Page 9 of The Royal in Room 3

I stared at him. Somehow, he had pieced together that I was gay. I didn’t bother to deny it. The entirety of Belvaria had known I was gay. It was one of the reasons for the court’s objection to my being the crown prince—my inability to produce an heir the old-fashioned way.

I narrowed my eyes and straightened my back as suspicion, driven by my recent predicament, hit me. “Is that a euphemism for a house full of desperate young men run by an older gentleman?” I pulled myself a little straighter, scandalized despite being the one saying it. “Officer Vale!”

For the first time that night, he looked genuinely startled. “Soren, Halo House is not a brothel.”

I recoiled. “Then what is it? Because your tone implies a brothel.”

“It’s literally a house—a safe one. The owner, Phoenix, provides a place to land for people who need help getting back on their feet. Food, a room, guidance, structure. Some stay a few nights. Some longer. Depends on what they need.”

“And what’s the catch?”

“No catch. Phoenix owns a business that allows him to run the house, and usually, past inhabitants of the house give back. He’s helped hundreds of people.”

“What business?”

Aaron studied me for a beat, then nodded as though deciding honesty would serve better than comfort. “Phoenix owns a nightclub. Some of his angels—the residents—work there if they want a job and it’s a good fit. They do legal work. Bartending, kitchen, cleaning, office help. Nothing like what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Nobody will make you work there if you don’t want to. In fact, you don’t even have to stay beyond tonight. It can be just a place to lay your head and get your bearings back. Tomorrow we’ll go to the station and document what was stolen from you. Afterward, you can decide where to go from there, but for now, at least meet Phoenix. How does that sound?”

I glanced at the empty closet. “I don’t have anything.”

“We’ll deal with that.”

“No, I mean I don’t have anything.” I looked at him, my eyes pricking again. “My passport was in the suitcase. My clothes. My documents. Everything.”

“I promise you I’ll do everything I can to find your belongings.”

I dropped my gaze to the floor, my shoulders slumping. “I’m so tired,” I whispered.

“Then will you let me take you somewhere you can sleep?”

I wanted to argue—truly, I did—but who else was I going to trust?

“Okay.”

3

JUDE

“Thank you, Daddy! I love it! I love it! I love it so much!”

A pair of chubby arms wrapped around my waist in gratitude, and my earlier irritation that my day hadn’t gone according to plan melted away. I hadn’t had the innocent hug of a sub in six months, not since letting the last one go. While I’d done what was best for her, I missed this type of interaction more than I cared to admit.

Chuckling, I patted the little’s red curls before stepping back out of his embrace. As a well-known Daddy around Halo House, the unattached subs tended to gravitate toward me. A few still tried to get my attention, even though I’d made it clear that I didn’t do permanent relationships.

Occasionally, I took a misdirected youth under my wing to teach them how to navigate the world, but I always set them free afterward. Maybe a couple had developed a crush on me during the short-term arrangement, but it wasn’t from lack of reminders that our situation would only be temporary.

It was why, for the most part, I left sex out of the arrangement.

I couldn’t help being a good Daddy. It was in my blood, but I’d made a promise to myself a long time ago that I wouldn’t make the mistake of falling in love again. Nope. Did it once and had the emotional scars and prison record to prove it.

“You’re welcome, Tony.”

The words were hardly out of my mouth when Tony ran toward the rocking horse I’d just delivered to the house and scrambled onto its back. Seeing his excitement and that of the others gathered around him, I was glad I’d kept my word and brought the toy despite the time.

“You’re absolutely amazing, Jude.” Phoenix came to a stop next to me, the purple highlights in his platinum hair shimmering. His boyish good looks, petite frame, and flawless skin made him appear far younger than his almost fifty years. “I didn’t think you would make it.”