Page 26 of The Royal Flame (The Royal Academy #3)

I blast him with a nasty look to which he reciprocates by place a hand on my leg from under the table. He smooths his thumb along the inside of my knee, in a soothing gesture. But honestly, it gets my heart soaring.

My ex-mother crosses her arms on the table, her haughty smirk infuriating. “You’ll have to give me the cash in person. I’ll give you the information then.”

“What if you lie?” River questions. “From what I understand, you do that a lot.”

“I won’t. In fact, I’ll be glad to hand over my sister’s secrets. Then people will realize just how imperfect she really is.” She flicks a glance at me. “You don’t know Ellie like you think you do, Maddy. You should consider yourself lucky that I raised you.”

“Yeah, I’m so lucky,” I say dryly. “My favorite part about you raising me is when I was five and you left me at the grocery store for hours. No, actually, it’s that time you made me walk to the gas station to buy you cigarettes when it was in the middle of the night, and I was seven.

Or that time I saw you and your friends doing heroin in the kitchen.

The best time ever, though, is when you stole my college fund. ”

“Well, at least I didn’t sell you for money,” she retorts. “A lot of parents do that.”

“You’re such a bitch,” I mumble, aware River is unsettled by this conversation.

Her lips part with what I’m sure will be more remarks about her awesome parenting skills, but River intervenes.

“I’ll go get the cash,” he says. “And meet you tonight at the Royal City Park.”

She shakes her head. “I want to meet somewhere in northside.”

“No way in hell are we meeting you there,” I chime. “I’m not going to a place where you can lure us into your territory and jump us. You’ll meet us in the Royal City Park or the deal’s off. I’ll find another way to get anwers.” I stand up.

It’s for show, but it works.

“Fine,” she bites out. “But I’m going to eat first. I was promised a meal, and I’m going to get one.” She crosses her arms and raises her chin.

I bite down on my tongue, reminding myself that I’m doing this to find Ellie.

Dinner is a pain to get through. My mother chats about mundane things and she talks so loudly that people stare. By the time we leave and part ways, I’m beyond relieved. As we stand outside, waiting for the limo to pull around, I breathe in the fresh night air.

“Sorry, about my mom,” I apologize. “I hate that you had to deal with her.”

“Don’t apologize for her,” he mutters, shaking his head.

He’s been strangely quiet and it has be a bit concerned that perhaps my mother was too much for him and he’s regretting getting mixed up in my life. Not that I can blame him.

He isn’t even holding my hand, but we are out in public. Still, I’m nervous as we limo arrives, and he we climb in. The divider window is up and the instant the driver closes the back door, I twist to River with every intention of giving him an out.

But before any words can leave my mouth, he’s devouring me with his lips, kissing me and parting my lips with his tongue as he tangles his fingers through my hair.

I grip onto the front of his shirt as I struggle to keep up with his desperate kisses and holy shit, every time he tugs on my hair, I practically orgasm.

As much as I’d love to continue doing this, I want to know what’s being his frantic desperation.

“River,” I whisper as he kisses me…

And kisses me…

And slides his palm up the side of my leg…

“Mmm…” He murmurs between kisses.

“Are you okay?” I manage to get out as he grips my thigh and tugs me closer to him.

“No, not at all.” His breath fans across my lips as he quietly sighs.

Then he rests his forehead against mine.

“Maddy, I’m so fucking sorry you had to go through all of that growing up.

I knew you’re mother was bad, but seeing act like that, and listening to you talk about all that stuff she did to you…

How you had to watch her do heroin… And her saying you were lucky because she didn’t sell you…

” Shaking his head, he slants back, and carries my gaze.

“I don’t want you to have to deal with this shit anymore. ”

“I don’t either, but unfortunately, it’s in my blood.”

“No, it’s not. You’re Royal, Maddy. And I want to treat you like one.” He plucks a soft kiss from my lips. “I’m going to get you out of this—all of this. Away from north side, from this hunt. I’m going to figure out a way to protect you.” He kisses me again before I can protest.

I’m fairly certain he does it on purpose, and while the old Maddy would get irritated, this new, confused one melts into his touch. We probably would’ve kissed forever if the limo hadn’t abruptly swerved.

River tightens his hold on my waist as he mutters a string of curses. An intercom clicks on and the driver’s voice fill the back.

“Sorry about that sir. A woman ran out in the road.,” he says.

“It’s fine,” River replies then focuses on me again.

“I’m going to say this even though I know you’ll protest, but I think you should return to the academy and I’ll go meet you ex-mother.” He tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “You don’t have to see her again if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to see her, but I need to go,” I tell him. “And yeah, part of that has to do with me not wanting you to have to deal with her. But I also want to hear what she has to say. And I want to make sure she doesn’t try to lie. I can read through her bullshit pretty well.”

River slightly bobs his head up and down. “Let’s go to the bank then. We’ll get the money and then before we meet her, I want to make a stop at the library.”

“Why?”

“I want to see if there’s any books on the society in the restricted section.”

“You want to see if you can find out about that island?”

“I do. I doubt they’ll be any books, but you never know. It’s part of history and history always has a way of recording itself somehow.”

“Okay, let’s go to the library then,” I say then adds, “But?—”

“I know,” he cuts me off, brushing the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “You’re going to pay me back the cash I’m giving your ex-mother.:

God, he knows me way too well.

Part of me loathes that.

But part of me like it.

The ride to the bank is fairly short, but I almost doze off with my head resting on River’s shoulder. I’m unsure why I’m tired, other than maybe I’m emotionally exhausted—my ex-mother has always been good at doing that to me.

Again, I’m plagued about the reason why Ellie would have that woman raise me, even if it was to protect me. Wouldn’t it have been better to put me up for adoption. Perhaps that’s why she didn’t do that, though, because at the end of the day, she still wanted to be near me.

A while later, I awake as the car jostles to a atop. When I peel my eyes open, I find that we’re parked in front of a lavish glass walled building that has a golden sign that glistens even against the night.

“What is this place?” I ask, sitting up and rubbing my eyes with the heels of my hands.

“The bank.” River removes his arm from around my shoulder. “I want you to come in with me. I don’t like the idea of you being out here alone, even if your bodyguard is nearby.”

“Okay.”

We climb out then and make our way into the bank.

Back in north side, backs were small and the front desk had barred windows on it.

The place was usually crowded with chaos.

It also wasn’t open at this late of an hour.

This place is the exact opposite, brightly lit, open space, a quiet atmosphere.

Not to mention everything from the trim on the walls to the chandelier lighting is made gold.

I wrap my arms around myself. “I feel like I’m getting this place dirty just by existing in it,” I mumble as I take everything in.

“Just relax. Everything’s fine.” River takes my hand, kisses my knuckles then threads our fingers together as he steers me across the marbled floor room. “You’re perfect.,” he adds quietly under his breath.

I narrow my eyes at him, but he ignores me, instead heading for an arched doorway located at the back of the room.

“Where is everyone?” I ask as we enter a small sitting area with leather sofas and a coffee table.

“I have to buzz someone down,” River explains as he makes his way over to what resembles a massive computer.

It’s a touch screen and he begins punching in information. I fiddle with the leather band on my wrist as I wait for him to finish up. Once he does, we take a seat and wait.

“This seems like a lot just to withdraw cash,” I tell him. “Do you guys not have ATMs in the Royal City?”

“We do, but I don’t want my father knowing about this transaction because I don’t want him to find out what it’s paying for,” he explains as he leans back and stretches his arm out behind me.

“Smart thinking.” I smirk at him. “Guess you’re not just a pretty face.”

He narrows his eyes at me, but the corners of his lips quirk. “I’d take that as an insult, but you just called me pretty.”

“Yeah, so? I think you know you’re pretty.”

“Maybe. But I like hearing that you think I’m pretty.” He plays with strands of my hair. “You’re pretty too.”

“You say that too much.” I resist squirming, but the way he’s looking at me, with such centered intensity, makes it difficult to sit still.

“You squirm whenever I say that,” he remarks, sweeping my hair off my shoulder. “It makes me sad. But one day, I hope that changes. In fact, I’m going to make it my mission to erase that reaction, even if it takes a decade.”

He says it so mater of factly, but it’s anything but that.

A decade?

Does he think we’re going to be together in a decade?