Page 9 of Caged Love

“If you can’t beat them, join them, right?” she replies, her eyes narrowing slightly.

I cross my arms over my chest. “Or maybe you blindly followed what your father ordered. Wouldn’t he have wanted you to find your mate and not be married off to another male, even if he is the prince and heir?”

“Not everyone finds their mate.” Those words almost sounds like regret in her voice.

“But we found each other. It might not have been under the best circumstances, but we can turn it around any time we want, Milana. It’s up to us.Wecontrol our future. And frankly, I’m fucking sick of pretending I don’t want to be with you more than anything in this realm.”

Chapter Five

“If only it were that easy.” I sigh, squeezing the bridge of my nose.

He had the chance to leave with his friends, and he didn’t.

For me.

He’s going to withstand days of torture just to be able to speak to me.

To be aroundme.

He’s fucking crazy.

And the wildest part? Rave knew I was there. His shadows slithered up the staircase and snaked around my ankles, holding me in place.

I heard some of what was being said.

They came to save him, but he chose to remain.

I don’t know what I’m meant to do with that or the words that just came out of his mouth.

I want that more than anything, but it’s not that easy. Is it?

To be with him, I must betray all I’ve ever known and stood for. I’d be stepping away from my father’s legacy to be with his enemy.

And what does that say about me?

What kind of daughter does that make me?

He’s not wrong about one thing, though—I did blindly follow my dad, wanting nothing but his approval. I tried to be the perfect child, always making sure I kept up appearances and was the daughter he wanted me to be.

I never realized how much until I lost him and his influence.

“It can be that easy,” August says, tilting his head to the side. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands through his curly hair or push that lock off his forehead. His gorgeous eyes see things I don’t want him to and have tried to hide.

They seeme.

And it’s more intense and real than I’ve ever imagined.

Not to mention terrifying.

I sit cross-legged on the ground, and his eyes flicker. “You don’t have to sit on the dirt, Milana. That’snotwhere you belong.”

If he’s willing to withstand torture to be around me, maybe he’s worth me giving him a chance.

He sits, too, joining me. We’re so close, his knees almost touching mine. He has a quiet intensity about him and seems like someone who is always in control. I like that.

“What’s your life like back home?” I ask.

He smiles, and I stop breathing. His whole face lights up, and suddenly, everything is alright in the realm.

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