Surrogate for the Alpha Prince in a Coma novel Chapter 38

Chapter 38

+15 Banus

I tried to imagine them as younger boys. Benedict would have still had a few years on Grayson, a teenager to Grayson as a boy. I thought of a serious young Grayson glaring disapprovingly at his uncle, slacking off.

The thought was so innocent and endearing that it brought a smile to my lips.

Benedict pointed. “Ah, there it is. Your smile. If only Grayson was awake and could know that just your thinking of him makes you smile. He’s a lucky man, truly. Or at least he would be if… you know…”

My smile didn’t last, faltering at the thought of Grayson as I knew him now, glaring at me. Despising me.

“I don’t feel so lucky,” I admitted.

“Then you aren’t paying attention, Luna Princess,” Benedict said.

When we arrived at Grayson’s door, I held my breath, but as Benedict opened the door and we stepped inside, Grayson was once again on the mattress, eyes closed, playing pretend perfectly.

I stayed near the door as Benedict walked farther into the room. He didn’t say anything, just went up to Grayson and looked down at him. Gently, he placed his hand on Grayson’s shoulder.

A moment passed.

“Good to see you, Grayson,” Benedict said. “Next time maybe greet me too, yeah? Everyone’s worried about you. Maybe I am too.”

He left his hand there for another moment, then straightened and walked back to the door.

“Goodnight, Lillian,” he said, and slipped outside.

“Goodnight, Benedict,” I replied, and made sure the door was locked behind him.

As soon as I turned around, facing the room once more, Grayson was out of bed, looking furious.

“You are early,” Grayson said.

“The Queen confronted me about not being pregnant. Benedict showed me out.”

“Benedict, is it? Not Prince Benedict?”

I swallowed hard, embarrassed at having forgot myself. It was so easy to forget Benedict was a prince when he acted like such a normal man.

Meanwhile, Grayson, exuding cold and menace, was clearly a man with status, untouchable by all others.

“He’s only being kind,” I said. “And I’m also only being cordial.”

“Like how you are kind with Calvin?”

“I am not kind with Calvin,” I said. “I told you, I don’t care for Calvin anymore. I don’t know if I ever did, or if I was just enamored with him at the time. He had me under his spell. But I will never fall for that again.”

Grayson watched me closely. As much as he did this, studying me, seeing through me, maybe I should have been used to it. But I wasn’t. There was no getting used to the intensity of Grayson’s gaze.

“I know Calvin is trying to kill me.”

“What?” I gasped. Calvin had some crazy plans, but to actually attempt to kill the prince? Was he out of his mind?

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Chapter 35

+15 Bghus

“You will not hide any of Calvin’s movements from me,” Grayson said. “I have every reason to think you might be a part of his plans.”

“I would never work with Calvin,” I said, adamant.

“Are you sure?”

“I am telling you,” I said, furious that he would still doubt me, even now, even after all our other arguments. Maybe there was nothing I could do to convince him, but I had to keep trying. If anything about this situation was going to work out in my favor, we had to be on the same side. “I will not do that.”

Grayson continued to look at me with mistrust. “What if Calvin made a threat?”

“There’s nothing he could threaten.”

“What if he offered my life in exchange for your brother’s?” Grayson asked. “What wouldn’t you do to save your brother, if Calvin made that threat?”

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