Page 17

Since Ares and Philipe agreed to crown Dahlia, I’ll plead my case that Rukaiya is special. She can offer so much to the society; the Sovereign needs her, and I’ll make sure she becomes one of us.

Even though it seems as if I’m being selfless, it’s a lie. I’m selfish right down to my core because if she’s crowned, she can’t leave, and that means she’ll be in my life forever.

I’m never going to let her leave.

“This is all I have,” Heinrich finally speaks, dragging me back to the present and the ominous room we’re standing in. He hands Dad a folder, thick with documents full of information we will need to take Fergus down. I wonder just what secrets are hidden within those inked pages.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Heinrich,” Dad tells the man, and I watch as they, once again, shake hands.

The white-haired man turns to me, regarding me with a smirk. “You’re a good boy, strong, stubborn, and volatile, but be careful of that fire, Etienne,” he tells me. “Sometimes, the fire can cause more destruction than anything else.” His ominous words send ice racing through my veins.

“I’m only here to save her,” I inform him with a conviction that I feel right down to my core. “Anything else is just a bonus.”

He chuckles, nodding, before he offers me his hand once more. Once we say our goodbyes, I follow Dad out to the town car that’s waiting at the sidewalk. The moment we’re seated, Isaac informs our driver to take us directly to the airstrip and then he’s on the phone organizing our flight out of Europe and back to Tynewood.

Thankfully, I’ll be back home soon and then I’ll be able to put an end to this bullshit that Fergus has planned. I pull out my mobile phone and tap out a message to Ares and Tarian informing them of my return.

“This girl,” Dad starts. “She may not want you to save her. Perhaps she’s working for her father.” His tone is cold, indifferent, and I realize he doesn’t approve of my feelings for her. But you can’t help who you want, he of all people should know that.

“I didn’t ask for your approval. And if there’s one thing I’m sure of, Rukaiya is innocent in all this. She doesn’t deserve the shit her father is putting her through.” This time, I meet my father’s gaze dead on. “She’s mine. I’ve set my mind on it, and I’m not allowing anyone to get in the way.”

He watches me for a moment before he nods. “Fine. But just be careful, Etienne. I allowed my heart to lead me into a love so volatile that I had to walk away to save myself.”

“No, Dad, you didn’t save yourself, you left me to fend for myself. You wanted to play house with a woman half your age, that’s all you ever wanted. Mom may have had her problems, but so did you.”

“I don’t deny that, Etienne. But—”

“No, you walked out, Dad. There is no excuse for you leaving.” I don’t know why I’m angry with my father, but I need to burn off this frustration soon. I’m riled up, and I can’t shake the rage fueling me right now. “You left without a backward glance, expecting me to leave the Sovereign and my friends because you didn’t agree with me becoming a Crown.”

He nods, knowing I’m right. I recall the speech he gave, telling me that once I’m finished with my studies, he wants me out of Tynewood. Only, he wasn’t there to stop me from taking the pledge and getting inked. The tattoo on my chest is the one thing that offered me a family that I never had.

“I couldn’t stop you, even if I was still living at home with your mother. Everyone has a path he needs to follow, son,” Dad tells me, there’s honesty in his tone that grips my chest painfully. “And you were always meant to be a Crown, I just wasn’t happy about it. But I know I could never stop it from happening, no matter where in the world I was.”

“So, you leaving was because you wanted a faction for yourself or because mom was a bitch?”

He chuckles at my question, shaking his head as he glances before us, and I take note that we’re pulling into the airstrip. There’s a plane waiting on the tarmac, and the muscles in my shoulders only tighten further with the realization that in a few hours we’ll be face-to-face with Fergus.

“I left because I couldn’t love your mother the way she needed,” Dad admits, causing me to snap my gaze back to him. “And you needed something more than what I could offer. Even though she wasn’t perfect, I knew she could love you. My focus was on the Sovereign, and I know that makes me a bad father…” His words trickle into nothing, and I want to tell him that he’s wrong, that I do love him, and I know he loves me, but I don’t. I allow him to wallow in the belief that he owes me.