Chapter 16
FINN
I can see the moment Maddy’s mood shifts, the way her mind alters and shatters. She was joking around and trying to lighten the depressing state of being locked in a room. But like a light switch, her light flips off.
Then she plummets into silence. And I hate it.
I love that Maddy has always been a smartass who mouths off to me. It’s one of the many reasons I started to fall for her.
“Maddy, where’d your mind go?” I proceed cautiously as I gradually crouch down in front of her.
Her eyes are glued to the floor, but she looks at me then. “I… I was just thinking about what’s going to happen when we escape. If I’ll have to go into hiding… If I’ll…”
“Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you,” I promise, tucking a lock of her hair out of her eyes.
She studies me, her expression a mixture of confusion and sullenness.
“You know what’s crazy? We’re going to have to get a divorce.
That’s insane. I never thought I’d be eighteen and getting a divorce.
” She chews on her bottom lip. “Then again, I didn’t think I’d have some powerful bloodline in my DNA that puts me at risk for getting hunted and getting forced into marriage.
” Groaning, she flops back onto the bed and drapes her arm over her forehead.
“All I wanted was to go to a good school, make the cross-country team, graduate, then get the hell out of the Royal City northside area.”
“Well, technically you did.” I crack a joke, hoping to distract her from her gloomy thoughts.
She lifts her arm up to look at me. “Are we joking through our pain, Finn Averson?”
“Are we full naming each other Maddison Everford?”
“Actually, it’s not. It’s Maddison Averson.”
Our gazes are welded together, so we both witness the reality crash over one another.
“Shit, you are, aren’t you?” My legs are a bit wobbly, so I take a seat on the bed beside her and lower my head into my hands. “This is so…” I massage my temples with my fingertips, unable to find a word that properly fits this situation.
“Crazy. Wild. Horrifying,” She offers as she sits up. Her chest lifts and falls as she takes a breath. “Do you think they’re looking for us? River, Noah, my real dad… Do you think they’ve figured out what’s happened?”
I nod, keeping my voice quiet as I say, “I do. Your real dad has a lot of connections that’ll make it easy for him to figure it out, and I’m guessing he’s asked River for help, which means Noah is probably helping.”
She sneaks a glance at the camera that’s tucked between two books on a bookshelf behind us, then scoots toward me. “Do you think they’ll get us out of here?” she whispers, brushing a strand of her wavy brown hair out of her eyes.
Her nearness sends a spark of longing through my body, an aching throb that begs me to kiss those full lips of hers. Is that wrong, though, to think that way after what’s transpired? I’m not sure, but for now, I shove the impulse down.
Her hand is resting on the mattress beside my hip, and I cover it with mine as I lean closer.
“They might, but it’ll probably take a while,” I whisper.
“My father has a lot of properties, so once they’ve figured out we’ve left the city, they’ll start searching for them.
But this place is hard to get to because of the weather and the limited airplane access.
In fact, they’ll probably have to take a boat to get here. ”
She frowns, but she’s strong, so she keeps it together. “So what do we do until then—”
The small door that the food was slid through opens up, and a thick leather-bound book, along with a rolled-up scroll, is pushed through it.
Now, why the hell did my father do that?
Just what are you up to, asshole?