#CHAPTER 22: A Budding Romance

FELIX The motel Mila was staying at was… cheap, to say the least. This area of town–just off of Fresia’s main strip of retail–was, to put it mildly, seedy. I had never spent time in this particular area. Rumors of gang violence had swirled around this street for years, and the safety of the citizens was something that heavily weighed on my father. Something that weighed on me, too. The streets didn’t have any lights, and the buildings were just a tad too rundown. It wasn’t a place for a prince to go walking alone at night. Or a woman, for that matter. Mila’s motel was arguably the worst building on the block. The paint was peeling from the shutters, and one of the stairs leading up to the main entrance was completely broken. One of the windows–I prayed that it wasn’t one in Mila’s room–was shattered and covered over with cardboard. Mila ducked her head as we approached the main steps, or what was left of them. Through our bond, I could tell she felt embarrassed. I