Something in the Heir (It's Reigning Men, #1) Read Free Page B

sustain the royal needs, of which there were plenty.
    “Besides which, she’s a complete drunk!” he whispered in his friend’s ear.
    “True, but you have to admit it was rather funny when she fell down the grand staircase at your father’s birthday party last month. Without that you’d have been left to listen to a string quartet as your only entertainment.”
    Adrian laughed. “Would have been preferable. And here I thought seeing her tumble head over heels down a flight of steps would have been enough for my mother to finally realize the woman’s a total lush. Instead she bought into the whole excuse about Serena’s blood sugar dropping so quickly, and Mother swoops into care for her. Bah! Maybe if she’d eat a meal once in a while, she wouldn’t be so embarrassingly smashed every time I see her.”
    “Obviously, she’s head over heels for you,” Darcy said, smiling. “What better way to prove it to you than quite literally showing you?”
    Adrian moved into a smaller office within the confines of the larger one in which he was pacing, seeking a moment’s solace from onlookers. He pulled Darcy close to him.
    “I can trust you, no matter what, right?” he asked, his brow knit in concern.
    “We’re mates,” Darcy said. “But you already know that!”
    “And you don’t want to see me stuck with that witch for the rest of my life, do you?”
    “Are you kidding me? I’d practically marry her myself just to spare you,” his friend said. “Although, honestly, I couldn’t be that devoid of self-respect, so sorry, she’s all yours.” He chucked him in the arm, a sign of friendship he could only display amongst their closest of friends lest the “hired help” look like more. That whole propping up the royal stature thing really bugged Adrian, but Darcy didn’t mind at all.
    “I need some space, Darcy,” Adrian said. “I need time to think. And maybe to give my mother reason to care more about me as a person rather than a mere branch of the family tree that needs to be spliced together with what she deems to be an appropriate mate. I’m more than a glorified version of one of Mother’s beloved horses, set out to stud to sire racehorse-quality offspring.
    “I can’t even stomach the concept of spending the rest of my life with Serena, let alone the reality of it. I’d give up my royal status and take a job flipping burgers at McDonald’s before I submit to my mother’s demands on this one.”
    “Would you mind telling me how exactly you’re going to succeed with this? You know your mother always gets what she wants. She’s the queen, for God’s sake.”
    “Yes, well, maybe the queen needs to realize her boy is a man now, capable of acting on his own behalf. And I’m going to start that right now.”
    “By?”
    “By slipping away from here, unannounced. Getting out. Going somewhere. Doing something. For once not being led around with a bit in my mouth and a crop at my flanks. I need to get away, Darcy. And I need it now. I can’t hide in Monaforte. But I can easily get lost in America. Think about it — it’s a brilliant idea. Disappear for a while, see what it’s like to actually live a bit.”
    “So you’re running away from home then?”
    “Don’t make it sound so childish. It’s nothing of the sort.”
    Darcy stood back and stared hard at his friend, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders back, his closely-cropped blond hair in direct contrast with the shiny black waves Adrian sported. He leaned forward and fixed his brown eyes to Adrian’s blue ones.
    “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
    “I think it’s the first decision I’ve been serious about my whole life. I’m tired of living the life everyone expects of me. I need to see what it’s like to just be me out there, Darcy. I need you to help me escape. You can hold everyone at bay when they start asking questions. I know I’m asking a lot of you, but I swear to you I’ll be safe and I will