“Oh,” I breathed. I had no clue how much he knew about me. Did he know who I was? Who my mother was? Was this about to be the way my secret got out?
“No,” he shook his head. His gaze snapped from mine. “No, no, this isn’t how it was supposed to be.”
“Thorne—” I reached for him. He stepped back out of my reach. I felt the panic in his eyes seep through my bones. Something was begging for me to touch him. I needed it more than I needed air at that point. But he stepped away from me. My chest felt like a weight was placed on it.
“No,” he repeated, still shaking his head in disbelief. “I – I can’t.”
“What?” My voice came out as barely a whisper. I felt the crushing reality of the situation driving me into the ground.
“I’m supposed to be the available for the Princess,” he said, eyes darti
