I wasn’t sure how well this was going to go over. I’d gone over to Blue Water Studios only to find out that Bryna wasn’t there. She was out with an artist, looking for a new guitar. Not ideal, but I could swing it.

Roone’s words still tumbled around in my head. I’d been trying to do all these things and keep people safe by leaving. I’d been trying to tell them that I cared about them, instead of just doing things that showed them I loved them. I knew Bryna wasn’t too thrilled I’d made decisions for her. And maybe I’d been a bit of a dick since I got back to the islands with all that ‘mine’ nonsense.

Not nonsense. It was the truth. I felt like she was mine. I knew I’d never be as connected to another human being as I was to her. But, you need to show her. You can’t just leave and expect that she’s going to stick around. So, now I was chasing her all over God’s green earth, or rather all over the island, trying to locate her.

Eventually, I found her in the old town. She was going from one second-hand shop to another. When I found her, she was chatting quietly with the owner, as if weighing the cost of each piece. She was haggling. I looked around and saw a kid of about thirteen or fourteen years old picking up each guitar, one by one, carefully strumming them. He handled each one with care.

That’s what you should have done with Bryna. Yeah, hindsight was 20-20 and all that. I didn’t have to wait long for her to come out. When she saw me, she stopped short.

She put up her hand as if to tell me to stop moving. “No, we are not doing this. I am working.”

The kid joined us quickly. From outside, I’d assumed with she was with a boy from the short afro hair and the extra-lean build. But no, she was a girl. Up close, she had really delicate features, and she wore small studs in her ears.

She eyed me skeptically. “Bryna, who is this?”

“Nobody. No one we need to know. Come on, Laila. There are two more second-hand places to check out. If we can’t find one today, we’ll go to the other islands tomorrow.”

Still not looking away from me, Laila added, “I really appreciate this, Bryna. I can’t believe my guitar broke.”

“That’s fine. It’s not your fault. We’re just going to have to work on getting you two of them, so you can leave your good one at the studio where your brothers don’t have access to it.”

I pushed away from the wall. “You’re just going to pretend I’m not here?”

Apparently, the answer to that was yes, because she dragged Laila behind her by the hand, winding through the old cobblestone streets. “Bryna, please, wait up.”

But she kept moving. At the next shop, about four avenues later, she stopped. Laila looked up at it. “No way in heck I can afford this place. I don’t have much money.”

Bryna nodded. “Don’t you worry, just go inside and look and see what you like. We have a small stipend from Blue Water. This will be your home guitar. For your studio guitar, it’ll be top of the line. Even nicer than what they’ve got in there. But you’ll want to rehearse at home, so we need to get you a practice piece. Just go look.”

I took another look at the kid. Her jeans were worn. Her sneakers had seen better days and she needed a new pair. She wore a ragged t-shirt, but she was clean. She looked decently fed. She just didn’t have much money. Like someone else you know? My heart squeezed a little, because I’d been that girl. Scrounging and saving and trying to do what I needed to do. The only difference was, I’d turned into a thief. This girl didn’t look like she was turning to a life of crime to pay for her guitar. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to crash your work thing.”

“Yes, you obviously did because you tracked me down. So, what is so important? We are not picking up where we left off, Lucas.”

I frowned. “No. Actually, I don’t even know why I tracked you down. I just—I wanted to see you and apologize, I guess.”

Her eyes went wide then. Delicate brows arched. “What?”

“Yeah. I had no right to turn up on your doorstep and—" I ground my teeth. “Crash your date.” I couldn’t take the bite out of the word.

Was it me, or did her lips twitch? “Are you serious right now?”

“I know. That was wrong. I saw you, and that guy had his arms around you, and I just—I couldn’t take it. I know you and I have a lot of baggage to sort through, I guess, but I shouldn’t have taken that out on you that night by crashing your date.”

Her voice lowered. “And what happened after?”

I leveled my gaze on her even as blood rushed to my dick. “I regret none of it. One of the best nights of my life. Given half a chance, I’d do it again.” Her jaw unhinged, and her mouth hung open. “But, someone wise once told me that I couldn’t just declare that I love people and go about doing what I thought was best without thinking about how they’d feel or be affected. That words didn’t matter. I had to show them. So, I’m letting you know that I’ll be showing you instead of just telling you, and I’m expecting there will be a set of rules.”

She fought a smile. “Well, whoever this friend is, they are really smart.”

I shoved my hands in my jeans and nodded. “I know you didn’t plan on it, but do you mind company while you look for the guitar?”

I could tell it was on the tip of her tongue to say no. But then she surprised me. “Um, sure. We have a bunch of other places to go, if you don’t mind.”

I shook my head. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted. She hadn’t run up to me and told me that she loved me and she was sorry or wanted to take me back in any kind of way. But I just wanted to stay close to her, and I’d take what I could get.

“Great. Thank you. I just have to ask though, all that danger we talked about before? Is it still a problem?”

I clenched my jaw. At that moment, I could spot at least four Royal Guards, which meant that there were at least two to four that I didn’t see. “That’s not anything you have to worry about. Everything is going to be fine.”

She searched my gaze. “Why are you here Lucas?”

“I’m here because I know I messed up. And even before you found out who I really was, we were friends. And I miss you. That’s why I’m here. Is that okay?”

She chewed her bottom lip for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think that much I can handle.”

“Perfect.” Now I just had to not screw this up and declare I loved her again or that she was mine. Even though I do, and she is. Best to let her reach that conclusion on her own.

I could feel Bryna next to me all afternoon. It was like there was this vibrating hum between us. Like we were two magnets. Whenever we got near each other, something flipped. And we were either attracted, pulled so close and so tight nothing could tear us apart, or we repelled each other. Either way, there was a force connecting us in some way, and it made it impossible to not be aware of her.

And I was the moron who’d intentionally spent the day with her. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, to be honest.

But maybe that’s what it felt like to not be a selfish prick all the time.

I did my best not to stare at her. I wasn’t really looking to be a creeper. And I could tell she was doing her best to not look at me either.

But that was to be expected. Of course, my mind was doing all the things to torture me. Wondering if she was thinking about the last time we were together, about my hands on her skin, holding her tight against me. Wondering if she remembered how my mouth felt on her pussy, sucking on her clit. Was she thinking about the way she’d screamed? Was she thinking about the way I slid my finger inside her to that sensitive spot and—the door opened, and I immediately straightened up.

Stop it asshole. None of that shit is helping. And I’d meant it when I said that I wasn’t going to push her into this. For once, no more being a selfish dick.

I didn’t know what Sebastian was up to or why he’d called us back to the palace, but I was willing to wait patiently, hear him out.

Finally, my brother was here, with—oh shit. I stood when I realized who’d come in the room with Sebastian. My gaze darted between him and my mother and back again. “What the fuck is this?”

Sebastian put up his hand. “I know, this is distressing Lucas, but I want to put everything to bed.”

They didn’t come alone either. They were quickly followed by Matthias, then Oskar, Penny, Roone, who still didn’t look at me, and Ethan.

Sebastian took a seat behind the massive oak desk.

“All of you please, have a seat. I know we’ve all been through the ringer, so I’m not going to prolong this. Ethan, can you do me the honor, please?”

Ethan nodded, stood up, and pulled out an envelope.

I eased down on the seat next to Bryna and held my breath. What was going on? Were those the blood test results? Even though I knew what they would say, it was still terrifying to know that the dream I’d held on to for so long, was about to be dashed. No one wanted that. It was devastating to have a dream ended.

Ethan stepped forward, handed Sebastian the envelope, and then took his seat again. “Thank you for joining us Adele. You are not one of my subjects, so I couldn’t compel you to appear, so I appreciate you taking the time.”

My mother darted a furtive glance at me. “I owed it to my son. Honestly, after all these years, I’m tired of lying. I’m tired of being afraid. And I want it over. I want to know, once and for all.”

Sebastian nodded. “Ethan, as law dictates with these things, I need to have a member of the Regents Council present to record. Please accept that duty on behalf of the Council.”

It only occurred to me then that the whole thing was being recorded. I noticed the camera in the corner with the little green light on.

“Yes, I accept,” Ethan replied.

My brother nodded. “The chain of custody is complete. Blake Security has been on retainer by the Crown for the last six years. Gentlemen, please submit your chain of custody documents.”

Matthias stood, walked to Sebastian, and handed over a folder.

“Thank you. I am now in possession of the chain of custody. Ethan, you have reviewed and checked the documentation?”

Ethan nodded. “Yes, I have. All is in order. From the time that Blake Security obtained the original vial of King Cassius’s blood from Stanton Labs, the vials were kept under royal seal in a protected container until such time that they were delivered to Rekkerton Labs. Upon Your Royal Highness, Sebastian Winston’s, request, two sets of blood samples were tested against the master sample that was logged in as belonging to King Cassius of the Winston Isles. In addition, those vials were tested against each other. The results of the testing are enclosed in the files you just received.”

Sebastian nodded. My palms started to sweat, and I wiped them on my jeans. I could feel Bryna looking over at me, and I made the mistake of meeting her gaze. My heart attempted to leap out of my chest. I could see it there, the confusion, the worry, the concern, and something else. Love?

No idiot. She’s moving on or whatever. She doesn’t want anything to do with you. Unless it involved my dick, because that she couldn’t seem to stay away from. Was she thinking about what we’d done that night in her apartment? Where my fingers had been, the way she’d rubbed up against me?

Fuck, you idiot. Friends, remember? Right. Friends.

Sebastian’s voice dragged me out of my reverie, and I forced my attention back to my brother. Sebastian opened the envelope, and then he started to read. There was a bit about medical processes and percentages… blah blah blah. Come on, get to it. Just get to it. Just say it so I can be done.

“The conclusion is as follows: Both samples tested against the primary are a match. The definitive conclusion is that both samples are direct descendants of the primary source.”

What?

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe what I’d heard. That couldn’t be right.

Somewhere to my left, I could hear my mother sob. “No, they told me—"

I stared at Sebastian. “There’s something wrong with that sample.”

Sebastian shook his head and put up a hand. “Let me finish. In addition, the two secondary samples, tested against each other, show a twenty-three percent match. Those samples are a first-line genetic match. Our findings confirm that they are half-siblings, or close familial match.” His gaze lifted to mine. “I told you.”

My stomach dropped, and the blood rushed through my ears, making my head throb and pound. My throat felt like it had been abraded by sand paper. When the gears in my brain finally clicked into place, I glared at my mother.

The words tore out of my throat to my mother. “You lied?” I pushed to my feet then, advancing on her. I don’t know why I was surprised. I don’t know why I’d chosen to believe her over the person who’d traveled half a world to find me, but I had. And as a result, I’d nearly ruined everything.

Ethan deftly stepped between us. “Stand down, son.”

I scowled at him. “Back off, Ethan.”

My mother stood and backed up several steps. “Lucas, I didn’t know. I assumed they’d lied. Everything they told me, how they came after me, I just—I assumed they’d lied.”

Even when she was caught, she stuck with the lie… like the consummate professional. “Who? Who did you assume lied?” I ran a hand through my hair and then pointed my finger at her. “You started this whole ball rolling. Twenty-three years ago, who approached you? You have to give us their names now.”

Fury rolled off me in steady waves. Save Ethan stopping me from physically advancing on her, no one stopped me. And then I could feel it, the hum behind my back. Bryna stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. But she didn’t admonish me. Her words were directed at my mother. “He deserves to know. Anything you know, even if you think it doesn’t matter anymore, you have to tell us. He deserves the truth.”

My mother darted a gaze to Bryna and then back to me. She nodded. “It wasn’t that I deliberately wasn’t telling you the truth. But the only name I had was Bryson Herd. I assumed it was an alias, and that’s all I had. But I don’t understand. I gave them my hair sample when you were originally tested.”

Ethan cleared his throat. “That might be my doing.” He motioned for everyone to sit down. With Bryna’s hand on my shoulder, I took my seat. Her heat seeped into me, chasing away the chill that threatened to freeze my heart.

“Back then there were still active factions that believed that King Cassius should not have been king. King Andreas, Cassius’s father, had two brothers. As his first born didn’t want the throne and Cassius was not yet of age, there were people who insisted that one of his brothers should have taken the throne. But Andreas used his voting rights with the council to seat your father, Sebastian. He was the rightful heir, but there was some verbiage that would have allowed a gray area and room for his brother to take the throne.”

Sebastian shook his head. “What does this have to do with Lucas’s mother?”

“It’s all part of the royal intrigue.” Ethan sighed. “There were some, when your father was first king, who thought they could disrupt the monarchy. Seed dissent, and overthrow. They were looking for scandal. Of course your father never took it seriously, though he should have. These factions had been in play during his father’s time. So Adele, when the time came to test Lucas and you talked to me about the other people who had been to see you and how you didn't want your son involved in any of it, I knew something was amiss.”

My mother frowned, and her eyes cleared. “I remember you. You reassured me. You told me there was no conspiracy, that no one was coming to take my child.”

“And as far as I knew, there wasn’t. But since someone had already been to see you and was particularly interested in both Cassius and your child, I knew I needed to be extra careful with the sample. I took it from your son myself.”

What the hell was happening? I turned my attention to my mother.

Her mouth fell open. “I gave you a sample.”

Ethan nodded. “I know. But I wasn’t going to take any chances.”

“All this time I thought they’d tested the sample I provided and were lying about his paternity. I couldn’t figure out why. I was so scared, so I took Lucas and ran.”

Sebastian ran his hands through his hair. “How far back is this going to go? Obviously, this is part of a greater conspiracy than we ever imagined. But we’re going to get some answers, no matter how long it takes. Ethan, we need to deep-dive into the past, into my grand uncles.” He slid his gaze back to Penny. “Maybe it’s time to have a sanctioned conversation with Robert Sandstorm.”

She sat up straighter. “I can do that immediately. He has his hearing on Monday. He won’t be allowed to change his statement after that point.”

Holy hell. This shit went so much deeper than any of us knew. Automatically, I turned to Bryna, and her gaze was soft. “At least now you know the truth.”

“Yeah, I do.” I lifted my gaze to my brother’s. My brother’s. Some questions had been answered, but so many more were left open.

My brother met my gaze. “With everything that’s going on, we’re moving up the date of your coronation.”

Wait, what? “Are you sure, Seb? I know the truth now. It can probably wait.”

He shook his head. “No. It can’t. We’re doing it on Sunday. We’ll hold off on the official announcements as long as we can, but we’re doing this.”

I guess I was a prince after all.