“Lulu?”
“She’s Romani. I don’t think she’s a big fan of Dimitri either.”
“Get in line,” he grumbled.
“Dimitri’s not that bad,” I said, thinking of our conversation in the hall and how he admitted to covering for me with Nikolai.
“He took you,” Remy spat out vehemently. “He took you to another fucking country, Skye. And now you’re telling me he decided to give you jewelry, too?”
Oh, my God.
“Are you … jealous?” My jaw dropped.
A muscle in his jaw throbbed as he clenched his teeth. “No. Maybe. I don’t know. But I don’t like it, babe.”
“He’s my brother,” I pointed out. “Sort of.”
“Yeah, back up to the part where your dad is married, but his wife is openly having an affair?”
I shrugged. “I don’t get it either. Dinner was strange. Natasha, his wife, was openly with another guy, and from what I gathered, it’s not the first time. And Nikolai is totally okay with it.”
“But he’s the Alpha and she’s his mate?”
“Actually? He only calls her his wife.”
“Definitely weird,” he agreed.
I nodded, ducking my head as I yawned.
“It’s night where you are, right?” he asked me quietly.
“Yeah. It’s been a weird day. I’m wondering what this place looks like in the day because in the dark? Wow.”
“What do you mean?”
“Hang on.” I flipped the phone camera so he could see my room. I slowly panned the phone around the room so he could see how absurdly gigantic and ostentatious this place was.
“Damn,” he murmured when I turned the camera back. “It’s like a palace.”
I hesitated, thinking back to when Dimitri and Alexei called me princess. How Nikolai called me his heir.
“What?”
“There’s something else I didn’t tell you,” I admitted.
“Okay.” He didn’t look upset or worried. He just waited patiently for me to explain.
So I did.
About what Dimitri told me on the plane, how Alexei and even the pilot addressed me, and the way Nikolai seemed to assume I would willingly jump into the role of heir apparent of his pack.
Remy was silent after I finished spilling all of that, and something about his silence worried me.
He hadn’t flinched when I told him about the magic, he’d taken everything in stride about my sort-of abduction and Elias.
But now, I couldn’t get a read on what he was thinking.
“Say something,” I finally begged quietly.
He exhaled slowly. “Skye, it sounds like … like you have a choice to make.”
Okay, I hadn’t expected that.
My eyes narrowed. “How so?”
He looked truly conflicted. “If we’re getting this right, then you’re an alpha heir yourself. You would have every right to step into that role. To have your own pack.”
“My own pack in another country,” I pointed out incredulously. “A country that isn’t even close to where you are.”
“I’ll support whatever decision you make,” he said, the sadness and resolve in his eyes gutting me.
“Get Katy,” I demanded.
He blinked. “What?”
“Get. Katy.” I ground out the words. “If you love me, get her.”
Remy moved off the bed and the camera bounced a little as he walked through his bedroom and across the hall. He opened Katy’s door and turned on a light, telling her to wake up.
I smiled when she told him to go to hell.
“Skye’s on the phone,” he said simply.
A second later, the phone was ripped from his hand. Her sleepy face appeared on the screen, her dark eyes huge.
“Oh, my God!” Katy’s eyes filled with tears.
“I need you to do me a favor,” I said, choking down my own wave of emotion.
“Name it, girl,” she said firmly, blinking back tears with that fierce determination I loved about her.
“Slap Remy.”
“Huh?” she frowned, glancing off screen where Remy was likely standing.
“He basically just told me it was okay if I decided to live in Russia forever.”
I heard her hand connect solidly with his arm and then she was yelling, “Are you out of your fucking mind?”
Remy grunted as she made contact again. “Jesus. Stop hitting me!”
Another slap. “I will when you stop being a self-sacrificing dumbass! Skye is getting her ass back here where she belongs!”
“That’s enough,” I called loudly.
Katy frowned at me. “He’s been under a lot of stress lately. Maybe he hit his head during the challenge.”
I tried, and failed, to hold back a smile. “Can I talk to him again?”
She glared at her brother. “I guess so.” Then she looked back at me. “But you better call me, too. I want all the details about everything, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
“Good. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” I replied, biting my lower lip. The sting of my teeth digging into my skin held off the tears that threatened.
Remy took the phone back and headed back to his room.
“Don’t you ever do that again,” I said, my voice shaking with emotion. “It’s you and me now, remember? Your words.”
He swallowed visibly, but I could see the relief in his eyes. “Skye, I love you enough not to take away any of your choices. All I want is for you to be happy.”
“You make me happy, Remy,” I insisted. “Don’t you get it? No castle or pack or title can make me feel as loved and accepted as you do. Unless you’re telling me you don’t want me—”
“Never,” he interrupted, his voice doing that rough growly thing that made me shiver.
“Stop trying to tell me what’s best for me, Rem,” I said softly, feeling cracked open and vulnerable as he studied me. “You’re what’s best for me.”
He groaned and dropped his head back. “I’m sorry, babe. I swear, everything is just so fucked up right now that I don’t know what to do next. I’m trying to make everyone happy, keep everyone safe, and it feels like nothing is enough. I can’t stop thinking about if Dad would make the same decisions that I am.”
“Look at me,” I said firmly, waiting until I had his eyes. “You’ve got this Remy. You know what to do, so stop second-guessing yourself. Your dad loves you, and you damn well know he will back whatever calls you make. You have an army of people who love you and are ready to fight with you, including me. This time next week, we’ll be together.”
Fire ignited in his eyes. “Promise?”
“If I have to swim across the ocean myself, yes,” I replied, knowing it was true. I would give Nikolai a week tops for the storm to pass before I set out on foot myself to get back home.
“Fuck, I love you,” he said roughly. “I miss you so much.”
Instead of the familiar surge of emotional turmoil I usually felt, I found myself smiling at him. Calm surety blanketed me. “I love you, Remy. We’re going to get through this together.”