Twisted-Games

as someone like me can get.”
I can’t breathe here, Nik.
“I know it’s a lot,” Nikolai said, his face softening. “But we were born for
this, and you grew up here. You didn’t have an issue with the attention
before.”
Yes, I did. I just never showed it.
“I was young.” We came to a stop on our horses, and I stroked my horse’s
mane, taking comfort in the familiar feel of its silky hair beneath my hand.
“People weren’t as vicious when I was young, and that was before I went to
college and experienced what being a normal girl feels like. It feels…good.”
Nikolai stared at me with a strange expression. If I didn’t know better, I
would’ve sworn it was guilt, but that made no sense. What could he be guilty
about?
“Bridge…”
“What?” My heart pounded faster. His tone, his expression, the tight set
of his shoulders. Whatever he had to say, I wouldn’t like it.
He looked down. “You’re going to hate me for this.”
I tightened my grip on my reins. “Just tell me.”
“Before I do, I want you to know I didn’t plan for this to happen,” Nikolai
said. “I never expected to meet Sabrina and fall in love with her, nor did I
expect this is where we’d be two years later.”
Confusion mingled with my apprehension. What does Sabrina have to do
with this?
“I wanted to tell you earlier,” he added. “But then Grandfather got
hospitalized and everything was so crazy…” His throat bobbed with a hard
swallow. “Bridge, I asked Sabrina to marry me. And she said yes.”
Of everything I’d expected him to say, that wasn’t it. Not by a long shot.
I didn’t know Sabrina well, but I liked her. She was sweet and funny and
made my brother happy. That was enough for me. I didn’t understand why he
would be nervous about telling me. “Nik, that’s amazing. Congratulations!
Did you tell Grandfather already?”
“Yes.” Nikolai was still watching me with a guilty look in his eyes.
My smile faded. “Was he upset? I know he wasn’t happy when you
started dating because—” I stopped. Icy fingers crawled down my spine as
the pieces finally clicked. “Wait,” I said slowly. “You can’t marry Sabrina.
She’s not of noble blood.”
That was the law talking, not me. Eldorra’s Royal Marriages Law