Cas sighed when Iris apologized to him. He should have known she’d find a way to take the blame for this too, even though she had nothing to do with it. Neither of them could control what his father chose to do. Atlas was the king of Aspiria, and he made his own decisions. Unfortunately for them, his decision had been to lock his only son up in a mental ward for a nonexistent disorder. If he could have avoided telling her about what had happened, he would have, but she and Miles had been through so much already that he’d felt like they’d deserved at least a vague explanation of what was going on back at his home. He just wished she would stop carrying the burden of anything bad that happened to anyone. It was too much for any one person to handle, and he planned to talk to her more about it the next time he had the chance.

For now, though, they had a more pressing issue to tackle. He nodded when she asked about bringing clothes. He hadn’t known she had any of her own, since she’d only been wearing the hospital gown they’re rescued her in when she had gotten to Miles’ place. However, in retrospect he realized she’d had on a different outfit every time he’d stopped by to see her. Miles must have given her some stuff to wear while she was staying with him.

While he waited for her to gather her things, he pulled his phone from his pocket and switched it to airplane mode. Just in case he needed to turn it back on quickly, he didn’t turn it all the way off, but now that he was about to hit the road with a fugitive, he didn’t want to receive any calls from his father or Jacob or any of the other guards that might make his resolve waver. He couldn’t turn back now. Getting caught or giving up would mean an indefinite stay at an asylum, being fed cocktail of strong drugs to keep him “safe” and numb while he sat through hours of sessions with doctors who believed he was unstable. That just wasn’t an option.

“Well… I can’t say I was expecting this, but I’m sure you know what you’re doing,” Miles crossed his arms apprehensively. “If you need anything you have my number.”

[color=#b97703]“Thanks,”[/color] Cas turned back to him with a halfhearted, appreciative smile. Privately, he doubted he would call either of his close friends while he was on the run, since the soldiers could trace his signal if he tried, but he was still grateful for the offer. It was nice to know that Miles wasn’t upset or disappointed that he was potentially abandoning his inheritance as the crown prince of their kingdom.

He waited for Iris and Miles to say their goodbyes—his friend hugged both of them on their way out—before he headed back into the hallway to make sure there were no servants around to see them. Luckily, the corridor was clear, so he gestured for Iris to follow him as he strode briskly to the front door and down the perron in front of his parked car. Not planning to stay long, he’d left the vehicle running, so they could leave right away. As soon as the doors were closed and they were buckled into their seats, he steered them back into the street.

[color=#b97703]“I booked a room anonymously at the Sunset Veil Resort on the edge of the city,”[/color] he finally told her with a brief glance, relaxing just a little now that they were alone. He still checked his rearview mirror as he drove, but as time passed, he was starting to gain confidence that they would get away. [color=#b97703]“We won’t be able to get in and out without being seen by anyone, but the only people who will know we’re there are the manager and security guard who lets us in through the back door. I have a pair of sunglasses you can borrow in the glove compartment, so you can disguise yourself at least a little when we get there too.”[/color]