Page 14 of Crown Me, Baby

"This isn't about you, or your King, or whatever twisted fairy tale you're living in. This, here, is about Aunt Lily. And you have already put her through too much. Leave. Don’t ever come back. You’re not welcome.”

His mouth opens and closes, like a fish out of water, struggling to find words. I cut him off before he can come up with another approach.

"I'm serious. Get out of here." Without waiting for his response, I close the door behind the screened-in one. Alex stands alone on the front step.

I watch out the window as Alex slowly climbs onto Maximus and rides off of our land. I can hear Water whinnying, confused at the separation from his new friend. I sink down onto the ground, feeling sick to my stomach.

I lift my gaze to find Aunt Lily standing in the door frame to the living room, her eyes wide, her hands trembling slightly.

"Lily," I start, pushing myself up from the cold floor. I walk toward her. "I want you to know that I won't let Alex or anyone else bother you."

Lily finally breaks her silence. Her voice is but a whisper lost in the wind.

"If only it were that easy." Her words, soft as they may be, resound like a gong in the quiet room, hitting me hard.

With heavy steps, she walks toward her bedroom. The soft click of the lock echoes in the silence as she shuts herself away. I'm left alone to wonder what else there is to this story that she isn't telling me.

"She'll tell me what’s happening when she's ready," I assure myself. I stare at the locked door. Until she emerges, my focus is entirely on Prince Alex Vanecourt and keeping him the hell away.

I step out the front door, looking around to ensure that he's gone. I jog over to Water and lead him back into his stable. He nudges me anxiously.

I pat his head to reassure him. "Don't worry, baby. I think our excitement is over for one day. If that pretty boy wanders over here again, he's going to learn what a real rancher does to a rat."

9

ALEXIS

It's been three days since the incident outside Lily's and Bella’s house.

Isabella had called me a stalker. Ironically, only now do I have to act like one. I'm sneaking glimpses into their ranch, looking for any opportunity to get a moment alone with Lily.

I came so close yesterday. She was walking by herself near the eastern border while Maximus and I were on a morning ride. Before I even had a chance to call her name, she was already hurrying away back up the hill.

I saw Isabella glaring at me from their front step as Lily rushed past her into the house. She's always glaring at me, somehow. If I come anywhere close to the ranch, she seems to know instinctively and appears nearby.

At first, I wondered if the property was wired with CCTV, but I haven't seen any cameras. It's starting to become unnerving, almost as if she has psychic powers.

She rarely says a word to me during these encounters. The most I got out of her was when she shooed me away like a stray mutt.

"Go on, git!" she shouted. It was humiliating. When I looked back over my shoulder, I could see a devilish smile sneaking onto her face.

That's when I started to realize that some part of Isabella was treating this like a competition. And sometimes, winning a competition requires a change of strategy.

That's why I'm sitting inside their barn right now.

I know that Isabella checks on the crops on the far side of the property around this time every day. It's the largest window of time I'll have to get closer to her aunt and convince her to accompany me back to Solvaria.

So I hopped the fence and snuck inside the barn. It's wholly undignified, but I will do whatever it takes to speak with Lily Adams. I refuse to break a promise to the King.

Streaks of sunlight sneak through the wooden slats to pierce the stifling darkness of the barn. I put my face up to one of the spaces to watch for Isabella. As soon as she mounts Water, I know I'll be in the clear. It's only a matter of time now.

Suddenly, my ears pick up a faint grunting noise somewhere behind me. I hadn't noticed one of the gates slowly opening. A boisterous snort echoes through the barn, cutting through the silence.

I slowly turn my head, holding my breath. There's not enough light to clearly see what's in the barn with me. I strain my ears to see if I can pinpoint the animal's location.

Another thunderous grunt reverberates through the barn, drawing my attention toward the far corner. Emerging from the shadows, a bull charges directly at me, its hooves pounding against the hay-strewn floor.

I bolt toward the barn doors, the beast hot on my heels. I curse as I hear its snorts of fury just behind me. The door swings open, but my foot catches on a loose stone and I stumble out of the barn and onto the ground.

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