Cas could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he stared, unmoving, at the texts on his phone. He didn’t understand what was going on. Why was someone texting him photos of Iris? Why now? He’d finally started to move on from her disappearance, and suddenly everything he’d thought he knew was being thrown into question. He wondered with horror if she hadn’t left him intentionally but had been abducted by her lunatic ex-boyfriend. If so, he had no idea how the rebel could have gotten inside the capital without alerting the border security.

But then again, he also couldn’t fathom how the other man could have gotten ahold of his personal cell phone number, so anything was possible.

His head felt like it was swimming, and each second felt like an hour. Finally, a response from the original sender came through, but it did nothing to reassure him of the situation. Instead, he read the blackmail on his screen with a sinking stomach. Someone—probably Ethan—had Iris and was using her as leverage to force him to abdicate the throne. Of all the possible scenarios that could have come along with her absence, this one had never once crossed his mind.

He should have gotten Jacob involved. There was still time to tell the guard about what was going on, but he already knew what the other man would say. His reign as king and as the only living successor to the crown was more important than a common girl from the outer districts. As soon as the guard caught wind of what was going on, he would double down on security throughout the capital to make sure no one got in or out of the city. There was no way he would risk sending any of his men to rescue Iris when someone was threatening Aspiria’s monarchy.

Then the second text followed the first, and Cas felt his throat tighten. Ethan was insane. Was he going to torture Iris if he refused to step down? Reading the words dazedly, he raked a hand through his dark hair. He didn’t know what to do. Whether he wanted to or not, he knew that giving up the crown wasn’t on the table, so he couldn’t comply with the rebel’s demands. However, he also couldn’t go about his days with the knowledge that somewhere, Iris was suffering because of his decision.

When he’d thought she had left him of her own free will, he’d been able to slowly move on with his life, but now, he felt convinced that someone else had taken her. He had to get her back. Wherever she was, she clearly didn’t want to be there, and it was likely that he was the only other person who knew she was being held captive. The thought of going after her alone, returning to the districts beyond the capital, made him feel dizzy, but what other choice did he have? He’d drive himself mad if he pretended like he hadn’t read those messages. Even though he had responsibilities as king, he also had responsibilities to the woman he loved. He had to save her from her lunatic ex-boyfriend.

He also couldn’t let Ethan know what he was planning, so with a steadying breath, he typed back a carefully worded reply:

[center][b]I will not step down, so you might as well give up on that angle. It isn’t going to work. I’ll also be disconnecting this phone’s service first thing in the morning, so don’t bother trying to send more photos to this number. It was a nice try, but Aspiria will always come first. As long as I’m king, I’ll do everything in my power to keep this country safe from enemies like you.[/b][/center]