through a blur of tears and see a throng of blue blobs.
“Daisy? Where the fuck is Daisy?”
Liam.
“I don’t know,” Lucian responds in a sullen voice.
“How could you not fucking know?”
My heart clenches at the panic in his voice.
“Here!” I shout.
I hear footsteps running toward me, and then protective arms surround me, lifting me from the ground. I flinch as his thumbs touch my streaming eyes and wipe away my tears.
“Shit, are you all right?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Sir, we must leave. The police will make arrests.”
“Come, Daisy.”
I numbly follow the pressure on my wrist, nearly tripping on something that feels like a glass bottle. Lucian stands near the entrance, tears and snot all over his face.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
I jump at the thunderous roar of Liam’s voice.
We’re back in the castle, in a room I’ve never been to before. There are walls of books, a coffee table, and a few plush armchairs. We’re seated in them. I keep dabbing at my eyes with a tissue, but most of the pain is gone.
Liam leans across the coffee table, staring at his brother, whose arms cross firmly over his chest.
“I dunno what you mean.”
The pot of tea sitting on the table rattles violently and the lid bounces off loudly as Liam slams his fist against the wood.
“I mean you taking my wife into a crowded café. What possessed you to act like such a stupid idiot?”
“Your wife?” he says, eyes narrowing. “It’s plain to everyone that this is a complete farce, so don’t give me the—”
“She is my wife, and you put her in danger. She could have been killed, and if that happened, I would’ve thrown you in a cell to rot!”
He rolls his eyes. “You are so dramatic.”
My heart pounds as I watch the exchange.
“You knew there was a chance she might get hurt.”
Okay, I have to interject. “Whoa, Liam. That’s going a bit too far, don’t you think?” My cheeks burn when he fixes his potent glare on me. “Why don’t we just calm down?”
Lucian smirks at him. “Listen to your wife, brother.”
My husband stands, his features thick with rage as he grabs Lucian’s collar and slams his other fist against his head.
Jesus.
Lucian’s stocky body drops to the ground, but he quickly raises himself to his knees, letting out a scream of fury. He launches at Liam, and then suddenly they’re both rolling on the floor. It’s a full-out brawl.
“Guards!”
They’ve already rushed into the room, and I think for a moment about how confusing it must be to be trained to follow the orders of the royal family when two members of it are screaming different things. One of them pries Liam from Lucian, who was fighting on his back. A trickle of blood runs down Liam’s mouth, but he wipes it away, unconcerned.
“Your Highness must calm down,” one of the guards says, unhelpfully.
“Go fuck yourself!”
Lucian stands, giving his brother a contemptuous look as he shrugs off the guard. “Always a class act, my brother.”
I reach across the table and replace the lid on the teapot just for something to do. The sound turns their attention back toward me, and my face burns.
“Unhand me, damn it!”
The guard reluctantly lets go of Liam, who readjusts his coat angrily. There’s an awkward stretch of silence until the guards apparently decide their presence is no longer needed, and they leave the room. It’s completely bizarre to me, but with five boys they must be pretty used to this.
Lucian closes his red mouth in a gruesome smile. “You realize he’s never going to let you go, right? Liam will never divorce you.”
What?
“Shut the fuck up,” Liam growls.
“He doesn’t want you to leave,” he says quickly. “Why would he when approval ratings are so high?”
“That’s crazy!” I finally blurt out, looking at both of them. “Look at what happened!”
“Despite the little scene in the café today, most people love their American princess. Isn’t that right, brother?”
Liam’s jaw tenses.
“He’ll never let you leave.”
He gives his brother a cruel smile and walks out of the room. My eyes are all for Liam, who looks at me as though he’s resigned to something awful.
“He’s just fucking with me, right?”
I watch with sinking horror as Liam works his mouth. “He’s not.”
Oh my fucking God.
“What the hell do you mean? You can’t keep me here, Liam. That wasn’t part of the deal!”
“Fuck the deal! What the hell do I get out of it? Tell me this, Daisy. What the hell do I get out of this deal?”