Page 28 of Princess For All

Chris seemed to understand something changed and did a double take when he saw me, dropping to a knee. “Please.Pleasejust let me see him. I know I’m the asshole but—”

“Tyson really isn’t there, Chris,” Sisay sighed. “We weren’t just giving you a line. He’s in France—”

“He wouldneverleave his younger brothers with everything going on,” Chris snapped.

“He did,” I cut in, moving over to him now that I was steady. I patted his arm so he got the idea and stood. “We needed his help, and he needed some space. Trisha and James swore to watch his brothers like they’re their own. They’re at the castle fine. They’re actually training with Nick, and I think they needed a bit of a break from Ty too.”

Chris actually flinched and we all froze. He sighed when he noted that but kept my gaze. “Look, I know you’re too busy and I’m the asshole here, but can we please talk. I have a side to this too and—please?”

I snorted, feeling bad when he seemed hurt. “I’mnotthe right person to talk relationships with. One of mine just blew up in my face too.”

“I’m sorry for that, but I think you would understand this and there’s been tension,” he grumbled, gesturing to Sisay who was giving him a shit look. Then even to Shawn’s clan.

Fuck.

I nodded. “Let’s take a walk then. I want to work on my power a bit now that I did something new.” I glanced at those with us. “And the peanut gallery will be silent and lose the damn judgment. People so much older should know there are always more sides to the story.”

“It hurts so much because you’re always right,” Sisay grumbled.

“Yeah, but Kristof said Tyson reminded you of family, so that comes into play too,” Chris forgave, scrubbing his hand over his head. He did a double take when Petre took his pack from him. “I can carry that.”

“You’re offended and I don’t get why. This weighs nothing to me, and—you’re tired and need to stretch your legs for your mental health. I’m just trying to help.”

“Thanks,” Chris accepted, but his tone was off. He sighed when he saw me studying him. “Lead the way.”

Okay then. I did, moving along the main road and using my power to turn things into energy beads and shooting it out in front of me. I thought of the visual of the line I’d used to take out corrupted at Fort Knox but also in a punch like what I’d done to Branko.

Or gave it more punch. I was sort of thinking of a bullet out from me and whatever it hit was taken out.

And it worked.

“Well done, Princess,” Petre praised. “All the cars on this street for a good hundred yards were just taken out. If that was easy for you then it’s much better than towing them all to be grouped up.”

“But we should still do that so not everything is on Inez,” Sisay argued. “People need to push themselves. The fact she’s the first princess to figure out they canalluse that power to heal instead of just hurt fucking chaps me. I’m working on my visuals too like she is. Teach all us old dogs new tricks.”

My face flushed when Petre and the shifters agreed.

“That’s something to think about,” Chris muttered, bobbing his head. “People that old who can adjust.” He stared out at the day and seemed to get a bit lost in his head, so I let him, keeping with my power and wanting to destroy things after my own day took a turn.

I wasn’t picturing James, but I did want to drop all the energy beads on him a few times.

“All I kept hearing was that he would make the same decision,” Chris finally said after several minutes. “That he would make the decisions. And the proof was there. Yes, the castle was great—is great, but he decided we lived there. All of my guys,my brothersnow were living in Albuquerque. He wasn’t hearing me that it was more important than he was taking it.

“He kept saying they were fine and it was handled. They were safe. We were all safe. I just needed to be in the castle and trust him. I could be whisked off there to visit when I needed to be. But fuck—the lemon juice is really helping and they’re talking other ideas. I’m glad because—it’s not just those few minutes after that get me.”

I nodded. “Yeah, and it’s super awkward being carried. That took me a while to get used to it. People I didn’t even know their names—couldn’t remember them and they’d just pick me up and whisk me off. It’s fucking awkward, and no one was hearing me how upsetting and frustrating it was.”

“Yeah, or they’re pissed at me that I’m fighting with Ty and taking his side. I honestly was shitting a brick that I might be dropped off the side of a mountain because I don’t know these people,” Chris muttered. “Unfair or not—just, I’m fried. Likefried. You called my PTSD right.” He sighed. “Does it fuck with your stomach too?”

“No, not anymore but…” I snorted. “Kristof kept trying to make out and I always had to fart. It was so—we’d zip all over the place and it would give me gas. And like—that’s so mortifying. Nothing makes you feel like such a baby or fragile—Jaxon would chuckle that even my toots were cute and—like come on.”

“Yes,exactly,” Chris sighed. “Like, way to be dismissive.”

Shit. There was way more to Chris and Ty’s fighting than I’d understood, and Ty might not have been as faultless as I’d thought.

“He was so caught up in his fear,” Chris whispered. “That was what you got off of me about his brothers. I kept telling him to back off of them a bit. They’re kids, but they’re in their twenties. They weren’t even in the military, but he snuck them into uniforms and onto his assignment when it got bad and they were going onto ships.

“They could have killed him for that. He’s been stuck in that mode—that fear of getting caught and protecting them since. I think he just pulled me into it when he found me. But I’m not them. What happened that night wasn’t the blowup, Inez—Princess. It was the last straw of too much. It’s not about me being human or him a shifter. He justtook over.

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