Page 44 of Prince of Storms
And after tomorrow, I would pay her for the work she’d done so far, then tell her never to return. Hopefully, between that and going after Rica myself, I would keep the attention away from Mia so that she would be safe until my sister was dealt with. For good.
“Do you promise?”
“I promise you will go home tomorrow,” I said solemnly, meaning it completely and totally. “Your car will be back and fixed, and you can go on your way. Now, please, let me take you somewhere while Ty and I secure the premises, okay?”
She didn’t look happy about it, but Mia was smart enough to know she didn’t really have a choice in the matter. It would happen one way or another. It would simply be better if she came along willingly.
“Okay,” she said, dropping her arms and starting down the hallway at a gesture from me. “But just for tonight. That’s it.”
“Just for tonight,” I promised.
Chapter Twenty
Mia
He kept his distance as we walked down the hallway. Was he trying to give me space? Or did he want to stay away from me for some reason? Perhaps he was pissed that I hadn’t gone looking for Ty and, consequently, had figured out more of his secrets.
“Can I ask a question, um, Your Highness?”
Tor groaned. “Please, donotcall me that. I detest it. Besides, it’s not really accurate.”
“But, your sister, she said—”
“I know what she said. I was there,” he said, cutting me off sharply, his mood souring by the second.
“So, are you, or are you not, a prince?” I pushed, not willing to back down, not on that.
“I … will be,” he said with a heavy sigh, gray eyes staring straight ahead, clenched muscles further delineating his jawline.
Even now, his long steps forcing me to hurry at his side, his spine stiff with irritation and anger, he was still sexy. The energy that blazed in his eyes and the obvious storm swirling at his core made for a man in distress but trying to stay strong. I was a sucker for men in situations like that, and I had to stop myself from reaching out to tell him it would be okay.
“So, you’re royalty but not a prince yet?” I asked, a little confused. “How does that work?”
Tor’s powerful chest rose and fell. “Where I come from,” he said, taking a left at the next hallway, “the prince is the ruler. Right now, I am, I suppose, the heir, though we don’t usually use titles. My father was the prince, and when I am ready, I will become the prince.”
“When you’re ready? What does that mean? Is it an age thing?”
“No.” He didn’t elaborate.
“What is it, then? You said your father passed away, didn’t you?”
“Something like that, but yes,” he replied cryptically.
“So, there’s no ruler, no prince, right now?”
“No.”
“Sounds like a recipe for anarchy.”
“It’s fine,” he said, dismissing the idea. “Everyone knows I will be the prince.”
“When?”
“Once I’ve found my mate,” he snapped. “I can’t rule until I have her.”
“Your mate?”
He hesitated. “Yes. My princess. The person who will rule at my side. I cannot fully ascend until she and I are made as one.”
