Page 58 of Wicked Empire (Knight's Ridge Empire 3)

Pulling the covers back, I slip back into place with Seb’s front to my back.

His arm immediately wraps around my waist and he tugs me back against him.

“Love you, baby,” he mumbles in his sleep.

“I love you too, Seb.”

With his soft snores filling my ears, I finally succumb to my exhaustion and let the darkness claim me.

* * *

The sound of Seb’s cell ringing finally drags me from my peace, but even as I turn over to grab it, he still doesn’t even stir.

“Shit,” I hiss seeing multiple missed calls from Sophia. “Seb,” I say louder, gently shaking his shoulder to bring him to.

“Yeah, baby. What’s up?” he says, his voice rough with sleep.

“You’ve got a load of missed calls from your sister.”

“Shit.” His eyes spring open and he sits bolt upright faster than I thought possible.

Swiping his screen, he immediately calls her back.

“What’s wrong?” he barks the second the call connects.

Sophia says something. It’s too quiet for me to make out, even only inches away, but whatever it is makes Seb’s eyes lock onto mine, allowing me to see the fear he’s hiding from almost everyone else.

“Yeah, we’re coming now. We’ll be thirty minutes.”

He’s out of bed before he even kills the call.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, although my stomach is already in knots with a good idea.

“It’s Mum. She’s in the hospital.”

“Shit. What—”

“Overdose.”

“Jesus. What are you waiting for?” I ask when he stands in the middle of the room, looking completely lost.

Stepping up to me, he takes my face in his warm palms.

“You should stay here,” he whispers, concern pushing his previous fear away.

“Fuck that, Seb. You need me. Your family needs me. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“But—” He looks down at my dirty skin from last night’s fire mixed with the dried blood that I haven’t been able to wash off yet.

“They’re a few scratches. I’m fine. Get dressed,” I demand before he really tries putting his foot down.

I physically push him away from me and toward his closet in the hope that he lets it go, because I’m not allowing him out of this house without me.

In only five minutes, both of us are dressed and heading out the door.

Theo is once again sitting at the breakfast bar, only this time he’s on his laptop.

“What’s wrong?” he asks the second he looks up and reads the fear that’s written all over Seb’s face.