tremble. I tugged him forward as we walked side by side, while the server guided us to the restaurant entrance.
Once we were inside, Viktor stated that he'd make sure to give a full report before the Secret Secruity left and Jayce said he'd sit at the table while I excused us to go to the private bathroom. Once we were in the exclusive space, I locked the door and turned to face Neo.
He didn't let me say a word as he pulled me into the tightest hug ever.
"Breathe, Neo," I encouraged as he took huge breaths of air. "Just breathe, mate. I'm right here."
He did exactly that, and I immediately sensed Dimitris's and Onyx's worry.
"What's wrong with Neo?" Onyx questioned.
"Where's Neo?" Dimitris asked through the pack bond. I knew Neo was probably zoning everything out so I spoke through the pack bond to connect with Onyx at the same time.
He's safe with me. We're at a restaurant. There was a police confrontation. They were trying to arrest him by saying something about a cartel, bombs, and other made-up shit. I sent a signal to Secret Services before confronting the officers with Jayce and Viktor. It'll probably be in the news in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.
"What the fuck?" Onyx was pissed.
"Fucking hired douches," Dimitris snapped. "Neo? He's blocking me out."
He's trying to calm down.
Dimitris cursed in the bond, and muttered, "Neo lost his sight because of an almost lethal confrontation with the police."
The news fucking shocked me as Dimitris continued.
"He tells people it was a freak accident, but it was a targeted traffic stop that went wrong. The people in the car were super close to Neo. He thought of them as family. They took care of him. The police didn't know he was a prince or of any royalty. It was all plotted out and he's the only survivor of the shoot out."
"So, a trigger," Onyx seethed. "Someone plotted this. They knew Neo's weakness."
Make sure all the officers stay in jail tonight.
I wasn't asking. I was demanding it to be done, and I felt like they both sensed that.
"I'll make sure of it," Onyx replied.
"We'll handle it, Willow. Attend to Neo."
I mentally nodded and tuned out, attending to Neo until he could breathe without his shoulders lifting and falling. I removed his glasses and walked over to grab a face towel to wet it with cold water.
Returning to his side, I tugged him to the little sitting area, which was much appreciated, and patted his face down. We didn't say anything. He just let me do my job to cool his body down.
When I finished, I let him lean against my chest as I ran my hands through his hair and listened to his breathing as it finally began to calm.
"Thank you." It was the first words he could get out as he slowly sat up.
"How are you feeling?"
"Hungry," he admitted, trying to look away as if ashamed. Even with his eyes closed, I wasn't having any of that. I moved his head back to face me.
"You will not be embarrassed," I whispered but ensured my words were firm. "What happened right now was not supposed to happen. It was unjustly and clearly targeted."
He opened his eyes then, and even with their hollowness, tears were forming in his lids.
"You are a king," I whispered and fought the hard urge to cry with him because I could feel so much fucking fear: the fear of death, the fear of losing all those he loved once again, the suffocating emotion of helplessness.
"Kings raise their heads up high. They wear their crowns that they earned with their blood, sweat, and tears. If anyone dares try to make you bow to them, you show them where the power lies."
I reached out to wipe the single tear that ran down his face.
"We're the Forbidden. It's time they feel our wrath."
He slowly nodded, and for the first time, I noticed his usual magic circles of red in his irises had shifted to black.
"Dinner, first," he whispered. "Then...we enjoy a night of painting."
I knew what he was referring to, and I smiled as I nodded and blinked away my tears.
"No holding back in my presence," I whispered. "We’ll even have a nice bottle of exquisite wine."
"Deal," he whispered, and I sealed his lips with mine.
Time to make some bad apples rot with the stroke of a paintbrush.
21
The Passionate Stroke Of Thy Enemies
~NEO~
"Art studio? T-This is a damn art museum!"
Willow was going to hurt her