Page 84 of Royally Bad

A spasm went through my fingertips. “Of course I do,” I said quickly.

“Kain,” Lulabelle said. “What do you want to do?”

What DO I want to do?

I’d never considered running away. Perhaps part of me associated it with pain; I’d seen how Fran had handled Lula’s escape. Could I really do the same thing? Was it so bad to sit here ... sit in this safe place ... and wait until—Until what?I asked myself.Until Dad decides we can do as we please?

Lula was right.

A cage without bars was still a damn cage.

Pulling my sister in, I hugged her as tightly as I could. This was a real hug—nothing like the one this morning in the kitchen.

“Treat her right, Brother.” She held me at a distance. “Everyone deserves that much.”

After all this time, she still gave the best advice.

- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO -

SAMMY

I wasn’t quite asleep when the knock came.

Sitting up, I hurried to the bedroom door. My intuition said this was Kain, it had to be, but I still peeked through the slim opening to make sure. His eyes were warm when they saw me—I couldn’t have kept him out if I’d wanted to.

“It’s late,” I whispered, letting him in. “I was wondering if you would come and see me. Check out my fancy bed. It’s not as good as the garden-prison one, but still.”

Kain was blurry in the shadows, it took me a minute to realize he wasn’t dressed in pajamas, like me, but rather the same clothes as earlier ... shoes and all.

Nervously, I asked, “What’s going on?”

Scooping me into his embrace, he played his lips across mine. It was sweet and soft; my center started to melt. “I just had a very long talk that opened my mind.”

Who did he talk with?I wondered. Tracing his cheek, I tried to read his smile; why did he seem like he was ready to start sprinting around the room? “All right, Mr.Open Mind. What are you here to share with me?”

“How about a wish?”

Blinking, I stared up into his perfectly blue eyes. “Are you offering to grant one?”

“If you tell me what it is, I might.”

Flushing, I started to back away; he crushed me against him, preventing my retreat. This no longer felt like a lighthearted game. Wishes were silly things, but under Kain’s intensity, they became so real they could cut me open. If I dared to speak my mind, this little world I was pretending was good and fine would crumble. I’d see the edges and know it was fake.

“I can’t,” I said. “It’s too much to ask.”

His face went hard, all the humor between us fading into the night. “Ask me,” he whispered. “I’ll do it if you just ask. I came here because I share your wish, too. I’m ready for it.”

“I couldn’t. Last time we left, your father—”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Of course you will, how else would I—”

“No. I’llgo with you.”Fire swirled in his pupils. “I’ll take you to your mother, we’ll leave, and none of us will come back. You, me, and her. I’ve got the money. If my father tries to cut me off, I’ll make sure I take out enough to get us settled first. We can go anywhere. We’d be safe.”

Safe with Kain.I adored that concept. But this was happening too fast, I’d missed something major. “The person that opened your mind,” I said quietly. “Who was it?”

“Lulabelle.” His fingernails slid down my bare arms; I was wearing too little to be having such serious talks with Kain at this hour. His full attire gave him armor that I didn’t have. “She helped me realize how crazy I was to keep you here. You deserve more than a cage, Sammy.”

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