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10

Ava

My hands are still shaking.

I press them against my lap, willing them to still, but the tremor remains.

Rhett’s shoulders are tense as he makes his way down the windy road from the castle. He probably shouldn’t be driving after drinking who knows how much, but I find I’m too frazzled to care. I just needed to get away.

I’m changing already, aren’t I? Drinking and driving is one of my absolutes. I loathe it.

And yet I don’t care. Not now.

“What did you talk about with Damian?” he asks.

How much of what happened should I tell him? I don’t know.

My brain can’t seem to reason.

“I mostly just played the piano for him.” I pause and then quietly add, “And I agreed to pledge Thornecroft.”

Tension radiates from him, like smoke in the air. The silence stretches for a long moment before he finally exhales sharply. “So that’s what he wants from you. Did he say anything else?”

He’s trying to figure out what Damian ultimately wants me for. He’ll be disappointed.

I still don’t know.

“He wants me to become one of his consorts,” I say. “Assuming he likes me.”

Rhett jerks his head toward me, his eyes huge. The car swerves slightly, and I grab the door handle. “Eyes on the road, please.”

His jaw clenches, but he obeys, gripping the wheel even tighter. “Absolutely not. I won’t allow it.”

I shut my eyes, wishing I could be annoyed by his overprotectiveness like I used to be. Never again. It will probably always be a little sad to me now. A remnant from my past.

Rhett can’t protect me from anything. Certainly not Damian Cross.

“Did you know about the whole consort thing, Rhett?”

He’s quiet for a beat. “Yes.”

I frown. “How does Ashford allow it? It’s very strange.”

He shrugs, but the movement is jerky. “It’s a frat, Ava. Frats do all kinds of wild things. It’s not like Ashford has cameras on us.”

He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than me. I glance down at my hands. The faint tremor is still there. I reach over and press my palm against his shoulder. His muscles are tight beneath my touch. “Let’s stop lying to each other.”

He stiffens, and I rub my hand from his shoulder to his forearm. “We both know something isn’t right at Thornecroft. That it might be…criminal, and we’re both scared. Why not just admit it?”

Rhett shakes my hand off his arm. “Stop, Ava. Not here.”

I frown. “What do you mean, not here?”

“Not in this car,” he says through clenched teeth.

Dizziness descends over me suddenly. “Do you think…someone might be listening?”

“Not. In. This. Car.”