Page 46 of Stolen Princess

“No, but I’ve had a few concussions in my time. The latest from you,” I tease, pointing to the top of my head.

“Nothing too bad,” she tells me, and I shift until I’m hovering over her. “Though I wish I had gotten him from the start. I’m not as tough as I thought I was.”

“You weren’t so bad.”

“I cried,” she argues.

“I have that effect on women.” I wink, trying to distract her from the way her thoughts are spiraling, but it’s no use.

“I fought him, but it wasn’t enough.”

“Darlin’, look at me.” With some reluctance, she does. “He was a lot bigger than you, a lot stronger, and not only did he hit you in the head more than once, the way he had you… There was no fighting or stopping that. That wasn’t your fault. Okay? Tell me you know that.”

She swallows and nods ever so slightly.

“Good. Follow my finger with just your eyes.”

I make an H with my finger in front of her face, and her eyes track. That’s a relief. She may have a concussion, but I don’t think it’s anything too bad. She blinks up at me, and I stare down at her, my hand dropping to her hair, where I brush some wet strands off her forehead.

This would be so much easier if she weren’t the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. If she weren’t the sweetest thing on the planet. A spark of light in an otherwise dull world.

I clear my throat and sit back on the other side of the bed, cleaning up the supplies and throwing everything in the nearby waste bin.

“The police are going to be asking questions. It won’t take long before they come here or someone points them in our direction. There were likely witnesses. We need to get going. Leave here and⁠—”

“I think I should go back,” she whispers, her voice low and empty.

That pulls me up short. “Why are you saying that?”

She emits a bitter laugh, tossing her hands up in the air before she flops heavily back on the bed. “Look at me. My first time leaving home, and I get attacked on the street in under a day. My mother was right. The world is a dangerous place filled with dangerous people who want to not only hurt me but also kidnap me. I’m not meant to be in it.”

“What about your dream of seeing the sea and the lights at the festival?”

She shrugs limply. “Where was that dream going to get me? I have nothing. No last name. No ID. No real money. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I can’t survive out here. You know it as well as I do. I should go back before I make this worse than it already is.”

I stare down at my hands. This is exactly what I wanted her to say from the start. It’s what I’ve been after. I was going to leave her today. But now… Now I don’t know. Taking her back feels as though I’m marching her to death. To hopelessness. To nothing. To a woman who might have stolen her or stolen her from someone who stole her. To a woman who may be the most dangerous person of all.

It’s not my business. It’s her choice. I should grab my necklace and get the fuck away from all of this. But…

“Give me until the festival.”

“What?”

She’s as shocked as I am that I’m saying this, but it feels right. Like the first right thing I’ve ever done. If I bring her back there, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I don’t know why or how I know that, but I do. That truth is in my bones. That’s how set it is. It’s not about using her or revenge. It’s something else.

I meet her baffled silver-gray eyes. I’m playing with fire, but something is urging me on, whispering in my ear that it’ll be worth it.

“Give me through your birthday. I’ll take you to the coast. I’ll take you to the festival. Then I’ll take you home. I’ll keep you safe,” I promise, my voice rising with ferocity. “I fucking swear, no one will hurt you.” I hold her eyes. “Not even me. What do you say?”

Her head tilts on the bed, her hair sliding beneath her as she studies me. “Why would you do that? You’ve been trying to get rid of me since you opened your eyes after I knocked you out.”

I rub the back of my head, where I still have a small bump. What if she is truly a princess? People will kill to keep that secret. To bury the truth. She’s sweet and feisty and fierce and funny and sexy. She’s so many incredible things, and I’m positive, given the chance, she’d be a million more.

I’m not a hero.

I’m one of the monsters her mother warned her about.

I don’t set people free, and I don’t do things that don’t benefit me in some way. But if it is her, and I get the tiara and return the princess, maybe I’ll be rewarded. Pardoned for my crimes and handsomely compensated. I seem to remember there was a reward for the safe return of the princess. Perhaps I can cash in on it.