Their Hidden Princess (Zora and Maximus) novel Chapter 244

Chapter 244

Zora’s POV

I could tell that Max wasn’t satisfied, so after a quick glance to the others, I said to Max, “Why don’t we step away and talk privately for a moment.”

“Kairos,” Valentin said, taking my lead. “Help me with these. We will set them up for another exercise.”

Kairos grumbled but agreed.

While they worked with the dummies, Max and I, still holding hands, walked a bit farther away, toward the side of the house. When we were out of line of the others, Max tugged my hand and pulled me into his arms. He held me tightly, practically squashing me.

I let him do it, knowing he needed the reassurance of our bond.

“I’ll never forgive him for what he did to you. What he tried to do. Even after he rejected you. Tell me you haven’t forgotten.” “I haven’t,” I said. “I swear I haven’t. I remember every single thing he did and said.” Every harsh look. Every cruel word. That he was my mate made everything worse. Those moments were scalding, burned onto me with a bitter flame.

“But that doesn’t mean I can walk away,” I said. “There’s something still there. Even with his rejection, I feel a void inside of me that I know only he can feel. And the training… you and Kairos and Valentin… we all know there is a fourth piece missing, and this fourth piece is making it impossible to protect me in the way you want.”

“I don’t want him around,” Max said.

“Neither do I,” I admitted. “But… I think I might need him.”

Max frowned hard at that.

“When I speak to him, I’m going to need you more than ever, Max. I don’t know what he’s going to be like. I don’t trust him.”

“I will never allow him to do hurt you ever again,” Max said. “I imagine Valentin and Kairos feel the same, even if they seem more open to this than I am.”

“I just want to talk to him. If he’s remorseful, maybe we could fix this. I don’t know. We could at least try to bring him in.” “What if he’s not remorseful? What if he hasn’t changed at all?”

“Then I will cut him out of my life forever.” Forcing the words past my teeth were not easy. They turned my stomach to say, even now, even after everything. Even after having been rejected.

I didn’t know why I couldn’t forget about Thorne, when he’d been such an asshole to me. But I just couldn’t.

“It’s too dangerous for you to be alone with him,” Max said. “I don’t want him to see you or to know where you are. The vampires are after you, and he can’t be trusted to try to keep you safe.” His voice turned to a growl. “He’d probably lead them right to you and be proud of it.”

“Then maybe I should go to him.”

Max seemed shocked by my words. “No.”

“If he can’t come here, I need to go there.”

“No,” Max said, and walked away from me, back out in front of the building and where Valentin and Kairos were finishing setting up. I followed along behind him, hot on his trail, but he wasn’t even looking at me anymore. Instead, he walked right up to Kairos and Valentin and said, “She wants to go herself to find Throne.” Valentin immediately pinned me with his gaze.

Kairos grumbled, “Like hells that’s happening.”

“Look, I get it. Thorne is a villain, okay?” I said. “But the person he’s harmed is me. No one wants him to come here without vetting him first, right? Well, there’s no one who is going to be better at vetting him than me. I need to see him and talk to him.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Max said. “Thorne has already proven himself to be a jackass and a traitor. We shouldn’t even waste our time.

“It’s not up to you,” I told him.

“You are my mate,” Max snapped. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself.”

“We are all in agreement on that,” Valentin said.

“You, too? Valentin,” I started.

He held up his hands, palms forward. “You are too important, Zora. Not just to me but to all of our kind. We can’t risk you for anything. If you leave here, they might find you. Here you are safe.”

“I can go find Thorne,” Kairos suggested. Max shook his head. “You’ll just lead the vampires back here.”

“I’m the one who should be making the judgement,” I said. Where they even listening to me? “If I don’t forgive him, there’s no point bringing him back.”

The group of us fell quiet. Another impasse.

I wasn’t going to budge on this, but it seemed, neither was anyone else.

“You can’t stop me from finding him,” I said.

“Actually, we can,” Max replied.

“Sorry, babe,” Kairos said. “I’m not against Thorne, but I’m not risking you for him.”

Valentin was pensive for a moment. “That might not be necessary.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him, some hope swelling. I was going to have a hell of a time trying to convince all three of them to just let me do what I wanted. What I needed.

“Maybe you don’t have to be physically present to see him,” Valentin said. “There might be magical means…”