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Chapter 7

Isqueeze the side of the bench and take deep breaths. Though I’m tucked away in the garden, I can hear a commotion somewhere not far away. I’ve made waves yet again, and now surely everyone is talking about me being Tiberias’s daughter.

That was not how I wanted anyone to find out, especially not Halen and Bash. I’ll never forget the looks on their faces—not even if I live as long as Queen Sirena. I may as well have aimed my power ball at them.

“I knew I’d find you here!”

My heart sinks as I turn to face Bash. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come. There’s so much I need to say, but none of it comes close to making up for everything I’ve done to him. And to apologize would only be an insult on top of injury.

He sits next to me. “Are you okay?”

I stare at my tail. “I should be asking if Earwyn is okay.”

“She’s fine. Loves the drama. Is it true?”

I sigh. “About Tiberias?”

“What else?”

“Yeah.”

He mumbles something I can’t make out. “How long have you known?”

“They dropped the bomb at my dad’s funeral.”

“Bomb? Is that another land reference?”

I just nod.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Is that why you’ve been tied in knots and acting weird?”

“Pretty much. I wanted to tell you, but I needed to process the news first. I didn’t really have time because I was studying all week.”

“So, you’ve been dealing with the fact that you killed your dad and the news that he wasn’t even your dad to begin with?”

“He was my dad. Just not genetically.”

Bash puts his arm around me and pulls me close. “I’m so sorry. I wish I’d known.”

Tears sting my eyes, and I try to fight them, but they win. I shake and struggle to breathe normally.

He rubs circles on my back and kisses the top of my head. “Is there anything I can do?”

I shake my head no.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“What’s there to discuss? My mom’s been in love with him this whole time. Makes me wonder if my dad knew, though. Is that why he killed his brother, or did he really just want to be king? He might’ve felt like Tiberias got everything he wanted—including the love of his wife.”

“It’s a possibility. It’d also explain that whole surprise engagement to Middlebrooks. It did seem like a relational attack on your mom.”

“He probably did know.” I cling to Bash. “My family is such a mess. I’m such a mess. If I were you, I’d run. I mean, flee, as fast as you can.”

“Never.” He threads his fingers through mine and kisses the back of my hand. “At least you have a family to be screwed up. I’d take that over nothing. And I’m more than happy to put up with whatever you throw my way.”

I meet his gaze, and his intense blue eyes make my breath hitch. “You weren’t very happy last week.”

“I was upset because you were pushing me away, and I didn’t want to lose my temper. The last thing I wanted was to say or do something I’d later regret. Obviously, I’d have rather spent every moment with you, but I needed to cool off. And you needed to study.”