The Heir (16 page)

Fox laughed at my shocked face, but Henri nodded, assuring me he meant it.

I took a deep breath and picked up one of the delicately rolled pastries. “Here goes nothing.”

Right away I could taste the cinnamon. There was something else in there that reminded me of grapefruit . . . but I knew that wasn’t it. It was deliciously sweet, but more than it being a fantastic recipe, I could tell it was made by a fantastic
chef
. Henri had poured himself into this. And I was willing to bet part of that was for me . . . but I thought it was mostly for himself, that he couldn’t allow himself to make it anything less than incredible.

I was blown away. “It’s perfect, Henri.”

The others grabbed pieces and shoved them into their mouths, grunting in approval.

“My mom would be dying right now. She has such a sweet tooth!” I said.

Kile was nodding with his eyes wide. He knew how she was about desserts. “This is great, Henri. Nice job to you, too, Erik.”

Erik shook his head. “I barely helped.”

“Was this rigged?” Burke asked, his mouth half full with the pastry.

We all looked at him, confused.

“I mean, I came up with this idea, and then Henri jumped in on it just to show the rest of us up.”

His face was turning red, and that feeling of unease was filling the room again.

Fox put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down, man. It’s just a cinnamon roll.”

Burke shrugged it off and threw the rest of his dessert across the room. “I would have done way better if you weren’t there screwing me up the whole time!”

Fox made a face. “Hey, you were the one standing there talking about how hot she was when you should have been watch—”

Burke threw a punch that knocked Fox back several steps. I sucked in a breath, frozen. Fox came back at him, and I was pushed to the floor by Burke’s arm pulling back for another punch.

“WHOA!” Kile jumped over me and started pulling at
Burke, while Henri was yelling at Fox in Finnish. After everything with Jack, my new instinct was to get back up and throw a punch. No one was going to hurt me and get away with it. And I might have tried if it wasn’t for one thing.

Erik, the quiet observer, had launched himself over the table to pick me up.

“Come,” he said.

I wasn’t particularly a fan of obeying orders. But he said it so urgently, I followed.

E
RIK RUSHED ME UP THE
stairs and into the dining hall. Everyone else in the palace was in the middle of their dinner, and the room felt too loud.

“Eadlyn?” Daddy called, but Erik kept me moving, somehow knowing that I couldn’t bear to stay there. He only paused when we got to the end of the room, and just long enough to pass along the problem.

“Pardon me, officer, some of the Selected are in a fight in the kitchen. It’s very physical, and it looked to be escalating.”

“Thank you.” The officer motioned to two other guards, and they followed him as he ran toward the fray.

I realized I was hugging myself, both frightened and enraged. Erik gently placed a hand on my back and ushered me away. My parents were calling after me, but I couldn’t deal with that many people right now, surrounding me, asking questions.

He slowed and asked me quietly, “Where do you want to go?”

“My room.”

“Lead the way.”

He didn’t touch me exactly, except for the occasional brush against my back, which made me realize he must have kept his hand there the whole time, inches away from me, just in case. I pushed open my door, and Neena was inside, polishing the table, filling the room with the scent of lemons.

“My lady?”

I held up a hand.

“Maybe go get her some tea?” Erik offered.

She nodded and rushed away.

I walked over to my bed and took a few deep breaths. Erik stood there, calm and silent.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” I confessed. He got down on a knee so he was level with me. “My father has never so much as swatted my hand, and he’s always taught us to seek peaceful resolutions. Ahren and I gave up trying to fight each other before we could really talk.”

I remembered this all with a laugh.

“When we were down there, all I could think about was how I ran from Jack. Burke knocked me to the ground, and this time I was going to fight back, but I just realized I’d have no idea how to do it.”

Erik smiled. “Henri says, when you’re upset, the look in your eyes is as strong as a punch. You’re not powerless.”

I ducked my head, thinking of how I told myself over and
over that no one in the world was as powerful as me. There was truth to it, sure. But if Jack had pinned me to the ground or Burke had turned his fists on me, my crown would have done me no good until after the fact. I could punish, but I couldn’t prevent.

“You know, boy or girl, I think aggression is a sign of weakness. I’m always more impressed when people can end something with words.” His eyes were seeing another place and time when he went on. “Maybe that’s why language became so important to me. My father, he always used to say ‘Eikko, words are weapons. They are all you need.’”

“Ayco?” I asked.

He grinned, a little embarrassed. “E-I-K-K-O. Like I said, Erik is the closest in English.”

“I like it. Really.”

He turned his attention back to me, looking at my arms. “Are you hurt?”

“Oh . . . umm, I don’t think so.” I felt a little sore from hitting the ground, but it was nothing serious. “I just can’t believe how fast it happened.”

“I don’t want to excuse either of them at all—that was unacceptable—but I hear the guys talking, and they’re stressed. They all want to impress you, but they have no idea how to do it, considering who you are. Some talk about trying to undermine others without getting caught. A few are working out at every turn to be physically superior. I understand that it’s a lot of pressure, and that’s probably why Burke snapped. But that will never make it okay.”

“I’m so sorry you have to be around that.”

He shrugged. “It’s fine. Mostly I just stick with Henri and Kile, sometimes Hale, and they’re good company. Not that I’d ever try to choose for you, but the three of them are a pretty safe place to start.”

I smiled. “I think you’re right.” Though I hadn’t spent one-on-one time with everyone yet, I already knew Hale was a good guy. And seeing Henri so excited about his food tonight, about this part of his life, gave me a glimpse of the person behind the barrier. And Kile . . . well, I didn’t know what to make of Kile, but he was a better companion than I’d given him credit for.

“Would you tell Henri for me how wonderful his food was? I could tell how important it was to him, and I admire his passion.”

“I will. Happily.”

I extended my hand and he gave me his, resting them both on my knee. “Thank you so much for this. You really went above and beyond tonight, and I’m so thankful you were here.”

“It’s the least I could do.”

I tilted my head, really looking at him. It felt like something had just happened, but I didn’t know what it was.

Erik, without knowing me, had done so much right. He pulled me away before I made the situation worse, got me to solitude before I lost control of my emotions, and stayed with me, listening to my worries and making everything better with his words. There were scores of people on call,
ready to do whatever I asked.

It was so funny to me that with him I didn’t even have to ask.

“I won’t forget this, Eikko. Not ever.”

There was a tiny lift of a smile at the sound of his given name, and he squeezed my hand ever so slightly.

I remembered the feeling of my first date with Hale, how I felt when I was sure he’d peeled everything back and had seen the real me. This time, I felt like I was on the other side of that, looking past duty and worry and rank, seeing the true heart of a person.

And his was so beautiful.

Neena came back in carrying a tray, and Erik and I ripped our hands apart.

“Are you all right, my lady?”

“Yes, Neena,” I promised her, standing. “There was a fight, but Erik got me away. I’m sure the guards will come with a report soon. In the meantime I just need to calm down.”

“The tea will help. I got some chamomile, and we’ll get you into something comfortable before you need to report anywhere,” Neena said, already making my night easier by planning it.

I turned back to Erik, who was standing by the door. He bowed deeply.

“Goodnight, Your Highness.”

“Goodnight.”

He walked away quickly, and Neena came over, handing
me a cup of tea. The strange thing was, my hands were already so warm.

About an hour later I met Mom and Dad in the office to discuss what’d happened.

“Sir Fox looks pretty bad,” a guard relayed. “Sir Henri tried to pull him away, but Sir Burke was practically unstoppable. Both Sir Henri and Sir Kile got some marks simply from trying to separate them.”

“How bad?” I asked.

“Sir Henri has a bruise on his chest and a cut just above his eye. Sir Kile’s lip was busted open, and there aren’t any big scars besides that, but he feels sore from trying to contain Sir Burke.”

“You can stop calling him ‘Sir’!” Dad insisted. “Burke is leaving right now! The same for Fox!”

“Maxon, reconsider. Fox didn’t do anything,” Mom urged. “I agree it was inappropriate, but don’t make that choice on Eadlyn’s behalf.”

“I will!” he yelled. “We did this to bring our people joy, to give our daughter a chance at the same happiness we have. And since it began, she’s been assaulted twice! I will NOT have monsters like that under my roof!” He finished his speech, slamming his fist into a side table, knocking his tea onto the floor.

I stiffened, gripping the arms of my chair. “Daddy, stop,” I pleaded, my words hushed with fear I might somehow make it worse.

He looked over his shoulder at me, as if he only now realized Mom and I were still in the room. His eyes instantly softened, and he turned away, shaking his head.

After a deep breath he straightened his suit and spoke to the guard. “Before anything continues, I expect thorough background checks on each of the Selected. Do it secretively and use whatever means possible. If anyone has so much as gotten into a squabble in grade school, I want them gone.”

Calm again, he sat beside Mom. “I unconditionally insist that Burke leaves. That’s not up for debate.”

“But what about Fox?” Mom asked. “It sounds like he didn’t really instigate anything.”

Dad shook his head. “I don’t know. The idea of letting anyone involved stay seems like very poor judgment.”

Mom leaned her head on Dad’s shoulder. “Once upon a time I was involved in a fight during the Selection, and you let me stay. Imagine how things would have been if you hadn’t.”

“Mom, you got into a fight?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“It’s true,” Dad confirmed, sighing.

Mom smiled. “I actually still think about the other girl often. She turned out to be quite lovely.”

Dad huffed, his tone begrudging. “Fine. Fox can stay, but only if Eadlyn thinks he might be someone she’d have a chance at happiness with.”

Their eyes settled on me, and I was confused about so many things at once, I felt positive it read on my face. I turned to the guard. “Thank you for your update. Have
Burke escorted from the premises and tell Fox I’ll speak with him shortly. You can go now.”

Once he left the room, I rose from my chair, trying to compose my thoughts.

“I’m not going to ask about that fight, though, for the life of me, I cannot figure out why you two have withheld so much about your Selection from me and have only decided to share some of the bigger bits and pieces now. And
after
I’ve faced something you’ve already experienced.”

They sat there guiltily.

“Mom met you before she was supposed to,” I accused, pointing to Dad. “Your candidates were all planted by your father. . . . Maybe you could have given me a heads-up about how to deal with a fight two weeks ago.”

I crossed my arms, exhausted.

“I promised you three months, and I’m going to give you that,” I said, taking in their worried expressions. “I’ll go on dates and let people take pictures so we have something to print in the papers and to talk about on the
Report
. But you two seem to think that if I stick this out, I’m magically going to fall in love.”

I stood there, shaking my head. “That’s not going to happen. Not for me.”

“It could,” Mom whispered tenderly.

“I know I’m disappointing you, but it’s not what I want. And these boys are fine, but . . . some of them make me uncomfortable, and I don’t think they can handle the pressure of this position. I’m not going to handcuff myself to a
weight for the sake of a distracting headline.”

Dad stood. “Eadlyn, that’s not what we want either.”

“Then please”—I raised my hands in front of me, guarding myself—“stop pressuring me to fall for people I never wanted here in the first place.”

I clasped my hands together. “This whole situation has been awful. I’ve had people throw food at me in public; others have judged me over a kiss. One boy touched me against my will, and another flung me to the ground. For all the effort I put in to make things right, the papers have had a field day with the constant shame.”

They exchanged a concerned glance.

“When I said I’d help distract people, I didn’t think it would be this degrading.”

“Sweetheart, we were never trying to hurt you.” Mom looked heartbroken, close to tears.

“I know, and I’m not mad. I just want my freedom. If this is what I have to do in order to get that, then I will. If you want your distraction, I’ll deliver. But please don’t place all those expectations on me. I don’t want to let you down any more than I have already.”

I
KNOCKED ON
F
OX
’
S DOOR
, kind of hoping he wouldn’t answer. It had been a draining night, and I wanted to go hide under my blankets.

Of course, his butler opened the door and pulled it so far back that Fox saw me before I could be announced.

He looked as bad as I’d been told. One eye was swollen and surrounded by varying shades of purple, and the opposite side of his head was covered in a bandage, as well as the knuckles across his right hand.

“Eadlyn!” he said, hopping up off his bed, then wincing and grabbing his ribs. “Sorry. I meant Your Highness.”

“You can go,” I said hurriedly to the butler as I rushed over to Fox.

“Sit,” I urged. “Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital wing?”

He shook his head as he settled down again. “I’ve been medicated, and they thought I’d rest better in my own room.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked, though I could tell he was in pain.

“Besides the bruises?” he asked. “Humiliated.”

“Can I join you?” I asked, pointing to the spot beside him on the edge of bed.

“Of course.”

I sat, not sure where to start. I didn’t want to send him home now, partly out of charity. I peeked at Burke’s and Fox’s applications before going to see Dad, and Fox had actually hinted at a lot about his home life on his form. Typically, I was looking for mutual interests or things we could talk about, so I’d missed some important details about him.

Living in Clermont, he worked as a lifeguard at the beach, which explained the sun-kissed skin and overly blond hair. I got the feeling that it wasn’t paying enough to support the rest of his family, though that situation was a little unclear on paper. His mother wasn’t living at home, but I didn’t know if that meant she had passed or not. I also could see his father was terminally ill, so I doubted he was contributing to the finances.

Furthermore, if I’d paid attention at all, I would have noticed how much fuller his cheeks looked compared to the picture on his form now that he was getting fed properly.

I wanted him to stay. I wanted him to keep his stipend. I wanted him to steal some of the things from his room when
he left and sell them when he got home.

But asking him to stay meant giving him hope.

“Listen,” he started, “I understand if you have to send me home. I do. I don’t want to leave, but I know the rules. I just . . . I don’t want to leave with you thinking I’m like Burke or Jack. Try not to think poorly of me when I go, okay?”

“I won’t. I don’t.”

Fox looked over and gave me a sad grin. “I never got to tell you so many things. Like how I wish I could command a room like you. It’s so impressive. Or how your eyes sparkle when you make a joke. It’s really pretty.”

“Do they do that? Wait, do I make jokes?”

He chuckled. “Yeah. I mean, they’re mostly subtle, but you give it away with your eyes. And I can see how pleased you are when you’re teasing us. Like at the quiz the other day.”

I smiled. “That was fun. Tonight was fun, too, up until the end.”

“I’ll never forget your face when you bit into that asparagus.”

I pressed my lips together, pretty sure that his expression and mine had been similar. What made it better was that I knew how hard he’d tried, and he still wasn’t upset over it. The only thing hurting him now was this worry that I’d remember him as something less than a gentleman.

“Fox, I’m going to ask you some questions, and I need you to be completely honest with me. If I think you’re lying at
all, that’s it. You’ll be gone within the hour.”

He swallowed, the silliness of the last few moments fading from his face. “You have my word.”

I nodded, believing him. “All right. Would you tell me about your dad?”

He huffed, clearly not expecting the conversation to head in this direction. “Umm, he’s sick, which I guess you know. He’s got cancer. He’s still functioning pretty well. Like he’s working, but it’s only part-time right now. He needs a lot of sleep.

“When he got sick my mom left, so . . . I really don’t want to talk about her, if that’s okay.”

“That’s okay.”

He looked at the floor as he continued. “I’ve got a brother and a sister, and they go on and on about her like she’s coming back, but I know that’s not happening. If she did, then
I’d
leave.”

“We really don’t have to talk about her, Fox.”

“Sorry. You know, I thought the hardest part about coming here would be the distance, but what’s so bad it almost hurts is seeing you with your family.” He scratched at his hair with his good hand. “Your parents are still in love, and your brothers look at you like you’re heaven on earth, and I wish I had that. I don’t have anything close.”

I put a hand on his back. “We’re not perfect. I promise. And it sounds like you and your dad have something special.”

“We do.” He glanced over at me. “I didn’t mean to get
like that. I don’t talk about my family a lot.”

“That’s fine. I have other questions.”

He sat up straight again, and I could see the pain of the action. I pulled my hand away and rolled my eyes. “Actually, I just realized this might be a hard one, too.”

He smiled. “Go ahead anyway.”

“Okay . . . did you come here for me or to get away from them?”

Fox paused, his eyes dead set on mine. “Both. I love my dad. I can’t tell you how much he means to me, and I don’t mind taking care of him, really. But it’s also kind of tiring. It’s been like a holiday here most of the time. I also think my brother and sister are starting to appreciate what I do, which is validating in a way.

“And then, there’s you.” He shook his head. “Look, you know I live paycheck to paycheck. And I come from a broken family. I realize I’m nothing special,” he said, placing his hand on his chest. Then he suddenly got shy. “But, you know, I’ve watched you my whole life, and I’ve always thought you were so sharp and beautiful. I don’t know if I stand the smallest chance of getting to be with you . . . but I had to at least put my name in. I don’t know; I just thought if I could get here, I’d find a way to show you that I could be worth taking a chance on.

“And then I got in a fight.” He shrugged. “So I guess that’s how it ends.”

I hated the disappointment in his voice. I didn’t
want
to care. I knew that letting him get closer to me would end
badly. I couldn’t explain why I knew, but I was sure that if I allowed any of these boys to cross into a certain level of intimacy, it would be disastrous. So why—
why
—couldn’t I keep them from getting closer?

“I have another question.”

“Sure,” he replied, defeated.

“What’s it like to work on the beach all day?”

He didn’t try to fight the smile. “It’s wonderful. There’s something kind of fascinating about the ocean. It’s almost like it has different moods on different days. Like, sometimes the water is so still and other times it’s wild. And I’m so glad Angeles is warm all the time, or I don’t think I could have handled it.”

“I love the weather here, too, but I don’t get to go to the beach very often. Mom and Dad don’t like it, and people end up swarming Ahren and me if we go just the two of us. It’s kind of a pain.”

He poked me gently. “If you ever come to Clermont, look me up. You can rent a private beach and swim and lounge to your heart’s content.”

I sighed dreamily. “That sounds perfect.”

“I’m serious. It’s the least I could do.”

I looked at my hands and back to Fox’s hopeful face. “How about this? If you make it to, say, the top three, we can go out there together and rent a beach, and maybe I could meet your dad.”

His face froze in shock as he understood what that meant. “I’m not going home?”

“Tonight wasn’t your fault. And I appreciate you being honest about your motivations. So, how about you stay a little longer, and we’ll see how it goes?”

“I’d love that.”

“All right then.” I stood, feeling so many things. Before tonight Fox was hardly a draw for me, and now I was looking forward to seeing him around the palace. “Forgive me for dashing off, but there’s a lot to take care of before the morning.”

“I can imagine,” he said, walking beside me to the door. “Thank you, Your Highness, for giving me a chance.”

“That’s all you wanted, right?” I smiled. “And you really can call me Eadlyn.”

He grinned and used his good hand to pick up mine. He placed the gentlest kiss across the ridges of my fingers. “Goodnight, Eadlyn. And thank you again.”

I gave him a quick nod before I scurried from the room. That was one issue taken care of . . . but tomorrow there would be a thousand more.

The photographer had done such a remarkable job of blending into the background, I didn’t realize she was still there when the fight broke out. Burke and Fox were front-page news, and the headline proclaimed that the first was ejected while the second was spared. There were other pictures, too. Me, standing next to Kile, grinding saffron, and again beside Erik as he translated something to Henri. But they were all overshadowed by the animalistic rage on Burke’s
face as he threw himself at Fox.

I bypassed that photo for the smaller ones with the others, tearing them out to save. I wasn’t sure why. I ended up tucking them into the drawer next to Kile’s catastrophe of a tie.

I walked into breakfast feeling the weight of everyone’s stares. Typically that wasn’t an issue for me, but between all the boys being overcurious about the fight and my parents’ worried eyes, I was buried beneath all the unspoken words.

I wondered if maybe I’d said too much last night, or if it had come off as me accusing them. I meant to explain how hurtful and draining this process had been, not to blame them for it. Still, as little as I wanted to participate, I knew I’d done what I’d promised. Burke’s fists had overshadowed everything else in the country, at least for today.

“What happened?” Kaden whispered.

“Nothing.”

“Liar. Mom and Dad have been messed up all morning.”

I peeked over. Dad kept rubbing the spot over his eyebrow, and Mom was trying to fool everyone by moving the food around her plate.

I sighed. “It’s grown-up stuff. You wouldn’t understand.”

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t talk to me like that, Eadlyn. I’m fourteen, not four. I read all the papers, and I pay attention at the
Report
s. I speak more languages than you, and I’m learning all the things you have without anyone making me do it. Don’t act like you’re better than me. I’m a prince.”

I sighed. “Yes, but I will be queen,” I corrected, sipping my coffee. I really didn’t need this right now.

“And your name will be in a history book one day, and some bored ten-year-old will memorize it for a test and then forget all about you. You have a job, just like everybody in the world. Stop acting like it makes you more or less than anyone else.”

I was left speechless. Was that what Kaden really thought about me?

Was that what
everyone
thought about me?

I had intended to be strong today, to show Mom and Dad that I really was going to follow through and prove to the boys that things like last night could not break me. But Kaden’s words made me—and all my efforts—seem worthless.

I stood up to leave, trying to think of what I’d need to grab from the office. I certainly couldn’t work there today.

“Hey, Eadlyn, wait up.”

It was Kile, jogging to catch up with me. I hadn’t even looked at him when I went into the dining hall this morning. His lip was a little swollen, but he seemed okay otherwise.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

I nodded my head . . . then I shook it. “I really don’t know.”

He put his hands on my shoulders. “Everything’s okay.”

I was so overwhelmed, I pressed my lips into his, knowing that would make everything else stop for a minute.

“Ow!” he cried, backing away.

“Sorry! I just—”

He grabbed me by the wrist and swung me into the nearest
room, slammed the door, and pushed me against the wall. He kissed me harder than I’d kissed him, apparently not bothered by his lip so much if he knew what was coming.

“What’s this all about?” he breathed.

“I don’t want to think. Just kiss me.”

Without a word, Kile drew me to him, his hands lost in my hair. I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, holding on to him tightly.

And it worked. As we swayed together, everything else stopped mattering for a little while. His lips moved from my mouth and onto my neck. These kisses were different than before. They were aggressive and demanding, pulling all my focus. Without thinking about it, I dragged his shirt upward.

He laughed devilishly into my cheek. “Okay, if clothes are coming off, we really ought to go to a room. And you should probably know my middle name.”

“Is it Ashton? Arthur? I feel like it starts with an
A
.”

“Not even close.”

I sighed, letting go of his clothes. “Fine.”

He leaned back, his arms still around my waist, smirking at me. “Are you all right? I know last night was kind of scary.”

“I just didn’t expect it. It was asparagus. . . . He literally punched someone over a vegetable.”

Kile laughed. “See, this is why you stick with butter.”

“Oh, you and your stupid butter.” I shook my head, tracing a finger down his chest. “I’m really sorry about your lip. Does anything else hurt?”

“My stomach. He elbowed me a few times trying to get free, but I’m surprised I didn’t get it worse. Henri’s eye looks painful. Glad he didn’t get hit an inch lower.”

I grimaced, thinking about how bad it could have been. “Kile, would you have kicked them both out? If you were in my position?”

“I think I would have even had to consider Henri and me if I were you,” he replied.

“But you both tried to stop it.”

He raised a finger. “True. You know that because you were there. But the others have seen the papers, and the pictures make it look like we were all involved.”

“So keeping Fox, Henri, and you makes it seem as if you got away with something?”

“And that maybe others could, too.”