Page 59 of Royally Ruined

“Kain,” I began, “Lula will be fine. Dad isn’t going to hurt her. She’s safe in there, and she needs time to get over what went down.”

“You mean what you did?” He could be as fierce as Francesca, his twin. Just as unforgiving. My heart cracked more and more, and I wondered if I’d survive my own family. If I even deserved to.

He left me there. They all did.

My father and my mother and the rest of the world ignored me. I had one job: watch Lula and make sure no one let her out. Maverick had everyone convinced that once she got over her trauma from the attack—which I was responsible for, he reminded them—Lula would rejoin us peacefully. Happily.

But each night that we talked, I realized the truth.

She was never going to forgive this family.

“You know,” she said, sitting on the giant round bed as we gazed up at the stars, “if Dad doesn’t tell everyone what happened, that we were attacked because ofhisheritage, I’ll do it. When I get out of here, I mean.”

I winced. “You can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“This whole family will fracture if you try and put a divide between them and Dad. Besides, it was the cop who told you that, right? He lied about a ton of things.”

“It wasn’t a lie, Costello!” She hunched in my direction. “We both heard what Romeo said. For some reason, he wanted us dead. ‘One prince and one princess down,’ right?”

My guts contracted painfully. “I heard him. But what do we even do with that info? Scare everyone in the family? Romeo and his goons ... they probably died in that fire.”

She sat back, looking at the wall. “Maybe. But where does that leave me? I’m not going to sit here and let him cut a tattoo into my skin.”

Her venom made me lean away. “It’s tradition. This crown tattoo is who we are.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” she whispered, putting her chin on her knees.

My veins throbbed; I bent closer. “What are you saying?”

Lula’s eyes went glossy. I was staring into polished onyx and thought I’d see my own secrets reflected back if I looked long enough. “I could run away. We both could, Costello. Hell, I could tell Fran, she’d want to come with me, and ...”

She was budding with excitement. I had to crush it, because reality isn’t as simple as what we want sometimes. “Lula, if you try and run with everyone, it won’t work.” Overhead I spotted the red flicker of a plane through the huge window. “The only way you can escape ... is if you go alone. I’ll help you.”

Breathing in sharply, she asked, “What?”

“It’s the only thing I can do,” I whispered. Shutting my eyes, I clenched my molars. I had to gather myself for this; otherwise I was sure I’d crumble and become useless. “Your injuries ... your hatred for our father ... being locked in here ... it’s all because of me. I can’t say it enough times, but I’m sorry. I need you to know that. You alone, and that would be enough. Everyone else can keep on hating me.”

My sister gazed at me with growing unease. “What do you mean, they hate you? What did you ...”

I hadn’t told her I’d taken the blame for involving the cops. I didn’t plan to now, she’d try and mend it all with her righteous beliefs, and that’d ruin everything. It was easier ... better ... if my family continued to hate me. “I know how to get you out of here. I can slip you out of the gardens, there’s a loose part of the fence there. If you walk into the city and call Grannie Cassava, she’ll help you.”

“Grannie lives in Italy,” she said in wonderment. Then it clicked. “You’re serious. You’ll help me run away even if everyone knows it wasyouwho let me out?”

Smiling slyly, I shrugged. “I’ll say I forgot to lock you in. I’m already a fuckup in their eyes, what’s a little more?”

“Costello ...”

“It has to be now. If we do this, we go tonight.”

Lulabelle stared at me as I rose from the bed. I’d put my sister through hell, and in releasing her, I was about to chain myself tighter to the fire and brimstone. She could run ... but not me. Not ever.

I owed a debt to this family for what I’d done ...

And what I was about to do.

As I led Lulabelle into the gardens, dodging our security cameras and guards, I held her hand, pushed her through the black fence bars, and thought of only one thing.

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