Chapter 62 You misunderstood
SOMA
I didn’t protect Jade the first time, but I won’t fail again. Tristan leans close, his forehead almost touching mine. I reach into my pocket and extract my phone, holding it like it’s a weapon. I might have no power over them, but someone else does.
“Priestess Lilith expects—” He snatches the phone from me, and I hurriedly add, “Priestess Lilith expects my call by 8 p.m. every day. If she doesn’t hear from me tonight, she’ll be at the academy first thing in the morning. The choice is yours, Tristan.”
Why do I bother addressing them by their titles when all they’ve done is show disdain for the rules? His gaze drifts behind me, and his expression softens.
He drops the phone onto my outstretched palm, his eyes narrowed. I hide my surprise, my body stiff as I wait for his next action. Instead, his hands raise, and he puts more space between us.
When there’s enough of a gap, I tell him, “Stay away from us. The next time I see you around Jade, I’m calling Priestess Lilith.”
With that, I pull Jade with me into the suite. As soon as the door shuts behind us, I let go of her hand and release a series of heavy breaths. That… was a lot.
“Don’t worry,” I tell her. “He won’t get to you.”
“My lady,” she whispers. I move forward, slumping onto a couch. When she comes to my front, I wave her off, but she doesn’t leave. “You misunderstood.”
“What?”
“Prince Tristan didn’t hurt me.”
A sigh wells in my chest, and I dig my elbow into the armrest. Her bruise might have completely faded, but I still remember it. If she doesn’t want to talk about the kidnapping, that’s fine. I’ll let it slide for tonight. But Tristan has replaced Kade on the list of people I hate. He’s now number two. The number one spot remains Brynne’s.
“You were gone the whole day and night,” I remind her.
“Yes, I know. Prince Tristan showed up, so Prince Kade didn’t hurt me.” She swallows, tapping her fingertips to each other as her cheeks flush. “Prince Tristan took me to his room, and, and…”
“What? You were alone with him?” I shriek. I jump to my feet, and she staggers backward. She’s being too calm about the whole situation. “Is that when he gave you the bruise?”
“No,” she spits out.
Her denial is so vehement that it shuts me up for a split second. When I recover, my voice is nearly a whisper.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
“Jade, you’re not making sense.” She says nothing, and I press on. “You two were alone for hours. Before he kidnapped you, you were fine. And when they brought you back, you had a bruise. What am I supposed to think?”
She bites her lower lip. “Yes, we were alone. But…”
“But what?”
Her entire face reddens, and she steps back. “My lady.”
Did he hurt her? Did he harass her?
“Just tell me already,” I snap.
“He kissed me.” The words drop like poisonous gas. Her chest heaves, and her eyes shimmer with tears as she adds, “And I liked it. I really liked it a lot.”
“What?”
Jade falls to her knees. “I’m sorry, my lady.” Her voice breaks, and she sniffles. “That’s why I haven’t been able to face you since then. The guilt of liking it has made me so ashamed of myself. I’m so sorry.”
“What?” I skip toward her to help her up, saying, “Get up. Wait, did he force you?”
She blushes. “No. He asked first.”
My thighs quiver from remembering how it felt to be touched by Brynne, and I force those images down. It’s not the same thing. He didn’t ask, yet my body responded.
“Prince Kade was the one who took me, but Prince Tristan volunteered to watch me. That’s why I came out of his room that day,” she explains. “I hit my head while trying to escape Prince Kade. Prince Tristan wouldn’t hurt me.” When my brows raise, she clears her throat. “He’s nicer than he seems. He helped me treat the injury. That’s why it healed faster. Don’t be angry with him.”
“You like him,” I say.
A small nervous laugh escapes her. “I’m just a maid, my lady.”
But it hasn’t stopped whatever this is from blossoming. It didn’t start the day she was taken. There had been hints. Like him protecting her at the dining table, picking up his cigarette because she mentioned littering. What if…?
“Do you think he’s your mate?”
Jade must have considered that thought because she doesn’t immediately rebuff the idea. She only sighs.
“I don’t know, my lady. I don’t have a wolf, so there’s no way to know unless a mate bond ritual is performed.”
“And you can’t perform it?”
Tears spring to her eyes, and she lets out a depreciating laugh that slices through me. Even before she speaks, I know where she’s coming from. Shadowspire is too classist.
“Do you think the king would want his son to be paired with an uneducated maid?” She wipes the tears trickling down the corners of her eyes, and I fall back onto the couch. “Please, don’t tell anyone. I won’t see him again. I won’t even talk to him.”
I thought Helga’s betrayal was worse, but this? I press a finger to my temple and tell her, “I need a break.”
Jade doesn’t leave but lowers herself back to the floor. Seeing her so helpless breaks my heart, but I’m exhausted and don’t want to deal with this now.
“Do you hate me?” she whispers.
Hate? I don’t think I even hate Helga, let alone her.
“Come on,” I say without standing. “Rise. Please.”
Still on her knees, she bridges the distance between us. “I wanted to tell you, but you’ve been so good to me, I didn’t know how to say it. Maybe I should have pushed him off or told him no, but it felt natural. I’ve never been kissed before.”
“He was your first kiss,” I say, not expecting an answer. She nods. My hand moves, and I dab the tears on her cheeks with the back of my hand. “I don’t hate you. I was just worried he would hurt you.”
That I will have no friends in this world anymore. I exhale shakily, my eyes stinging with tears.
“Good for you, Jade. Good for you.” I pat her cheek one last time and rise to my feet. She tries to follow me, but I raise a hand to stop her. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone.”
The walk to my room seems to take forever. I don’t bother shedding my uniform, only kick off my shoes, and curl up in bed. Reality sinks in, and I bury my face in my pillow to muffle my cries. My maid can get the quiet, brooding prince to care for her, but I can’t even keep a friend.
What’s the point of my existence?