Kai rested his hands on my shoulders, flinching slightly when he felt the heat of my temper. He didn’t let go, though.

  “You know that is not what I meant. You are free to give or not give your magic to whomever you choose.” His eyes softened. “I never meant to put you in this position. Please, just think about what she is asking of you.”

  “Does it hurt?” I asked uneasily.

  Since I had never shared my magic with a caster, I had no idea how the transference spell worked or felt. Am I being hasty? I wondered. Then another thought hit me: Is Christina going to lose her shit?

  Kai shook his head. “No, not when both parties want the exchange. It can even be, well, magical under the right circumstances.”

  I averted my gaze. “I…I want to do this, Kai.”

  Until I spoke the words aloud, I hadn’t realized they were true. Once upon a time, I had studied magic religiously. I had brewed potions and cast spells that were more involved than securing my locker. Casting was invigorating. I missed that wash of power that made me feel as though I could take on the world.

  “Are you sure, Brie?” Kai searched my face. His voice was barely above a whisper when he continued. “You do not have to do this for me.”

  I fixed him with the same blank expression I gave my competitors at the start of a fight. “Do you honestly believe you factor into this decision at all?”

  At one end of the hallway, Kenoa covered a laugh with his hand. Lara looked like she was ready to shove a spike through my heart. Makani had his hands clasped behind his back, head tilted back like a movie was playing on the ceiling.

  “Well, let’s go tell Ms. Duquesne the good news.” Kai gestured to the closed conference room door. He put a hand on my shoulder when I passed him. “Brie? Thank you.”

  “You owe me two favors now,” I whispered. “Big ones.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  After we worked out the details with Samira, Kai and I picked up sushi to go for an early dinner at my condo. I invited all four of the prince’s staff inside, since we’d gotten them food as well. Harton insisted he needed to stay with the car. Makani and Lara, wishing to follow protocol, politely declined my invitation and took up positions outside my door. I was most surprised that Kenoa declined to join us.

  “I’m going to need a nap after all this rice,” he told me. “I’ll just stretch out in the back of the limo. You two kids have fun.”

  Kai and I ate at my dining room table and then retreated to the couch with steaming mugs of cinnamon tea. We talked about my next fight, a match against a vampire. I’d only fought two in my five years in the pits.

  “I think that’s part of why Botto wants me to practice my magic,” I told Kai as we snuggled under the same blanket, our legs intertwined.

  “You aren’t supposed to kill him,” Kai reminded me.

  “No, but I can restrict his movements, which is the only way to defeat a vampire. They’re so fast.”

  The prince set his mug on the coffee table, then took mine from my cupped hands and put it beside his. He pulled me close. “I have no doubt you will have one hundred and one wins very soon.”

  Our lips met in a kiss that deserved fireworks. But when we pulled apart, Kai’s expression was serious. “I need for you to know I meant what I said earlier. No matter what happens between us in the future, you will never have to share your magic.”

  “When I retire from the pits, I’ll have enough to buy out my contract,” I replied. “So, I’m not worried about it.”

  He studied me for a long moment. “We both know that is not true. At least, not as things stand now. What is interesting is that you should have enough money, but you do not.”

  I started to back away.

  “I believe I know why,” Kai continued.

  No. No. No. Just no. We can’t have this conversation.

  “You are helping house fae, are you not?”

  I sagged with relief. My donations to individual fae weren’t legal, but at least he hadn’t asked about the rebellion. Yet, I reminded myself.

  “I am,” I admitted. Then, in a much more measured voice, I asked, “Did Kenoa tell you about my food deliveries?”

  Kai’s brows drew together. “Um, no. He did not. Are you diverting your food deliveries to house fae, as well?”

  Freakin’ hell. “Yeah, sort of.” There was no point in lying. Plus, I preferred his focus stayed on my more minor crimes.

  “How does it work?” Kai asked.

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “I’m not getting anyone else in trouble. If you want to charge me—”

  Kai reached for me. “I have no interest in getting you in trouble. In my mind, it is your money and your food credits. You can do with them as you please.”

  “If you didn’t know about the food deliveries, how did you know I was helping house fae?” I asked curiously.

  The prince’s jaw tightened. “My mother ran a background check on you,” he admitted.

  Breathe. You knew this would happen.

  “I saw several donations appear in the account of Everly Woods. There were no direct transfers, of course. But the same amount left your account, only to show up two days later in hers,” Kai continued.

  I did help Everly. But those donations weren’t entirely for her. She funneled the money to the rebellion via large purchases at Christina’s boutique. I could’ve done it directly, but Christina wanted me as far removed from the transactions as possible.

  “That’s not illegal,” I told Kai defensively.

  “No, it is not,” he agreed. “I would not have made the connection, except for….” Kai trailed off, eyes pinning me in place.

  “Tanner. Tanner Woods was my boyfriend. Your mother uncovered that fact in her investigation,” I said calmly, though my body vibrated.

  Kai held me tighter. I pulled away again but just far enough that his arms were no longer around me.

  The prince met my hard stare. “She did,” he said carefully. “But that is not how I know about your relationship with Tanner.” The way he looked at me nearly brought tears to my eyes. “His death was inexcusable. The entire situation was a debacle.”

  I wanted to look away. I wanted to talk about anything else. I wanted to be anywhere else. Nonetheless, my gaze never wavered when I said, “The Pit Masters killed Tanner. They forced his hand. He did what anyone would’ve done in his situation.”

  “I agree,” Kai said simply. “Had the royal family been informed of his condition, which we should have been, he would likely still be alive. I could have found him help.”

  Tears stung my eyes as Tanner’s beautiful face filled my mind. He’d been so sweet, thoughtful, loving. The ache in my chest that had been my constant companion for months after his death returned tenfold. I hadn’t felt that deep stab in my heart for weeks. I wanted to cry and scream and throw things.

  And then, Kai was there. Slowly, as if afraid of rejection, he took me in his arms and held me. I pressed my face to his chest and cried into his shirt. The prince stroked my back.

  “I am sorry to have to bring all of this up,” he muttered into my hair. “I just felt it was best to be honest. I have never agreed with my mother on this issue. Prying into your private affairs simply because we are dating is not fair. Unfortunately, it is not my decision.” He dropped a light kiss on the top of my head. “People have begun to notice the amount of time we spend together, and my mother wants to be prepared for the press that will soon begin.”

  I sniffled a few times and nodded. “Yeah, I get it,” I mumbled against his chest. Tilting my head back slightly, I peered up at Kai, who had a line of sweat along his forehead. “This is protocol, right?”

  With his thumb, Kai gently wiped away my tears. “I know you probably do not want to hear it from me, but for what it is worth, I am sorry about Tanner, Brie. I met him on several occasions and once even had the pleasure of his company over dinner. He was a good man.”

  More tears fell, and Kai was there to catch them.

  “He was a great man,” I said softly.

  We sat in silence for a long time, Kai holding me while I cried over another guy. But that wasn’t the only reason for my waterworks. Kai had brought up the subject because he wanted to be honest about the fact his mother had dug into my past. He wanted me to know that he knew about Tanner. I couldn’t reciprocate that honesty. I was a liar and a spy. Yes, I liked the prince. But that didn’t really matter when I’d been deceiving him this whole time. Our relationship was built on lies.

  “I want to stay with you tonight,” Kai said after a while. “Would that be okay? I can sleep on the couch.”

  “I’m not sure—” I began.

  “There is no pressure,” the prince interrupted. “I just want you to know that I am serious about our relationship. I care about you, Brie. I find myself in an odd position of wanting to protect you and understanding that you are not the type of girl who needs a Prince Charming.”

  Am I? I wondered. Because in that moment, I wanted his comfort more than I wanted my next breath. Did I want him to stay? Yes, I did. Was I ready to take our relationship to the next level? The answer was too complicated to unpack at this moment.

  What would Christina want me to do? I wondered. I should tattoo that on my hand.

  “I care about you, too,” I said finally. “And I do want you to stay. Honestly. Just another night.” If I sleep with him, it’ll be for me, I told myself.

  His thumb, wiping away my tears, then moved to trace the contours of my mouth. I closed my eyes as Kai brought his mouth to mine. His hands traveled up my back, beneath my sweater. My entire body tingled at his touch.

  Kai pulled away first. Breathless, he gazed into my eyes and ran his fingers through my hair. “I should probably go,” he said softly.

  I nodded and gave him a small smile. “Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

  He kissed me one more time, and then I walked him to the foyer.

  “What time should I send the car for you?” he asked.

  Though I acquiesced to Samira’s request, Kai countered her terms with one of his own: that we work on the potion at the palace. Both Samira and I had been a little taken aback. Kai claimed it would be more private, and we would have easier access to all the materials needed for the memory retrieval. Technically, that was true, but I secretly believed this was his way of getting me to meet his mother again. Whatever the case, I was more reticent about the location than Samira.

  “Six o’clock would be good for me,” I replied. “I’m working the lunch shift at Pele’s. I get off around five, so that gives me time to shower and change.”

  “Or Harton can pick you up at work, and we can have dinner first?” he countered.

  “Or we could have dinner afterward?” I offered. For my first trip to the palace, I didn’t exactly want to show up in work clothes and smelling like fried food—I needed the extra hour to get ready. “Besides, aren’t you going over to House of Mana to interrogate fae?”

  “Interview,” he corrected. “I am, though I do not expect it to take long. They are unlikely to tell us much. They may donate magic to casters, but they do not trust my kind.”

  “Do you blame them?” I asked, my words carrying a bite.

  “No, I honestly do not.” Kai shook his head. “But I believe those fae know something about the disappearances, and the establishment is our only real lead. I have to try.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “No one deserves depletion.”

  Kai pulled me closer and ran his lips over my cheekbone. “You are adorable when you are lost in thought.”

  “I’m not lost—” I started to protest. Then his mouth was on mine, and I forgot what I was going to say.

  Once Kai had left, I debated whether to check in with Christina. She would want to know about my impending work with Samira, and that I would be spending the next few evenings at the palace brewing a potion. I didn’t go to the patio, though. I didn’t want to hear more warnings about mixing business and pleasure. My personal feelings were clouding my judgment. I was well aware of that fact.

  Instead, I muted my registered phone and curled up in bed with a mug of tea and my favorite book: The Lioness, the Human, and the Broom Closet by D.T. Louis. After an hour, my eyelids began to droop. I reached absently for the light switch beside my bed and knocked my cellphone off the nightstand. I leaned over the side of the bed to retrieve it, only to nearly drop the phone a second time when I saw:

  (63) New Messages

  (42) Missed Calls

  Twelve texts and twenty of the missed calls were from Cala alone. This can’t be good.

  Cala (11:23 p.m.): Call. Me. ASAP.

  Cala (11:10 p.m.): Where are you?

  Cala (11:02 p.m.): VIDEO Attachment

  With trembling fingers, I pressed play on the video attachment. A sinking feeling in my gut told me that I already knew what I’d see. Sure enough, the short clip showed Kai and me at the training facility with his arm slung around my sweaty, disheveled body. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the cameraperson had zoomed in on the moment he kissed me. I didn’t bother reading the rest of the messages or listening to my dozens of voicemails. Instead, I dialed Cala’s number and turned on the television in my bedroom.

  “Are you okay?” Cala answered on the first ring.

  “Jury’s still out,” I replied. “When did this video get out?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Rocko and I were out running trails when Cassie sent it to me, but it’s all over the place, Brie. Your secret is out. Like, really out.”

  “Wait…your personal shopper sent you the video?” I demanded.

  “Seriously?” she shot back. “That’s your concern in all of this?”

  I sighed. “No, but I’m trying to not freak out right now.”

  On the television, an entertainment reporter was speculating on the latest in “Prince Kai’s long line of questionable love choices,” while the video from the training facility played in the background.

  “What did Rocko say?” I asked.

  Cala laughed. “You know, he’s Rocko. I think he’s a little hurt you didn’t tell him yourself.”

  The footage behind the reporter changed to a clip of Kai and me leaving the hospital together. A headline across the bottom of the screen read “Official Royal Engagements Already?”

  In a hesitant voice, my best friend added, “But you really need to talk to Everly now.”

  I pinched the bridge of my nose. This was not the way I’d wanted Tanner’s sister to find out. “Yeah, I’ll do that, just as soon as I figure out what I’m going to tell her.”

  “Want me to come over?” Cala offered.

  “No. Not tonight, but I might need you soon.”

  “Open invitation,” she promised. “Night, Brie. I love you.”

  I smiled. “I love you too, Cala.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Brie! Over here! How serious is your relationship with the prince?” a reporter yelled.

  “Is it true you were visiting the hospital on official palace business?” another called out.

  “Are you pregnant, Brie? Is that why Prince Kai is taking this relationship so seriously? Is that why you were at the hospital?” The woman wore mittens and shoved a microphone in my face.

  “Are you crazy? Of course I’m not pregnant,” I snapped.

  Kenoa shouldered through the crowd that was gathered in front of my building. As he sheltered me beneath his large arm, cameras vied for pictures of me in my dark sunglasses and large hat, which pretty much confirmed that I had something to hide.

  “Just keep your head down,” he murmured in my ear.

  When one ballsy reporter stepped between us and the open limo door, I felt Kenoa’s magic swell. The camera popped as his lens crackled over with ice and shattered. The reporter sulked off while Harton fended off the horde and Kenoa helped me inside the car. The instant my door was closed, the driver ran to the front, hopped in, and floored the accelerator.

  Letting out a shaky breath, I removed my hat and glasses. The reporters had been staked outside of my building since that morning.

  “Is this normal?” I asked Kenoa.

  “Yes and no,” he admitted, pulling off his sunglasses. “You are sort of famous in your own right, Brie. That makes things more…intriguing. And Kai, well he’s never mixed business with pleasure before.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” I protested. “Yesterday was a special situation. He needed my help.”

  “True.” Kenoa nodded. Even as he agreed, it was clear that he didn’t totally agree with my argument.

  “What? Are you saying there was more to it?” I demanded.

  The large fae looked as though his suit had suddenly become too tight. Fixing him with a hard stare, I waited out the pause.

  “He could have asked someone else, Brie,” Kenoa finally said. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m also fae. And he does have quite a few friends in our community. The prince still chose you.”

  I turned to stare out the window, though the dark tint impeded any sightseeing. Pondering my friend’s words, I felt my lips curl into a smile. He chose you. The thought shouldn’t have made my heart skip a beat. I’m getting way too invested, I thought.

  More reporters waited outside the palace gates, all hoping to get a shot of me arriving at the royal residence. They pressed their cameras against the windows while Harton waited for the gates to open.

  “You can see them, but they can’t see you,” Kenoa assured me as I shrank away from the glass.

  The gates finally opened, and Harton pulled through. Press wasn’t allowed on palace grounds without an engraved royal invitation, so I was able to breathe a little easier once we were driving up the long road to Kai’s royal home.

  The prince came running down the front steps of Iolani Palace before Harton had opened my door. We’d spoken several times throughout the day, but Kai seemed determined to confirm with his own eyes that I was okay. He held me at arm’s length and studied every bruise and scrape visible on my body.

 

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