From this day forth I will be the man she needs. I’ll be everything she could ever want in a mate.
No matter what it takes.
My secret is out.
Not only did I expose myself to a room full of vampires, but I exposed my hybrid breeding to the royal family. What the fuck am I supposed to do? I’ve tried so hard to keep it all a secret and now there are five guys standing in front of me, staring at me like I’m some kind of freak.
So of course I do the only thing that makes any sense. I put my big girl panties on and glare right back at them all. “Stop fucking staring, I’m not some side show freak!” My gaze catches on Brax’s, who is the only one that doesn’t turn his head away the second the words are out of my mouth.
If I could go back in time, take it all back and keep my secret, I would.
But I can’t, my secret is out and now I have to live with that.
How though?
And what exactly am I?
Why do I burn like the very depths of my soul are ash and fire? Why do I have an affinity for almost all of the elemental powers and why do I have psionic abilities?
Who am I really?
I don’t have the answers to those questions and that scares me almost as much as the thought of someone knowing my secret. I feel so exposed. Vulnerable. That’s not a feeling I’m used to. I don’t think I can handle seeing the looks on their faces. The pity and disgust I’m sure to find. They might pretend to be okay with it, but the truth is I’m hideous, disgusting.
An abomination.
I can’t face them all right now so I run. My feet move so swiftly across the floor that I swear they never touch the cold wood. I blink back the tears threatening to fall and find myself standing in my bedroom, my back to the door as though I can force the world to stay out.
My vision blurs as the tears finally fall. “My secret is out. What do I do now?”
“You could open the door and talk to me.” Princess’s voice startles me so much that I let out a scream. I’m never like this; jumpy and freaked out. “I can’t.” I whisper through the wood.
“You can. It doesn’t matter what you are to me, I’m your…friend.” The last word is bitten out like a curse which makes me angry enough to wrench the door open and glare at him. “Why the hell did you say it like that?” I growl. What the hell is wrong with him? Why would he say “friend” like that? I shake my head trying to banish the thoughts from my head, but they just keep coming, threatening to overwhelm me. Does he not want to be my friend anymore? All because I’m not normal?
“Got you to open the door, didn’t it?” He says with a smirk as though he’s read my mind.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I snap, trying to shove the door closed on him, but he puts his foot in the door, forcing me to stop or hurt him. I could never hurt him; he’s been so kind to me. Princess has been the truest friend these last couple of weeks.
I drop my hand from the door, letting it swing back open and Princess smiles a genuine smile. My heart melts at how easy it is for him. “We could wipe their memories, you know.”
“Um no. It’s against the law to wipe a royal’s memory. My secret is out now, there’s nothing I can do about it.” I sigh, moving away from the door and perching on the end of my bed, gripping the post nearest to me. My forehead wacks into the wood a little hard, but not enough to really hurt. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“It’s not as bad as you think. You’re a hybrid, a strange one, but not the only one and you only exposed your secret to the five of us. We’re all very good at keeping secrets. I’m sure the others will agree that it’s for the best to keep this between just us.” Princess wraps his arm around my shoulders, drawing my cheek to his chest. “Trust me, I’ll make sure they all keep their mouths shut.”
I can hear them talking in the kitchen, with careful steps, I move along the hallway, keeping an eye on the door to Alissa’s room, I don’t want her to come out and see me spying on everyone, that would be a hard one to explain, especially since I’m not supposed to be here right now. Getting down the stairs is harder to do without being seen, but I manage it by hugging the wall. Hiding in the shadows, I listen closely to the fools.
“…of you will tell a soul. She’s to be protected, especially now that she’s going to be my bride.” Prince Samuel’s words leave me wanting to beat the shit out of him, but I can’t show myself. I need to find out what they plan to do about Alissa now that they know her secret.
I’m certain the Prince knows more than he’s letting on, I just hope he hasn’t learned the full truth of who Alissa is. It took me weeks to figure it out and for him to find out could spell trouble with a capital T. If anyone were to discover the truth she’d be killed by the king. I doubt even he would be willing to allow someone like her to live if he knew. I shake myself free from my depressing thoughts.
I’m determined to hear everything they’re saying and I know I missed a lot while lost in my own mind.
“You’re not the only one of us who cares about her, you know.” Surprisingly it’s Kalvan who says this as I lean against the wall out of sight. I thought for sure he was one I wouldn’t have to worry about. That asshole has never developed feelings for anyone before, always looking out for himself above all else, yet here he is, confessing. Of course it would be the one woman he can never have that would bring out that side of him.
What none of them realise is that Alissa is not going to end up with any of them. She’s mine, always will be. Especially since I know the whole truth about her and they don’t. I won’t let them take her from me, even if that means outing myself to all of them.
“…know her enough to even be talking like this.” Prince Samuel’s voice drags me from my thoughts once more and I find myself wanting more than anything to step around the corner and set them all straight but Wesley shouts above the din as they all blow up at the Prince. “That’s enough, don’t you think it should be Miss Collis’s decision on how we all handle this? It is her life at risk after all.”
Her life’s not at risk from me, they may think I’m a stalker, but the truth of the matter is that I can’t show myself, not because I want to remain her admirer from afar, but because this secret is not mine to tell. If I out myself, it’s not just my life that will be changed forever, it’ll be hers and theirs as well.