Chapter 38

Rafe looks at me with a little grimace, slowly taking the envelope out of the box and moving to tuck it into his back pocket for later, not wanting to make me watch.

“No, read it!” I say, flapping my hands at him and working hard to tuck my disappointment low in my stomach. Because, I mean, I know that if mom knew I was here she would never have left me out would probably have written me the longest letter of all. I can’t be hurt by this, and I don’t want him to have to wait.

“Are you sure?” he asks, hesitating, turning the envelope over in his hands.

Jesse rips his open, digging in, giving me a little shrug. I nod eagerly at Rafe, encouraging him, as Ben gives me a soft pat on the shoulder, not saying anything but…letting me know that he’s here for me.

Rafe sighs but can’t help it. He settles back into the couch cushions as he opens and unfolds his letter, a smile already on his lips as he reads through the first

words. noveldrama

“Did we miss anything?” Ben asks cheerfully, tipping the box towards the two of us as we sit together on the rug, giving Rafe and Jesse their privacy.

“I don’t think so,” I say, peeking into the box again, willing to take up Ben’s offer of a distraction so that I don’t get overwhelmed by my jealousy.

“Yes, we did,” Ben says, laughing and reaching into the bottom of the box.

“What?” I say, surprised, leaning closer. “What is it?”

And my heart absolutely falls to pieces when Ben pulls from the bottom of the box a very, very pretty blue velvet hair ribbon, already tied into a bow with a silver clip. at the back.

I give an unintentional little gasp when I see it, as my eyes rove over the soft fabric, the little silver trim that runs along the edge-

Because I know, without even having to read the little tag attached to the clip, that this is from my mom, and that she sent it for me.

But my stomach plummets as Ben picks up the tag, his eyes moving quickly over my mom’s small, swirling handwriting.

Rafe-

I know that this box is to celebrate you, but I couldn’t help myself.

When you next see Ariel, will you please give this to her?

I know she would like it.

Tell my beautiful girl we miss her and that she is much loved.

-Mom

My eyes fill with tears as I read the note over Ben’s shoulder.

Very quietly, almost gently, Ben turns to me with the velvet hair ribbon flat on his palm.

“Here,” he says, giving me a little smile. “You should have it.”

1 stare at Ben with wide eyes, all the blood draining from my face as I lean away from him in shock, the heels of my hands hitting the ground behind me and taking all of my weight.

Because he…

Why is he giving this to me?

What does he….

A snarl suddenly rips from Rafe’s throat and Ben goes very, very still, the ribbon balanced on his hand. I whip my eyes to my brother and my cousin and sit up very straight and very still as I realize that this…

This just got quite dangerous for Ben.

“Ben,” Rafe says, leaning forward on the couch, his eyes focused solemnly on Ben’s face. “What are you doing with that?”

“Um,” Ben says, his eyes flicking to the blue velvet ribbon on his palm.

“Why,” Rafe continues, his voice rumbling low with menace now, “are you giving

that to Ari?”

My eyes flick back to Ben, whose gaze I’m surprised to find already on me, wide

and frantic, looking at me for answers. I stay very still for a second and then as he tilts his head to the side with a little bit of irony, looking at me like this is all my fault-

I realize that he definitely, definitely already knows.

“Oh god damn it. Ben!” I shout, lashing a foot out and giving him a good solid kick in the thigh. “How long have you known!?”

His face suddenly bursts into a grin as he flinches away from me, a relieved laugh stumbling from him as he sees that I’m not going to kill him, just kick him. “From like, the first time we did after–hours

training, Ariel –”

Jesse gasps to hear my name coming from Ben’s mouth.

Ben turns when he hears it. “I mean, that’s it, right?” he says, looking between my brother and my cousin before coming back to me. “She’s – she’s Ariel Sinclair, right? The Princess?” he turns to Rafe now, who still has his teeth bared. “Your sister, not your cousin?”

Jesse groans, covering his face with his hands and falling back in his chair, but Rafe just leans forward, his tone still dangerous even if Jesse and I have given it up.

“Who the f**k have you told, Ben?”

Ben is silent for a second, the picture of shock. But then he leans forward, staring little angrily. “No one, Rafe! Obviously, I haven’t told anyone, or

into Rafe’s face, $

else she wouldn’t be here!”

“I think he’s telling the truth, Rafe,” I say, turning to my brother with a grimace. “They wouldn’t have let me in if they knew who I am.”

Rafe glares at me for a second before turning his eyes back to Ben. “That doesn’t. mean he didn’t tell any of the other cadets.”

“Who the hell else would I have told,” Ben says, leaning forward with his open palms out, “I only hang out with you guys

Rafe sneers. “You could have told anyone for the leverage.”

“Oh my god,” Ben says, exhaling and shocking me because he actually has the nerve to roll his eyes. “Whatever, Rafe – I mean, I get that you’re protective, but honestly if you trust me this little after everything then maybe I should just go-

Ben starts to push himself to his knees.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Rafe shouts, leaping to his feet.

“Well, what the f**k am I supposed to do!” Ben shouts back at Rafe, genuinely pissed. “Do you want me to just sit here all day so you can glare at me and accuse me of selling your sister’s secrets for leverage? Honestly, like that’s something I’d even do.”

“He has a point, Rafe,” Jesse says, his voice tentative. I shift my eyes to him now. “If Ben was going to tell…he’d probably have done it by now. And he’s met you, he knows that any leverage he got from spilling the secret is probably not going to outweigh the risk of you ripping out his throat.”

“Or,” Ben says, turning his anger on Jesse now, “one of you could just consider that maybe I’m not holding Ariel’s secret because I’m scared, but because I like you guys and we’re friends.”

“Aw, Ben.” I say, genuinely touched now. “That’s sweet! I believe you.”

“Thank you, Ari,” he says, sighing hard and relaxing a little bit. “Can we seriously take the murderous tension in the room down a notch? I’m not going to tell anyone. Nothing has changed. You guys just… know that I know now. Okay?”

Rafe and Jesse look at each other for a long moment, but then Rafe scowls and sits back on the couch, folding his arms over his chest, glaring at Ben even as he gives in. “You’re sworn to secrecy, Ben,” he snaps, still mad. “All right? You tell anyone, and you’ll pay for it. Big time. Like, your sons and heirs for generations will pay for it.”

“I swear,” Ben says seriously, holding Rafe’s eyes and then mine, which I appreciate. And then he turns, picking my little ribbon up off the floor and handing it over to me. “Your ribbon, Princess. It’s pretty!”

“Thanks!” I say, taking it from him cheerfully and tracing my finger over the soft velvet. “It is, isn’t it?”

I lean close to Ben, bumping his shoulder with mine, letting him know that as far as I’m concerned, he’s good. And I grin, because honestly – I don’t mind Ben knowing. Over the past two weeks I’ve really come to trust him without, I think, even realizing it. He gets my experience here more than the others, after all they didn’t have to worry about being cut like the two of us did.

“All right.” Rafe says, cutting through our buddy–buddy atmosphere. “Tell us how you knew, Ben, so that we can prevent others from figuring it out.”

“And also.” Jesse adds, getting in on the interrogation now, “do you think anyone else has guessed as well?”

“I really don’t.” Ben says, smiling now, I think glad to have his knowledge of our secret out in the open. “You guys do a really good job of sticking together as a trio, not really letting anyone else in. Though I can’t believe Luca hasn’t figured it out yet.”

“Yeah, me neither.” Jesse says, shooting his eyes to me with a clever little smirk that makes me want to punch him. God, he’s being so obvious – Rafe’s going to figure it out if he keeps smirking at me like that.