Page 71 of Forbidden Heart

Their rendition of my song stirs my heart like nothing else. It’s pure fairy tale magic and undeniable perfection all mixed into one. Even Silas has somehow found his voice and that passion he was so sorely lacking. And together, the four of them bring the words—my words—to beautiful, majestic life.

“Roonie,” Angela, who’s wearing her dancer’s outfit from earlier, leans over and starts shaking my shoulder.

“Shh!” I hiss back, unable to tear my eyes away from the guys. The spotlight hits them just right, accentuating broad shoulders, muscular arms, and angular jaws. On stage, the guys look larger than life, and it’s all I can do not to race up there to join them.

“Roonie,” Angela snaps, shaking me harder. “Wake up.”

I scramble to a sitting position and find myself on her living room couch, Bailando a distant memory. It’s still dark out, casting Angela’s face in shadows, while the guys' beautiful voices continue to echo from outside.

They’re outside!

I jump to my feet and race to the front living room window. I almost expect to find I’m still dreaming, but all four of my princes are out there, and as real as can be.

They’ve arranged themselves on the front lawn like it’s their personal stage, and they’re pouring their hearts and souls into their rendition of my competition song. Every note, every word, and every step of my choreography is executed with perfection. How long did they rehearse to get it all just right?

But it’s not just how well they perform, it’s the emotion they pour into their performance. They sing like their entire lives depend on it. Like this is the competition, and they’re here to win it.

Line after beautiful line of song rings out across the lawn. Lights go on in nearby houses as the guys sweep through the chorus, but they keep on singing. They hold those final notes, letting them resonates through the night, broken only by a lone barking dog. And then, the front yard is engulfed in silence.

The guys fall to their knees in front of the living room window—in front of me—while I stand there, staring at them, wide-eyed.

I can’t quite figure out what they’re doing here, or how they found me, or if any of this is real. Maybe I’m still dreaming, and I’ll wake up passed out at Father’s feet, my bones broken and my face bleeding. That’s much more likely than the guys coming here for me, when I know they hate me. All four of them should hate me, not kneeling before me after serenading me like in a scene out of a fairy tale dream.

“Aren’t you going to go out there?” Angela asks, and I realize that I’ve been standing and gaping at the guys, while they’ve been kneeling out there and waiting, for far too long.

With a nod, I race toward the front door and out onto the lawn.

“What are you doing here?” I cry, my eyes sweeping from Tate, to Charles, to JJ, before darting briefly to Silas. Even that split-second glance at the Dark Prince fills me with guilt and I quickly look away.

“We came for you,” JJ says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. He gets to his feet and comes to my side, taking my hand in his. “We didn’t mean to scare you earlier, Roonie. We’re really, really sorry.”

“Scare me?” I ask, genuinely confused. “I thought you hated me!”

“How could we ever hate you?” Tate comes to my side and pulls me into his arms. I want to memorize every detail of this moment, in case I never see him again. With a sigh, I snuggle against his warm, hard chest and slowly inhale his scent. It makes me think of kissing in the rain, which makes me think of kissing someone I never had a right to.

“I kissed Silas.” I gulp as tears spring to my eyes.

“I kissed you,” Silas fires back, but his voice is missing its usual bite. “I’m sorry, Roonie. I didn’t mean to force myself on you. I—”

“You didn’t force yourself on me,” I cry, pulling away from Tate. “I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“You? Why?” Silas gapes at me like he’s not quite buying it.

“Because I kissed you back, and I had no right to,” I tell him, then spin around to face the other three guys as tears flow freely down my cheeks. “I betrayed you, and I’m so, so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” JJ says.

“Nothing,” Tate adds.

I glance at Charles, my heart in my throat. He walks over and silently pulls me into his arms. “You didn’t betray us, Roonie. And we’re not upset.”

“You’re not?” I whisper as JJ and Tate join the hug.

Silas keeps a bit of a distance, but he doesn’t scowl at me or storm off. He sort of just silently watches us, his face filled with regret.

“I got you something,” Charles adds, stepping back and pulling an envelope from his back pocket.

“What is it?” I ask.