Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Something about Majestic anchored me. Even though I was terrified for Bear, I was relieved to finally be returning to the place where I felt loved and supported. The place where my family lived.
The brotherhood’s roots here had been planted as tiny seeds when Silas had accidentally married the local mayor. Fresh shoots had sprouted up when Dev had followed him and settled here with Tully and their daughter, Lellie.
And now, I was buying up a fucking enormous piece of the land I’d come to love, in hopes Bear would want to build a life with me here and follow our dreams together. A winter sports camp. Apparently a freaking record label. A family. A home.
But in order for that to happen, we needed to take care of the threats to our happiness and security once and for all.
When the plane touched down, I told Kenji I wanted to refuel and immediately fly to Rapid City.
“We can intercept them,” I explained. “It’s not that far.”
Kenji’s eyes flicked ahead to where Paul and Miguel were placing bets on whether it would snow today or tomorrow.
“That’s not happening, Zane,” Kenji said softly. “He’s not in actual danger. If the king wants him in the royal guard, they’re not going to hurt him. And if you suddenly show up trailing the kind of lookie-loo media attention you always attract, it would turn a currently secret situation into a sensational story on a global scale. You need to let Violet’s team handle it. I promise, if I thought there was something you could do right now, I’d make sure you were doing it.”
I blew out a breath. Kenji was right. If it was the royal family behind the threats, that probably meant Bear wasn’t in personal danger. But my mind spun wildly out of control.
“What if the king kidnaps him and flies him to Ventdestine? What if he won’t take no for an answer? What if—”
“Then we will get him back. But for right now…” Kenji pointed across the tarmac to the waiting SUVs, where a familiar clutch of humans stood, and a bright-eyed little girl happily shook a little string of jingle bells in the air. “Take a breath, Zane. We’re home.”
I glanced over at him, surprised to hear him call Majestic home since he lived in New York. But then again, this little Wyoming town had charmed us all.
I made a beeline for Lellie and grabbed her out of Tully’s arms to hold her tight. “Lellie-girl,” I said, suddenly feeling tight-chested with affection and a true sense of family. She smelled like apples and peanut butter sandwiches.
“Zay!” she said happily, patting my face. “Zay sing me.”
Dev stepped in behind her and hugged us both. Other than Shaky Knees in Atlanta, I hadn’t seen them much in person, but Lellie knew me from the lullaby videos I’d sent them. She could play them on an iPad at night or whenever they needed to keep her entertained or distracted for a little while.
I loved being able to be a part of her life even when I wasn’t there. “Thank you, guys, for coming to get me. I think my security team arranged for vehicles, but maybe they’ll let me ride with you if you have enough room in the truck.”
“Dev got me a minivan,” Tully said with a shit-eating grin.
“It’s not a minivan,” Dev corrected with a sigh. “And it wasn’t for you; it was for all of us. How many times are you going to give me hell for this? It’s a luxury touring van. For when we want to drive through Yellowstone or go on a longer car ride as a family—”
“Pfft. Says you. I freakin’ love my minivan. Someday, I’m gonna be driving that beast to soccer practices. I’m gonna be rockin’ the school pickup line. Lellie’s gonna say, ‘Can you take me and twelve of my closest friends to the mall, but make sure you walk ten steps behind us so no one knows you’re with us?’ and I’m gonna say, ‘Heck yeah, kids, pile in.’ The minivan isn’t a car, Devon. It’s a way of life. And I’m here for it.”
We made our way out to the parking lot, where, sure enough, a luxury Mercedes touring van shone like a beacon alongside the pair of dark SUVs my team had hired. Paul gave me a nod before accompanying me to the van with Dev, Tully, and Lellie, while Kenji went with Miguel so he could take a phone call in relative peace.
I checked my phone obsessively during the drive in hopes of getting a response from Bear or Violet, but there was nothing. My fingers itched to text both of them again, but I’d already texted Bear several times, and if I texted Violet again, my newfound obsession for my personal protection officer would set off alarm bells, especially given the current “no frat” situation.