Chapter 20 #2
We’re breathing hard as he stays inside me. I don’t want him to move. I want to live in this moment where there’s nothing but us.
Eventually, he pulls out and looks down between us. He watches himself drip out of me, thick and white against my skin.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “Look at you.”
I prop myself up on my elbows and watch him admire the evidence of what we did. Of him claiming me. Instead of feeling exposed, I feel powerful.
“I love seeing you like this,” he says, voice rough. “Full of me.”
All I can do is smile as he lies beside me on the rock and pulls me against his chest. The fireflies drift through the darkness, and for a few minutes, we exist together, letting our heartbeats slow.
“What if you do get me pregnant?” I ask quietly, my head on his chest.
His fingers trace patterns on my shoulder. “Would you like that?”
“Yes, but it also makes me nervous.” I press closer to him. “I have this feeling that I can’t shake, like we’re running out of time.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “You’re not imagining it. The council is regrouping. After what happened with Tatiana, they’re working on another plan.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve noticed more staff in the halls. My schedule is being managed tighter than usual. I’m being watched.” He brushes his thumb against my cheek. “This is chess, Addison, and we’re the pieces. Right now, I can’t see their next move.”
“That unsettles me,” I admit.
“Me too.” He takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “But I need you to know something. Whatever they’re planning, whatever happens, I’m choosing you. I will always choose you.”
“What if it gets messy?”
“We’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, we lie low and try to figure out their plan.”
I want to argue, but I’m too emotionally tired, so I lean my head against his chest and listen to his heartbeat.
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can feel him making a decision.
“There’s something else I want to tell you,” he says. “Something no one outside of my immediate family and the council knows.”
I lift my head to look at him. “What is it?”
“My father is sick.” The words come out heavy. “Cancer. He was diagnosed three months ago.”
My breath catches. “Louis …”
“He’s refusing to do treatments.” His jaw tightens. “He says he’s made his peace. That a king should know when to stop fighting a losing battle.”
“How long does he have?”
“They’re not sure. I’m trying to convince him to do chemo.
We have the best doctors at our disposal.
” He stares up at the sky. “This is why the council is pushing so hard. This is why my mother is desperate to see me married to a woman who can fill her shoes. It’s not about alliances or tradition.
My father wants to see me settled, knowing our legacy will continue before he dies.
I’m obligated, but I don’t want to give you this burden. ”
I move closer to him and hold him a little tighter.
“He can still beat this and serve our country another twenty years,” Louis continues. “He’s so good at pretending. But I see how tired he is after the events, and I want to make him happy.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I can’t imagine how alone you’ve felt.”
“Thank you. I’m only sharing this so you understand how dire things are. The deadline is strict if I want to fulfill my father’s wish.” He turns his head to look at me. “I’m not only fighting the council, Addison. I’m fighting an invisible clock.”
He brushes his thumb across my cheek.
“Louis …”
“I want him to meet you. The real you, not the artist competing for a position.” He pauses.
“My father is a good man, and you see people in their rawest form. It’s what makes you such a brilliant artist. And you have a way with words that cuts through bullshit.
Maybe you can reach him in a way no one else can. ”
“What would you want me to say?”
“Something that makes him want to fight without letting him know that you know.” He exhales. “He’s convinced himself that accepting death is noble. That a king should know when to surrender gracefully. But he’s not just the king; he’s my father. And I’m not ready to lose him yet.”
“Do you feel ready to be king?” I ask.
“I’m ready to serve when needed. But soon is unnecessary. His work isn’t finished yet.”
“Okay. Can you get me some time with him?”
He nods, and I press a kiss to his chest.
“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.”
We lie there until the constellations shift. I should be exhausted, but I feel more awake than I have in years.
“We should head back,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Before someone notices I’m gone.”
“The prince sneaking into his own palace at dawn.” I grin. “Scandalous.”
“You have no idea.”
He pulls me up, and we gather our clothes from the rocks. We walk back through the woods, holding hands, both of us taking our time. The silence is comfortable, full of everything we’ve shared tonight and everything still to come.
When we reach the edge of the gardens, he pulls me behind a hedge and kisses me again. It’s desperate and needy, and I suddenly don’t want the night to end.
“I’ll try to see you as soon as I can,” he says against my lips.
“I’ll be waiting.”
He pulls back and grins. “Oh, and, Addison?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s your turn on the chessboard.”
I smile. “I know.”
“Good.” He steals one more kiss, quick this time. “I’m about to win a favor, so play carefully.”
I force myself to break away, and as I look back, he’s staring at me, wearing a smirk. All I can do is smile as I head toward my cottage.
Before I make it back, I pass Tatiana on the trail. Her face is unreadable in the moonlight, but her voice is ice.
“Stay away from my man,” she warns me.
I stop walking, ready to slam her face into the gravel. Instead, I act as the bigger person and continue to my cottage.
The door clicks shut behind me, and I lean against it, replaying the night. I have less than a week until the competition that could change everything.
I push off the door and head for the shower, my mind wandering back to Tatiana’s warning on the trail.
Didn’t Louis say she was being sent home?