EVIL QUEEN - Rebel Hart Page 0,35

so bad, Nikki.”

“Yeah, me too.” I stoked along his back with my fingertips, something that typically helped him fall asleep right away. His eyes started to drift shut, but he fought to keep them open. “What are you doing? You need to rest.”

“I…” His consciousness was fading fast. “You’re always gone when I wake up.”

My throat tightened. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Still,” he said, “I’ll stay awake a little longer, just in case.”

I didn’t press the issue. After the tense week we’d had, I didn’t want to leave him any more than he wanted me to leave, but it was better not to say that out loud. Instead, I slowed the stroking of my fingers over his back to help him maintain consciousness if that was what he really wanted.

We laid there in peaceful silence for a while until Nathan finally said, “I’m thinking about making Kyle the king.”

“What?” I asked. “Why?”

“He’s better suited to it. It’s just temporary, not that I really know what that means right now. There are only a few weeks left of school, and then, I don’t know.”

It was clear that Nathan truly believed the only reason anyone hung around him was because of The Royal Court. I couldn’t blame him for the conclusion he’d come to, but I also knew that if that were the case, everyone would have left immediately after what happened between him and Cherri. If they all hated Nathan, none of them would have stuck around. Whether or not they were willing to admit it, they all cared about Nathan. I was the wispy thin thread that held The Royal Court together. If Nathan had nothing to do with it, it wouldn’t exist.

“I think it could be a good idea,” I said finally, “but not because you’re not suited to it. I think you need to start focusing on yourself a little bit more.”

“Kyle said something like that too.”

“You know, I really do think you should consider going to see my therapist.” It was something I’d brought up to Nathan before, but he always shut the idea down. This time, however, he remained quiet. “She’s really good, and she got me through everything after my foster mom stepped down.”

Nathan lifted his head and looked at me. “Okay. I’ll go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to work on dealing with myself. I’ll hand the reins over to Kyle for the time being, and I’ll start seeing a therapist.”

My heart soared as the words left his mouth. “I’m really proud of you.”

He smiled up at me. “Thanks, Nikki. For always being by my side long after I deserved it.”

No words felt right to respond to that, so I settled for setting my lips gently against his. When we parted, his head went back down to my chest, and it wasn’t long before I heard him snoring. I rubbed his back in careful circles until the repeating cycle made my eyes heavy as well, and eventually, I faded out.

12

Nathan

I had counted well over fifty or sixty deep breaths that I’d taken as I sat in my car outside of my father’s company. There were so many more reasons than I could count on one hand why I didn’t want to go inside, but delaying the inevitable was getting me nowhere.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Nikita said, and her voice calmed me in an instant. “Whether or not it was right or fair, you gave up your childhood to prepare for this. You’re probably gonna be more comfortable in there than you are in the halls of our high school.”

I nodded. The tie around my neck felt like it was strangling me, so I hooked my finger in it and loosened it a little, but the feeling didn’t subside. Nikita handed me the briefcase I’d taken from my dad’s office and then put her hand on my face.

“You spent all night last night putting your plans together,” she said. “You know this business like the back of your hand. You got this.”

Only because Nikita was there with me, I felt like I could manage what was coming up. I took my final deep breath, leaned in and kissed her, and then got out of the car. Nikita climbed out the other side, and we both looked at the front of the hundred-floor skyscraper in the center of downtown Postings.

“I don’t remember this building being this big,” I said. Loche Corporation Building was emblazoned on the front in bright gold letters. “I was younger the last time I