Page 28 of The Royal Flame (The Royal Academy #3)

The place is noticeably quiet, except for a clock tower chiming in the distance. River joins me, tells the driver to please wait for our return, then lacing our fingers together, he steers me toward the entrance.

My nervous are humming as we hike down the path that dips into the trees.

When I cast a glance over my shoulder at the parking lot, I spot an SUV with tinted windows pulling in.

The driver door swings open and my bodyguard hops out.

I’ve seen him a few times and he’s intimidating for sure, tall and muscular.

He scans the area and when he spots me, he starts to stride in our direction.

“My bodyguard is coming over here,” I hiss, tugging on River’s hand.

River stops walking and turns, his gaze snapping in the direction of the bodyguard as he reaches up.

“What are you doing?” he growls out to me, his eyes frantically scanning the overly flourishing landscaped area. “It’s too dangerous for you to be here, especially this late.”

“I’m meeting my mother—my ex-mother,” I clarify. “I need to ask her some questions.”

He shakes his head. “No way. You need to get into the limo. Or you can ride back to the academy with me.” He reaches to grab me.

I step back. “Don’t touch me.”

“Just stop being a brat and get into the car.” He tries to grab me again

River swings in front of me, blocking my view from him. “She said don’t touch her.”

The bodyguard laughs. “You seriously think you can stop me?”

He has a valid point. He’s twice the size of river and he has a gun in a holster that’s peeking out from his jacket.

I could surrender.

I should surrender.

Instead, I dial Grey’s number.

“What’re you doing?” the bodyguard barks out at me, attempting to dodge around River.

River sidesteps, again blocking him.

The bodyguard releases a frustrated exhale. “I don’t give a shit what you’re last name is. If you don’t move, I’m going to move you myself.”

“Hey, Grey,” I say loudly into the phone as he answers.

“Maddy? What’s going on? Where’s Jerry?” Grey says, his voice laced with urgency.

“He’s right here and he’s being an asshole,” I tattle on him. Normally I try to avoid doing that, but right now, I want answers, so I’m breaking the code that was engrained into me: we don’t narc.

He pauses. “How?”

“Because…” Crap, I didn’t think this through. Now I have to tell him what I’m up to. Perhaps that can be a good thing. Maybe he’ll want to help. “I’m meeting up with the woman that raised me. She’s going to give me information on why she did and about Ellie.”

“Where are you right now?” he asks over the sound of shuffling. “Fuck, you’re in The Royal Park.”

“How did you…” My gaze drifts to Jerry who’s texting on his phone. “Never mind. Apparently tattling is in the air tonight.”

“Maddy.” Fear echoes in Grey’s tone. “You need to get away from that park now.”

“Why? It’s in the Royal City,” I point out. “Not north side.”

“You’re much safer in north side than in the Royal City,” he explains. “The people who would hunt you would be from Royal Families?—”

A object flies by my head. I instinctively duck. So do River and Jerry, both of whom scramble to get to me. River makes it to me first and covers me with his body.

“What the hell was that?” he hisses, as he keeps me protectively tucked under his arm while edgily glancing around.

“An arrow,” Jerry states ominously.

I’d think he was joking, but Jerry doesn’t really seem like the joking type.

I lift my head slightly and track Jerry’s gaze to a nearby tree where an arrow is sticking out of the trunk.

“What the fuck?” I whisper in horror. “Did someone just try to shoot me with a bow and arrow?”

“It’s an old tradition,” Jerry mumbles then utters a string of curses. “That means someone has found out your identity.” His eyes lock on me. “We need to get you into my car. Now.”

River and I both nod, then River pulls me up with him while keeping his body as a shield on my right side. Jerry takes up the left, and I don’t like it—that they’re putting themselves into danger to protect me.

I’m about to protest, because why the hell is my life more important than theirs? But then I hear a voice that has haunted me for my entire life.

My ex-mothers.

“There over here!” she cries out as steps out from the bushes and points a finger at us.

“I should’ve known she’d rat us out,” I bite out, wanting to kick my own ass.

She adds to my rage by running toward us. “Get her! She’s right here—” An arrow pierces through her chest.

She falls to the ground in a heap of a mess, blood gushing from the wound. She may be truly awful, but my chest tightens at the sight. She was the woman I believed was my mother for my entire life. And if she doesn’t get help, she’ll die.

I move to duck under River’s arm, but he slips his arms around my waist.

“Maddy, don’t. It’s too dangerous.” He drags me with him as he rushes toward Jerry’s SUV.

I wrestle to get away from him. “We can’t just let her die.”

“We won’t,” he promises me. “We’ll call the police the moment we get you safely in that SUV.”

Tears fall from my eyes as I stop fighting and rush toward the SUV. Arrows start zipping by us, coming from all different direction. How many people are out there? Who are they? Why do they want y bloodline extinct?

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, we manage to make it into the SUV.

River slides into the backseat with me and shuts the door.

A snap of a heartbeat later, the tip of a metal arrow slams against the glass.

I pathetically squeal at the deafening clanking noise it makes.

But the thick, what I’m guessing is bulletproof glass holds structure.

River curls himself around me and tucks my head under his chin as Jerry hops into the driver’s seat.

He slams the door, starts up the engine, and shoves the shifter into drive.

But as the tires spin and the SUV lurches forward, he suddenly slams on the brakes as my ex-mother stumbles into the ray of the headlights.

She’s clutching her chest, the arrow is still sticking out, and blood is trickling down her lips.

“ Help…. Me ,” she mouths, staggering toward the car with her bloody hand outstretched toward us.

Again, I feel that crushing pain in my chest. I want to hate her so badly that I can bask in her own demise, but the reality is that’s not who I am.

“Let her in,” I tell Jerry, reaching for the door handle.

River grabs my hand, stopping while Jerry hisses, “No fucking way.”

I press River with a pleading look. “She’s hurt. We can’t just leave her here.”

His lips part. “Maddy… She set you up.”

“I know that,” I tell him. “But that doesn’t make it okay for me to let her die. That’s not who I am. And I know that’s not who you are either… Besides, she could still have answers.”

“She’s right.” Jerry agrees with me, surprising the shit out of me. “She clearly has connections to who’s hunting you. Grey would want us to save her so we can talk to her.” He leans over the middle console and shoves the passenger door open before drives forward.

“Get in!” he shouts at my ex-mother.

She lethargically stumbles toward the SUV and collapses in the passenger side. She can’t get the door closed, so River reaches around and does it for her. Then Jerry peels out of the parking lot as arrows continue to fly at us. If one manages to pierce a tire, we’re so screwed.