Page 107 of This Prince Is Not Charming

“Why?” I asked. “Why would you do that for us?”

“For you,” he corrected. “I would do it for you, little brother.”

“Don’t.” This was too much, too confusing. I was filled with too many emotions. I couldn’t handle them. Ceri’s hand tightened around mine, and I took slow, steady breaths.

Lor’s dark eyes welled with tears. “I’ve caused you so much suffering, and if I can ease some of that by doing this, then I will.”

Leena shook her head vehemently, but he ignored her.

Golden swirls appeared above his head.

“What’s happening now?” Lila asked, a whine to her voice as the golden swirls whirled faster.

Lor’s eyes rolled upward, and both of his companions looked on in horror as the magic formed a crown over his head.

Everyone stared in shock, mouths agape.

“Did Castle just choose him as high prince?” Clio asked.

Leena struggled against her bindings, trying to get Lor’s attention, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. He didn’t even look surprised that the fucking crown—my crown—was hovering over his head.

“He’s the enemy.” Liadan stepped forward, axe pointing at Lor’s heart. “We can’t let him kiss her; we can’t risk it.”

“I don’t know if he is the enemy,” Ceri said slowly. She turned to me. “Cillian, he had a chance to stop me from finding you after I escaped from here. To hurt me or kill me. But he didn’t do any of those things. He asked about you, asked how you were feeling, and then he let me go.”

Hope flared inside me, small and flickering, like a flame that could go out at any moment. But with Ceri’s words, it was there. Lor’s companions stared at him in shock, and he stared straight ahead, as if refusing to look at them.

“Wait a minute,” Lila said, eyes widening. “That’s why we overpowered you so easily. You let us. He fell into Ronan a second before he could slit my throat. From there we were able to overtake them.” She pointed at Lor. “You did that on purpose. You didn’t want to hurt us.”

I took a step forward, letting go of Ceri’s hand, thinking about all the times I’d dreamt of Lor in my drugged states. Could it really have been him? Part of me still doubted. “How can I trust you?”

“It was me who called for Margaret,” he said, and I stiffened. “In your bedroom, when you were on your bed, writhing and sick and in immense pain.”

Ceri gasped. “I thought you’d called for her, Cillian.”

Lor couldn’t have known a detail so intimate, so random. He couldn’t have known unless he was there. I’d never actually made him up.

His male companion—Ronan, Lila had called him—shook his head emphatically, muffled yells coming from his gagged mouth.

“I was also in the meadow,” Lor said.

“The meadow?” Ceri asked.

I hadn’t told her all the sordid details of my overdose, but it was yet another detail Lor couldn’t have known unless he was there.

“I never imagined you, did I? You were there looking for out for me.”

Lor nodded. “Always.”

Ronan sagged, head hanging, and Leena went completely still, silent.

Lor finally looked at her, the golden crown still hovering over his head. “He’s my brother, Leena. I couldn’t let him die. This is my home. Or it was.”

She stared at Lor like she’d never seen him before, like she didn’t know who was speaking to her.

“You’ve been spying this whole time,” I said. “For the brotherhood.”

“Yes,” Lor said, and everyone sucked in sharp breaths.