Page 25 of Take My Throne

Chapter Nine

“Are you looking forward to the Bomber Derby tonight?” Lucas asks me over breakfast.

“Sure. I want nothing more than to ride pillion while you do your best to win, only to come in behind Archer yet again.”

“Actually, I was talking more about whether you were looking forward to competing in the Bomber Derby?” Lucas side-eyes me, grinning.

“What do you mean?” I don’t dare to believe that he’s actually telling me I’m allowed to compete.

“Well, since your father’s away and I’m the interim head of House, what I say goes. You even heard him say that. And I say that my wife should be allowed to compete on her own terms as the amazing biker she is. Only heirs to a House are allowed to compete in the Bomber Derby, but technically we’re both heirs, so I figure we might as well take advantage of the opportunity to give us two chances for House Archaic to take the crown.”

“Thank you!” I squeal and throw my arms around his neck.

“Now, just because you get to compete doesn’t mean you’re going to win,” Lucas warns me. “I’m not going to slow down to let you go ahead of me. Nobody’s going to give you any slack. You’ll be lucky to come in third.”

“We’ll see.” I smile enigmatically, already running over the route in my head. Tonight, our House is in charge and Lucas and I spent ages plotting out the perfect route to challenge the racers. I knew it like the back of my hand, because we’ve ridden round it a few times to make sure it was as challenging as we wanted it to be. The others didn’t stand a chance. If I’m competing, Lucas and I are going to take the first two spots-–and I am going to cross the finish line first.

“I’m going to oversee the preparations for the race tonight,” Lucas says. “You can come with me if you like, but it’s going to be pretty boring.”

“Because sitting around in our suite all day is so exciting,” I point out.

“True, but that’s not the only option you’ve got.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I’m not your father, but maybe actions speak louder than words. You can do whatever you like while he’s away. If you want to go and see your friends, I don’t care what House they belong to. They’re your friends, and if you want to visit them, that’s fine. Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we have to be joined at the hip. Why don’t you go and see Milly? The two of you are well overdue for some chill time together. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”

“Are you sure?” I like this side of Lucas, although the cynic in me wonders whether he is getting me out of the way so he can do something without me knowing. Those thoughts can drive you mad, though, and I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have suggested it.”

“Thanks, Lucas.” I lean over and kiss him on the cheek, unable to wipe the smile off my face as I polish off the rest of my breakfast burrito.

* * *

I agreeto meet Lucas at the Bomber Derby later and get on my motorbike to go visit my best friend. Buzzing down the road, no guards looking over my shoulder, I feel free for the first time in I don’t know how long. If I want, I could simply ride off into the distance, but where I might have been tempted to do that just a few days ago, now that I have a plan to depose my father, I need to stick around. I am not going to abandon the town to the evil machinations of Solomon Archaic. I don’t know what’s behind all his trips to Italy, but whatever it is, it can’t be good. Someone has to stop him once and for all, and the only person who has a chance of doing that is me.

I am staying in this town for the time being.

Just like her brother, Milly has her own house on the grounds of the Knight estate. From the outside, it looks just like Archer’s, so I wasn’t expecting what greets me when I walk inside.

“Wow, Milly. This place is amazing!”

Archer’s house is very much a typical bachelor pad, with simple furniture and sleek lines. But Milly’s home is the complete opposite. The walls are painted with intricate murals, swirls of pastel colours sweeping across the surfaces. But over the murals are countless hand drawn images from manga comics, creating a mind-blowing montage I could look at for hours.

“Did you do all these?”

Milly nods. “Yeah. I wanted to take art A-level, but my dad wouldn’t let me. He says there’s no future in making comics and nobody wants to read my comics, anyway. I guess he’s right. I mean, I’m supposed to be a representative of House Knight. Comic illustrator isn’t exactly a popular career choice for my family.”

“I had no idea you could draw like this,” I say, still fascinated by the images surrounding me. “I wanted to do art as well, but my father made me choose between that and music.”

“I’m not surprised you went with music,” Milly says. “Your songs are so beautiful. And if you hadn’t chosen that subject, you and Declan would never have started writing together. I loved that song you sang at the concert about forbidden love. It filled me with emotion-–I’ve never had a boyfriend, let alone anyone who would look at me the way Declan was looking at you while you were singing.”

“So you know about Declan too, huh?”

“Everyone does,” Milly says. “I didn’t want to say anything because I figured you’d talk to me when you were ready. And obviously, I knew you had a thing with Archer, so I wasn’t sure if you wanted to discuss it with me in case I took my brother’s side against you.”

“And? Do you take his side?”

---