Page 99 of Prized Possession

Jake lets out a short, sharp laugh that sounds suspiciously like a snort. “Please, I knew you liked him. You practically drooled whenever he was in the same room as you.”

My eyes widen as my mouth flops open. “I did not!” I snap, though I have a sneaky suspicion he might be right.

Jake laughs, nodding his head. “You did. It was obvious you liked him. I was just never sure if he felt the same.”

Well, that’s not what I expected him to say. “He hated me in school.”

Jake rolls his eyes at me before fixing me with an exacerbated look. “No, he pretended to hate you. He always looked out for you. I just couldn’t work out if he was doing it because he saw you as a little sister, or if there was something more. I suspected it so much, I even made him promise that nothing would ever happen between you.”

“Noooo. When?” I cry, my brows so high they’re hidden in my hair.

“I think we were thirteen. I wasn’t the only one to threaten him either. Dad made it clear you were off-limits too,” Jake confesses, startling me.

“So that’s why Marcus mentioned the treaty,” I mutter to myself, not quite loud enough for Jacob to hear.

“What? Tell me, what’s going on with you?” he says, more firmly this time.

“Look, I have no idea what it is. All I know is that I’ve liked him forever, and now he’s offering me the chance to have just a little piece of him, so I’m going to take it. I don’t know if he’ll ever want more than this, but if there’s even the slightest chance he will, I need to hold on to that. I’m always going to want him, and this is my chance.”

My heart races as I finally voice the things I’ve only ever thought about in the darkness when I’m struggling to fall asleep. I like Marcus more than I should, which means I’ll happily take whatever little piece of him he’s willing to offer me, in the hope it becomes more.

Jake looks at me with a sad smile, pity written across his face and it makes my stomach sink. “Chloe, lovely, I’m not sure Marcus is capable of more—not just with you, but with anyone.”

I shake my head defiantly. “No, he is. I know he doesn’t do commitment, and that he’s never had a real relationship, but that doesn’t mean he won’t ever have one, or that he can’t. He’s more scared of the situation than anything.”

“What situation?”

“The treaty,” I reply.

Jacob’s brow furrows. “What about the treaty?”

“Apparently, Dad made it clear that I was off-limits from an early age, letting Marcus know that nothing could ever happen between us as it would disrupt the power balance, thereby voiding the treaty. Having me on his side would potentially make Marcus more powerful, depending on which of our followers remained loyal to me, and our family would never allow that. If Marcus chooses to be with me, he has to be prepared for the possibility that could start a war.”

A dark expression crosses Jake’s face as he scrunches his nose in a way I’ve always thought was cute, despite him trying to look angry. “I would never start a war against my best friend, or my sister, for that matter. I’m not saying I’d beecstatic about the relationship, but I wouldn’t go to war over it. As long as you are happy, and he does right by you, I’d be fine with it.”

My shoulders feel a little lighter on hearing that, and I can’t hold back my smile, before the situation hits me once again. My smile turns tight, as I remind Jake he’s not in a position to make that kind of a promise.

“It’s great that you say that, Jake, but right now, it really doesn’t mean much. At the moment, you’re not actually in power, Dad still is. While other people are making decisions instead of you, it will always be a possibility. Which is why I’m being forced to marry Scott.”

Jake’s silent for a moment, his body slumping as though all the energy is being drained out of him. “If I want to keep my family safe, and the people of Blackthorn, I don’t really have a choice anymore. I have to become the leader they need me to be—that you need me to be.”

I pull him in for a hug once more, wrapping my arms around him as he rests his head on my chest. “I’ll go to rehab, and I’ll get sober. I promise.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Promise me something,” he asks, leaning back to make eye contact with me, so I can see how serious he is.

“What?”

“Just be careful with Marcus. I don’t want you to get your heart broken, and by the sounds of it, you’re deeper into this than he is.”

I let out a groan, knowing he’s correct. “You’re right, but the problem is, I’m so far in now, I can’t stop. I might get my heart broken, or I could get everything I’ve ever wanted since I was eight-years-old, so it’s worth the risk.”

Watching my best friend leave for rehab was much harder than I thought it would be, but seeing the pain on Chloe’s face as he left was worse.

We both offered to take him, but he declined, shocking us when he said that Miles could drive him there.

When I told Miles, I expected him to kick off, after all the commotion from earlier in the day, so I was equally as surprised when he agreed without complaint.

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