Chapter Eight
THE DRIVE TO THE SCHOOL took an eternity.
Mik’hail sat rigid in the backseat of the car, the crumpled letter still clutched in his fist, his mind racing with all the things he needed to say to her. All the things he should have said weeks ago, before he’d ruined everything with his cowardice.
I’m destined to be with another man.
The words burned through him, stoking a fury he could barely contain.
She wasn’t destined for anyone but him. She had been his from the moment she’d curtsied before him and called him ‘akh’ with that teasing sparkle in her eyes. His from the moment she’d kissed his cheek and made his whole world tilt on its axis.
His Briar.
And tonight, he would make sure she knew it.
The dormitory matron tried to stop him when he arrived at the doorstep of her building—
“Your Highness, visiting hours are over, and the young ladies are preparing for bed—”
But Mik’hail didn’t even break stride. “Which room is Lady Aurora’s?”
“I really must insist—”
He turned to look at her, and whatever she saw in his face made her go pale.
“End of the hall,” she whispered. “Last door on the right.”
“Thank you.” Manners should not be forgotten, not even when he had a ward to discipline and reclaim. But when he reached her room, he also didn’t bother knocking...because manners could also be temporarily set aside, depending on how important the mission one meant to accomplish.
And the mission he was on right now?
It spelled the difference between living and merely existing, and when he entered the room and finally saw her—
Aurora.
The sheikh knew he was exactly where he needed to be the moment his gaze fell on the girl who had so easily captured his heart without even trying.
She stood frozen by the window, wrapped in nothing but a thin robe, her damp hair falling in waves around her shoulders. She must have just come from the shower, her skin still flushed from the heat, and the sight of her stole the breath from his lungs.
So beautiful.
So achingly, impossibly beautiful.
And she thought she belonged to someone else.
“Your Highness?” Her voice was strained. “What are you—”
“You wish me well?” He stepped into the room, kicking the door shut behind him. “You’re destined to be with another man?”
Aurora blinked. “What are you—”
“You think you can dismiss me with a few polite lines?” He advanced on her, and she retreated until her back met the wall. “You think you can thank me for helping you find someone else?”
“I don’t know what you’re tal—”
“Don’t lie to me.” He braced his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. This close, she was intoxicating. He could see the rapid flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat, could feel the warmth radiating from her skin. “Tell me his name.”
“There is no one—”
“Tell me his name, Aurora. It’s the only thing you didn’t write—”
“I didn’t write anything!” Her eyes were bright with unshed tears now. “Ella just gave me your letter, and y-you...you were the one who wished me well, and it m-made me cry, I c-couldn’t—I had to—”
Mik’hail went still the moment he heard Aurora mention the other girl’s name, and understanding dawned, slow and terrible.
Ella, you meddlesome brat.
It was Ella, not Aurora.
Ella who had played matchmaker because she had seen how Aurora had cried over his missive.
“Mik’hail?” Her voice was small now, uncertain. “What did the letter say?”
He couldn’t speak. Could barely breathe.
“What did it say?” she asked again, and this time her voice cracked. “Was it—did Ella tell you I’d found someone else? Is that why you’re here? To make sure I don’t embarrass you by—”
“Stop.”
The word came out hoarse, ragged.
“Stop,” he said again, softer this time. He released the wall and cupped her face in his hands, tilting it up so she had no choice but to meet his eyes. “I’m not here because of embarrassment. I’m not here because of duty or obligation or any of the other excuses I’ve been hiding behind.”
Aurora’s lips parted, but no sound came out.
“I’m here,” Mik’hail said grimly, “because the thought of you with another man made me want to tear the world apart.”
A tear slipped down her cheek.
“I’m here because I’ve been miserable without you. Because I can’t sleep, can’t think, can’t breathe without wondering if you’re okay. Because pushing you away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not strong enough to do it again.”
“Then why, akh?” The words came out broken. “Why did you do it in the first place? Why did you tell me you wanted to marry Ella? Why did you—”
“Because I was afraid.” He brushed the tear away with his thumb. “Because you’re Aretha’s sister, and I thought—I thought if anyone found out about us, it would destroy you. The scandal, the rumors, the way people would talk—”
“I don’t care about any of that.”
“I know.” His voice was raw. “I know you don’t. But I do. I care about protecting you, even from myself.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought if I pushed you away, you’d be better off. But then I read that letter, and I thought—”
He couldn’t finish.
“You thought I’d moved on,” Aurora whispered.
“Yes.”
“I could never move on from you.” Fresh tears were spilling down her cheeks now.
“Don’t you understand? I’ve been in love with you since I was eighteen years old.
I’ve wanted you for so long that I don’t even remember what it feels like not to want you.
And when you told me you were going to marry someone else—”
Her voice broke.
“It broke me, Mik’hail. It completely broke me.”
The sound of his name on her lips undid him.
“I’m sorry.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Briar.” He kissed her cheek, tasting salt. “I was a fool.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “A coward.” And then, finally, he kissed her lips, soft and reverent. “Can you forgive me?”
She answered by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him back.
The kiss started gentle, but it didn’t stay that way.
All the weeks of longing, all the nights of wanting, all the desperate aching need they’d both been fighting—it all came pouring out the moment their lips met.
Aurora’s fingers dug into his hair, pulling him closer. Mik’hail groaned against her mouth and lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he carried her to the narrow bed.
He laid her down and braced himself above her, drinking in the sight of her.
Her hair spread across the pillow like spun gold.
Her robe had fallen open, revealing the thin nightgown beneath, and he could hear the rapid catch of her breath, could feel how much she wanted him in the way her body arched toward his.
“Mik’hail.” Her voice was breathless and helpless. “Please.”
“Tell me to stop.” He was already lowering his mouth to her throat, already learning the wild flutter of her pulse. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
“I...I...” Her back arched as his lips trailed lower. “I c-can’t...”
He groaned against her skin. “Aurora—”
“I j-ju...” Her hands were tugging at his robes now, desperate to feel his skin against hers. “P-Please, akh...”
The words broke the last thread of his control.
He kissed her deeply, thoroughly, losing himself in the warmth of her as she sighed into his mouth. She was so soft beneath him, so responsive to every touch.
When he finally parted her robe and slipped the nightgown from her shoulders, she didn’t shy away. She looked up at him with those stormy blue-gray eyes, vulnerable and trusting, and in her eyes were words that, once seen, could never be unseen.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
The words destroyed and rebuilt him in ways he could never describe. He could only kiss her again.
Stroke her with fingers that revered the softness of her skin. And when her sighs turned into whimpers, he lifted her up so he could claim her with his lips and bring her body to release.
As the shudders gradually faded, he slowly moved up, and as their gazes met, he knew she could see her words reflected in his.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
She touched his cheek with trembling fingers. “I c-can’t believe this is real.”
Mik’hail pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s real.”
“You’re not going to change your mind in the morning? Tell me this was a mistake and send me away again?”
The vulnerability in her voice made him hold her tighter.
“Never.” He tipped her chin up, needing her to see the truth in his eyes. “I’m done running, Briar. I’m done being afraid. I want you—only you—for the rest of my life.”
Her breath caught. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying—” He paused, suddenly aware of how inadequate words were for this moment. “I’m saying that I want to marry you, Aurora. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep beside you every night. I want to give you everything—my heart, my kingdom, my name.”
Tears were streaming down her face again, but this time it was accompanied by a smile that wobbled on her lips.
“Will you marry me, Aurora?”
“Yes.” She laughed through her tears. “Yes, yes, yes.”
They drove back to the palace in the early hours of the morning, Aurora asleep in his arms.
Mik’hail couldn’t stop looking at her. Couldn’t stop touching her hair, her cheek, the soft curve of her shoulder. She was his now. Really, truly his. And in a few months, the whole world would know it.
He was already planning the announcement in his head when the car pulled through the palace gates. Already imagining the look on Gordan’s face when he told him the news.
But when the car rolled to a stop and Mik’hail looked up, he knew at once that something was wrong.
Gordan was waiting at the entrance, but he wasn’t smiling. His face was ashen, his hands clasped tightly in front of him, and the moment their eyes met, Mik’hail felt the cold hand of dread close around his heart.
He eased Aurora from his arms and stepped out of the car, every muscle in his body tensing.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but I thought...you would want to know in advance.” Gordan swallowed hard. “Lady Aretha...is back.”