Well, hell. I didn’t mean to get all personal with him and hurt his feelings at the same time. I didn’t like this side of Royce. It made me feel uncomfortable, but not in a creepy way.
More like we were both trying not to confront what was between us. “You really want to do some training today?” he finally asked, pulling the car onto the main highway again, heading toward the academy.
I drew in a tight breath. “Sure,” I squeaked out. “That would be good.”
His hand reached over and squeezed my knee again and this time, I threaded my fingers through it, feeling his start of surprise. “Thanks, Royce, really.”
He squeezed back. “You’re welcome, pauper.”
We held hands all the way to the academy.
***
Soon I just got used to having the kings around me. If Royce wasn’t there, then it was Max or Arthur escorting me to class and after a while, I stopped trying to fight them. It was clear they were going to do it, whether I liked it or not.
But I did step up my training with Royce, learning some self-defense skills that had me bruised and out of breath. He even showed me how to fight with small daggers. I found I really enjoyed those far more than the heavy sword.
Even Arthur stepped up his training with the decorum and proper functions as a royal, likely because he knew I would be making a decision soon regarding my future. As much as I hated the lessons, I was grateful that he was trying to distract me from what was going on around me.
And trust me, there was a lot.
First, it didn’t help that the kings were literally at every turn. Soon I wasn’t the only one noticing that fact and unfortunately, I became the subject of some vicious rumors.
Rumors I had heard before.
Was I sleeping with all the kings at once?
Was I carrying their love child?
Did I have something over them that made them want to pant after me?
The list went on and on. I heard everything from I was some sort of sexual deviant who ran wild parties out of the kings’ mansions to I was a witch who could cast a spell on the kings and make them bend to my will.
I mean, someone had been watching way too much TV, honestly.
Arthur was the first one to hear the rumors completely and no matter what groundwork he tried to lay down to squash them, they just got worse.
The entire thing was getting ridiculous and I knew if I wanted it to go away, I would have to either leave the school, which meant Isauros won, or find a way to protect myself so that the kings would back off and I could breathe again.
When I told Johanna my issues, she just laughed. “Girl, do you know how many people in this academy—from both sexes, I might add—would love to have the kings draped all over them?”
“Well, I’m not most people,” I grumbled.
“Admit it,” Johanna prodded. “You enjoy having them around. They went from torturing you to actually liking you. That’s big in the royal world.”
I really didn’t care. It was already confusing enough with the kings trying to insert themselves into my life and into my heart. Surely, I wasn’t the first girl they had confused like this, making her feel—well, I didn’t know how I felt about myself or them.
Arthur had been the first one to worm his way into my heart, when I thought that I had tamed the king and he genuinely cared about me as a person. He had made me feel special, like I was the most important thing on earth to him.
Only to have him break my heart in the end. Sure, we were on speaking terms now and he had long ago quit trying to get me to come back, but I knew he wanted to still be in the running for my father’s wealth and the title.
Then there was Royce. I really didn’t know what to think about him. We had gone from barely talking to holding hands in the car and I was so scared that Royce was going to really break my heart in the end. Arthur had been the first one to get there, but Royce could really punch a hole in it.
Who was I kidding? He was going to. That was what the kings did. They picked their victim, played with her a little, then dumped her like a hot potato.
Max was the only person I hadn’t really had a close relationship with, or even slept with. Actually, he seemed like the most levelheaded of the three. “I think I am going to ask Max for help,” I finally said. “He’s definitely the only one willing at this point. The other two just want to keep me in my box.”
Johanna just shook her head. “Don’t trust him too much, Anna. He was part of the original plan. He’s out to get what he can out of this, too.”
“I won’t,” I sighed, rubbing my head with my fingers. “I’ve gotten smarter.”
Well, at least I hoped I had.
Chapter 4
Anna
I had my chance to ask Max the next afternoon, after my classes were done and I had ditched Royce.
Well, not ditched. He had to set up for the sword fight and had no choice but to leave me at my room, where he thought I would remain until I went and watched the fight.
Instead I waited until I knew he was gone before sneaking out again, heading in the direction of the last place I had seen Max.
I found him in the small gym only reserved for seniors, and luckily, alone. After a quick glance around, I opened the door and walked in, the smell of sweat and old socks hitting me full force.
He was on the rowing machine (go figure), his arms contracting as he pulled the handles to his chest, holding them there before releasing. For a moment I stood there and watched, honestly enjoying the impressive show of a well-honed body.
What was with these kings and their tongue-wagging muscles, anyway?
Finally, he stopped, and I grabbed his towel before he could, placing it in front of him. “Anna,” he said, grabbing the towel and mopping his face with it. “Last I recall, you weren’t a senior.”
I leaned against the stair-stepper next to where he was positioned. “I need to talk to you,” I answered, hearing no concern in his voice. “Without everyone else.”
He chuckled. “You mean without the other kings. Go ahead and say it.”
“Fine,” I said, tucking my hands in my pockets. “Without the other kings around.”
His grin was fleeting. “I imagine it feels like they are suffocating you a bit.”
“A little,” I admitted. “But I know they mean well.”
Max glanced at me, arching a brow. “Do they? Or are they just trying to get into that number-one position so you will pick them to be your partner?”
“Funny you should mention that. Aren’t you trying to do the same?”