~Lucien~
She held my gaze for a long moment, that stubborn chin lifted, those determined eyes flashing with irritation. I waited, patiently, until finally she let out a huff of breath and slid into the back seat.
I followed, settling into the leather beside her as Marcus pulled away from the palace. The silence in the car was thick, charged with all the things neither of us was saying.
"For what it's worth," I said after a few minutes, "I'm not trying to control you."
"Could have fooled me."
"I'm trying to prepare you." I turned to look at the stubborn set of her jaw and the way her hands were clenched in her lap. "The world I'm bringing you into is not forgiving. Every outfit you wear will be photographed, analyzed, and criticized. Every word you speak will be recorded and dissected.
