Page 54 of Reckless Royalty

Maddy:

No, you don’t have to. Cat and Chiara are here.

My phone buzzes again, pulling me from my thoughts.

Mihai:

I don’t care. I want to be there.

Before I can respond, Cat speaks softly, “He’s worried about you, you know.”

I nod, glancing at her. I know he’s worried. He wouldn’t have rushed in like that, wouldn’t have torn that man apart if he wasn’t. But it’s more than that. Mihai has become… something else to me. Something more than just a protector. I just don’t know what that means yet.

Chiara lets out a long sigh. “They’re doubling security. This place is locked down tighter than a nun’s cooch. No one’s getting in again.”

That should make me feel better, but the truth is, I don’t know if anything can make me feel completely safe right now. There’s a traitor amongst their most trusted—someone who wanted me dead. And if it hadn’t been for Mihai…

I stare at the message for a long moment, my heart twisting. I want him here too. But at the same time, I don’t want to be a burden. I don’t want him to feel like he has to drop everything for me.

Maddy:

It’s okay. Really.

A few seconds later, his response comes through, and I can almost hear the frustration in his voice.

Mihai:

It’s not okay.

I sigh, sinking deeper into the blankets as I hold the phone against my chest. He’s relentless. But in a way, it’s comforting. I’ve spent so long feeling like I’m drowning— like I’m all alone in this mess. But with Mihai, it’s different. He doesn’t let me go. Even when I’m pushing everyone away, he’s still there.

The girls keep talking quietly beside me, but I’m too caught up in my own thoughts to really follow the conversation. I keep thinking about how close everything came to falling apart tonight.

How I almost… died. And how the only name I could scream was Mihai’s.

I don’t know what that means. I don’t know whatwemean. But I do know that when everything crumbled around me, he was the only person I wanted to save me.

My phone buzzes again, and I glance down at it.

Mihai:

You sure you don’t want me there right now?

I hesitate, biting my lip as I think about how to answer. Do I want him here? Yes. But am I ready to face him? To let him see how scared and vulnerable I still am? I’m not sure.

But then I think about how he held me earlier, the way he whispered to me in Romanian, the way he made me feel safe when nothing else could. And suddenly, the idea of him being here isn’t so scary anymore.

I take a deep breath and type.

Maddy:

Yes. I’m sure. You have things to take care of.

He responds almost immediately.

Mihai:

I want to take care of you too. But okay, if you’re sure. I’m just a text away. You need me, you call. I don’t care what time it is.

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