Page 49 of A Sea of Secrets
Kendra’s eyes narrowed. “One day, I might have to arrange a little chat with Mr Auger myself.”
I snorted and rubbed my eyes. “Might wanna get in line. At least we got through the last trial, though I’m not sure I’m over the total mind fuckery of it. All things considered, I guess I should be thankful to simply be alive.”
She scrunched her nose up. “It was pretty fucked up. That room with the gas?” She shivered. “Brutal. But we made it. Our friends made it. Kinda hard to believe we’re finally at the end, huh?”
“Honestly, I haven’t even been thinking about what’s next. I guess they’re going to hold a ceremony any day now.”
Kendra tilted her head, her sleek black hair tumbling down her side. “How do you think they’ll choose the next monarch? I mean, everyone left survived the trial, right? There’s more of us left than they probably expected. At this stage I’m not sure I even care about winning, anymore. I know that’s a bit tone-deaf given how many people have died trying to attain the crown, butI just…” She shook her head. “Is so much death really worth the prize?”
“That’s why we have to win, Kendra,” I said fiercely. “We need to win so we can get rid of this archaic bullshit. We’re living in a time where crime is rampant, and people are losing hope in our system. We’ve been living in a monarchy, but it’s felt more like a dictatorship run by old, rich men. Why the hell would they admit some of the most promising and talented young adults in our country into this esteemed academy, only to serve them up on a platter instead of honing their gifts?”
“Because wealth is power,” Kendra said simply.
I snorted. “Because people like my fucking family and those from my house look down—literally look down on everyone from Stormcrest—and they drive the greater populace further into the ground. ‘House Jupiter weeds out the weak’. Our motto says it all.”
“I’m sorry,” Kendra said. “I may have grown up without parents, but I got by with the support of people around me. Your family and your blood do not define you. Coming from nothing doesn’t mean I am nothing. The same goes for you. You’re not your parents.”
I looked at my friend’s lifted chin and the passion burning in her brown eyes and felt a spark of pride. “You will make a great leader, Kendra. Regardless of who wins the crown, I know you’ll find a way to make things better for your people.”
She beamed at me, then her gaze shifted to something behind me. “Likewise, girlfriend. We’ll talk later, okay? Looks like someone’s here to see you.”
I looked over my shoulder to see Ace leaning against a tree, looking gorgeous in his usual black attire, his hair freshly washed and tousled. His lip curled up in a half smile, and I turned back to face Kendra. “Lunch at the cafeteria today?”
“It’s a deal.”
She walked back towards our dorms, and I turned to face my approaching shadow with a raised brow. “Stalking now, are we?”
He smirked. “You should be so lucky. Actually, I had a feeling you’d be flying or outside somewhere this morning. So, I brought you this.” He handed me a breakfast wrap and a bag with a cinnamon donut inside.
I sniffed the sweet treat like an addict on crack. The man knew the real way to a woman’s heart. “So, you did come looking for me,” I pressed with a grin.
“Couldn’t let the princess go without her breakfast. She tends to get a little hangry,” he quipped. “You also need your strength. All things considered, though, you look—”
“Like trash?”
“I was going to say beautiful.”
My heart did an extra little blip. “Ace Warner, are you okay? Did you hit your head during the trial? Maybe inhale a little too much toxic gas?”
“I’m serious.” His sharp grey eyes assessed me from head to toe. “You could be on the cusp of death and nothing would change that. But that’s not what I came here for. I… I’ve had some time to think about things. About us.”
“Us,” I repeated slowly. “What happened to hating me? To our little game?”
“That was bullshit, and you know it.” He stepped closer until his face was just before mine and his hand closed around my neck. “I told you I wanted you a while ago. I just didn’t know how much.”
“And? How much of me do you want now?” I looked up into those cold grey eyes, softened now in the dappled sunlight that streamed through the branches of the tree overhead.
He shuddered like this truth he was about to spill might burn him. “I want all of you. Every fucked-up part, every jagged piece. Our crooked edges can fit together until we’re wholeinside. You are mine, and I want to be yours. I don’t care what happens after these trials are done, but I want you, Princess. All of you.” He kissed me deeply, squeezing the hair at the nape of my neck. I gasped as he tugged sharply, revealing my throat, and his lips found the sensitive skin, his teeth grazing it. “What do you say, little bird?”
“I…” I gasped again as the cool metal of his bionic hand slipped under my hoodie to grasp a hip. “I say yes. You can have me.”
He pulled my head back abruptly, his eyes hooded with lust. But there was an earnest quality there, too. A rare moment of vulnerability. “I need you to be sure of this. Because I don’t just want a small part of you. I am all in, Princess. I will be gentle with your heart, but I make no promises for the rest of you. I don’t… let people in very often. So, think hard about your answer.”
Was this really happening? My pulse was racing, my thoughts going haywire. Was Ace Warner really declaring this to me? He must have hit his head, to be so open and vulnerable. Hells, who fucking cared? I wanted him, too. I always had. A moth to a flame, only, he would make me burn brighter, not burn out. “You have me. All of me.”
“Good.” He shot me a cocky smile. “I hope you’re not in any rush then, because I plan to keep you to myself for at least a few hours.”
He backed away, and I protested the instant loss of warmth until he slid his fingers between mine—after grabbing my donut, of course—and led me silently into the area of the grounds that resembled Damascon Hollow.
