Sapphire Princess

XIII

Chapter Thirteen

HOPE

The ride back to the palace is silent and heavy. I made sure one of the guards took Nathan's flag from my car and it's sitting on my lap, cold and solemn. A reminder that even though John is dead, he still won. Nathan is still gone.

Gently, I stroke the flag.

"We did it, Nathan. He's gone. You can rest easy now," I whisper, but I know every one else in the truck can still hear me.

No one says a word. I don't think anyone knows what to say. Two royals, two crossbreeds, a hunter, and a broken relationship. Talk about tension.

I almost jump out of my skin when I feel a hand on my thigh. Turning my head, I make eye contact with Eli. He gives me a small smile and mouths 'are you okay?'. That's a loaded question.

Part of me is thrilled that the next time I see Jonathan Casper's face, he'll be dying all over again in front of me. Part of me is devastated that despite John's death, I'll never see Nathan again. I'm scared of returning home, to what I'll face. One obstacle has been crossed, only for a thousand more to be placed in front of me.

Instead of spewing out every emotion racing through me, I shrug my shoulders in response to Eli's question. His face looks sad- he knows I'm not okay. I take a deep breath and turn my head towards the window.

Suddenly, a warm feeling creeps through me. Alexander.

"It's okay to be broken," his voice fills my mind. His tone is comforting and full of love, similar to the one he used to use while we laid in bed, dreaming about our future. I would race back to one of those moments without a second thought, but now, after everything, I know we are far from that.

When I don't respond, I hear a sigh from behind me. Despite how much I want to turn back and look at him, I know I have to trust my head over my heart. Too much has changed.

The two guards in the front seat periodically look in the mirrors to check up on us. May, Eli and I in the first row of seats and Alexander and Emery behind us. I'm impressed they haven't killed each other yet.

Maybe Alexander has finally come to terms with the fact he is the only one wrong. I understand where his lack of faith comes from. His mother was killed my a family the crown trusted with their life. His ex-fiance turned against him. He almost lost the throne. But at the same time, I never once gave him a reason to doubt me. I was willing to sacrifice myself for him and his country, and the first chance he had to scream 'betrayal' he took.

"How are you holding up?" I ask May, finally turning away from the window. She's on the other side of Eli, and he leans back to allow us to talk.

"The adrenaline is wearing off, so the pain is definitely worse," she responds, her voice still raspy from the smoke. Although my clothes are still singed, I'm completely healed. May will be lucky if she doesn't scar.

"I'm sorry that you got sucked into this," I begin to apologize, but the look she gives me cuts me off. Even badly injured, she still has her spark.

"Don't. I wouldn't have been there if I didn't want to be. Sure, never in my life did I imagine I'd be helping the vampire royals, but a mission is a mission. I completed this one and made a friend in the process," she scolds me, trying her best to smile. Her words almost break the strong facade I've been putting on.

My brother is dead, my evil father burned alive, I'll never see my human family again, but I will always have people that care about me. This car is full of them and soon we'll be back in a country that looks up to me.