Chapter 35

Lauren pulled her phone out of her purse as she walked through the restaurant, the movement so rote that she allowed her smile to turn from fixed to rueful.

It didn’t matter now if anyone caught a glimpse of her face. Dimitri had seen right through her back there, regardless of how quickly she’d recovered from the idea of Kristos being supplanted as future king by his brother. A brother who was quite possibly dead anyway, so that made the entire conversation a moot point.

It wasn’t moot, though. The practical ramifications of Ari’s return had tripped her up, her natural competitiveness and class rules surging forth at the idea that Emmaline might somehow get less than the prince she deserved.

“What is wrong with you?” she muttered.

And then she’d made things even worse, pushing him on the whole demigod thing, questioning his life choices, undoubtedly expressing her surprise and even chagrin that he wasn’t the vibrant twenty-seven-year-old man he looked like but a damned-near immortal who’d been rolling around this earth for eighty years. Eighty! She couldn’t even wrap her head around that. And if he was eighty, then the old woman she’d met...and his supposed “sister”…

“Leave it alone,” she ordered herself fiercely, biting out the words as she reached the back of the restaurant. She should leave it alone. It was none of her business. She was an interloper in Dimitri’s life, an assignment he didn’t want, even if he wanted her body and the lovemaking they’d shared. That hadn’t been an act, she knew it hadn’t.

She twisted her lips. Nothing about Dimitri was an act. That was her specialty. He was a long-lived warrior of a fairytale kingdom, and she was just a mess.

Instead of leading only to a bathroom, the corridor angled sharply, emptying into a small outdoor courtyard open on one side to a cobbled lane. Lauren stepped out into the shadowy space. It was lovely, but only a few diners were out here—the views from the front of the restaurant kept most inside or on the front sidewalk.

She thumbed on her phone, almost dropping it when it buzzed unexpectedly in her hand.

Texts. A lot of texts. More than should have been possible in the short while since she’d last checked.

The reality of the situation quickly dawned on her. There’d been some sort of lag between reaching cell phone reception or Wi-Fi access and her phone loading up with the texts that she’d received. And though she’d talked to her sister yesterday, apparently that had been time enough for some new drama to strike.

Lauren clicked on the text icon, which flipped over to a white screen, the information slowly loading. She moved to the edge of the courtyard and slipped through the gate to the cobbled walk. Dimitri was going to be tied up awhile with his own phone call, and he’d doubtless figure out where she went and come collect her soon enough. And besides, if she was right, this walk would intersect with the main street in a few steps. She could make the full circuit and be back to him before he knew she was gone.

The last text of seven popped up, and Lauren froze.

OMG, it’s a diamond necklace!

There was a picture embedded in the text that made her blood run cold. She clicked on it, her heart in her throat. The image showed a beautiful white diamond necklace on black velvet, something far more sophisticated than anything a fourteen-year-old girl would normally wear, but it wasn’t the necklace that brought her up short.

She enlarged the photo to see the package more clearly, the crisp paper folded away—stark and lovely…

And black-and-white.

With shaking hands, Lauren went back to Maddie’s first text. She had started texting her, though this wasn’t Lauren’s actual phone. She was fourteen: she hadn’t cared. And her initial text was bright and breezy, and from all of twenty-four hours ago. Mom and Dad called me three times… Haven’t asked about you again… Boarding school sucks…

The second and third were more of the same, but the fourth was markedly different. “OMG I have a secret admirer! I bet it’s William. He sent me this!” Lauren didn’t realize she’d stopped in the street again until a flood of concerned O?rois pulled her attention away, and she quickly sidestepped the couple she’d almost knocked off their feet.

“Excuse me, excuse me—” she murmured, turning away from the restaurant and heading in the opposite direction. The glow of her screen showed a beautiful collection of black-and-white roses. The next text was more happy speculation. William? Joe? Mom Dad being weird and worried?

Lauren’s heart thudded painfully. It was almost verbatim what she’d said to her own friends when she was Maddie’s age. That was when the presents from Henry had become more personal, less a kind family friend remembering her on her birthday and at Christmas. That was when the flowers had first shown up, and the jewelry too. She’d kept all of it at the beginning. She hadn’t known for sure they were from Henry, and she’d made up elaborate possibilities of who they could really be from. It had taken her a full two years to actually accept for sure that everything was coming from Henry, a man fifteen years her senior. Which for a teenager was—gross.

And now he was starting the cycle all over again with her little sister. Only Maddie wouldn’t be prepared for it. She’d been completely sheltered from the world, at Lauren’s insistence. Which meant that now she was completely unprotected. Assuming he wasn’t just doing this to lure Lauren into his trap.

“No, no, no...” Lauren moaned as she clicked through the fifth text, then the sixth, where Maddie was sharing the excitement of receiving the message on her phone that a present would be arriving soon. Her personal phone—which was a private number, available only to the family. To Maddie, this was, of course, the coolest thing ever, since the guy had to be smart, some kind of hacker, as well as rich and sweet and…

Lauren lifted her head and stared into the distance, clutching the phone to her chest. She had to call Maddie now. She had to report Henry and protect her sister. This wasn’t about her anymore, wasn’t something she could manage, something she could explain away or hope would go away on its own. She had to finally get her parents to see what was going on.

Even as she thought the words, her mind ran through a million scenarios, none of them good. Her parents were wrapped around Henry’s finger—so was the media, so were the cops. It’d been the same when she’d first tried to explain her misgivings back when she was a teen. Her mom hadn’t believed her, hadn’t wanted to believe her. Henry was a family friend. He only wanted the best for her. Lauren should be flattered, not freaked out.

And as to these new gifts for Maddie, she could hear the excuses in her head: Henry probably felt bad—probably wanted Lauren to realize he was a good guy, a caring guy, to give such a lovely present to the innocent, sweet Maddie, who was gracious enough to accept beautiful things with a happy, open heart. Unlike Lauren, so ungrateful, unreasonable, un?—

The phone buzzed in her hand.

Lauren wrenched the phone from her chest, her hands trembling so badly, it took her three times to thumb on the phone. When the text screen flared to life once more, her adrenaline jacked.

Got you.

She whirled around, but the street was unchanged. No one was there. The darkness suddenly seemed oppressive, though. And when the phone buzzed again, she knew why.

I appreciate a good chase as much as the next person, but we both know how this one is going to end.

All the blood drained out of Lauren’s head, and she swayed a little on her feet. Instantly, automatically, she mapped out her best plan of action. She should go to Dimitri. Intellectually, she knew that. She should go to Dimitri and the authorities and her parents and…

What? Tell them Henry Smithson had given a lovely spray of roses and a diamond necklace to her little sister and that was wrong somehow? Who would believe her, beyond Dimitri? And what would he do? He was a demigod... did that mean he’d just break heads first, ask questions later? Knowing Dimitri, he’d make some sort of scene, and that was no good. Right now, Henry had no idea that she knew Dimitri as anything more than a bodyguard. Based on what he’d done to her last boyfriend, if he knew the truth, Henry would probably…

Her phone buzzed again.

There is a small fisherman’s port on the south side of Miranos, west of the main town, which I assume is where you are. Be there in an hour, or I will happily send another gift to your sister. She’s not you. She might not enjoy it as much.

Lauren’s eyes flared wide. She turned back to the water. It was too far to go to on foot. She’d never make it, and she didn’t have time to waste.

Would he hurt Maddie? Was he actually even sending her things? He’d gotten Alexi’s number, after all. Had he somehow gotten hold of Maddie’s as well? Could you fake texts and photos? Probably. But that wasn’t the point. The point was it would be easy for him to start harassing Maddie, as easy as it had been for him to harass her. Her parents wouldn’t stop it, might not even see the problem. In the end, only she could stop it.

And she would stop it, one way or the other. It was long past time for that.

She keyed back a response, clear and concise. She did have a way to stop this, of course. And in the end, it was so simple. It’d always been the simplest course. Just not the easiest. But there was nothing she could do about that now.

She started moving up the street again, her hand shaking as she clutched her phone. Dimitri was making his call, but how long would that last? If he went looking for her, he’d start with the bathroom, then go outside to the courtyard. Only then would he circle around, so if she moved fast…

The rover was right where they’d left it when they’d bounced into town, both of them so full of passion and possibility, it had made her heart hurt.

Oh, what a difference a few hours made.

She got into the rover and turned the key.