by Roxie Ray
I rolled my eyes, out of patience with her bullshit head games, and made to move around her on the path, but apparently that was the wrong move.
Yivonne stepped directly in front of me, stopping me from continuing. Great.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said with a sneer.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
She gave me haughty smirk, her disdain for me clear. Perfect. It looked like Yivonne was in the mood to be catty, and I was her new target.
“It means that you’re nothing special, so you can stop pretending like you deserve to be here.”
“Excuse me?” I hadn’t been wrong about her being catty—the claws were out in full force.
“You heard me. I’m onto your game. And don’t be fooled, Niall will catch on soon enough too.”
“Sorry, Yivonne, but I don’t have time for your nonsense.” I moved to step around her once more, but she gripped my arm, digging her fingernails in sharply.
“I’m not done with you,” she said, her voice menacing. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you? You think you snared a prince and that you’re going to be his princess?”
She let out a laugh that verged on sounding unhinged, and I shifted nervously on my feet. Where were my guards?
I glanced over my shoulder, finding two standing far enough back that they couldn’t hear us. They must have thought we were just having a conversation. Yivonne followed my gaze and released my arm, flashing the guards a fake friendly smile and wiggling her fingers. They smiled back.
Holy shit, did people actually buy this innocent act of hers? How did people not see straight through her? At least Niall seemed to recognize a snake when he saw one.
“Well, this has been fun,” I said. “But I have better things to do with my afternoon. So if you’ll excuse me—”
“Not so fast,” Yivonne hissed. “I think there’s something you’d like to know. Or perhaps gold diggers like you don’t mind when they’ve been tricked.”
I narrowed my eyes, a retort like it takes one to know one on the tip of my tongue before the rest of her words registered.
“Tricked?”
A wicked smile spread over her face. “I happen to have it on good authority that you aren’t even supposed to be on this planet. In fact, your contract was purchased before your auction even took place.”
I kept my face schooled in a mask of boredom, but inside, waves of nausea made me feel lightheaded. What was she talking about? I hadn’t thought about my auction in weeks. None of it seemed to matter now. But there was something about the look of satisfaction on Yivonne’s face that had me thinking she might not be lying about this. Still…
“That’s not possible,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. “It’s not even legal.”
Yivonne let out a peal of laughter, though there was no humor in it. “Are you truly that naive? Do you know nothing of the way this universe operates?” She snorted. “Governments buy and sell contracts under the table all the time. They make it appear as if contracts weren’t purchased in the auctions, but really they just manipulate the system to their advantage.”
“You’re lying,” I said, but her words wormed their way under my skin. I thought back to the day of my auction, how they said my contract hadn’t been purchased. It was eerily similar to what Yivonne was saying now.
“Think what you want, human,” she said degradingly. “I wouldn’t expect someone like you to be able to think rationally anyway. But just so you know, your contract actually did have offers already lined up from your first-choice planet. However, someone bought your contract for an insane amount of money.”
It took a moment for her words to sink in, and when they did, it was like a sucker punch to the gut. She must have seen the realization on my face because she simply smirked.
Someone bought out my contract for an insane amount of money. Who could it be other than Niall? Obviously it was him, as that was the only reason I was on this planet to begin with.
My stomach churned as the pieces fell into place. If what Yivonne was saying was true, he’d lied to me. I’d been told my contract wasn’t purchased by any of my first choices and that I should be happy it had been purchased at all.
Niall had interfered in my auction. Interfered in my life. He’d used his wealth to bribe and cajole and manipulate, giving no thought to what I wanted.
The need to be alone burned in my chest, just as tears pricked behind my eyes and my throat felt like it was closing up. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
All I knew was that I had to get away from Yivonne.
“I guess my work here is done,” she said gleefully, hatred burning in her eyes.
I ignored her, pushing past her this time, unable to stand there another second. I didn’t remember the walk back to the palace, the trek to my room—no, Niall’s room. I found myself standing in the middle of it, looking around blankly, trying to piece everything together.
As the day wore on, my shock and pain turned to anger. How dare he? How dare he interfere in my life, using his power and authority and money to take whatever he wanted with zero concern for anyone else?
By the time he got home, my anger was blazing in my chest, a near palpable fury that threatened to rage and roar and consume. One look at my face as he stepped into the bedroom, and he was shutting the door and coming toward me, eyes wide.
“Brittany. What’s wrong?”
I laughed, and it sounded a little crazed, even to my own ears. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong? How about the fact you lied to me? Let’s start there.”
Niall lifted his hands, concern written all over his gorgeous face, and took a tentative step toward me. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice careful and calm like he was trying not to rile a feral beast.
But that was what I felt like. “Did you manipulate my auction?” I yelled, stalking toward him and placing my hands on my hips, staring up at him in accusation.
He blinked then swallowed. But he didn’t speak. Didn’t deny it. In fact, it looked a lot like he was scrambling, trying to figure out what to say next.
My chest felt like it was caving in on itself, and my voice broke as I clenched my fists.
“Did you?” When he still didn’t answer, I banged a fist on his chest, feeling like I was hitting a brick wall, angry tears pooling in my eyes. “Did you?”
“Brittany,” he said, his voice strained, flicking his gaze over my face, and I could have sworn I saw a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
He gripped my wrists, halting my assault on him. “Who did you hear this from?”
I scoffed through my tears, my heart pounding, anger blazing a trail through my body until I felt like I was on fire. I struggled against his grasp, but to no avail. “You’re not denying it, then?”
He stared down at me silently, and my frustration grew.
“Have you been lying from the beginning? I was told my contract wasn’t purchased. That this was my only option if I didn’t want to be sent back to Earth. But that wasn’t true, was it? None of it was true. Why, Niall?” My voice broke, and I let out a frustrated scream. I hated that I was crying, that I was so weak against his massive body and his inhuman strength.
His expression shifted, guilt taking over, and my stomach sank. It was true then. That was when I realized that despite my anger, I’d been hanging on to the hope that I was wrong. That Yivonne was wrong. That there was no way the man I’d grown to love had lied to me so completely.
“Britt…” His voice cracked. “Please. You have to understand.”
“Understand what?” I yanked my arms away, and he let go this time. “Understand that you’re not the man I thought you were?”
“I am exactly who I’ve always been.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Yes, I interfered in your auction. Yes, I purchased your contract before anyone else could have the chance.”
My eyes burned at his admission, but he continued on
before I could say anything.
“It was the mating gene, sweetheart. From the very beginning. The first moment I saw you, I knew something was different. That you were something special. That feeling in my chest…that pull. I couldn’t resist you—I haven’t been able to resist you from that very first second. I needed you in my life. I still need you in my life.”
“That’s not an excuse, Niall. You can’t just say that and expect it to make everything you did okay. It’s not okay! You took my choice away from me.” My legs shook, but I wouldn’t sit. Nor would I lean on him. I would stand on my own two feet here, just like I always had before he came into my life.
“It wasn’t your place. Don’t you see that? You didn’t even give what I wanted a second thought. How could you be so selfish?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “You’re no better than every other rich prick I’ve encountered my entire life. You’re just like them.”
He flinched at my words, but I was too riled up to care. “Just like my ex-boyfriend. He tried to own me, too. Just like you did in buying my contract without my consent. What is it with you rich assholes? You think you can do whatever you want with no consequences, don’t you? You’ve been given everything you wanted all your life, never denied a single thing. And that’s your problem. You think anything is yours for the taking, even if it happens to be a person. Well, guess what, Niall? I may have signed a contract to work for you, but you don’t own me. No one does.”
“I know that, Brittany,” he said softly. “I’m sorry.” I shook my head, trying to ignore the pain in his voice. The regret.
“It’s a little too late for apologies.”
Suddenly the room felt too small, and I couldn’t breathe. I had no idea what to do next. He’d broken my trust so completely I wasn’t even sure I could believe the things he’d said to me. What if everything had been a lie? What if he’d just manipulated me to get me in his bed?
My heart felt like it was being torn from my chest. “I need to be alone. I need some space.” I had to think. I needed to clear my head before I said or did something I would regret. Though at this point, did it even matter?
“You can’t be alone. It’s not safe for you.”
I scoffed. “And whose fault is that? My life wouldn’t be in danger at all if you hadn’t brought me to Hollander in the first place. Against my will. The only reason I’m here is because of you.”
He recoiled as if I’d physically attacked him, but his eyes were pleading with me. For what? To try to understand? To forgive him for such a betrayal?
I didn’t know, nor did I care at the moment. All I knew was that I had to get away from him. Just looking at him made me physically hurt.
Without another word, I stormed from the room. There were no guards in sight in the hall. No doubt, Niall had dismissed them, thinking he’d be with me the rest of the day. Good.
Finally, a moment to myself without someone watching over my shoulder. I took the stairs down, racing blindly, trying to escape not just Niall, but the pain that tore through me.
How could this have happened? I thought I knew him. I thought I loved him. But I wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. I couldn’t even trust myself.
I burst through the door leading into the gardens, sucking in lungfuls of fresh air. The breeze cooled the streaks of tears on my cheeks, and I brushed them away angrily.
Without a thought for where I was going, just knowing I needed to be alone with my thoughts and somewhere far, far away from the man I thought I loved, I fled through the garden.
Out of nowhere, a heavy object collided with the back of my skull, so jarring that my vision went black for a moment before blinking back in time for me to see the ground rushing up to meet me. My ears rang, and I struggled to move, to see what happened.
Pain like I’d never known thundered through my head, and I vaguely heard a voice say, “Grab her.”
Then the blackness was closing in once more, and no matter how hard I fought against it, trying to push through the all-consuming pain, knowing that I was in very real peril, it won out.
The last thing I remembered was someone scooping me from the ground and hauling me away.
19
Niall
How could everything have gone so terribly wrong? I felt like my head was about to burst, it was pounding so hard, and the pain in my heart was nearly bringing me to my knees.
Brittany had just walked away. Leaving me in shreds.
The look on her face, the things she’d said to me. She thought I was no better than the other men who’d treated her wrong in the past. And to make matters worse, I wasn’t even sure if I had a good argument against it.
She was right. I’d lied. I’d manipulated the circumstances. I’d interfered in her auction to suit my own selfish needs. And worst of all, if I hadn’t done so, she would never have been put in danger.
Still, I wasn’t able to regret it completely. Did that make me just as bad as all the men she’d compared me to? Perhaps. But the only thing I knew for certain was that I loved her.
And now that I’d found her, I would rather die than lose her.
I was in love with Brittany, and if there was any chance at all that I could make this work, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
I paced my room, trying to figure out my next move. This night had gone so horribly wrong. I’d planned on coming home to let her know we’d gotten closer than ever to figuring out who was responsible for the attacks. My team had made a breakthrough today, and we would likely have the answers we were looking for within the next twelve hours.
What I hadn’t planned on was Yivonne.
It had to have been her who told Brittany. Yivonne was bitter and manipulative enough to do something like this, though how she found out, I didn’t know. It didn’t matter, though. She’d dug her wretched claws deep into my mate and cut her to the bone. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Brittany was feeling right now, and it made me sick.
I probably should have seen this coming, but I just hadn’t realized how deep Yivonne’s bitchiness ran. And if she was willing to go this far, what else was she willing to do to get what she wanted? Well, she definitely wasn’t going to get me. She never even had a chance.
I continued to pace, the pain in my heart becoming intolerable. Was Brittany feeling the same pain or had she decided she no longer cared about me? Was she, even now, deciding to go back to Earth? I almost groaned as I thought about her leaving me for good. Damn it, I had to figure out what I could do to make her understand I loved her. And whatever it was, I hoped it would be enough.
She had to care for me, she had to. It was a hope I needed to hang on to because the alternative would surely kill me.
Just as I grew weary of pacing and was about to go after her, the door to my room was flung open. I whirled, hoping to see Brittany. Instead, Kain came barreling in.
“Niall!” His voice was as frantic as the look on his face, and I felt a wave of dread wash over me. Kain was rarely shaken, but he looked beside himself right now.
My communicator began buzzing just as Kain said, “I was patrolling the grounds just now when I saw Brittany being taken.”
“Taken? What the fuck do you mean taken?”
“Someone was carrying her away. I tried to stop them, but they had too much of a lead on me and they took off in a transport pod before I was able to reach them.”
“Who was it?” I demanded, adrenaline dumping into my veins. “Did you recognize them?”
“Yes, it was—”
My communicator buzzed again. I glanced down, and realizing it was Roland, the lead from my team investigating Brittany’s attacks, I tapped it quickly to answer.
I held a finger up to Kain as I spoke into the wrist comm. “What do you have?”
“Niall,” Roland said excitedly, his voice echoing around the room. “We’ve got him. We identified the shooter and picked him up, and he’s already confessed.”
I glanced at Kain. If they cau
ght the shooter, then who else was in on this plot to hurt my mate?
“We need to get moving,” I told Kain. “We need to catch whoever took Brittany.”
“It was Sophie,” Kain said. “That human girl she’s friends with.”
At the same time, Roland started telling me about the man they’d picked up. I blinked incredulously at Kain, hardly believing what he’d said.
“The man’s name is Braxton,” Roland said, and Kain narrowed his eyes.
“That’s Sophie’s brother.” Kain folded his arms over his chest. “I investigated her.”
“Yeah,” Roland said, obviously hearing Kain. “I’ve got all the info. He confessed to everything. Said he’d been paid to scare Brittany into leaving Hollander. That it was never his intention to hurt her, he was just doing a job.”
Didn’t matter. He was still going to pay for what he’d done. I seethed as I listened to the rest of the story, pacing the room once more with nervous energy. We needed to get out of here and look for Brittany.
I glanced at Kain and gestured toward the door, and he nodded, leading the way out. We could listen as we walked.
“Braxton says Sophie isn’t a bad person, but she’s in on it. They work for Yivonne. Apparently Yivonne is hard to say no to, at least according to this guy.”
I grimaced, anger building within me and mingling with the adrenaline. Yivonne better hope she wasn’t anywhere nearby when I found Brittany, or she’d definitely rue the day she stuck her nose in my business.
“Anyway, he told us that Yivonne had one more card up her sleeve. She wanted Sophie to get close to Brittany so she could more easily help her get rid of Brittany. Their last-ditch effort would be kidnapping Brittany.”
“Too late,” I growled. “They’ve already done it.”
“What?” His voice was full of anger. “He didn’t tell us that part. Just said it had been discussed.”
“Yeah, well, Yivonne went through with it. Kain saw them take her just moments ago.”
As I said it, Kain and I burst through the palace doors and headed for the dock where my family had a cache of transport pods ready and waiting.