Page 135 of The Heart of a Villain

And maybe… maybe then he will reject me for daring to go against him.

The thought is too painful to bear, so I decide not to voice it.

Rush sits up and rearranges me until I’m straddling his lap, the sheet sliding down to my hips, and I circle my arms around his neck when he hugs me closer. “My sweet girl.” He removes the lock from my face. “Lachlan will always love you.” A humorless chuckle slips past his lips. “He might not be my greatest fan and won’t make it easy, but his love for you is unshakable.”

“Can you absolutely be sure of that? My father doesn’t forget or forgive.” He swallows and by how he tenses, I know he can’t give me any guarantees. “The minute we announce our relationship, there is a small possibility that I’ll be banished from the castle, or worse, from my dad’s life.” My throat tightens at the possibility, hating just the idea of it, and yet it has the potential to be my reality. “I just want a few more days with my dad. Please?”

Before he can reply, the now familiar sound fills the air, pebbles being thrown at my window and balcony.

We share a confused look, but I quickly get down from Rush and grab my nearby robe, putting it on and running to the balcony, leaning on the banister, and my jaw drops open at Levi continuing to throw pebbles. “What are you doing?” I frown at the sight of him. “Is that lipstick on your neck?” We have so many lamps on spread all over the territory, it’s hard to miss his it.

He wipes the lipstick from his neck and says, “No time for this. Mom and Dad are on the way.”

“What?” I shout and then drop my voice to a hissed whisper again, “They were supposed to come back tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well. They had a change of plans.”

“How do you know?”

“Uncle Arson told me and by the way, he knows Rush is here.” I’m too scared at the possibility of my parents facing Rush right now to focus on the Uncle Arson part. And who cares anyway? He was the one who kept on hinting at me to go after what I want and to hell with consequences.

Seriously, best hypothetical godfather ever.

Rush comes over from behind me, fully dressed, and waves at Levi, “Hey, man!”

“Hey!” my brother replies and then motions with his hand for him. “You need to get down. They’ll be here any minute.” He pauses and lifts his brow. “Unless that’s what you guys want? To meet them, I mean?”

I still, fear enveloping me whole at the prospect of facing my parents now unprepared just after I screwed the enemy in their house!

“Shhhh, princess,” Rush says, palming my head. “I’ll give you time but don’t take forever. Because I will never again sneak out like this from Lachlan’s house. No more,” he warns and I know if I will take too long he will come on his own terms, which has bigger disaster written all over it.

“Thank you!” I whisper against his lips when we share a long kiss interrupted by Levi’s whistle.

“Save this for letter and this is seriously not something I ever want to see,” he shouts and I grin when Rush hooks his leg to the other side of the banister and steals one more kiss before skillfully getting down just the way he came.

Right when his feet touch the ground, we hear the iron gates opening, the sound echoing in the night, and Levi mutters, “Oh, shit!”

“Run, run, run!” I shout at them and they dart off into the direction of the greenhouse behind which hides the back door gate into the mansion. Rush must have come from that one to avoid all the surveillance. The reason Dad rarely has anyone watching it is because only family members know about it.

Just as they disappear in the garden, my parents arrive to the main gate and get out of their car.

I quickly jump back inside my room and dash to the bathroom, ready to greet my parents, but before that I need to wash traces of Rush away from me.

I’m living now on borrowed time.

Tick tock.

And the worst part about it?

I have no idea what will happen from the inevitable blow.

Lachlan

The owls hoot in the distance as the wind whooshes outside, the branches swaying from side to side, and moonlight soaks my garden that once was a hunting ground.

Gone are the victims who run away from me, begging for their lives to be spared.

Now, only the laughter of my family fills it—or at least filled it.

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