CHAPTER XV #12
“Keane,” I whisper, heart pounding against my chest.
“So do not feel shame for the time spent, Alexis,” he shakes his head, “you lived and you enjoyed. I only wish that it was with a man who was worthy of that enjoyment.”
My full body stills at his words.
Ancients, he’s too good for me. Too sincere and pure in his life.
I do not deserve him.
My sigh is filled with grief, my scattered emotions rattling me to my core.
Keane slowly places his whiskey on the mantle above the fire and moves in my direction, offering the water that’s still in his hands.
I take it with trembling fingers and hold my breath, watching as he reaches out to grasp the side of my face.
“I want you in my life, Alexis. I knew that immediately during our night under the Shadow Oak. I won’t let you become lost to me. Not over this.”
“I am not worthy of you,” I whisper.
Keane’s hand on my cheek stiffens before it starts to caress my jaw. He shakes his head and locks his brown eyes on mine in pure desire, his voice strong. “I will say the same thing to you for as long as I live.”
He moves his hand to the back of my neck and pulls me into a fierce embrace.
The movement startles and makes me drop the glass to the floor, the pieces shattering below us as I let myself fall into his hold without a second thought.
My arms wrap around his waist with a force that never wants to let go, my breathing catching in my chest as Keane leans down and lets his hands skim to my thighs to pick me up again.
Keane walks us the short distance to the settee in front of the fire and sits down in the corner, positioning me in his lap as I pull my legs out and extend them down the cushions.
I settle into the Prince with closed eyes and a deep breath, feeling as Keane snakes an arm around my back and pushes his other through the blanket to rest firmly on my thigh.
We sit there for a while in silence, my head resting on his chest as his hand moves intimately across my thigh in embrace.
Our breathing begins to match the other’s in a steady calm until a soft knock reaches us from behind the door.
“It’s me, brother.”
Keane reaches for my jaw again, his brown eyes holding mine before he leans forward and kisses the top of my head. I disentangle myself from his body and move to let him stand up, noticing the glass pieces still scattered on the floor at our feet.
“Court is settled for the night, then?” Keane asks quietly when he reaches the door.
“Yes, as is the group from Knowledge. They’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
“Good. And Tadeo?”
“Being escorted out now. Barnett personally requested to accompany him.”
“He’s a good one. Let’s capitalize on it.”
“I agree.”
“Golem,” Keane speaks to the magical creature as I begin picking up the glass, “we need to move your home and Lady Alexis’ belongings here for the night. I will help you. I want no one else to handle your home.”
Keane turns away from the door and walks back towards me.
“Towel?” I ask quietly.
“Through the arch in the corner you’ll find the bathing chamber. Are you okay staying here while I take a walk with Golem?”
“Yes,” I nod, “his jar is in the armoire.”
Keane nods in understanding, his brown peering into mine, “I won’t be long.”
I give him a small smile and turn towards the corner of the room, stopping in my tracks as Keane grabs my arms and pulls me back to him.
His fingers jut up my neck before his lips plant themselves tenderly on mine.
It’s a sweet kiss, one that holds so much affection behind it, but it’s also a new kiss, as this side of Keane is something that I’ve never experienced.
Keane gives me one last look before he turns to leave the room, closing the door behind him.
I make my way to the bathing chamber, the size of it so massive that another small fireplace rests in one of its walls.
In the middle of the room is a large tub constructed from black granite, that tub also so large that I suspect a small group of three or four can rest in there comfortably.
Another mirror is fashioned in the wall above a basin used for washing, a number of towels laying folded next to it.
I grab one and dump the glass pieces into it, then fold it up carefully before placing the bundle to the side.
I spot a small bar of soap next to the basin and pick it up, remembering the way Keane smelled my vanilla and spice in Red Falls.
I bring it to my nose and breath in the scent of him, pine and that something harsher.
Almost like the musk of a heavy and sharp whiskey.
I smile and rub the bar along the top of my hands and carry his scent with me as I head back into his room.
The fire is still roaring but the room is dim all around, the only other natural light coming from the moons above.
I grab a thin wooden stick from the mantle above the fireplace and bring it to flame, then move to the corner of the room where the large table and bookshelves are.
There’s a few candles placed in different spots on the mapped table between the flat lands of the Green Valley and the rivers flowing throughout the Courts.
I light those candles and watch as the flames flicker beautifully over the mahogany details of Disce, standing there and simply marveling at the intricacy of it all.
I walk over to the books on the black granite shelves, letting my fingers touch their spines as I read the titles.
Everything is present in Keane’s collection, the full of it immaculate in it’s range of information that leaves me impressed.
Seeing all these books makes me realize that his upbringing in Knowledge still holds a small impact on his life.
That, and the whiskey and humility in his power. They’re all Knowledge traits.
And Ancients, his power.
He commanded the granite below him with the flick of his hand.
No grand gesture or swift movement of his arms as Lord Daniel did, just simply, as if the earth and him were one.
The granite pushed forward with ease from the top step of the castle, forming that sword-like structure made out of the black stone as it cut straight down and severed Tadeo’s hand.
I shiver at the vision, at the pure fluidity in which he directed the granite, and thinking about it now, in this moment, I get the distinct suspicion that Keane can command everything from the earth and is not limited to just one portion of the element.
I haven’t seen a lot yet, but if I can garner anything from what I’ve seen in the Plains, Red Falls and tonight, Keane isn’t restricted to just stone, wood, granite, or anything else. He can summon it all to his will.
Which means him and Daniel lied that first night in court when I asked if there was anyone else who could do what Daniel did. Keane shielded the knowledge of his summoning when he was around me.
Why?
It can’t just be humility…
But then I remember his questions this morning in Fumagalli.
He wanted to know if I was scared of him.
If I feared him. I’ll admit that watching him maul a man with just a blade was eye-opening, but it was nothing compared to the magic of his summoning.
Lord Tadeo trembled in terror because he knew.
But how could I ever fear him, when those same hands, that same summoning, created the most beautiful creation I have ever laid eyes on. The Shadow Oak.
And if I’m being even more honest with myself, I have to admit that I’ve always known deep down that the oak belonged to him. I chose to ignore that gut suspicion, for reasons I don’t want to analyze right now, but I’ve always known.
I sigh and continue to roam around Keane’s room, completely avoiding his black bed as I walk outside to the balcony.
The city of Gaumond is alight in fire below, the red flames bouncing off the black granite in a strikingly beautiful sight that comes alive in the night.
It’s a vast difference from the view of Bardot from atop the Palisades, as that view is calming in its beauty from the mountain.
The moonslight always falls on Castle Bardot in a simple coziness, but here, in the Black Capitol, that light dances across the flames in a way that makes me feel alive.
I hear the door open and turn around to find Keane carrying my travel packs and bag over his shoulders.
He stops at the door and catches my eyes from across the room, watching as I stand in the dark night and still wearing my dress from court.
A cool breeze passes over the balcony as I stand tall under his attentive gaze, the wind gently pulling at my hair and billowing around the skirt at my legs.
Keane drops the packs to the floor and is standing in front of me in an instant.
He pushes his hips against mine and drops his hands to my waist, pulling me towards him in a speed that takes my breath away.
The desire behind his eyes is strong as he looks down at me, as are his hands as they skim around my waist to trail slowly up my bare back.
I bring my own hands up past his neck and let my fingers glide through his soft brown hair, pushing my chest into his in welcome as Keane’s hands rake back down to my waist again.
He grabs my hips in a gentle squeeze and stares down at me, his brown eyes narrowed in deep emotion as his forehead drops against mine.
I sigh at his touch, at the tender way he’s been holding me since the incident on the castle steps. It tells me everything I need to know about the man in front of me…
The desire is there, the want is there, but he stops just short of initiating anything out of respect for the events of the night.
I’m grateful.
“Keane,” I take a deep breath, letting my chest rise and fall into his, “there’s something I want to tell you, something I came to a resolution of my own last night.”
He nods, “let’s take it inside.”