Page 77 of American Prince (New Camelot Trilogy 2)
I clear my throat. “I think Abilene was involved with Greer’s kidnapping.”
“As do I. But I don’t have proof. Do you?”
I shake my head. “No, she hasn’t—no. I don’t. But she hates Greer, and she’s dangerous. That’s proof enough.”
Ash doesn’t speak, doesn’t move, just watches me. I think of all the things Abilene wanted me to do, all the lies she wanted me to tell, and I think about my sister hunched and defeated.
Morgan Leffey, defeated. The memory turns my stomach. I suppose I never knew how much I loved my sister until that moment, how much I loved—well… Perhaps I always knew how much I loved him.
“Abilene and I…” I trail off, not knowing where to start. I’m quite a good liar, but I’m struggling. “In Seattle. We connected.”
Ash raises his eyebrows. “Connected?”
I’m about to do it, about to delve into the lie, but then something rolls through Ash and he points to the space in front of his shoes. “I want you here when you tell me this.”
“I don’t kneel for you,” I say irritably. “Not like this.”
Ash unbuttons his suit jacket. “Would you like me to make you? I would like to make you. Just say the word.”
Glaring at him, I get up and sit on the coffee table in front of his chair. “Here. I’m in front of you. Good enough?”
He gives me a slight frown, but he nods after a minute. “Yes. I can see your eyes this way.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Because you were about to lie to me.”
I can’t bear his gaze right now, and I look away.
“Go ahead, Embry. This time without the lie.”
I consider. Abilene wanted me to tell a certain kind of story to Greer, and to do that, she thought I’d have to convince Ash as well. But Ash is exactly the person who would suffer the most if he knew the truth. I have to walk a narrow path between two sets of lies, and I’m not sure that I can.
“Abilene approached me in Seattle,” I say, trying to forge a thin wire of truth. “She wants us to be in a relationship. I agreed.”
“Look at me.”
I look at him.
“Why?” His voice is dispassionate but his eyes burn. “Why did you agree?”
Here the lie is also not a lie. “To protect Greer.”
“Did you fuck her?” More burning eyes.
“No.”
“Will you?”
“No.”
He relaxes. “So this arrangement—to protect Greer—is purely a public one?”
I let out a breath. “Partially private too. Greer has to believe it. That’s what Abilene wants. For Greer to believe it and be hurt by it.”
Ash regards me. “This will hurt our princess a lot, Embry. Maybe irreparably. Is this ‘protection’ worth that?”
I think of all the sacrifices I’ve made to protect the ones I love. What’s one more at this point?
