Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(87)

“Mattie and Nolan,” I sobbed before I could stop myself. Fuck. Fucking fuck. I would not survive if my friends were hurt… or worse.

Rafe lifted me into his arms when my shoes got caught for the fourth time. I would have kicked them off, but then my feet would get cut to shit.

“Did the resistance do this?” I asked as the first body came into view. It was a man, one we didn’t know, and he’d been literally cleaved in two by a stone pillar. Dead, blank eyes stared up but wouldn’t see anything ever again.

“If this was the resistance,” Jordan said, voice harsh as we spied more dead, “then it was nothing sanctioned by the main Society.”

“Those fucking extremists have gone too far this time,” Rafe muttered, gently placing me on the ground, then reaching down to feel for a pulse on a prone girl. She had black hair, even though it looked grey with all the dust, and she wasn’t moving. “Clearly they decided to take some drastic measures to ensure the end of the monarchy.”

There were a ton of royals here tonight. Actual senior royals. Taking out this many at once… it would devastate the global control of the monarchies.

“Do they care that you guys are princes and you’re part of it?”

“Some protested when we joined, but since we pretty much stick to ourselves and fight, they use our power for what they need and forget the rest,” Jordan said, head moving as he took in more of the bodies.

I nodded. “So, you’re the fringe dwellers of the society.”

They both nodded. “Zach is quite high up and a total dick.” Jordan scowled. “He could’ve had something to do with this.”

We reached a section that was a little more cleared, and the sound of screams reached my ears. It was hard to tell at first, but now it was obvious that we hadn’t yet entered the main part of the ballroom. Once we reached it, there was utter chaos. “Stay near us,” Rafe shouted as the guys moved faster.

We had to duck under a half-cracked doorway to get inside, and when we did, I swallowed hard. Holy fuck, this was exactly how I imagined a war zone would be. People were everywhere, hundreds… thousands, I couldn’t even tell. There were blood and bodies scattered about, and those that weren’t dead were running around trying to figure out what the fuck had happened.

“Stick together,” Rafe said again, pushing his way through the people. He and Jordan used their bulk to keep me from getting smashed about too much, but I was pretty good at dodging blows myself.

“We need to split up,” I finally said when it was obvious we weren’t getting far. “We need to find the twins and Rafe’s dad.”

“No fucking way,” Rafe said.

There was no time to glare at him, so I did exactly what he would kill me for later. I took off to the right.

“Violet!” Jordan and Rafe both yelled after me, but I was busy pushing my way through the crowd, heading for the bar. Or what was left of it.

I was confident that’s where King Felipe would be, in the vicinity of where I left him, and when his body came into view, tears streamed down my face. He was covered in what looked like a plank and some rocks, blood pouring from a wound on his head.

Dropping to my knees, I reached out and pulled off what I could before I pressed my fingers to his throat. It took me a couple of tries, but I found a weak pulse.

“Dad,” Rafe said, sliding in beside me. His eyes met mine, and I started crying like a fucking waterfall had spurted from my eyes because the devastation on Rafe’s face broke me in two.

“He’s alive,” I choked out, “but his pulse is weak. He needs medical assistance right now.”

Rafe’s palm reader was up, and the message he sent out was red. I had a feeling that would get someone here ASAP.

“I need to get him out of here so the helicopter can land,” he told me. “You find Jordan and stay with him. I’m not kidding, Violet. This is life and death.”

I choked on my next breath, the dust and tears making it next to impossible to breathe. “Okay,” I murmured. “I’ll find him.”

I helped him lift his dad, even though we knew we shouldn’t be moving him. In this situation though, he would definitely die if we didn’t move him. This way there was at least a chance.

“I should come with you,” I blurted out as Rafe turned away.

He shook his head. “As fucked up as it sounds, you’re safer in here with all these people around. Those assholes might be lying in wait, and you’re not a member yet.”

So much of that didn’t make sense. If these guys were huge extremists, no doubt they gave zero shits that Rafe was a part of their group. He was a prince, and all royals must die or something. He couldn’t fight while carrying his dad, who was no small dude.

Everything was adding up to him needing my help.

Before I could argue, and we really didn’t have time for that, Jordan and Nolan appeared beside us. “There you are,” Jordan exclaimed, worry in his voice and face.

By the time I turned back, Rafe was already gone, and all I could do was cry and pray he made it to the medevac in time.

“Felipe?” Jordan asked, grabbing my hand.

I shook my head. “He’s hurt bad. Rafe called in a helicopter. I—I don’t know if he’ll make it in time.”

He hugged me closer. “He will. Felipe is as tough as his son, and I’m pretty sure nothing in this world can kill Rafe.”