Cas didn’t pay close attention to his lesson that day. While his tutor reviewed complex principles of microeconomics, his thoughts were on his plan to get away from his father. He still hadn’t decided if he would be running for good or if he would just leave long enough to get the point across to the king that he was his own man who would no longer allow anyone else to control him, but either way, he needed a short-term plan to hide out until he could think through the steps he wanted to take next. That plan turned into the idea to book a private suite at a hotel near the edge of the city.

As soon as his lesson ended, he went back to his room and made the call to arrange it under the alias ‘Daniel Smith’—he didn’t have time to be creative—and offered to pay quite a bit extra to make the stay as anonymous as possible. All payments were to be made over the phone, he would be let in and out of the building through a back entrance, housekeeping was to wait until after he checked out before they tended to the room, no calls could go through to the suite while he was staying, and the only people who could know he was there were the hotel manager and a few trusted members of the resort’s security. With the promise of a generous wire in exchange for the accommodations, the manager agreed to his requests without question, and the suite was booked. One of the security guards would be waiting to receive him at seven o’ clock at the northeast entrance, but other than that, he was assured that he would enjoy his stay without any interruptions.

With a place to go now, all that was left was to make sure he would have everything he needed to hide out at the hotel comfortably for a few days. The servant his father sent to help him pack for the asylum was the solution to that. Just after lunch, the young man arrived with a small duffle bag to stuff full of any clothes, toiletries, and other necessities that he would need while he was away. Cas thanked him for the bag and then sent him off, assuring him that he didn’t need help choosing what to bring with him. Once he was alone, he tossed a few essentials into the duffle bag, including a reusable bottle of water and his passport—just in case. He hid the latter inside a pair of boxers for safe keeping, so it would be unlikely for anyone to notice it if his father had the bag searched for some reason before the end of the day.

Zipping up the duffle, he set it down in front of the door and then went to work on the last important precaution he needed to take before he left: making sure no one could find him.

He removed his comm device from its place on his waistband and slipped it underneath his mattress. There was no way to turn it off without triggering an alarm, so it was safer to leave it behind completely. From there, he took out his phone and manually disabled the GPS tracking on the device. There was a slim chance that the guards would notice the signal was gone before he left, but unless anyone was actively looking at it, it was more likely that the change would go unnoticed.

Leaning against the edge of his bed, he exhaled restlessly and checked the time. It was still only about three in the afternoon, so he had about three hours left before he needed to leave for Miles’ place. For a while, he’d gone back and forth about whether he should get Iris involved in his plan or not. He didn’t want to put her in any more danger than she already was. However, as he’d considered it further, he’d realized that it was safer for him to bring her with him to the hotel. If his father deployed the royal security to find him, Miles’ place would be one of the first buildings they searched, since they were close friends. He couldn’t leave her there even if he’d wanted to. She would be arrested on sight.

So, when the clock eventually struck six, he made his move. Slipping on his shoes and heading downstairs with the duffle bag slung over his shoulder—he used the excuse that he was going to put it in the car in preparation for tomorrow since he was already going out—he made his way out to the garage, tossed the bag into the trunk, and climbed into the driver’s seat. Already, his heart was racing anxiously as he felt around underneath the steering wheel for the GPS tracker that was plugged into the vehicle’s OBD. His fingers brushed against the little plastic piece and he hesitated for just a second before he pulled it out and dropped it onto the carpet. With that, there was no way for the security team to keep tabs on him. He was free to go anywhere he wanted and not be found.

Jittery with adrenaline and slightly fraying nerves, Cas steered the car out of the garage and took off down the private road that led away from the manor where he’d grown up, not knowing when or if he would be coming back at all.