Twisted-Games

I cracked a smile. “Typical.” If there was one thing Edvard von
Ascheberg III hated, it was being fussed over.
“Yeah.” Nikolai let out a half-resigned, half-relieved laugh before he
swept me into a hug. “It’s good to see you, Bridge.”
We didn’t see or talk to each other often. We lived different lives—
Nikolai as crown prince in Eldorra, me as a princess trying her best to pretend
she wasn’t one in the U.S.—but nothing bonded two people like a shared
tragedy.
Then again, if that were true, we should be thick as thieves since our
parents’ deaths. But things hadn’t quite worked out that way.
“It’s good to see you too.” I squeezed him tight before greeting his
girlfriend. “Hi, Sabrina.”
“Hi.” She gave me a quick hug, her face warm with sympathy.
Sabrina was an American flight attendant Nikolai met during a flight to
the U.S. They’d been dating for two years, and their relationship had
generated a media firestorm when it first came to light. A prince dating a
commoner? Tabloid heaven. Coverage had died down since then, partly
because Nikolai and Sabrina kept their relationship under such tight wraps,
but their pairing was still very much gossiped about in Athenberg society.
Perhaps that was why I felt such pressure to date someone “appropriate.”
I didn’t want to disappoint my grandfather, too. He’d warmed up to Sabrina,
but he’d had a conniption when he first found out about her.
“He’s waiting for you inside.” Nikolai flashed a lopsided grin. “Just don’t
hover or he’ll kick you out too.”
I managed a laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’ll wait here,” Rhys said. He usually insisted on following me
everywhere, but he seemed to know I needed alone time with my grandfather.
I gave him a grateful smile before I stepped into the hospital room.
Edvard was, as promised, awake and sitting up in bed, but the sight of
him in a hospital gown and hooked up to machines brought back an onslaught
of memories.
“Daddy, wake up! Please wake up!” I sobbed, trying to break out of
Elin’s grasp and run to his aside.“Daddy!”
But no matter how loud I screamed or how hard I cried, he remained pale
and unmoving. The machine next to his bed let out a flat, steady whine, and
everyone in the room was yelling and running around except for my
grandfather, who sat with his head lowered and shoulders shaking. They’d