Page 218 of Midnights
Do youever sleep?
Me: I sleep like a baby. You, on the other hand, clearly need more practice. Get some rest, Princess. If I hear about you going outside, I’ll personally come over and lock you in.
Your Royal Highness: You wouldn’t dare.
Me: Try me.
There’s a pause, and I swear I can feel the shift in her mood before her next message comes through.
Your Royal Highness: Want to know something funny?
Turns out I wasn’t even born where I thought I was.
Not even sure my parents' names are real.
These birth certificates? Completely useless.
One of them says my birthday is on a date that doesn’t even exist. Are you sure these are real?
So yeah, might as well be searching for a needle in a haystack.
Cheers to that, right?
Fuck.
I stareat her message and the weight of it hits me harder than I expected it to. She didn’t know? I never even considered that to be a possibility. My grip on my phone tightens.
Me: Shit, Raven. I’m sorry.
And hey, I know it feels impossible, but if anyone can figure this out, it’s Cam. He’s the best at this kind of thing…
And if you tell him I said that, I’ll deny it with my dying breath.
I hit send and my jaw tightens. The thought of pulling her deeper into my world makes my chest ache. She doesn’t belong in this chaos, but if it gets her the answers she needs, I’ll make it happen. Hell, I’d burn down the whole damn haystack if it meant finding her needle.
There’s this other part of me that wants to do more than just protect her. This need to comfort her is almost maddening. I’ve never felt this way before over someone I barely know. It’s unsettling as hell, and yet… I can’t shake it.
Your Royal Highness: I'm absolutely telling Cam you said that. And you better believe I’m holding you to it.
And I thought you were in security?
Me: I told you I don’t make promises I don’t keep. You might be stubborn as hell, but lucky for you, I’m worse. Try to relax for once.
After tossing and turning for another hour, I give up. Laying here is pointless when my mind is a shit storm I can’t control. I throw on a shirt, andhead downstairs with only one goal in mind, to burn off this energy before it turns into something reckless.
When I get down there, I find Cam already in the gym, leaning against the counter with a glass of water in his hand. He looks up, lifting a brow.
“You’re awake.”
“Couldn’t sleep.” His answer is casual, but the tension in his posture says otherwise. “I’ll go a few rounds if you want, but after yesterday, I’m not really in the mood to coddle you.”
I let out a humorless chuckle, cracking my neck. “Fair enough. I’m not feeling particularly restrained, so if you're worried about that pretty face of yours, I'll stick to a solo workout.”
Cam’s lips curl into a grin. “Nah, let’s do this. Just don’t cry when I make you eat the mat.”
I roll my eyes, stretching my arms. This should be fun. “No promises.”
We face off on the mats, and the second I move, I know something’s off. His form is solid, but it's missing the usual weight behind it. He’s holding back and that pisses me off.
