Page 29 of Cold Heir

Levi’s hand settled at the small of my back, slightly below Julian’s. Hearing him express what he thought of me, my heart warmed just a little. Not so much because of his compliment, but being referred to in such an affectionate way.

‘Theirgirl’.

The idea of belonging toanyonewas never something I imagined I’d welcome, but the way my heart fluttered for them spoke volumes about how things had changed.

Someway, somehow, our paths had been meant to cross, and everything that happened up to this point was pertinent to my purpose. There was also a powerful feeling in my gut.

It told me that, one day soon, I’d finally understand.

Chapter Ten

Corina

The ride home was interesting for several reasons. It began with Levi and I doing our best to explain how we’d been captured, where we’d been held, and why Julian and Silas had such a hard time locating us. Yet, once we got past explaining very little about Aaric, his followers, and their use of Blackthorn, Silas seemed to sense that I didn’t exactly want to venture down that road much further.

Not so soon, anyway.

His suggestion was that Julian hold off on his questions and allow me a chance to get my bearings—a proposition for which I was beyond grateful. He’d acted mere seconds before I would’ve been backed into a corner, forced to reveal what Aaric had done. In time, Levi or I would share those details, but I didn’t want to think about that right now.

“Any word from Roman,” Levi asked from the backseat.

There was a stifling silence that followed the question, which hinted toward the answer long before one was given.

“No,” Silas revealed solemnly. “We’ve tried calling, texting, visiting some of his favorite haunts in the Eastern Quadrant. Nothing but a bunch of cold leads.”

I put myself in his and Julian’s place, imagining how running into brick walls while searching for usallmust have been frustrating beyond belief.

Levi breathed in and released a heavy sigh, one filled with concern I didn’t miss. “Hopefully this just means he’s taking some time to think, to wrap his mind around what needs to be done,” he concluded.

Discovering that they still hadn’t spoken to Roman—the loose cannon—was unsettling. Although, I didn’t say so out loud. It wasn’t my own skin I was thinking about at the moment. It was the princes’. If Roman was considering blowing this whole plan apart, the brunt of the fallout would be aimed at them.

“Otherwise, have things around the palace settled?” was Levi’s next question, and at first, I wasn’t sure what sort of response he sought.

Julian passed him a glance through the rearview mirror. “Things have mostly returned to normal,” he revealed. “Aside from being a few staff members short—between the one guard who was injured, and those who have decided to take a personal leave—we’re fully functional.”

Oh … now I get it. This is about the mess I caused. The one Julian was left to clean up and deal with.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have been surprised to discover a lynch mob awaiting my return, ready to make me pay for the trouble I caused them.

Embarrassment washed over me, but, again, that inkling not to apologize for leaving rose within me. I couldn’t regret trying to get to my team. Especially seeing as how I’d been made to keep my distance from them against my will.

However, I still felt like a tool for pretending whatever hardship Julian had faced alone hadn’t been on me.

“Listen, about that,” I began. “I didn’t mean to make things harder on you than they already were. I just—”

“I already told you,” Julian cut in, “we’re moving forward. You don’t owe me an apology or anything else.”

That tenderness I’d seen in his eyes thefirsttime I tried to explain returned then, and I still hadn’t figured out how to read it. Still, I definitely felt like I was missing something. Some larger part of the picture that had shifted while I was away.

Revisiting all that had taken place over the last several weeks, I fell quiet then. It was strange how, before meeting the princes, I always thought my life was incredibly complicated. Who would’ve guessed I’d ever consider life as Blackbird simple by comparison?

Julian took his eyes off the road a moment, grasping my hand before he faced forward again.

“I know nothing can make up for what you two have been through,” he admitted, “but I’ve got a surprise waiting for you at the palace. Something I think comes pretty close.”

The statement had been meant for me, and it only further added to my confusion. When I responded with a smile, it was a weak one, but I honestly did wonder what he could possibly think would ‘make up’ for that ordeal.

Short of a time machine, that is.

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