Page 72 of The Prince of Broken Crowns

“Jesus,” Finn mutters, his tone laced with pain.

“Sorry,” I quickly apologize, noting he smells good now, like freshly fallen rain with a splash of cologne. I hate that I notice that, and also how pretty he is.. “I didn’t see you.”

“Clearly.” He’s rubbing his jaw as I step back from him. His blonde hair is damp from the shower he must’ve taken and he’s changed his clothes. “You good, though? You seemed in a hurry.”

“Actually, I was.” I point over my shoulder at Lily’s room. “Can I ask you a question about something I found in there?”

He nods, a crease forming between his brows. “Um, sure.”

He follows me to the jewelry box.

I touch the crown necklace. “Do you know where Lily got this?”

He slants forward to get a better look, giving me another good whiff of his wonderful scent. “Yeah, that's a coronation necklace. Royal girls are each given one when they’re introduced to society. There’s like this big ball and stuff. And I think the diamond color represents the family name, if I’m remembering correctly.” He pauses, assessing me. “Why?”

I shrug, even more perplexed. “Because I have one.”

I half expect him to be like so, but surprise flashes across his face. “What? How did you get it?”

“My aunt gave it to me when I was a kid,” I explain. “But mine has a black diamond.”

“Black… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black one.”

“Hmm… Maybe mine’s just counterfeit then.” Because how else would my aunt have gotten it?

He nods, but a trace of uneasiness resides in his expression.

“What’re you thinking?” I wonder suspiciously.

“Nothing.” He shakes his nervousness away, suddenly appearing indifferent. “We should go check the cameras and see if the north-siders have left yet. I’d like to get back to the academy sooner rather than later.”

With that he walks away, leaving it at that.

But I’m not about to. Not with everything strange going on. I want answers, and I will get them, even if it means playing Finn’s royal game of truths and lies.

River

Idon’t know where Maddy or Finn are, so I get to look for them. I’ll admit, a part of me is worried they’re hooking up. I don’t think Maddy is like that, but Finn is. Although, since he believes I like Maddy, I doubt he’d do anything with her.

When I leave the living room area, I wander down the hallway and spot Finn ducking into his room. I follow him.

“What’re you doing?” I ask.

“Shut the door,” he hisses as he pulls out his phone.

I do as he instructs and shut the door before walking over to him and glancing at his screen.

He has the royal family archives app. open, and he’s typing in his login information.

“Dude, what’re you doing?” I ask perplexedly.

“Just give me a second,” he replies as he searches through records until finally landing a list of diamonds that belong to each family.

He scrolls through that and stops on a photo of a black one. It’s linked to a family name I don’t recognize—the Everfords.

“Look at this.” He points to the screen.

As I read the first few lines, I realize why I haven’t heard of them.

---