Whatever the hell that is. He buys something that looks like an apple turnover wrapped in a napkin from the shop, and then hands it to me. I bite into it expecting fruits and syrup, and I get a savory mix of ground beef, potatoes, and carrots. It’s delicious.
“Wow. Pretty good. Thanks.”
Lucian smiles encouragingly and grabs my wrist, gently leading me out of the line as he takes a huge bite of his pasty. We walk down the street in an attempt to keep the photographers from hanging around us.
“Let’s go in here.” He gestures toward a crowded café, where we’re bound to get mobbed by people.
“Sir, I must advise against going inside. There are too many people.”
“Rubbish. I’ve done this loads of times with you, and nothing bad has ever happened. Daisy’s not afraid, is she?”
His light eyes lock on mine.
Actually, she kind of is.
“Come!”
Lucian’s strong hand wraps around mine and pulls me inside before his guards can open the door for him. It’s a dark little café with a giant chalkboard behind the counter. Unremarkable, really. It seems to be a spot popular with the college crowd. People sit at the little tables with their laptops, hammering at their keyboards. A small pang of regret runs through me as I watch them. In just a few months, fall semester will be starting.
Lucian drags me into line. I try to make myself diminished and unimportant, but avoiding eye contact probably makes me look even more suspicious. I study the walls instead, and the cash register, where there are snacks and magazines for sale.
ROYAL EXPOSÉ.
The red-and-white title blazes at me. Without even thinking, I slide it out of the box.
PRINCE LIAM’S GALLANT RESCUE
Under the blazing-white title is a photograph of us in the lake. Liam is standing in the water, his head bent over mine. I’m completely drenched, water dripping from me as he holds me in his arms. He’s kissing me as water rolls down his face. I feel the heat of his lips, the warmth of the sun. It was a beautiful day, one of the best days in Anglefell.
“Princess Daisy?”
A young man waiting for his order looks at the tabloid and at me, making the connection.
“I’m not—”
“You’re her!”
My face burns as a hundred eyes fall on me. I roll up the tabloid and shrug. “I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
Lucian smirks at me as more people start to gawk at us. The whispers start. “Prince Lucian!” and “That’s the Yankee” and “Fuck her.”
Fuck you too.
I freeze as a woman with wild eyes locks her gaze right onto mine. “Get the fuck out of my country! Fuck the royals!”
“Yeah!”
A few more voices chime in, and then a bearded man breaks free of the crowd. His young face is twisted with malice. I scream as he lunges at me, his fingers catching my hood. I’m yanked forward as the guards shove him to the floor and pin his arms behind his back, but now there are only two left to fend off the madness.
“Go back home, Americunt!”
I flinch at the vitriol aimed at me from a guy who looks like he could’ve been in one of my English classes.
Lucian screams in outrage. “That’s bang out of order! Guards!”
Goaded past endurance, one of the guards smashes a fist against the heckler’s chin, knocking him down flat. The patrons go nuts, screaming about abuse of power as half of them film us with their iPhones. Hypocrites.
“Fuck the royals!”
“Let him go!”
Instead of backing away, Lucian lunges toward the crowd, looking utterly enraged. What the hell is he doing? Doesn’t he realize they outnumber us ten to one?
“Get the American! She’s just as bad!”
Rough hands seize my sweater and twist. I fight the frenzied mob, shoving at faces. A bottle breaks somewhere. My scream is swallowed by voices demanding the American. Lucian reaches for my hand, but I’m swallowed by the crowd.
“Get the fuck off me!”
They won’t listen. They’re beyond that now.
There’s a crash, and my body is jolted violently against the wall.
Police.
That’s my first thought when I see the stream of suited men. A cloud of pepper fills the café as they blast the mob with spray. I shut my eyes against the ruthless sting and feel arms drop away from me. The angry shouts quickly become wails as the entire place is saturated. I open my eyes