Page 246 of Conquered

“Fuck!” Jax snarls, just as Ash crumples the page in his fist, a flush creeping over his cheeks.

“What?” I ask, my heart pounding as I look at their faces, full of anger and devastation. “What is it? Tell me, please.”

Kai hands me his copy, his eyes so sad behind his glasses that moisture stings my own. Looking down, my throat goes dry, my breath stilling as I read what’s on the page in front of me.

It’s a letter, addressed to Ash in a messy scrawl. The paper shakes the more I read, tears falling down my cheeks as Luc’s final words swim before me.

Dear Ash,

I can't fight you and dad anymore. I don't want to, and I don't want what he's offering. I just want peace, so I'm taking myself out of the game. The crown is all yours.

Luc

“Oh, Ash,” I gasp, looking up at him and remembering that day in front of the chapel, the beautiful voices of Pentatonix behind us as he told me about finding Luc in his room on the last day before summer, dead and covered in blood.

Anger floods my system, overriding the grief, as I realise that this is yet another of Julian’s punishments. “How could he do this?!” I exclaim, my jaw tight. “You’re his son, for fuck’s sake! And so was Luc!” I’m so cross, my blood boils, scaling my veins and tinting my vision.

“Hey,” Ash turns to me, letting the paper drop to the floor and taking mine out of my hand. “Don’t get so worked up, Princess. It’s not good for the baby.” He takes my shaking hands in his, prising the paper out of my grip and dropping that too.

Pulling me into him, I’m engulfed by his spicy ginger scent, which calms me instantly. Wrapping my arms around him, I hold on tightly as the angry tears subside. Looking up, I see his jaw is still clenched, but his steel eyes are full of concern for me, and my heart hurts.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I’m such an arsehole for flipping out and then making you comfort me, when it should be the other way round.”

He gives me a tight, almost vicious smile, with an edge of resignation to it. It sends a shiver down my spine, and I’m glad that I’m not the one he’s pissed at.

“I’m used to this kind of shit, Princess. It’s not the first time he’s used Luc’s suicide against me. And you’re not anasshole.” He gives me one of his trademark smirks, clearly making the point that I’m saying the word wrong.Twatwaffle.“Kai, organise a clean up crew to come in and deal with this mess. I want these gone stat.”

“On it,” Kai responds, his iPad in hand as he starts tapping away at the screen.

“Let’s go for that walk, shall we?” Ash asks, letting me go, but tucking my hand into his arm like an old fashioned gentleman taking his lover out for a walk. You know, the lover who’s pregnant with his best friend’s baby, whilst his father forces an arranged marriage on the couple, not knowing that his grandchild will not be of his blood.God, I’m living in a Mills and Boon novel!

Despite the rocky start to our day, I soon settle with the gentle exercise, taking deep soothing breaths of fresh air as we make our way through the forest, leaving Highgate, Julian, and all the shit behind us.

We come to a break in the trees, a beautiful meadow full of delicate spring wildflowers spread out before us. I let the sun warm my face, closing my eyes as I feel its rays caress my skin.

My pocket vibrates with an incoming message, and sighing, I take it out, to see that it’s from Julian.

Julian Cuntish Vanderbilt: Just a lesson for the Princess left x

Just like that, all the warmth leeches from my body, and I’m no longer able to feel the rays of the sun, even though there isn’t a cloud in the sky.

“What is it, Princess?” Ash asks, brows furrowed, and I shiver at the nickname, hating that Julian just used it. I turn the screen to face him, and a curse falls from his lips as he reads the message.

“When will it stop, Ash?” I ask, my voice thick, suddenly so weary I lean heavily on him as my knees feel weak beneath me.

“When one of them dies,” he tells me, a vicious gleam in his grey eyes. “And the others are rotting in jail.”

I should feel revulsion.

I should feel horror.

But I don’t.

I only feel a sick sense of relief at the idea of being free from the blackness that is Black Knight Corporation. Of finally being free from Julian’s oppressive presence.

What sort of person have I become?

CHAPTER THIRTY