All Chapters of Kingdoms Reign: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter TwoI had been staring at the ceiling for so long that I had started counting the little swirls carved into the molding.Twenty-three.Or twenty-four.I had lost track somewhere around fifteen. I rolled onto my side and pulled one of the pillows against my chest. The room was ridiculous. That had been my first thought when the woman who worked here had shown me inside earlier.My bedroom back home could probably fit inside this one twice. Maybe three times if we moved the furniture.There was a fireplace against one wall, a sitting area near the windows, and an entire second door that apparently led to a closet large enough to qualify as another bedroom.And the bed? I was fairly certain six people could sleep in it without touching. Not that I planned on testing that theory. Especially considering the current situation.I groaned and shoved my face into the pillow.Three men.Two months.Pick a husband.Whoever I chose would eventually become king. Perfectly normal. Completel

The air had cooled considerably. I pulled my sweater tighter around myself as Drew led me away from the main path. The gardens looked completely different at night. Small lights lined the walkways, their glow catching against flowers and low stone walls. The mansion rose behind us, every window shining like something out of a movie. From here, it almost looked magical. Almost.“You come out here a lot?” I asked, running my finger along a rose petal.Drew nodded. “It’s quieter.”“You don’t like the house?” I stopped, finding his gaze. “I like parts of it.” He shrugged.“Very diplomatic.”“I’ve had practice.”I glanced at him. “What does that mean?”“Another night.”“You have a lot of mysterious answers.”“And you’ve known me less than a day.”“Exactly. I have a deadline.” That wiped the smile off my face almost as quickly as I’d made the joke.Drew noticed. “Hey.”“I’m fine.”“That’s what you said under the tree,” He pointed out.“I was fine then too.”“You looked like you wanted to s

I changed into my bathing suit and pulled a light sundress over it. The creek wasn’t far from the mansion. Drew was waiting near the back steps when I returned. His eyes moved over me. Not in the same blatant way Jay had looked at me yesterday. Just enough that I noticed.“You look nice.” He smiled.My cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”He held out his hand. I stared at it. Apparently this had become a thing. I slipped my fingers into his. “Lead the way.”The path wound beyond the manicured gardens and into a stretch of trees. The farther we walked, the less polished everything became. I liked that. No perfectly shaped hedges. No stone statues. No carefully arranged roses. Just trees, wildflowers, and the faint sound of moving water ahead.“This is better.” I said as my eyes grazed around the path.Drew looked over. “Better than what?”“The mansion.” I shrugged.He laughed. “You’ve been there one day.”“And I already know.”“You really hate it?” Drew asked.I thought about that. “I don’t hat

By dinner, I had managed to convince myself I wasn’t hungry. This was a lie. A very obvious one considering my stomach had growled twice in the last ten minutes. But going downstairs meant sitting at a table with Drew, Jacob, and Jay while pretending I hadn’t spent most of the afternoon mentally ranking them by their ability to rule an entire kingdom. Apparently this was my life now.I sat curled in one of the chairs near my bedroom window, staring at a sketchbook I hadn’t actually drawn anything in. My pencil rested against the paper. A single line crossed the page. That was as far as I’d gotten. Every time I tried to focus, my thoughts wandered.Drew. Mostly Drew. Which was precisely the problem. I liked him. There was no point pretending otherwise. I’d liked holding his hand. I’d liked sitting beside him at the creek. I’d liked leaning against him while his arm wrapped around me as though neither of us was being forced into the strangest courtship imaginable. And he’d admitted he d

Jay followed me out. The door had barely closed when he said, “You were really going to name Jacob.”I turned. “I was considering it.”“And marry Drew.”“I didn’t tell my father that.” I shook my head.“You didn’t have to.”I groaned. “This family.”Jay ignored that. “Did you know Drew is close with your father?”I stopped. There was something in his tone.“What do you mean?”Jay leaned against the wall. “He advises him.”“On what?” Something about his statement made me start to second-guess.“Different things.”“That’s incredibly specific.”Jay shrugged. “Politics. Strategy. Decisions.”I thought about what my father had just said. Drew had spent considerable time around the council. He had an excellent mind for planning.“Why didn’t Drew tell me that?” I frowned.Jay’s expression changed. There it was. The tiniest opening.“He didn’t?” Jay asked.“No.”“Huh.”I hated that sound. “What?”“Nothing.”“Jay.”He looked at me. “Maybe he didn’t think it mattered.”“You don’t believe that.”