∞∞∞
I drained every ounce of energy I had on Garrett’s man. I needed to get it out—the anger, the frustration, everything that made me feel like I was about to fail Ava. I promised to keep her taken care of, but my father was being an asshole, and that asshole was a king.
I swung down hard with my sword against one of the Elite Eight; Max, I think his name was. He’d sent a few questioning looks at my brother, who stood there, arms crossed, watching us. Max peered at Garrett again, and now he was pissing me off. I veered my foot behind his knee and pulled, bringing Max to the ground.
“Keep your eyes on me, soldier,” I growled, stepping back to let him get up. Max stood, brushing dirt off his pants. The rest of the Elite Eight were jousting around us, kicking up dust.
“All right, great job, men,” Garrett shouted over the field. “Max, why don’t you go tell the men that message I passed along to you earlier.”
I threw down my sword, hearing it clink against the hard ground. Bringing my hands over my head to catch my breath, Garrett watched his men leave the practice grounds and turned to face me, eyebrows raised.
“Were you practicing for our next great attack?” he asked.
“No.”
“What was that then?”
“It was nothing,” I grumbled, walking over to a wooden bench. I picked up a white cloth and cleaned off my weapon.
“You going to tell me what happened, or do I get to guess?” Garrett inquired, crossing his arms, like he used to when we were kids.
“Father wants me to rid myself of Madelyn as a potential for my wife.” Garrett blinked, and I shrugged. “Are you going to say something or just stare?”
“I was waiting for the rest,” Garrett replied. “You didn’t fight my man like that just because you have to get rid of Madelyn.”
I sat down, setting my sword in my lap. “He is trying to make Ava my queen.” Garrett’s brows deepened, but he said nothing. I rolled my eyes and placed my hands on my knees. “Are you going to help me or not?”
Garrett shrugged. “What do you want me to do?”
I scowled at him. “Fucking help me. If Ava becomes Queen and her life is miserable…I’m going to make your life a living hell.” Garrett remained motionless. “Still not doing it for you? How about I make you my head of security and army. We’ll make Telliva your permanent residence.”
Garrett groaned. “I don’t want to get involved with this.”
“With Ava?”
“Yes, I’m not looking to get tangled up in her life.”
I let out a snicker. “Brother, you got knotted into this mess the day you assigned the Elite Eight to keep her safe.”
Garrett rubbed his forehead and groaned. “I did it to protect the girl.”
“Or because you cared for the girl.”
Ava
Chapter 12
Four crystal chandeliers cast the light from countless candle over the ballroom. Cheery music flowed through the air as I stood at the entrance, observing the various colors of dresses and suits. I remembered escaping this room as a child, dodging the pinching of cheeks and the requests to dance with Lords’ sons.
“It’s so lovely.” Madelyn beamed at my side. “I’ve never seen anything like this at home.”
“Nothing but the best to show off for Her Majesty’s birthday,” George groaned. Nudging his arm, I grinned.
As I peered back into the ballroom, Garrett caught my eye, and my breath hitched. He was dressed in a gray coat with a matching vest and dark blue slacks. He was the most handsome man I’d ever seen… and he was walking straight toward us.
“Ladies,” Garrett greeted as he bowed. A strand of his dark hair fell across his forehead when he straightened. “You both look captivating.” He acknowledged his brother and mumbled something to him. George nodded, rolling his eyes.
“Lady Stratford,” Garrett asked, extending his arm, “may I have the next set?”
Madelyn held a delicate hand to her chest. “I would be extremely honored, Lord Cranfield.”
As the couple walked toward the dance floor, George cleared his throat.
“I have some news.”
“Oh?” I replied, observing the familiar pearl white walls etched with gold panels.
“I’m breaking off my courtship with Madelyn,” he stated flatly.
My focus jerked toward him. “What? Why?”
“Father happened,” George spat.
“He doesn’t like her?”
George played with the sleeves of his black jacket. “No, he has no issues with Maddy, other than her gentle approach would not produce a good Tellivan queen.”
I furrowed my brows. “What’s wrong with being gentle?”
George shook his head. “Nothing, by my standard.”
“But if she loves you, then—”
“Father wants me to find another potential wife in a week.”
“A week?”
“Or else he wants me to marry you.”
I froze. Edward didn’t waste any time.
“Garrett and I are already searching for candidates.” I forced an appreciative smile, my chest constricting while the walls caved in. It was as though shackles were coming up from the pearl marble floor, already latching on, attempting to keep me prisoner here for life.
“You won’t find someone in a week. Let’s be honest; she won’t be worth the crown,” I replied. “It’s okay, George.” I placed a hand on his forearm.
“I will do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t come down to you being stuck with me in marriage,” he vowed. I believed he would try, but he would fail. I wasn’t going to be na?ve about this, Edward would win. George knew it just as much as I did; he was just in denial.
I inhaled deeply. “I’ll agree to it.”
George’s head shot up. “What?”
“I’ll agree to it. We’ll get married.” My stomach turned, every thought about me travelling with Eve and experiencing new adventures beginning to sail away.
George grabbed my hand. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too large a sacrifice.”
“We’ve both made sacrifices, George. You’ve kept me safe, provided me protection, and you continue to do so. We understand each other; our marriage wouldn’t be terrible.”
“One of us would kill the other in less than a month.” I forced a chuckle as George’s face grew solemn. “Give me a chance. I have a week.”
“If I don’t approve of the woman, we will do this. I’m serious.”
George bowed. “Agreed. Now c’mon, you owe me a dance.” With that, he grabbed my arm and led me out to the dance floor, with no room for argument.
The dance was a freestyle and George kept me on my toes. He twirled me around and clasped my hands as we went under other couple’s arms. Fits of laughter left my body as George kept my mind on the music and not on the worries of our future. When our dance ended, George snatched me a beverage as he escorted me off the floor.
“I have a surprise for you. Something I think you’ll enjoy,” George told me.
I raised a brow with a smile. “What kind of surprise?”
“How about I show you?” He took my arm.
“Now? We haven’t been here but for a moment.”
“I am the Prince of Telliva. I can leave whenever I please.” He stopped. “Unless you’d like to wait until the celebration is deceased, and we’ve all died of boredom.”
“I’m ready.”
George shrugged. “We can dance one more time if you wish, and—”
“George,” I chided. He smiled, guiding me out of the ballroom.
∞∞∞
I stood in the hallway outside the ballroom, eyes wide and mouth agape. “I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, still in disbelief that Sam was standing in front of me. A foot taller, with facial hair and the same glinting green eyes, my best friend gave me a crooked smile.
“I’m going to head in,” George said, placing his hand briefly on my forearm. He nodded at Sam and left us alone. I embraced Sam, closing my eyes.
“For a few days,” Sam said, his voice a lower hum than I remembered. He squeezed me and chuckled. “You act like you haven’t seen me in forever.”
I lifted my head. “I haven’t seen you in years,” I countered. “How are you here?”
“George sent for me,” he replied. “You were right; he isn’t so bad.”