Page 70 of Hidden Empire
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I do attend the pointless class. Luckily, it’s only an hour long every other day, so I have plenty of free time.
“Worry about your own studies,” I reply, not answering his question.
“The only thing I’m worried about is you scaring her off before she falls for you fully,” Ivan claims, rubbing his temples like I’m actively exhausting him. “You’re becoming a stalker.”
There’s no becoming about it. I am one.
Jade consumes nearly every second of my waking thoughts. She’s in my dreams and on my mind at a seemingly constant rate. Any second she’s out of my sight stresses me out to no end. Bumping into her on the boat was enough to sell me on Jade Moretti.
The once mysterious girl became a full-blown obsession not too soon after she looked up at me with those delicate but fierce blue eyes. I wanted her to be mine, and I made it happen. All I needed was a bit of interest from her, and she more than delivered.
She sought me out and claimed me. Even if she can’t claim me to her family and be my wife instantly, she’s made her wants explicitly known. I’m her man, and nothing is going to change that. Not if I can help it. I’ll have a ring on her finger as soon as I can.
“So you think she’s falling for me?” I ask, pleased that he sees the same thing I do. Jade may not be following me all around the academy grounds, but my girl is falling just as fast as I have.
“You just want to hear me say it,” he accuses, rolling his eyes.
“What’s wrong with that?” I ask. “I care about your opinion.”
“Yes, she’s falling for you,” Ivan relents, “But she won’t be much longer if she catches you watching her like a creep.”
“I don’t know, I think she might like it.”
I see the way she blushes when I look at her. It makes me wonder if she’d blush all the time if she knew I was watching.
“Besides,” I add, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “There’s a reason to be watching her now. Someone wants her married and away from her family. That kind of goal doesn’t come without nefarious implications.”
Ivan’s face tightens. “I know.”
“Hey,” I say lightly. “It’ll all work out. She has us now.”
I’m just as upset with this situation, if not more. But Ivan? He wears his heart on his sleeve. I don’t mind being the one who talks him down when he’s concerned. We need clear heads to perform our best, and Jade deserves nothing but our best.
“Yeah,” he agrees, shoulders relaxing. “She’s got us.”
The sweet angelic sound of her laughter makes my chest radiate with warmth. Jade tosses her head back, clapping her hands together with the most addictive giggles bursting from her lips. Her family’s little setup for the night is bringing her an immense amount of joy, and I can’t believe I get to witness it.
She and her brothers are all sitting on chairs in a secluded little area on the black sand beach, and a small fire pit lit up with orange flames in the center of their circle.
With the firelight reflecting and flickering all around, I get a decent view of her face, even if some of the details are too far away to make out. Her dark waves of hair are being tied into braids on either side by the youngest of her brothers, Matteo. He keeps teasing her, tickling her neck to egg on her laughing.
“She looks so happy,” Ivan comments from my side, mesmerized.
“She looks incredible,” I correct.
“You know I don’t see her that way,” Ivan starts like he even has to remind me. “But yes, she looks beautiful. It’s nice to see her content without the weight of a mysterious threat lurking around. She shouldn’t have to worry about it.”
Agreed. It brings me an immense amount of relief to know that Jade can allow herself to relax and still have fun while she’s here. If she were constantly looking over her shoulder, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
My girl should never be scared again.
I know she still has fears, especially about her past. I won’t force her to open up sooner than she’s ready. But when she does… there’s no telling how I’ll handle it.
Dark and evil things aren’t allowed to plague Jade.
When she lets me, I’ll show her just how true that is. I’ll systematically destroy any semblance of the people who have wronged her. They’ll be dust when I’m done.
A loud crack pops from their fire, and Jade flinches in surprise, causing Matteo to tease her further. I should get him a present in exchange for the constant delivery of her laughter. No sound has ever held me by my balls like this one.