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"Yes"

"And then you took your al brother back to the palace?"

"Yes!" I say I’m not mad at my friends I’m mad at myself "It was dark and the streets were so crowded I didn’t knoho’d hurt him I didn’t knohat to do, so Alexei helped et out?" Rosie asks "I mean, if the royal family wants you both dead and all"

"Douards that he was there to arrest Alexei, and then he dragged the three of us out of the palace and back to the eeneral he knows and he sent a helicopter to get us They flew us to an arery He lived Barely And as soon as he could be moved, Dominic took the three of us on the run"

"Took you where?" Megan asks

Alexei and I share a look, and I shrug "Everywhere," I say "We keptto get better if they kept chasing us, so I …"

"So you what?" Now it’s Alexei who is ave them someone else to chase"

That’s the truth, isn’t it? It’s why I’m here Why I’m not somewhere safely under the Scarred Man’s watch Or as safe as I possibly could be No one seeht, I know Just because the people in this train car know there’s never any use arguing with me

"Grace" It’s Noah who breaks the silence He’s not pleading, not bla He’s just honestly confused as he says, "Why?"

I should answer I owe him that much More I owe them all more than I could ever, ever repay But for some reason I just look at Alexei

"How familiar are you all with the story of the lost princess of Adria?" he says, as if super hot Russian guys are often obsessed with princess stories

"You an says "Amelia? The one as killed in the coup?"

"She wasn’t killed," Alexei tells them

"Awesome!" Rosie exclaims after athat for weeks, haven’t I? I mean, that has always beenhis head "That’s crazy"