Chapter 28
A door slams downstairs, jarring me from my sleep.
Confusion settles in as I look at my surroundings.
There is a twin bed immediately across from me, a red plaid comforter tucked in neatly at the sides.
I look down to find a matching comforter covering me, and then I remember: I went home with Marik last night.
He sleeps behind me now, his arm slung across my waist.
We stayed up late last night, talking for as long as we could until sleep claimed us both.
We shared our life stories with each other.
He shared more details of his childhood, reflecting on the cruel practices both he and Asmo were forced to endure.
Starvation, beatings, and exhaustion, all to make them physically and mentally stronger.
I held him as he shared the stories of his past, his eyes darkening as he re-told story after story.
I wanted to cry for him. Instead, I held his hand and listened to each story.
After he finished, I wanted to rip his parents’ throats from their bodies. I couldn’t believe that had happened, not just to him and Asmo but to Koa as well. I can’t believe these kinds of practices are normalized in our kingdom.
Marik stirs behind me, and I turn in his arms to face him. His long eyelashes flutter and open. The silver band rimming his large pupils seems thin today, making the black look larger. A smile spreads across his face when he sees me.
“The High Queen is in my bed?” His voice is raspy.
I return the smile and say, “I have a feeling it won’t be the last time.”
He pulls me closer and says, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Mae,” his tone solemn.
I stiffen at his words, thinking about the situation that we’re in.
He’s right. I shouldn’t say things like that until I’ve made up my mind, which I haven’t.
It’s barely been a week. Marik is the prince that I’ve grown the closest to, but is it fair to make a decision on that alone?
I’ve spent the most time with him and barely any time with the other princes.
They deserve equal time with me so I can make the right choice.
“Want to go grab some breakfast downstairs?” he asks me, bringing me out of my thoughts, which were starting to spiral into a negative space.
I nod eagerly. “I’m a little nervous to do the walk of shame, though,” I admit.
“I’ll go downstairs and see if there’s anybody here that you would walk into. My guess is everyone is still asleep, though.”
“While you do that, can I use your bathroom?”
After checking the hallway, he leads me to a door at the end of the hallway. It’s a full bathroom, complete with a toilet, a claw-foot tub, and a wooden vanity with two sinks and oval mirrors. I quickly sit on the toilet and release my bladder, sighing with relief.
I look in the mirror. My hair looks crazed.
It must have been damp last night when I fell asleep on it, so it’s curly and sticking up everywhere.
I throw it into a messy bun on top of my head, centered between my antlers.
I see some toothpaste in the vanity and rub some on my teeth, rinsing my mouth out with water before spitting it out. There. Good as new.
A knock raps on the door, and I freeze. Fuck. I pause, hoping they’ll go away, but the knock comes again. I open the door slowly, praying it’s Marik.
But it’s not.
It’s Koa. In his underwear. My mouth dries when I see the size of his bulge, and I resist the urge to drop my jaw.
He’s looking down at the floor when I open it, his hands in his messy hair, but he looks up once he hears the creak of the door opening. When he sees it’s me, his eyes widen, and he takes a step back.
“Oh,” he says, clearly surprised to see me. “Shit, sorry. Wait, what are you doing here?” He surveys me and asks, “Did you spend the night here?”
I hesitate before nodding.
His face falls. “Which one?”
“What?”
“Which prince did you stay the night with?”
“Um…Marik? But it’s not what you think, Koa,” I say hurriedly.
His lip curls in disgust. “Great. He gets jealous and runs off, and you comfort him by sleeping with him?”
Now my jaw does drop. Is he fucking serious? I take a second to think through what I want to say to him, but he doesn’t give me the chance. He takes my silence as confirmation.
“Nice, Mae. You’ve known him a week, and you fuck him.”
I freeze, not even knowing what the hell to say to that. My shock only lasts a moment. I push past him, not deigning to give him a response. Let him think what he wants. The bathroom door shuts behind me as I open Marik’s bedroom door.
“Hey, you,” he says, a genuine smile on his face. He opens his arms as I walk toward him. I step into them, and he hugs me around my waist, still sitting on the bed.
“It looks like most of the guys are still home. I figured we could just order breakfast in from the kitchens and eat it in my room?” he asks me.
“Honestly, I would like to go back to my room and take a shower,” I say, my voice sounding hesitant like I’m asking for permission, which makes me cringe. I was never the type to ask permission from a male.
“Oh. Yeah, that works, too,” he says, a slight frown appearing on his face.
“I’m sorry, Marik,” I say. “I just…I could really use a nice, hot shower. And I just saw your shower, and it doesn’t have my favorite body wash,” I say, forcing a laugh.
“Yeah, I get it. You’ll have to risk seeing everyone, though,” he warns me. “I think Asmo is the only one who isn’t here. Probably went to the training center or something.”
He walks me downstairs, and miraculously, we don’t see anyone else. He kisses me at the threshold of the door and says, “Send someone to let me know when you get back to the castle, please. Ivan and Elle would kill me if they knew I was letting you walk back by yourself.”
After we say our goodbyes, I head toward the castle. Before I get back, though, I make a sudden change in direction, veering off and heading toward the training center. I’m still in my outfit from last night, but if Asmo is there, I want to see him. I can’t explain why, but I feel like I need to.
I step inside of the training center but don’t see him on the main floor. I hear someone, though, so I head downstairs. I find him inside the weapons room, throwing axes at the impact wall. He’s in a gray oversized hooded shirt, sweat dampening the back. He turns as the door opens.
“Nice outfit,” he says drily. “Did you come for the show?” he asks me, turning back to his workout.
I chuckle and say, “No, but mind if I pull up a chair and watch?”
He throws another ax, which lands dead center in the bullseye. “What do you want, Mae?” he growls without looking back at me.
Okay then, we’re back to Asshole Asmo. “I feel weird about how things went last night, so I wanted to come see you and make sure we were okay.”
“Is this because you feel guilty about going back with my brother?” he asks.
“Nothing happened,” I say.
“You don’t need to tell me even if something did. You don’t owe me anything.”
I hesitate but say, “I know that. I just…I don’t take what happened between us lightly, and I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression by leaving so suddenly after.”
“To be with my whiny little brother,” he adds, but then grumbles, “You didn’t.” He throws another ax, grunting at the effort. It strikes the bullseye perfectly.
I sigh, struggling with what to say. Before I can, he turns to me and says, “You didn’t give me the wrong impression. And even if you fucked every single male in this place, I wouldn’t care.”
Well, then. I guess last night meant nothing to him then if he cares so little about me.
“I’ll see you later,” I say, turning to leave.
I make it to the door before he says, “Don’t forget the black dress.”
I pretend I don’t hear him and leave, slamming the door shut behind me.
Asmo’s knock on my door comes right on time. He’s dressed in the same outfit that he wore the other night.
“Are we recreating the night?” I ask.
“No, because you weren’t already in the dress when I first arrived,” he says soberly. He steps inside without me inviting him, but I move aside anyway.
When he’s inside, he looks me up and down.
I’m wearing the dress he requested, paired with caramel thigh-high boots and the same leather jacket.
His eyes roam up and down my body, a smile on his face.
Even though I saw him earlier, albeit briefly, it’s the first one I’ve seen from him today, and his mood seems… different. He seems happier.
“You can’t be serious,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“You look…you’re really my High Queen?” he says, his tone incredulous. “You look incredible.”
I eye him, not believing the compliment. He doesn’t give compliments that freely. “Are you serious?”
“I am. You look…drop-dead,” he says, his eyes finally meeting mine. They have the same look that they did the other night in the pool. They look glazed over as he stares at me. My entire body flushes at the weight of his gaze, heat pooling low and tight in my belly.
“Thank you,” is all I’m able to say without my voice wavering.
He clears his throat and says, “Let’s go.” He offers his hand to me, which shocks me, but I place my hand in his and follow him out the door and down the stairs.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“Didn’t you ask me this the other night?” he asks. I nod, and he says, “Well? What did I say when you first asked?”
I roll my eyes. “Patience is a virtue,” I say in a deep voice, mocking him.
He laughs. “And it is. But I’ll tell you this time. I would like to recreate the other night, so we’re going back to the same place.”
We step outside, only to find that it’s raining. But that doesn’t stop him. We step into the rain, but the rain doesn’t touch us. I look up at him, a question on the tip of my tongue.
“Magic,” he says simply before I can ask it.