Page 12 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

I pat Marlow a couple times before finally looking up and meeting Six’s gaze.

“Sounds like maybe you need the devil after all.” I say with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes and kicks her heels, motioning for Marlow to walk.

“Fine, go find my brother and enjoy your ride,” I say, “But come back to me after.”

My face heats as I realize the way I phrased that last part. I’m about to issue a retraction when she twists in her saddle and looks back at me with a smile of her own.

“Always.”

Chapter 4

Sixtine, age 10

June

I’m lying on my back, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on my skin when a shadow falls over me, blocking out the light and pitching me in darkness.

I know who it is without having to open my eyes.

There’s only one person who always seems to know where I am, only one person I secretly hope will seek me out when I go off on my own.

“You’re blocking my sun,” I say, keeping my eyes closed.

“You’ll thank me when you don’t get sunburned. Your cheeks are already red as it is.” Phoenix answers me, his tone even. “It’ll be painful soon.”

I open my eyes and look up into his. He’s standing slightly bent above me, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he watches me curiously.

“And you’re the only one who gets to hurt me, right?” I retort, calling back to the time months ago when he’d said those very same words to me.

I don’t know what he meant by them, because Phoenix never really hurts me. If anything, he’s more of a constant protector lurking in the shadows, watching over me when he thinks I’m not looking.

And if I do look, that carefully disinterested look slams back down over his features and he retreats behind the safety of his defenses.

He has no interest in being the golden boy or the hero, in fact he shies away from it at every opportunity.

But like most girls, I don’t want the heroes. I’m more interested in the scoundrels and the villains, theburn the whole word down just to have youtype.

Some would argue foolishly so.

His eyes flash and a grin spreads across his face. “That’s right.”

That look promises that while he may not be hurting me now, he intends to one day.A shiver rolls over my skin and instead of running away in fear at this point like I’m sure all those other girls would, I sit up and twist to face him.

Pointing at a spot next to me on the blanket, I gesture for him to join me.Surprisingly, he does, sitting cross legged and picking at my flower crown next to him.

“What is this?”

“My mum made it for me. Isn’t it pretty?” I ask, laying it carefully on my head and doing a posed smile with my hands under my chin.

His eyes never move from my face when he answers.

“Yes,” He says, his gaze tracing over the freckles on the bridge of my nose, “Very pretty.”

I blush to the roots of my hair and look away, unable to meet his eyes.

“You want me to make you one?” I ask him.

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