Chapter 56 I want her back
SOMA
If Jade isn’t in her dorm or my room, and she entered the house but never left, there’s only one possibility.
She’s still there. I bolt out of the administration building, barely hearing Helga call after me. My pulse hammers in my ears, and my shoes slap against the stone steps.
Brynne came home before his brothers. What if he’s the one keeping her hostage? But why? To get to me?
“Soma, wait.” Helga finally catches up to me, slightly out of breath. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“If this involves the princes,” I begin, stopping long enough to turn to her. “I think I need to handle it on my own.”
Her expression tightens. “Are you sure?”
No, but what other option do I have? My new status might allow me to get away with confronting the princes, but I can’t say the same for her. I don’t want to lose another friend.
“Yeah,” I tell her, putting up a brave front. Helga studies me for a moment and sighs. “I’ll keep you posted.”
She nods. “Be careful.”
Knowing Brynne, it won’t matter how careful I am, he’ll have his way. No one but King Rowan can stop him. The thought of him hurting her sends shivers down my spine.
I take off again, not stopping until I reach the house. My heart feels like it might explode, but I know it’s nothing compared to what Jade might be going through. I burst through the main door and storm upstairs. The house is quiet, so the princes must be in their various classes.
The first room I check is Brynne’s. It’s locked. There are two other doors, and I’m not sure whose rooms they lead to. But I check them anyway. The first is locked, and the second opens. I step in, and the smell of lavender tickles my nostrils.
The walls are soft cream, with a floral throw on the bed. This is not a man’s room. Before I can take a proper look around, the connecting door opens, and Sienna steps out, a towel wrapped around her hair. I blink, surprised to see the princess got a regular room while I have a suite. She moves to her dresser and plugs in her hairdryer.
“Fancy seeing you in my room,” she mutters.
“Sorry. I, uh, I thought it was someone else’s.”
Without another word, I stumble outside. If Brynne, I, Sienna, and another person have rooms here, then the last prince’s room must be downstairs. I rush down to check, but the only room I find has its door locked as well.
Hiding my face behind my palms, I scream. My mind races. The only people with access to this place are the royals, but Sienna has no reason to pull such a cruel act.
It must be Brynne. Or maybe the four of them are working together. But why Jade? To punish me? To hurt me? What else does he want?
Back in my suite, I slump onto the couch, waiting to hear the door open. Minutes or maybe hours pass, but I hear nothing. So, I head downstairs to wait for their return. Kade is lounging on the couch when I reach there, watching something on TV, like my world isn’t falling apart.
As I approach, he looks up lazily and grins. That sets my mind on overdrive, and words vanish from my head.
“Hey, Soma. Are you looking for someone?”
The smirk on his face makes my blood run cold.
It’s him.
“You took her,” I say. “Didn’t you?”
“Maybe.” He tilts his head, his grin growing. “I mean, she’s hot. She’ll provide better uses for me than serving you.”
My eyes dart around the living room, but there’s nothing I can use to smack sense into him. And I thought Brynne was worse. At least he limits his depravity to only me.
“Are you insane?” I snap.
He shrugs. “A little.”
My hands shake as I struggle to stay in control. I storm to his front, blocking his view of the TV. He barely reacts.
“Where is she?” I demand. He leans back on the couch, crossing his arms behind his head. My lip trembles, and I raise my hands as if to hit him. “Tell me where she is!”
The idiot ignores me. Anger builds in my chest until it threatens to choke me. I look around, not sure what I expect to find this time, until my gaze lands on the remote. I snatch it from the coffee table and launch it at his face.
“Bastard,” I yell as it smacks him right on the forehead.
“You—”
Kade doesn’t get to finish his statement because I bolt upstairs. If anything happens to Jade, I’ll kill him. I’ll hurt him. But until then, I need to get help. I rush to Sienna’s door, not bothering with a knock as I push it open. She’s done with her hair and is on the bed, lying on her stomach while something plays on her laptop.
Her brow shoots up. “You again. What is it?”
“Your brother took my maid,” I spill. “Prince Kade.”
Sienna laughs, but the sound grates on my nerves.
“Good for her. He’ll treat her well, don’t worry.”
What? Maybe I heard wrong. But she returns to her laptop, and the sad reality hits. She might not partake in the bullying or pranks, but she’s just like her siblings. The same blood flows through her after all.
“Is that really all you have to say? I want her back.”
“Sorry,” she says. Her gaze returns to her laptop, and she giggles. I don’t know which is worse. Kade’s indifference or her nonchalance. “But I can’t help you with that. It’s very normal for the princes to play around with the maids. If she’s lucky, she might get elevated when he’s done with her.”
Just like Heather got a post in Administration for being someone’s mistress. The casual cruelty in her tone twists my stomach. I slam her door so hard the frame rattles.
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back. I won’t give either of them the satisfaction. As I near my suite, another door opens.
Brynne pokes his head out, his eyes catching mine. For a second, the world narrows to his calm, unreadable gaze and the faint curve of his mouth, as if he knows exactly what’s going on.
My throat closes, and I glare at him, nails digging into my palms. Keeping my head high, I yank the door to my suite open and slam my door shut. I take only one step forward before my knees give out, and I crumple to the floor. My chest tightens until it’s hard to breathe.
Jade’s gone, and it’s all my fault.