Page 37

37

sworn to secrecy

unknown

I peek my head around the corner of the hallway as I watch Rivian and his guard burst into Lucynda's room.

Pride swells in my gut when I realize that everything is happening exactly the way I planned it.

I reach into my pocket for my phone, pulling it out and dialing his number. I notice a glove fall out of my pocket simultaneously so I reach down to retrieve it as I watch the hallways carefully for a few beats to make sure no one is watching me.

Stuffing the glove back into my pocket and waiting for the phone to pick up, I turn around to head back to the main level.

"Hello?" The voice on the other side of the line answers.

"He's gone. You can come over now," I respond as I climb down the stairs and into the foyer making my way toward Rivian’s office.

"Are you positive?"

"Yeah, he'll be busy for a while. I'm sure." I let a smirk crawl over my face as the cool air hits me from an open window nearby.

“The compulsion won’t stick long.”

“I’ve got that covered. Don’t worry about it, love.”

A beat of silence filters through the phone speaker as I reach the threshold of Rivian’s office, seeing it in disarray.

"We'll have to be careful, there’s no way to hide the compulsion of a Royal, considering only another Royal can do so." Unsureness laces the words spoken to me, but I know everything will work out the way we need it.

As I walk deeper into the office, I take note of the vintage furniture and the mess of distressed books that have been tossed around, likely in his fit of anger. I knew it wasn’t much longer before he reacted to the chaos, letting it embrace him. Releasing his humanity is going to be one of the biggest of mistakes he’s made.

I take a seat in Rivian's chair, loving the way the leather feels under me. And the view outside to the grounds of Hollows Trace is a powerful sight to see.

I click my tongue and take a deep breath before responding, "No one suspects a thing."