Page 20 of Love Me Forever

Now, her dress was stained, and the sleeve was torn. She lacked shoes, and her feet were dirty and nicked as if she’d been walking around barefoot for quite a while. Her hair was a tangled mess that she’d tried to tie back.

“I wouldn’t fix myself with anyone’s face that close. You also slapped her.” Sébastien noticed Tom hurrying down the alley, and he held up a hand. “Stay there.”

Tom paused. “Your Highness. I-”

“Yeah, Remus will wring your neck if anything happens to me. I know. It’s fine. I can handle him.”

The man grabbed the little girl’s wrist, and she leaned back slightly, not that she could hope to pull away. Tom inched forward anyway so he could at least see as the man spoke.

“Come on. We’re going home.”

“I said you slapped her,” snapped Sébastien. “You’re not going to explain yourself?”

Annoyance crossed his face. “Our Mum slapped me too when I was a brat. How else am I supposed to get her to listen? She never pays attention. I don’t see why you care about what a couple of commoners do. Is it illegal to discipline a child? Why are you harassing me over nothing?”

Plenty of parents smacked their kids. Sébastien didn’t think that was right, and his Mother had never once slapped him to make him listen.

“So what was the part about making her pay another way? What is she supposed to bring you in exchange for protection? If she’s your sister, she shouldn’t owe you anything.”

“I didn’t say that, Your Majesty.”

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“I-I think you misheard.”

“Is that your brother?” Sébastien asked the girl who hadn’t stopped looking at him. She shook her head, and his gut clenched. He knew exactly what was going on.

The man rolled his eyes and tugged on her arm. “You can’t lie to people to get out of trouble. Just wait until I tell Mum-”

“You’re not going anywhere with her,” snarled Sébastien.

“I am her brother-”

The girl finally managed to speak. “No, he’s not.”

“Why are you always lying?! Mum said-”

Sébastien crouched. “Let go of her before I slice off your arm. If another lie comes out of your mouth, maybe I’ll cut out your tongue too.”

He dropped her wrist like it was on fire, and the girl immediately ran to Sébastien to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I’m not lying. I p-promise!” Her sobs renewed.

“Hey!” said Tom, and Whisper practically shoved him out of the way, unable to leave his favorite fairy for too long. He entered the back alley, and the man stepped back as the unicorn lowered his horn, apparently sensing the trouble.

“I don’t think you’re lying.” Sébastien squeezed the little girl before he glared at the man. Something in his face said he was thinking about hauling ass and couldn’t quite work up the courage. Three would be chasing after him since Whisper counted too. He might get away, or he might not, and Sébastien would tell the city guards. “You’re one of those sick bastards who snatch kids and make them beg. You eat from whatever they collect, and they get scraps if they’re lucky.”

A person like that might also do whatever else they wanted to the child. Things Sébastien didn’t want to say out loud. They might even whore out the child when they were older.

“That’s a disgusting thing to say-”

“I heard what you said to her.” The fucker, who dared to stand there and lie to Sébastien’s face, was no better than the Regent who’d made him constantly pay either as punishment or for gifts he didn’t want.

He’d known there were other people in the world like Uncle. He just hadn’t expected to meet another face-to-face with one of his victims. He’d probably already done this before, not that he'd ever admit it. How long had he had this child?

The man looked at Tom who held no sympathy for him in his eyes. “Okay, she’s not my sister, but I am trying to take care of her. She’s got nobody, and she’ll die out here with no one toprotect her. Homeless people sometimes do that, not that you’d know. You’ll never be homeless.”

“And what’s the price for that?”

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