker keeps things from us for our own good. I know you don’t understand that now, but you will. Especially with us going back to town. That’s why I’m sitting here in the dark. I’m thinking about how we have to go back to the real world.”

She groans, and I know she hates it as much as I do. The real world is such a shitty place to be. If given a choice, I would choose to be here any day of the week. I motion for her to come in, she does, closing the door behind her. As sheapproaches, there’s a slight darkness to her eyes. Maybe now’s the time for making up, since we just had a small argument. Make-up sex. Something I’ve never done before. All the other women either left, or I ghosted on them.

No one has ever stuck around after the first fight. Me or them.

“Do you have plans for me?” I smirk, watching as she walks closer.

She almost glides across the room, so different than the woman I first met. There’s now an air of confidence around her, almost as if she knows exactly how much she affects me. It’s given her color to her cheeks, a sleekness to her body, and a knowing glint in her eyes.

I’ve been here for a few hours, drinking scotch and enjoying the fire. Trying to remind myself this woman is to be my wife, I can’t stay mad at her for long, and I have to understand where she’s coming from. Never go to bed angry is the one takeaway I’ve gotten since we’ve been engaged. I was working myself up to follow that advice. This is my favorite leather couch in the entire place, and I’m going to miss it when we leave.

“Are you drunk?” She giggles, her eyebrows raised.

I think about what she’s asked. “Wouldn’t say drunk, per se, but I feel better than I should.”

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