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“I have to go, Jordan. I might text you later.” He spins quickly and leaves us alone.

At last. I was milliseconds from clocking him in the fucking face.

“Don’t think about talking to her again, Ronan,” I call after him. He glances at us once more before he picks his pace up.

“Are you serious?” Jordan seethes, her beautiful face scrunching in frustration as she spins in my arms, our bodies closer than she probably allows herself.

“We’re going home,” I state, dragging her to my car.

Asher and Blake are gone now. I swing the door open, guiding a protesting Jordie inside, and to my surprise, she’s not fighting it. She sits and crosses her arms over her chest as I shut the door and get into the driver's seat.

“Put your seatbelt on.”

“You’re not my keeper,” she says, punctuating every word.

I roll my eyes and lean over her, grabbing the seatbelt and pulling it across her. My gaze catches on her parted lips as her breath hitches. My tongue darts over my bottom lip as I remember the way that mouth felt around me. She’s pushing her back into the seat, but before I can make any more diabolical decisions tonight, I pull away. Lacey’s scent still lingers in my nose, and it makes me want to throw up.

Starting the engine, I weave through the prongs of people and out of the churchyard.

“I can’t believe you,” Jordan complains, slumping further down into my navy leather seats.

“Did I not tell you no one will be coming near you ever again?”

“Neither are you.”

Wrong.

I grip the steering wheel hard, my nails digging into the leather. “What is St Anton’s, Jordie?” Of course, I tried to research it, but there’s no trace of anywhere called St Anton’s. Only churches miles away from Blackcastle, and I doubt they sent her to live in one of those.

“It’s none of your business, asshole.”

I decide to drop the subject. She won’t tell me. At least, not yet. “Stay away from him.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do?”

“Your stepbrother.” I grin.

She lets out a very dramatic, throaty groan. “Pull over. I’m walking the rest of the way.”

I ignore her because like hell am I letting her walk home.

“Pull. Over,” she demands.

I turn the music up.

She huffs, throwing herself to the side and pressing her legs into the door. Soon enough, gentle snores fill my car.

It’s not long until we arrive back home and I reach my arm out to stroke her shoulder with hesitation, because I know as soon as she wakes she’ll hate me again. For the short drive here, it was nice to just pretend we were normal again.

Jordie grunts as I go over a small bump, making her sway in the seat.

“Jordie,” I whisper, hand massaging her in a gentle wakeup call.

“Hmm.” She sighs, shifting.

I switch the car off, and it puts us into a muted silence.

She’s still asleep as I stare at the sprawling castle in front of us for a while, a yellow hue already peaking in from the sky behind it. Guilt wraps around me like a vice with the knowledge I have to take her back inside. I don’t want to. All I want to do is drive us away from here, but there’s too many variables against us right now, and I can’t fight my family on my own. If we run, they will come after us. If we run, it won’t change the fact the love of my fucking life hates me.