Page 3 of The Royal Flame
I crinkle my nose. “That sounds a little too royal for me.”
“Maddison, you are a royal,” he reminds me. “Maybe you don’t want to be, but most of the blood flowing through your veins is royal blood. And dangerous royal blood.” He reclines back as he drags his fingers through his hair. “You’re friends with River Averson, correct?”
“That’s a complicated question,” I reply honestly, causing his brows to rise. “Why do you ask?”
“Because his father is a dangerous man,” he explains. “And I want to tell you to stay away from him, but with how you answered that, I’m doubting you’ll just agree to do that.”
It’s frightening how right he is.
“Just for full disclosure, River already suspects I’m an Everford. Him and I were looking into it.”
“What? Why?”
“Because of this necklace Ellie gave me that has a rose pendant. When River saw it, he recognized it as a royal necklace, so we were looking into that, and it led us down the rabbit hole of the Everfords.”
“I don’t like that he knows,” he states, displeased. “River might be trustworthy, but his father isn’t.”
“River knows that.” I slouch back on the sofa. “And I know River is trustworthy. There’s this society at the academy that came after me, drugged me, and left me in the woods. River found me by tracking the GPS on my watch. He…” I have to catch my breath at how relieved he looked to find me in the woods. I’ve never had anyone care about me like he does. “But anyway,” I clear my throat as emotions surface that I’m unsure how to deal with. “I trust him. He'd protect me before he’d let anyone hurt me.”
He considers this. “I’m glad you have him, but with everything you just told, I still want Trystan to move into a house near the academy.”
I resist a sigh. “For how long?”
“Until I can find Ellie and get some answers,” he replies, rising to his feet. “Until then, please keep this conversation between you and me. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Maddison. I’ve already failed you as a father once. I don’t want to do that again.”
I want to believe him, but like I’ve said a dozen times, trust doesn’t come easy to me, so until he proves that to me, I’ll be wary of him.
I’ll also continue my search for Ellie on my own because I’m not about to leave my fate in anyone else’s hands.
2
RIVER
Finn and I are at my mother’s three-story home located on the city outskirts, where the air is still, but the city lights can be seen. Similar homes line the street, along with towering lampposts. Her yard is massive and well-maintained with flourishing flowers and shrubbery. The brick driveway curves up to the front door, the entire property is secured with tall iron gates, and the only way in is by knowing the code.
“How could someone get in here?” I mutter as we stand in the living room, talking to the detective working the case. “There’s gates and cameras everywhere. My mother would’ve known if someone trespassed.”
“The cameras were deactivated,” the detective reminds me. He’s older with a bit of grey in his hair, and he’s wearing a dark grey suit. “And the person or persons could’ve climbed over the fence. However, there’s also the possibility that someone came in through the gated entrance.” He has a handheld device and has been taking notes with a stylus pen. “How many people know the code to the security system out front?”
I trade a look with Finn, who shrugs. He’s been uncharacteristically quiet since we arrived here.
“I’m not sure,” I say, turning back to the Detective. “Finn and I do. My father does. And maybe some of the people that work for my mom, but I’m not positive.” I pause. “You think whoever took her knows her?”
“I wouldn’t say that yet, but we have to rule out all possibilities.” He taps the stylus against the screen. “I need to ask you a few more questions, but I’d prefer to do that at the station. We can head there now if that works for you two.”
I have no desire to go anywhere. I want to search my mother’s home and see if I can figure out what happened. I want to demand that the police rip the city apart until they have answers. But doing any of this isn’t an option, so Finn and I agree to go to the station for the second time tonight.
It hurts to go, though.
While she isn’t perfect, my mother was the only ray of light in clouds that constantly hover over Finn, Lily, and me. Now she’s gone, and all that’s left is a storm.
A couple of hours later, Finn and I are exiting the Royal City Police Station. The questioning lasted about an hour, and the detective took over an hour to get started. The questions mainly were about my mom, but he did inquire about where Finn and I were tonight. He became mildly suspicious after we told him we were at the North Side Police Station. I understand why, but Finn and I have nothing to hide, and Maddy isn’t missing anymore. Eventually, after looking into this, he let us go and told us he’d be in touch with updates.
It feels strange to leave the building without any answers. Plus, exhaustion is weighing down on me.
“Maybe she just wanted to start over,” Finn says after we’ve climbed into his car.
I blink at him, noting how pale his face looks in the fluorescent glow of the light trickling from the police station. “Huh?”
