Page 50 of Tarnished Embers
“But she’s my mom, Sugar.” The words sound painful, like a shame that has become a living, breathing thing, a stain on his heart that is poisoning him from the inside.
Nausea fills my throat, and it takes an effort to swallow it down. I assumed she was his stepmother too. His hands loosen, like he’s about to let me go, and his head lowers, like he’s too ashamed to even look at me.
“Look at me, Prince,” I say, my voice thick as I try to keep the tears at bay. He does as I ask, and the pain and torment in his emerald depths cuts me like a knife. “It. Is. Not. Your. Fault.”
Tears make his irises gleam like emeralds, and I lean in to kiss each of his cheeks as they fall, tasting his sadness, his desolation.
“Fuck, Sugar. I love you, even if I don’t deserve you,” he whispers, his voice a pained rasp.
“You deserve everything, Prince,” I tell him, my lips pressed up against his. “And I will give it all to you, my love.”
He doesn’t move for a second, then his fingers grip my arse so hard that I know I’ll have bruises, and he drags me into him, smashing his lips against mine in a kiss that shatters the world.
He begs for forgiveness, and I willingly give it to him, taking all of his hurt and pain and giving him all of my love in return. The salt of our tears combines, and we lose ourselves in each other for a little while, forgetting all the shit that is coming our way.
“Sugar…”
“I know, Prince,” I answer, unable to put into words all the emotions that are swirling inside me right now. Heaving a breath, I release his face, sitting back so that I can look at him properly. “We need to run.” His eyes widen, and he’s shaking his head, but I place my finger against his lips. “I know you don’t have any money, but I have some in savings that my mother left me. It’s not much, but it’ll be enough to get us away from here at least.”
“She’ll always come after us, Cinders,” Cas says, sitting down heavily next to us in the chair that Kit was using. “She won’t just let us get away. We’re her cash cows.”
“Then we give ourselves enough time to find some way to stop her, maybe get evidence of what she’s been doing all these years.” Prince stiffens underneath me, but when I look at him with a raised brow, he just shakes his head. “You said it yourself, we just need time, and I can get us that.”
“How will we get out of here, Sugar?” he asks, a small light coming back into his eyes, a hope that makes my chest tight.
I frown, not understanding what he is getting at. “We’ll just leave when she next goes out. No one will be here to stop us.”
“Not strictly speaking,” Oct says, and I twist in Prince’s lap to peek back at him.
“What do you mean?” I question, my forehead creased as my stomach quivers.
“She’s hired security, fucking dogs to patrol the grounds, the works,” he tells us, and my eyes bug out. “They arrive tomorrow morning, though fuck knows how she paid for it.”
Licking my lips, my mind races. “Then we leave tonight once she’s gone to bed. It’s not unusual for us to be up later than her, watching a film in the living room.”
“Okay.” Prince’s voice has me spinning back around to face him, and there’s the devilish smile on his plush lips that I love to see. “Pack a single bag, only the things we absolutely can’t do without, and we’ll go tonight.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
“LONELY” BY NATHAN WAGNER
ODETTE
Clever little stepdaughter. I quietly move away from the French doors, heading towards the office, my eyes narrowed as I contemplate my next move. There’s a tightness in my chest, a churning of my stomach as I make my way along the hallway.
I’ve been at this game too long to be thwarted by a mere child, and I’ve too much to lose to let my boys go that easily. I vowed I would never be in a position of poverty again, and a promise to oneself is the most sacred. After all, all you can truly rely on is yourself.
Sitting down at the large, oak desk, I pull out my phone, find the contact I need, and hit call. My Louboutin-covered foot taps the wood floor impatiently as I wait for the call to connect.
“Good morning, Sentinel Security,”a chirpy voice greets on the other end of the line. A smile plasters on my face even though I’m the only one in the room. The mask never slips far.
“Ah, hello. It’s Mrs. Everly here. I’ve booked for some security to arrive tomorrow morning, but I’m going to need them to get here as soon as possible, please.”
“Of course, Mrs Everly. That won’t be a problem at all. Dan and his team will be with you within the next half hour.”The weight on my chest eases at her assurances.
“Thank you so much, and can you remind them to come in the side entrance, please?” I can’t have that little bitch or the boys catching wind of my plans.
“Of course, Mrs Everly.”