Page 32 of Awestruck (Starstruck Love Stories #4)

Elliot

Hex:

I lost the lurker on the edge of town.

Elliot:

Keep searching.

Hex:

We’re sweeping the village again, but there are too many places he could have gone. The coast south of here is riddled with caves.

I press the top of my phone to my forehead and take a deep breath. Then another. This isn’t what I want to hear, and instinct tells me I should be out there finding this guy. But a stronger voice in my head disagrees.

If you are going to expect every stranger you come across to be inherently evil instead of choosing to trust them, then how can I expect them to trust me?

Freya’s right.

Elliot:

Give it another half hour, then bring the men back. Everyone needs to rest before we head to our next stop.

Hex:

Understood.

That should go for you too, El.

He doesn’t have to worry. I can barely keep my eyes open. I was already running on fumes, and today has been a beast of a day.

Not all of it bad. For the first time in a long time, I was enjoying myself enough to forget the heaviness of my role that had gotten almost unbearable since the start of the campaign. I could breathe again.

Let me help you be more than a bodyguard tonight.

It’s been hours since our dance, and I can still feel her in my arms.

Sander:

Grimstad gave me a name. Elvar Fenwick.

Elliot:

They’re working together?

Sander:

Grim claims he only met the guy once. In Breckenholt. Said there was something about Fenwick that made him memorable, but they didn’t talk about anything strange or concerning.

Elliot:

Grimstad’s not an idiot. He’ll say whatever he needs to to keep himself out of trouble.

With you as the reigning monarch and me at your side as king, we could use our differences to our benefit.

I hate that everything he said made sense, but she can’t really be thinking about saying yes, can she? Royals marry for political advantage all the time, but she’s not just a royal. She’s…so much more.

Sander:

I believe him, El. I don’t think Fenwick is tied to Grimstad.

Elliot:

Okay.

Sander:

Okay?

Elliot:

If you say Grimstad’s clear, he’s clear.

We have a name, and that’s more than we had before. Enough to do some digging and see if the lurker is really a threat. Prove which one of us is right. Honestly, I hope it’s her. Everything will be so much easier if I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder. If I can keep my focus on her.

I will trust you, Elliot Reid, if you will promise to trust me in return.

I trust her more than I should.

It’s me I’m not sure I can trust. She’s under my skin now, and for a moment I wondered if we…

But we can’t. Can’t even entertain the idea, for so many reasons.

My mum says you two are a beautiful couple.

That’s a problem. I need to keep my head down. Avoid being alone with her. Stop wondering if she would let me hold her again without some sort of danger giving me an excuse to pull her close.

Bax:

Rookie’s officially out, Reid. You’re in as soon as you say the word.

Wade:

AKA Cap already talked to the men upstairs, and you’re cleared to take your old spot.

North:

Just gotta give up the pretty princess first.

Bax:

We need you, Reid. Come back where you belong.

We need each other. Neither of us can do this alone.

I don’t know how it changed, but somewhere between a tour bus and a seaside sunset, my priority shifted. It’s not about filling my role to the best of my ability. It’s about her. Making sure she’s safe and confident and happy.

Happy. That won’t come from marrying Markham Grimstad, a man she barely knows.

If there was more time, she could decide if they would even fit together, but her sole focus is helping her country thrive by whatever means necessary.

She’ll do what she has to because that’s who she is, and if accepting his proposal is the clearest way to accomplish her goals…

A political alliance is not a surrender.

But it’s not a good idea, either.

Derek:

Checking in to see how things are going with Freya.

Elliot:

I’m figuring it out.

Or I thought I was, but it hasn’t been working. We were becoming friends, and then things took a turn I never expected them to take.

Derek:

You’re awake?

Elliot:

Not for much longer.

Derek:

Good. You can’t help anyone if you’re dead on your feet.

Sometimes I swear he can see me. Or he’s in my head.

Either way, he has spent his life studying people and reads me better than anyone, even from thousands of miles away.

Since I told him about the struggles I went through after Griff died, he knows how easy it is for me to take on responsibility that shouldn’t be mine to bear alone.

Derek:

You know how to do your job, but can I give you some advice?

Elliot:

Hit me with it.

Derek:

Along with trusting yourself, you need to trust the people who are there to help you.

You have good men under your command, so use them.

And trust Freya as well. She looks delicate, but she has a fighting spirit and a good head on her shoulders.

She knows better than anyone what to do. You have a whole team, Elliot.

This isn’t all on you.

How does he always say the right thing? Since the day I met him, he has known exactly what I need to hear.

Freya’s asleep in the next room over, and in a few hours she’ll be ready to face her next challenge, most likely in a way I can’t prepare for because she is always going to do things her way, like Derek said.

That’s what makes her great, and who am I to stop her?

I’ve been trying too hard to control everything, forgetting that I’m not the one who’s been preparing for a crown my whole life.

I know my place. I need to stay there instead of entertaining thoughts of more when that’s not something I can have. If Freya can keep a cool head through surprise proposals and unknown threats, I can find a way to do the same, no matter what I’m up against. Trust my team. Trust her.

I need to do better.

Suck it up and keep moving forward.

For her.