Freed from Gravity (Bound and Freed #2)

Chapter 34

Thirty-Four

ALLETTE

We need to kill the king .

That isn’t what I expected Senan to say. Not at all.

When I overheard the princes arguing, I assumed they were talking about Senan’s marriage to the princess. That Aeron wanted Senan to reconsider his duty to his wife.

I hate that I’m relieved, but killing the king?

That’s impossible.

Not only does Boris Vale occupy the realm’s tallest towers, but also he is always surrounded by highly trained guards and wards.

Don’t get me wrong—the man is a villain in every sense of the word and needs to be brought to justice for the terrible crimes he has committed, but at the end of the day, he is too powerful.

I don’t want Senan getting hurt, or worse, getting himself killed. Not that I’d ever tell him that if this is something he feels he must do. People have tried to control my prince from the moment he was born. I’ll not have my name added to the list.

Misery lines his brow; conflict dances in his eyes.

“What do you think?” I ask, prepared to support him however I can, no matter his choice.

“Gods, Allette. I don’t even know anymore. The answer should be simple. Boris hurt you and broke me. The crown and throne shouldn’t give anyone a free pass to commit such terrible atrocities. If no one is willing to stand up to him, the atrocities will continue.”

My stomach sinks at the truth in his words. Boris could rule Kumulus for centuries. How much worse will life become for those who’ve made their lives beneath the clouds?

“I have fantasized about his death more often than I care to admit, about making him pay for what he has stolen from us. And yet,” he says on a heavy sigh, “when it comes down to it, I don’t know if I have it in me to take his life. What kind of man does that make me?”

“A good man.” The best man, really. A man whose compassion knows no bounds.

For a moment, I allow the scenario to play out in my mind. We manage to overthrow Boris and all of us survive. What would happen next?

“Who would take his place?” Aeron said their younger brother Rhainn is gone and Prince Kyffin is only a child, not to mention how distressed he must be after being held hostage.

Aeron is responsible for Stratiss, so he cannot take the crown.

Senan’s grimace returns, and my chest tightens when I realize the only option left. “He wants you to do it, doesn’t he?”

His somber nod brings tears to my eyes. “If I file for an annulment, my ties to Nimbiss will be severed, leaving me free to ascend in Kumulus.”

If the princess keeps her promise, the first part of that statement should already be in motion. But if Senan is crowned king, where does that leave us? What of our plans to escape to the seaside and live there for the rest of our days?

It’s selfish to yearn for such a simple life with a man raised to wear a crown, but that’s all I’ve ever wanted.

The man, not the title.

Is it possible to separate the two, or are they one and the same?

How easy it is to ignore reality here beneath the ground, to forget we’re living in a temporary fantasy.

Senan cards a hand through his hair, mussing it even more. “Aeron thinks I’d make a good king. Can you believe that?”

“You would make a brilliant king.” I would follow him anywhere, and once people saw that he had their best interests at heart, they would as well.

His head shakes. “Kumulus deserves someone who hasn’t given in to the darkness.”

That’s not true. Not at all. “How can one understand the value of light if he has never seen darkness?” He might have given in before, but he has also fought tooth and nail to drag himself from the shadows.

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t sign up for this. This was never meant to be our life, our fate.”

“I know that. But dreams are allowed to change.”

“Have your dreams changed, then? Do you dream of being Queen of Kumulus? Of having every decision in your life dictated by others? Of being scrutinized and spoken about in whispers? Hated as much as you are revered?”

“Well, no…” The thought of taking on that responsibility makes my knees quake.

“Exactly. I don’t want any of those things either. And that is why you and I will retire by the seaside like you’ve always wanted. We’ll have a modest house with a garden for lemon trees, and our fourteen children will know a simple life and happiness.”

“Fourteen?”

He presses a tender kiss to my nose. “The number is negotiable. But your happiness is not.”

Senan leans closer, whispering against the shell of my ear, “Now, where is this tattoo of yours?”

My stomach flutters, and as much as I yearn to give in to temptation, there are more important matters at hand. “We need to sort this out first?—”

“There’s nothing to sort out.” He traces a finger along my collarbone. “You and I are going to Stratiss. End of story.”

If that’s true, then why does it feel like this is only the beginning?

“Your tattoo, Allette…” His teeth graze my neck. Nipping. Teasing.

I turn around, offering Senan the buttons at the back of the dress I borrowed from Braith. It seems like nowadays all we do is borrow. Clothes. Shelter. Gold. Time . It feels like nothing belongs to me, not even the man peeling away the gray fabric covering my body.

Senan’s breath catches. “Gods…” Warm fingertips trail down my shift, tracing the outline of my tattoo.

Nothing belongs to me except for the new wings inked upon my skin. “Do you like them?”

Senan tugs my shift off one shoulder, then the other, letting the garment fall to my waist. “Like them? They’re almost as beautiful as you are.” He sketches his fingertips ever so delicately over the ointment Braith’s sister applied to set the ink. “How far down do they go?” His feather-light touch drifts to my ribs.

“You’re welcome to find out.”

My dress falls to the ground, followed by the shift as Senan traces the wings all the way to the base of my spine.

“Stunning.” Bracing his hands on my hips, my prince presses a kiss to my shoulder.

Our conversation hangs in the air between us like a ghost, haunting my mind and his eyes.

“Senan…”

His head falls against my neck, the dark sweep of his hair tickling my bare skin. “Not tonight, Allette. Please. Just give me tonight to love you. Let the only decisions we make be how many times we lose ourselves.”

How can I deny Senan the same escape he has given me time and again?

He turns me around, stealing my next breath as his own, consuming my thoughts with his kiss and ruling every beat of my heart. Our lips crash, our bodies fueled by instinct as we strip out of the clothes keeping us from each other. Mouths seek skin, teeth graze, and tongues discover.

Senan lifts me onto the bed, nudging my knees apart with his thigh, settling between them. His hips punch forward, his stiffness gliding through my folds, sliding over my most sensitive spot.

My exhale leaves on a gasp, my back arching, begging for more.

“Tell me what you need,” he says against the shell of my ear.

I need you to choose me. Over this kingdom and everyone in it. A selfish request that never makes it to my lips. “Do that again.”

He rocks forward, his hips grinding harder.

“Right there. Yes . That’s it. Just like that.”

We don’t rush, making love as if we have all the time in the world. As if this fantasy will never end. Losing ourselves and finding each other, gripping, gasping, flying and falling as one. Nothing stands between us, no words, no space, no clothes, yet this choice looms like a devious shadow, waiting to pounce the moment we pull away.

Thoroughly sated, we cling to each other, determined to keep this connection even as sleep drifts over us like a warm blanket.

Senan is the first to succumb, his soft, even breaths matching mine.

My love.

My mate.

My prince.

A man who could be so much more, if only he would let himself. Tears spill from my lashes, soaking into the pillowcase as I think of all the good he could do for this kingdom—for this realm.

If he truly doesn’t want to be king, then I will support his decision.

But if he wishes to take the throne, then I will stand and fight by his side.