Cruel Prince (Royal Hearts Academy, #1)(112)

I can physically feel my heart breaking as I turn around.

Tragedy brought Jace and me together…and, in the end, it’s what tore us apart.

“That’s not true.” He grabs my wrist and spins me around. “I love you, Dylan.” The veins in his forearm bulge as he pounds on his chest. “I can’t change the past, but I can change the future…and mine includes you.”

Shock roots me to the spot. “I—”

“No. Goddammit.” My heart beats wildly as his hand slides to my nape. “You can try to fight this thing between us as hard as you want…but I promise you won’t fucking win.” His nostrils flare on an indrawn breath. “I lost you once…and I’ll burn the whole fucking world to the ground before I ever make that mistake again.”

Tears blur my vision and my lungs seize. Every word he says cracks me wide open. “Jace—”

His teeth graze the shell of my ear. “Go ahead, try to run from me again, baby. I fucking dare you.”

I have no desire to anymore. Not after he just laid his heart out for me like that.

Emotion clogs my throat. “I can’t. I love you too much.”

“Good.” In one fell swoop, he hauls me into his arms. “Because no way in hell was I leaving without you.”

I lock my legs around his waist and he pulls me into a kiss so sizzling I forget how to breathe.

Tingles dance up and down my spine as I fall deeper into his abyss, needing more, more, mo…

“Move your vehicle or I’m calling the cops,” the driver barks while honking his horn. “You’re causing a traffic jam.”

Oh, shit. When I tilt my head, I see the string of bumper to bumper cars.

Jace flips him the middle finger. “Fuck off, old man.”

“God, you’re such an asshole,” I mutter as he walks us toward his car.

His lips curve into a cocky smirk. “Yeah, but I’m your asshole.”

Yes, he is.





Chapter 48





Dylan





Six months later….



A jolt of excitement flows through me as I stare at the cap and gown hanging on my closet door.

In just two more hours, I’ll officially be a high school graduate.

My heart sinks. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Oakley.

Two days ago the school informed him he was ineligible to graduate and would have to repeat his senior year.

To say my uncle is pissed would be putting it mildly.

However, as bad as I feel for him…I can’t say I’m surprised.

Oakley’s been on a downward spiral the last few months…one that resulted in him skipping more classes than he attended.

I wanted to confront my aunt for screwing with his head and fucking up his life, but Oakley begged me not to and swore it was over between them for good.

Given my aunt announced she was three months pregnant during my celebratory graduation dinner last night …I hope for his sake he was telling the truth.

My chest feels heavy as I walk out of my room and knock on his door.

He doesn’t answer, but I can hear him moving around in there.

“It’s me. Can we talk for a few?”

“Yeah. Come in.”

He’s tossing some clothes into a duffle bag when I open the door.

“Planning on going somewhere?” I try to keep my voice light, but I fail miserably.

“Cole asked his dad if I could stay in their guesthouse for the summer and he agreed.”

Oh. That’s news to me. “You’re leaving?”

He smirks. “Don’t act like you won’t still see me every day while visiting your boyfriend.”

He makes a valid point.

Jace and I are pretty much attached at the hip these days. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t loving every minute of it.

Especially all those minutes he spends with his head between my…

Dammit. Focus, Dylan.

“I know…but it’s gonna suck living here without you.”

Especially with my aunt being knocked up.

I want to be happy for her, however I’m still finding it hard to separate the amazing aunt I love from the two-timing, cheating whore I despise.

It’s a juggling act most days.

But at least she’s attending my graduation…which is more than I can say for my father who was released from jail a week ago and has yet to make any contact.

I’m starting to realize that family isn’t always blood…it’s the people who are there for you when no one else is.

And for me, those people are Jace, Sawyer, and Oakley.

He opens the suitcase on his bed and starts filling it with more clothes. “I can’t stay here, Dylan.”

I can’t say I don’t understand. My uncle can be…difficult sometimes.

In his mind, he’s right about everything, and everyone who disagrees with him or thinks a different way is dead wrong.

You can’t even have a conversation with the man for more than five minutes without your blood pressure rising.

It’s why I opted to dorm at Duke’s Heart University in the fall—which is only a fifteen-minute drive away—rather than stay here.