Page 54 of Covert Desires

My eyes widen as the words sink in.

My brother? Fucking Ricardo, that absolute dick stain of a human. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who’s framing me in the first place. He hasn’t exactly been subtle about his desire for the throne despite me being the eldest.

“Please don’t scream,” Kiah tells me as she pulls the tape off my mouth.

I glare at her with all my might, wishing I could shoot lasers from my eyes, but my voice is calm. “You ratted me out.”

“I did.”

“Why? For the bounty?”

This is what you get for letting myself be vulnerable—betrayal, backstabbing…Fuck her.

The innkeeper lowers her head. “I didn’t do it for the money.”

That somehow makes me feel worse. “Then why did you do it?Why?”

“I’m sorry, Nico. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

“What changed?”

“Can we not do this now? We need to make a plan.” Her voice is urgent, “They’ll be here in a few hours.”

I shake my head. “No, Kiah. Now. Or you can leave me right here because I’m not going anywhere with you. And last I checked, you may be strong, but you ain’t chucking me over your shoulder strong.”

She sighs heavily, twisting her fingers over the edge of the chair until her knuckles go white.

“Well, you were being an absolute cunt this morning—I’m sure we can both agree on that.”

My eyes narrow. “You’re doing a terrible job of explaining.”

“Just let me finish. I was furious when I left this morning. Furious at you as much as myself for what happened last night.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the chest. “I knew you regretted it.” Of course, she did.

Kiah shakes her head. “I don’t. That’s the problem. I don’t regret it. I know who you are, what you’ve done, and I still want you.”

“Then why?”

“No good can come from this, Nico, from this chaos you stir in me. The world you come from brings nothing but death and destruction. I can’t get mixed up in all that again.”

I scoff at her stupid speech but don’t say anything.

Kiah takes a deep breath before continuing, measuring her words carefully. “Mostly, if I’m honest, I did it because I was angry, hurt, rejected…I reacted on impulse, without thinking. Nico, I’m sorry,” her voice wavers, heavy with regret.

“Why are you telling me? Why not just let them take me?” I spit out, anger and confusion warring inside me.

Kiah takes a deep breath. "After I made the call, I didn’t know what to do, so I ran. I ran until my lungs burned and my legs gave out. Somehow, I ended up at the old lighthouse on the north point."

She pauses, her gaze distant. "I've always gone there to think, to escape. But this time, it didn't work. I climbed to the top, looked out at the endless ocean, and felt nothing but your absence.”

“How sweet.” The sarcasm drips from my voice like venom, but she continues as if she hasn’t heard me.

“The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this island, this life I've built—it's my refuge as much as my prison. I've been hiding from who I really am, from feeling anything real." She returns her gaze to mine, her voice dropping. "But with you, I feel alive. Angry, frustrated, excited—but alive.”

"What are you saying?" I narrow my eyes, regarding her with suspicion as I try to unravel the meaning behind her words.

"I'm saying that I've spent years running from my past, from connection. But now, the thought of you leaving—it terrifies me more than you staying."

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