Page 84 of Five

Well, what does a prince in love do when his princess makes such a declaration?

He takes her seriously and…

He does this.

I cup her face in my hands and say, “I am here, Princess. Even when I’m not. I’ve seen everything and it’s all gonna be taken care of tomorrow. But…” A wave of sadness washes over me, so unexpected, it makes my chest ache. “I’ve got bad news.”

“Your grandfather?” she asks.

“How’d you know?”

“Frank fucking Fulbright just told me outside.”

“Frank Fulbright,” I huff. “Did I call that, or what?”

She grins up at me in the low light filtering in from the window. “You’re a genius, Five Aston.” But then she frowns. “I’m so sorry. I know your grandfather meant a lot to you.”

“They killed him,” I say.

“Who?”

“God.” I laugh in disgust. “Take your pick. I mean, everyone’s on my list. His own people? These Palladium House people? The Young and Mobile Society, whoever the fuck they really are? Hell, maybe it was the Company.”

“They’re all the same,” Rory says. “They have different names, but people like that, Five, people like that are all the same. Greedy, power-hungry, maniacal people with egos the size of which I’ve never seen before. They don’t want what’s good for the world, they only care about what’s good for them. And it doesn’t really matter who all these people are, or if they’re on the same side or not. They exist everywhere. In every country, in every government, in every family.”

“Even ours?”

She shrugs. “What our parents did when they were our age wasn’t for the good of anyone but them. They got caught up in their own wants and needs, just like everyone else.”

“I talked to my dad about it. He says what they do now is just a precaution. So I was wrong. They’re not criminals. They’re good people who made mistakes. That’s all.”

“I know,” she says, taking a deep breath. “I think they’ve made up for it, even if they never had to account for it publicly. But I don’t want to make those mistakes, ya know? I don’t want to live with the guilt of bad decisions and have those mistakes pass onto our children, like they did to us.”

I grab her hair and pull her closer to me. Until our foreheads are touching and we’re eye to eye. “We won’t.”

“We need to put an end to it, Five.”

“And we’re gonna do that tomorrow night, Rory. Just like we planned. And maybe… just maybe…I can make my grandfather’s last wish come true while we do it

“What do you mean?” she whispers back.

“Later,” I say. “I’m tired and I’ve missed you. We have all night.”

“And how did you get in here anyway?” This question has her smiling before she finishes.

“Please,” I say. “These Palladium people are security amateurs compared to your father’s setup back home. I have Spencer Shrike’s dad gene to thank for all the tricks I use to go places people don’t want me to be.” And then I wink at her, take her hand, and lead her over to the bed. “Everything your father did to protect you as a girl made me a better man.”

Rory stands in front of me. She is perfection in my eyes. Nothing but beauty, inside and out.

“We’ve got this night before everything changes, Ror. Let’s make the most of it. Because even though we spent the whole summer together, this past week without you has been hell. And I’m not gonna waste one second of our time tonight.”

She seems to melt into me then. Her body presses against mine. So warm. So soft. So trusting. I hug her tight for a second. I’m not delusional. I know that things will be difficult tomorrow. And dangerous. But if ever there was a woman up to this task, it’s her.

My princess is tough but tonight I’m gonna treat her like she’s not.

“I love you, you know that, right?”

She nods her head against my chest, then whispers, “I know.” And when she turns her head up to see me, I don’t even wait for the I love you that comes next. I kiss her mouth and she breathes those words into my soul.