Page 49 of Their World

“We’re going to continue with the war plan, have Jol bring your mother and I as captives, and when we’re about to face off, everyone will turn on the Grand Advisor instead.”

“How are you going to get him to go to the battle? He stays in his tower, away from everyone.”

“Jol’s working on that plan now. Don’t worry.”

“What do you want me to do here?”

“I will try to let you know the day the battle will happen. We’ll need to evacuate Jinla, have all our strongest fighters gather in the main park, and prepare just in case things don’t go the waywe plan. I don’t want to kill these people, but I won’t let our people be massacred either.”

“Okay.”

“Stay safe, cub.”

“You, too, Dad.”

I sent a text to Maya to let her know I was out of the prison, safe, and would fill her in more tomorrow. She sent back a heart emoji, so I knew she wasn’t mad at least. I needed to find time to reconnect with her.

Someone knocked on my door and I sighed softly. I should have known one of them would come up eventually.

“Who is it?” I asked.

“Me,” Trey said.

“I’m not ready to talk to you.”

“Too bad,” he said and pushed open my door.

Chapter

Thirteen

Trey walked into my room and closed the door behind him. His eyes roved over me and he swallowed hard. “I know you’re mad –”

“Not mad, hurt,” I clarified.

He nodded and took a step closer to me. “I understand. I would feel the same way if the tables were turned. But, Lily, I couldn’t disobey them. Even if I had stepped forward, they would have just held me back or thrown me into a cell as well.”

“So, even if you were my mate, if they tell you to lock me up, you’re going to?”

He growled deep in his chest and his eyes flashed, shifting into his dragon’s eyes.

“It’s been a long day,” I said and pulled my blankets up over me. “Can you turn the light off on your way out?”

“I’m sorry,” he said and knelt by the side of my bed next to me. “I’m sorry, Lily. Please, please understand.”

Understanding why he did it wasn’t the issue. I did understand. But I also felt betrayed.

“I let Mason go, knowing he was going to free you, knowing he would help you. I helped as much as I could.”

“I know.”

He grabbed my shoulder and rolled me onto my back so he could look at me. “Lily …” His eyes widened when he saw the tears on my cheeks and he reached out, wiping them with his thumb.

“We’re supposed to always have each other’s backs,” I reminded him. “We promised.”

Throwing my covers back, he slid his arms beneath my back and legs, picked me up, sat on my bed, and set me on his lap. Wrapping his arms around me, cuddling me against his chest, he kissed my cheek and licked my tears. “I’m sorry. I swear, I won’t ever let it happen again. I swear that you are the most important person in the world to me. All I want is for you to be safe and happy.”

“That’s not always a possibility for royalty, you know that.”

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