Page 15 of Bitter Prince

“She loves her sister and protects her. Nothing unusual about that.” Mother’s voice trembled, her fingers clutching the fork so hard her knuckles turned white.

Father barked a laugh. “Maybe.” He leaned back, his eyes searching for something I couldn’t understand. He looked for it in our mother. In Dante. And in me. “Romero will be looking to wed his daughter when she comes of age. Her dragon grandmother won’t be able to protect those girls forever.”

It was then and there that I decided I’d be the one to protect Reina Romero.

9

REINA, 14 YEARS OLD

The boarding school lay in the vicinity of Lake Tahoe. Twenty acres of a fancy prison, but it was better than being home. After years of attendance, we knew the property like the back of our hands.

While my sister and our best friend, Isla, worked hard on their homework, I was in charge of getting snacks this time around.

I knew the drill. We all did.

The entire mission should take me twenty minutes. I’d slip through the crack in the fence, make it to the store to get our favorite ice cream, and sneak back undetected.

My eyes flickered to the sky that was turning dark and gray, signaling an impending storm. I could smell the rain in the air.

Unlike our home in Malibu where temperatures were always pleasant, in this part of California, it got colder than I liked it.

A few cars passed by, tempting me to hitchhike, but I knew the dangers of it, so I decided against it. I sped down the road, keeping my eyes on my surroundings while my mind kept returning to Amon Leone. I hadn’t been able to shake him from my thoughts since the fence incident last week.

Gosh, he was beautiful. Handsome. And so nice.

Phoenix wasn’t impressed. I thought she was crazy. Amon was the most swoon-worthy boy I had ever laid eyes on.

I heard the squeal of tires and was brought back to the present. A dark Mercedes with tinted windows idled a few steps ahead and my steps faltered. I held my breath, waiting for the car to resume driving, but it never did.

Then everything happened in slow motion.

The car door opened and a man stepped out. A large sumo-wrestler-looking guy with a man on either side of him.

His entourage, I thought, while an alarm shot through me and invisible hands clawed at my throat. I couldn’t breathe. I should run. Every fiber of my being screamed for me to get out of here. Yet my feet refused to move as my heart thundered, cracking my rib cage with each beat.

“Reina Romero.” The sidekicks watched me with wariness while the main guy stared me down with a gleam in his eyes. “What a pleasant surprise.”

My mouth went dry and I refused to answer. My instincts warned that danger followed these men wherever they went.

Then run,my reason warned.

I stayed glued to my spot. “Yes, this has to be Reina Romero,” he drawled, stopping a foot from me. “With hair like gold and eyes of clear blue seas.”

He took a step forward; I took one back.

“What do you want?” I hissed.

“You.”

That finally got me in motion. Dropping the bags in my hands, I took off running, asphalt crunching under my shoes. If I got to the front gate of the boarding school, I would be in trouble for sneaking out, but I’d be safe.

I didn’t stop, knowing my survival depended on how fast I ran. My muscles screamed. I had never been a runner. Cardio was my weakness. I could barely hear over the sound of my lungs working, but I could sense movement at my rear.

Just when the entrance was within reach, a hand wrapped around my throat. I was pulled by a firm hold and flung back. My back hit the ground and pain exploded through me.

I opened my mouth to scream, but a heavy body sat on my torso and a hand muffled any sound.

Oh my God. I can’t die like this.