Page 82 of Shattered Throne
I thought about the kiss in the courtyard. His hands on my skin. The way he'd looked at me when he asked if it was okay.
Would I survive it?
I wasn't sure.
But when I opened my mouth, the word that came out was: 'Okay.'
Xavier's smile could have lit up the whole room. And maybe, just maybe, that terrified me more than anything else
14XAVIER
The flightto Hawaii was seven hours of controlled chaos.
Isabelle had commandeered the seat across from me, her laptop open, fingers flying across the keyboard as she managed her fashion empire from thirty thousand feet. Every few minutes she'd glance up, take in whatever Kim and Zoe were doing, and smile before returning to work.
"She's adorable," Isabelle said during one of these glances. Zoe was asleep against Kim's shoulder, her stuffed elephant clutched to her chest. "Where did you find her?"
"The secretary pool, technically."
Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "And the child?"
"Came as a package deal."
"Mmm." She studied me over the rim of her champagne flute. Isabelle had our father's eyes—sharp, assessing, missing nothing.
The plane touched down in Honolulu just after noon, local time. A fleet of black SUVs waited on the tarmac to ferry us to the hotel—Sebastian's newest acquisition, a sprawling resort on the North Shore that had taken two years and an obscene amount of money to renovate.
It was stunning. White sand beaches, crystal blue water, palm trees swaying in a breeze that smelled like salt and plumeria. The kind of place that existed in travel magazines and honeymoon fantasies.
The kind of place that made it very hard to remember this had started as fake.
We gathered in the lobby while Sebastian handled check-in. The family milled about—Grandmother inspecting the floral arrangements with a critical eye, Helena chatting with Aria about the event schedule, Isabelle already on her phone again. Kim stood beside me, Zoe's hand in hers, looking slightly overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all.
"Alright," Sebastian said, returning with a stack of room keys. "Helena and Mother, you're in the east wing. Isabelle, the suite overlooking the gardens. Aria and I are in the owner's suite, and Xavier..." He consulted his list. "You and Kim are in the honeymoon villa."
Kim went rigid beside me.
"The what?" she hissed.
"Honeymoon villa." Sebastian handed me two key cards, his expression perfectly neutral. "It's our most romantic accommodation. Private beach access, infinity pool, two bedrooms." He paused. "I assumed you'd want to share, given the circumstances."
"The circumstances," Kim repeated flatly.
"Your relationship." Sebastian's gaze flicked between us. "Is there a problem?"
The lobby had gone quiet. I could feel the weight of my family's attention—Grandmother's knowing smile, Helena's gentle curiosity, Isabelle's barely concealed amusement.
"No," I said smoothly. "No problem at all. Thank you, Sebastian."
Kim's elbow connected with my ribs. Hard.
"Can I speak to you?" she said through clenched teeth. "Privately?"
"Of course, darling."
She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward a potted palm tree, which offered approximately zero privacy but was apparently the best she could manage.
"What are you doing?" The words came out in a vicious whisper.
