Madeline’s POV
I was worried. I wasn’t sure if keeping quiet was the right thing to do. I was sure that the council would expect me to say something. I was sure that they would want me to say something. She was in there because of me. I was sure that they wouldn’t want me to stay silent.
I was also worried about Dimitri not letting me help him. Didn’t he trust me? Didn’t he think I would be a good queen? Did he think that I would embarrass him or do something wrong?
I had so many questions on my mind, but I was afraid to look for answers. What would I do if I found out that Dimitri didn’t trust me? What would I do if I found out that he thought I would be a bad queen?
A knock on my bedroom door made me look away from the window.
“Come in,” I said and watched the door open.
Ellie walked inside and smiled at me.
“Are you ready?” she asked, looking around the room. “Where is Dimitri?”
“Shower,” I mumbled as I turned around and leaned against the windowsill. “He will be here in a minute.”
Ellie closed the door and looked me up and down.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “You look worried.”
I gulped and took a deep breath.
“There is no need to worry, Mads,” Ellie said softly. “Dimitri will handle it.”
I shook my head and looked at my feet.
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” I mumbled.
Ellie was silent for a moment.
“Why?” she asked, her voice laced with confusion. “He can handle them, Maddie. You don’t have to be worried about him.”
I looked up at her and sighed.
“I am not,” I said, shaking my head a little. “I know that he can handle them. I believe in him. I just…”
I stopped talking and bit my lower lip. I wasn’t sure if I could share this with Ellie. She seemed great, but I barely knew her.
“Just what?” Ellie asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I had nothing to lose by telling her. At least I hoped so.
“I wish he would let me help him,” I said. “I don’t want him to handle those things alone. This whole thing is about me anyway. I am the reason she is being punished.”
“No, Maddie,” Ellie said immediately. “She is the reason she is being punished. She chose to be a bitch and hurt you. She chose to do those things and you are not the reason she is in that cell.”
I looked back at my feet and took a deep breath.
“And I am sure that Dimitri wants to handle this himself because of Kendrick,” Ellie finished with a sigh.
I looked back up at her and furrowed my eyebrows.
“That guy is disgusting, Maddie,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “Didn’t you see the way he was looking at you? Didn’t you read his mind?”
I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to remember if I ever read his mind. I couldn’t remember it, though.
And then I remembered why.
“I was always with Dimitri,” I said. “I couldn’t read his mind because I was always with Dimitri.”
I didn’t know why, but I never heard other people’s thoughts when I was around him. I didn’t even think about that whole issue in the last couple of days. Something more important always came up. Besides, I was with him all the time lately so I couldn’t read anyone’s mind.
“Well, that explains it then,” Ellie mumbled. “I wonder if you could read his mind if you were alone with him.”
“Alone with who?” Dimitri’s voice made both Ellie and I flinch.
I looked at him and my heart raced. He looked amazing in the suit he was wearing. I bit my lower lip and imagined taking it off him.
Madeline. He mind-linked me. Stop it.
He narrowed his eyes at me and I gulped.
“Alone with Kendrick,” Ellie said, interrupting our silent conversation.
Dimitri growled loudly. “That is never going to happen! She is never going to be alone with that pathetic excuse of a man!”
Ellie raised her hands in surrender.
“I didn’t say that she would, Dimitri,” Ellie said calmly. “I was just wondering if she would be able to read his mind if she was alone with him.”
Ellie looked at me and furrowed her eyebrows.
“Well, not alone,” she added. “If she was with him without you being present there.”
Dimitri growled again. He approached me and pulled me to his chest.
“We will never know the answer to that question,” he said angrily. “I will never allow him to be near her without me being present there. I don’t need Maddie to read his mind to know what he is thinking.”
Ellie raised her eyebrows and nodded.
“I agree,” she mumbled. “It is pretty easy to know what the fucker is thinking.”
Dimitri was shaking a little. I rubbed his back and he looked at me.
“It’s okay,” I said softly. “I will never be alone with him. You will always be there.”
I smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss me softly.
“Mine,” he mumbled quietly.
I am yours. I mind-linked him. I am only yours and no one is taking me from you.
He caressed my cheek and took a deep breath.
I love you. I told him through our mind-link.
I love you too. He responded. More than anything else in this world, Maddie.
I smiled at him and he placed another kiss on my lips.
“Okay, enough,” Ellie interrupted, sighing loudly. “You need to go. You will be late.”
Dimitri took my hand in his and lifted it to his lips. He kissed my knuckles and smiled at me.
“Everything is going to be okay, princess,” he said softly. “Let’s get this over with.”
I nodded and he started leading me out of our bedroom.
My stomach was twisting and turning painfully. I had a bad feeling about the meeting.
