Page 59 of Protect Me

I whirl on him, tears burning in my eyes. “You have no idea what he’s capable of. He’ll do anything to get me back.”

“Why is that?” Duncan questions. “Because he loves you?”

The laughter that bubbles from my chest lacks any and all humor. “Hardly.”

“Then what is it, Sway? Why is he so hell-bent on getting you back?” Killian questions.

I could tell them everything. Come clean and spill my soul right here where they can see it. But even that comes with risks. What if I tell them and they choose to use me just as Robert is planning to? What if they tell the Ringmaster? A man like that craves power, and I’m the ultimate bartering chip.

The safer move is to keep it to myself.

To remain hidden.

But when I look up at Bracken then turn to Killian and Duncan, I can’t bring myself to lie anymore. I’m tired of it. Exhausted. And I know in my heart, they’re different. Or I desperately want them to be.

“Robert is hungry for power,” I say, shoulders sagging as the truth escapes—finally.

“You already told us that.” Bracken scowls.

“What I haven’t told you is that it’s my fault.”

“And how the fuck is it your fault?” Killian snaps.

“I twisted him to want it, and I give him the ability to take it.”

“Sway,” Killian says in a warning tone. “You’re not making any fucking sense.”

I close my eyes then take a deep breath. “He seemed like a great guy when we met. But after I moved in and we started spending more time together, his goals changed. He’s set his sights on ruling and has spent all this time quietly moving up the ranks of politics and leadership within his House. But his slick manipulations will only take him so far. As much as he hates to admit it, he needs help. That’s where I come in. With me, he can finally make his move to take over Earth and Emerald.”

Killian snorts. “That’s fucking suicide. He’d need an army.”

“Not if he doesn’t plan to fight with weapons,” I tell Killian.

“I don’t understand.”

“If he has a way of influencing an election or altering the minds of those in charge, then he’d have it in the bag. No army necessary. All he’d have to do is sow seeds of doubt—then watch them blossom into a full-on coup. The people would fight his battle for him.”

“And how the fuck would he do all that?” Bracken questions.

“He wouldn’t,” I reply. “I would.”

“You would? What the hell does that mean?” Killian questions.

“My power seeks out the seeds of desire and intention and influences them. My magic is a very specific kind of manipulation, and Robert craves it for himself. With me at his side, the entire future of Earth and Emerald could be shifted as easily as walking into a room.”

Tears burn in my eyes as I wait for greed or horror to be reflected in their handsome gazes. But honestly? They look confused as shit. All three men stare back at me like I’m speaking in tongues.

So, I continue. “I’m a muse. A being capable of inspiring or destroying the strongest of men. I can change outcomes, alter entire timelines and dynasties by simply latching onto what is already in a person’s mind and amplifying it.”

“A muse?” Killian asks. “As in a guiding inspiration?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“I thought muses were extinct,” Duncan says.

“I’m the only one I know of in existence,” I tell him, the words rubbing at the old wound of losing my parents.

“Do you have any physical abilities?” Bracken questions. It’s clear he’s unimpressed.

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