Princess

Chapter 28: Silence Kills

Damon

I never took personal jobs on principle. It was something my dad always taught me. You tended to make mistakes, get sloppy, lose control.

But today's outburst was more than just personal. It was Ariadne. She invoked a guttural feeling in me. An anger I had never felt before. Anger, rage, and beating people up was a Christian Ryder speciality and one that I was hardly prone to displaying.

To see someone else's hands on her, hurting her against her will was crossing a line I didn't even know I had. I'd always been a fiercely protective person and never let people touch my family. I'd killed people for even trying. But I never did it myself. My hands were metaphorically always clean.

But touching Ariadne? No one touched her. She was too precious to have common hands on her, too beautiful to have her face twisted in disgust, and too mine for me to stand blithely by while people tested her limits.

The vibrating noises from my pocket forced me to pull out my phone and thumb through the messages.

Francis: I'm taking Bella home. She needs to get off her feet. It's been a long day.

That seemed like something I needed to evaluate further. Bella was my favorite person in the world. I needed to know she was safe and well at all times and Francis knew that—well, he always knew everything—which was why he was texting me.

Damon: Of course.

Francis: She keeps asking for you. Make sure you call her in the morning.

Warmth spread through my chest. Because Bella wanted to see me even after I fucked up with her sister. Because her husband knew her well enough to tell me what to do to make her happy. Because the general existence of Francis and Bella made me believe in the concept of love, and fighting for what you wanted in life. No one fought harder than those two for one another, and in the end, it was worth it after all.

I could only hope it would be worth it for me too.

Damon: I promise. Tell her... you know what.

That I love her.

Francis: She won't be satiated with that. You'll have to tell her yourself.

Damon: Stubborn motherfucker.

Francis: Just a fucker who knows what his wife wants.

Damon: Lucky bastard.

He really was.

Francis: You can be too. Use your words, Damon. You have to speak to her. She needs the words.

In a moment of weakness, I typed our exactly what I was thinking and hit send before I could backtrack.

Damon: I'm scared.

My best friend didn't hold it against me, though I knew he never would. Francis Duval was innately loyal, outrageously intelligent, and someone who I could depend on for my entire life.

Francis: I know. But it'll be worth it.

Damon: How can you be so sure?

Francis: Because I'm proof.

Damon: How long are you going to brag that you snagged the heiress of the East Coast?

Francis: Forever. But don't try to distract me by bringing up my wife, even if she is my favorite subject in the world.