Page 20 of I Will Find You

“You must report and resist,” she says with a scowl. The change in her face makes my heart hurt.

“I promise, Mother. I promise.”

“Good Princess,” she murmurs. “The Prophecy above all.”

In the background, I hear someone laugh. It’s a sound of mocking, but Mother mutes us, turning off camera, her lips moving in anger, one hand shooing.

That was a man’s laugh, deep and full.

Unmuting, she returns, no-nonsense and firm.

“The Prophecy above all,” I repeat quickly, knowing those must be my next words.

With a simple nod of her head, the call ends.

Winnie suddenly whines, a sound of mourning, one that I should mirror inside, but I feel nothing. Rudy broke the rules, but worse, he tried to take a piece of me he had no right to.

I am a princess.

I am untouchable.

I am a prophecy.

I am the culmination of forty generations of myth and legend come true, and Rudy just learned one more thing that I am.

I am right.

He lost his life trying to claim my body, pieces of my soft flesh there for the taking, a temptation he was too weak to resist. His violation is my loss, though. How will I ever see Cam again? Having my security team infiltrated by such a scandal means I will be placed under tighter restrictions.

That stupid man. Stupid, stupid Rudy. He ruined my life for a sick fantasy.

But even worse, I realize, as my thoughts immediately race toward Cam, wishing to be in his arms, safe from harm, protected from men like Rudy. No matter how much Mother stressed that I must report and resist, I am the transgressor for having feelings for Cam.

I am a traitor.

And I cannot stop myself.

I cannot place the prophecy above all.

Because I feel something stronger than the prophecy, for the first time in my life.

And its name is Cam.

Chapter Four

Cam

* * *

“Got it,” I bark as Newman’s head jerks toward me, mouth hanging half open as he finishes a potato chip, eyes widening.

“You finished debugging? That was fast.”

“No, I mean I got it!”

“What? Seriously?”

“I don’t joke about saving someone’s life.”

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