Page 147 of The Forsaken Heir
She wasn’t talking about fruit. She was talking about Vincent and Sahalie. Vince was lying with his head in Sahalie’s lap while she read to him. Seeing my friend like that with a woman was both strange and heartwarming.
The smile on Elle’s face filled me with love. I would have given anything to spend the rest of my life lying on a blanket with Elle, just like Vince and Sahalie were doing. A life of leisure with the woman I loved and who loved me in return. Sadly, I was a prince. I had duties, obligations. One of those was having an heir. Bitter melancholy swept through, and I quickly shoved it aside.
“I saw you guys coming,” Rasp explained. “Told them I needed to talk to you about something. I used it as an excuse to get away so the two of them could have some alone time, you know?”
“Does she like him?” Elle asked, tugging on Rasp’s sleeve.
He grinned so wide I could see almost every single tooth in his mouth. “I think so, yeah. From what I can tell, anyway. They’re, like,madefor each other, dude. It’s freaking perfect.”
Vincent did look really happy. His eyes were closed—face turned toward the sun—as Sahalie’s hand rested on his chest.Thiswas life.Thiswas what we should strive for. Not war, not power or money. Love, life, happiness.
Vince was one of the most powerful soldiers we had other than me and Octavius. If war came, he’d be on the front lines and might not make it back. That thought sent a bitter pang through me. He didn’t deserve to be nothing more than a lifeless corpse on a battlefield. Hedeservedto be in the arms of a woman who cared for him and made him happy.
As the three of us walked back to the castle, I tried to think of a way to get us out of all this. I had to stop this from escalating and becoming a full-blown disaster. But for the life of me, I couldn’t come up with anything. I would, though. I had faith in myself and my people. If there was a way out of this without bloodshed, by God, I’d find it.
33
BRIELLE
Iawoke the next morning, fully rested and recovered, which was a nice change from the bone weariness I had become used to. Delphine’s gentle snores drifted from across the suite. The king had given her private quarters of her own, but she still insisted on being close to me, especially since we’d rescued Aurelius.
I rolled over, snuggling deeper into the pillows. The clock on the nightstand informed me it was nine-thirty. That was typically when I’d take a coffee break at work. We usually started around seven, and even two hours into a shift, I was dying for caffeine.
Thinking about the sewing shop sent a pang of shame through me. I’d been away from work for quite a while, and I’d only spoken to Lorraine one time to tell her I was taking time off. For years, she had been so kind to me, and I’d left her in the lurch. I needed to call her. Of course, there was no way I could tell her what wasreallygoing on, but some sort of contact seemed appropriate. If nothing else, it would be good to let her know I hadn’t ghosted her.
I grabbed my phone, then tiptoed into the massive closet and changing room. After closing the door so as not to wake Delphine, I called Lorraine’s cell phone.
“Elle?” she answered.
“It’s me, yeah,” I said. “I wanted to call and check in.”
“Goodness, girl, I’ve been worried about you. Is everything okay?”
Her concern made me feel like even more of an asshole for not calling her sooner.
“I’m good, yeah. Just, uh, been dealing with family stuff.” It wasn’t a lie. Sure, it wasn’t the family problems regular people dealt with, but it was close enough to the truth.
“Oh no!” She gasped, and I could picture the older woman putting a hand to her chest like she did when she was upset. “Has anyone passed?”
“No, no,” I said quickly. “Nothing like that. Mostly drama, I suppose. Nothing for you to worry about. I was sitting here and started to feel guilty about leaving you all in a lurch. I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while, and it’s probably gonna be a while before I’m back.” My chest was tight with embarrassment.
“You listen here,” Lorraine said in a stern, motherly voice. “You have nothing to worry about. Family comes first. Your job will be waiting for you whenever you get back. Understood?”
My shoulders sagged in relief. The last thing I wanted to do was burn any bridges, especially not with someone I liked so much.
“Thank you, Lorraine. That means the world to me. I promise you’ll be the first person I call when I get back.”
“That’s a deal,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “You have a good day, sweetie. Let us know if there’s anything we can do for you.”
“I will. Thanks. Bye.”
Hanging up, I sighed heavily. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. With that done, I got dressed for the day.
As I pulled on my sneakers, I saw the sole of one had become loose. It flopped down like a dog’s tongue. With everything that had been going on, I hadn’t noticed.
“Well shit,” I muttered, fingering the flopping sole.
I stared at the ruined shoe, a new and unwelcome thought bouncing around my mind. These shoes had been an egregious splurge when I’d bought them a year ago. They’d cost two hundred dollars, which hadn’t been a big deal to me until now. My monthly stipend from my parents had made my life more comfortable than it ever would have been without it. I could have bought all the designer bags, shoes, and clothes I wanted. They also paid for the luxury penthouse Delphine, and I shared. With everything that had happened, there was zero chance they would keep supporting me financially.
