Ruthless Noble by Alley Ciz

CHAPTER 34

“Princess?”

I jump when a warm, calloused hand cups my cheek.

I blink, the action painful like sandpaper against the puffiness I can feel around my eyes.

Slowly Jasper’s concerned face comes into focus. His pouty lips are turned down, his chin dimple extra prominent in that way it gets when his jaw is clenched hard, and there’s a deep furrow running between his brows. His typically pearly eyes have darkened closer to that charcoal hue, and his hair is disheveled in a way that makes me suspect he’s been continually raking his hand through it.

With a bent knuckle, he wipes beneath my eye and frowns harder at the tear clinging to his skin. His eyes bounce between mine, and then with a heavy sigh, he unclicks his seat belt and unfolds himself from his Ferrari.

I don’t remember getting in the car, let alone driving anywhere. I’ve been so lost inside my head.

While I’m sure it only takes seconds for him to round the hood and open my door, it was long enough for that mental fog to take over again.

My door is open, and Jasper is crouched in front of me with his hand gripping my thigh by the time his voice brings me back. “Baby…you’re scaring me.”

The endearment and the admission cut through to my already bruised heart. Jasper Noble is the most formidable opponent I’ve ever encountered. He’s the type of guy to come to…not necessarily enemy territory, but we’ll call it that for simplicity’s sake, and issue a challenge to its leaders. He doesn’t get scared. Right?

In a daze, I lift my gaze to look over his shoulder, and…we’re at my brother’s?

Carter?

The tiny fissures in my heart crack all the way open, and it splits in two, anguish making me cry out and double over.

Distantly I make out the sound of someone cursing, and then I’m airborne. The familiar scent of sandalwood fills my nose, and comfort has the weak way my muscles tensed falling lax.

Completely drained, my eyes fall shut, and I bury my face into the skin bared above the collar of his T-shirt. T-shirt? Where’s his jacket? It’s freezing outside.

The telltale beeps of the outer door sound, and somebody must have used a key to let us in because I don’t remember hearing the bell ring—though there is the distinct possibility that it did and I missed that as well because the next thing I know, there’s another set of beeps and warm heat envelops us, chasing away the gooseflesh coating my body.

“Tessa? What are you—”

“Savvy?”

“THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HER?”

Voices and shouting have the arms holding me tensing, and I squeeze my eyes closed tighter and turn inward as much as physically possible.

Again without being jostled once, I feel myself being lowered and realize Jasper must have sat on the couch.

Fingers brush the side of my face before curling around to cup the back of my head.

I squint against the light, and that furrow between Jasper’s brows is even more profound than it was before, if that’s possible.

“Wha—” My words cut off, my voice rough and husky like I’ve smoked two packs a day for twenty years, a feat in and of itself seeing as I don’t smoke for obvious reasons and haven’t even been alive for eighteen years, let alone two decades.

“I brought you to your brother’s.” The regard and compassion in Jasper’s tone are almost enough to have me breaking down again. “If you need to talk to anyone about what we discovered, it’s him.”

“Not the bitch keeping secrets?” There’s no keeping the contempt I feel from coating my words.

There’s a minor twitch to Jasper’s mouth, and the return of his good humor, however slight, has more of the fog dissolving. “No. Carter is your family. That’s what you need right now.” The way he says it tells me all I need to know. He gets it. He gets me.

When I finally move my gaze off Jasper, I see my brother is sitting on the coffee table, legs spread wide, elbows resting on his knees, and he’s leaning in as close as he can get. Wes is on his right and Leo on his left. Swiveling my head around, I see Lance and Cisco standing behind the couch.

We’re surrounded by Royals.

“Oh my god.” I choke on a sob. “I was right.” The sudden realization is enough that if Jasper wasn’t holding me in his arms, I would melt into a puddle of goo on the floor.

“Right about what, Princess?” Jasper coaxes while Carter’s knee starts to bounce from holding himself back.

“I’m not a real Royal.” Sobs rack my body, and tears fall in a steady stream down my face.

“What the fuck is she going on about?” Carter’s voice booms.

The couch moves as Tessa plops down beside Jasper and me. “Do you think she needs the snake?” she asks someone.

“The snake?” I think that was Duke.

“No…well…maybe.” I’m pretty sure that was Wes.

“It might not hurt.” That came from Leo.

A box of tissues breaks into my field of vision, and I follow the arm holding it up to see Tinsley’s face and give her a grateful but watery attempt at a smile.

“Somebody…anybody better explain why my sister is crying like someone died. Right. Fucking.Now.” Ooo, the scary Carter King voice has made an appearance.

Guess that explains why I could never really pull it off. I’m not actually a King.

“I’m not a real Royal,” I say again. “I’m a faux Royal.”

“How many times do I have to tell you to knock it off with that shit?” Carter’s dirty blond brows are a harsh line across his face as he levels me with that glare.

Will he love me half as much when he learns we’re only half-siblings?

“How can I be a Royal if I’m not a King?” We’ll pretend for a moment that Cisco and Lance aren’t from outside families.

“What?” All the color drains from my brother’s face. Oh my god, it’s already happening. He’s already starting to love me less.

“Dad isn’t my dad,” I explain, that knife from earlier spearing deeper, carving out another part of me.

My whole life has been a lie. I’m a lie.

“You know?” Carter breathes, his voice barely above a whisper.

I’m nodding before the words themselves register.

Wait…

Did he say…

No. He missed a few words. He meant to ask me How I know…right?

Because if not…that means…

“You knew?” I screech and jackknife up; the only thing keeping me from taking a header to the ground is Jasper’s strong arms hugging me backward.

No.

No, no, no, no, no.

Just…no.

I misheard. The events from earlier have clearly caught up with me. I’m having a delayed adverse reaction to using my inhaler.

Yeah…

Yeah, that’s it.

There’s no way the person who taught me all about trust and loyalty, my closest confidant, my brother would keep something this crucial from me.

Nope. Not possible.

But the way his head falls forward and both hands come up to grip the back of his neck prove otherwise.

Oh my god.

He knew.

He knew, and he didn’t tell me.

Oh my god.

An elephant sits on my chest, and razor blades slice into my lungs every time I inhale.

“When?” I mentally plead that Jasper, Tessa…someone called him on our way over and told him.

“The night you were hospitalized.”

I suck in a startled breath, gagging on it. Every cough it sets off is like a blow to the ribs.

“Two months? You knew for almost two months and didn’t tell me?” When a fresh wave of tears strikes, I don’t bother to wipe them away. Instead, I clutch at Jasper’s shirt, the cotton wrinkling and stretching out from my grip. He doesn’t seem to care about how it’s getting soaked and possibly covered in snot.

“Savvy—”

“Don’t.” I throw up a hand.

“I’m sorry,” he finishes.

“I said don’t,” I whimper.

I…

I can’t be here.

This place that’s been my home, my sanctuary against the world, the home base I always come back to is tainted by betrayal.

Never…NEVER would I have expected something like this from Carter.

Sure, we both kept some stuff to ourselves recently, but they weren’t anywhere near this scale of importance. And we came clean—

“Wait!” I flail about as I suddenly shout. “Is this why you were weird with me? For weeks? Why I felt like you were avoiding me?”

The sorrow filling his gaze as he lifts his eyes to mine would normally flay me alive, except I’m already drowning in agony.

Carter opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off before he can. “You know what?” Physically I don’t think I could handle what he has to say. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Savvy,” he tries.

“No. I can’t.”

My grip on Jasper tightens, but he doesn’t flinch when my nails scratch at his skin. He’s remained silent, but he’s been fully present, helping keep me together even when it doesn’t seem like it.

I tug and do my best to stretch closer to Jasper. “I want to go.”

To where, I have no clue. Carter’s is always where I go when I’m upset. This is my safe space. Was—it was my safe space. Not anymore. At least not right now.

“Princess…” Jasper’s eyes shift to my brother as if he’s unsure what to do.

“Please?” I’m not above begging. I need out.