49. Sleepless

**Melissa**

I walked back and forth in my room. The lights were out. I was still wearing the clothes I had on when I left the palace. The desire to change them was nonexistent, but something had to change.

An owl echoed in the distance. Someone knocked on my bedroom door. I froze in place. Breathe in, breathe out.

I clenched my hands into fists and headed towards the door. If I was paying any attention to my heart, I'm sure I would have heard it beating loudly.

But this is something I need to do. I don't know how to explain it, it just felt right.

I opened it.

Sirius stood there with one arm against the door frame and his ankles crossed. The corners of his lips stretched upwards when he saw me.

My eyes spotted a red stain lingering on his lower jaw. He followed the direction of my gaze.

“Nothing a little bath can’t fix,” he said as he wiped it off. “Looks like you haven’t started getting ready for bed. But maybe we can take a bath together after we’re done.”

I took a step back, allowing him to enter. He closed the door behind him.

“Are you still chasing them down?” I asked him, taking in his dark clothes over my shoulder. “I told you that was a waste of time. No one would believe them anyway.”

He pushed my hair aside. Before I knew it, he had pushed my hair aside and traced the back of my neck. He kissed my shoulder. “How can I let them go free? They pose no benefit to society. A girl got away, though. I can’t find her no matter how hard I look. It annoys me. Think you can help me take my mind off it?” He bit my ear.

I played dumb. “How?”

“I’m thinking that maybe you’d like a view of the city. We’d turn the lights off. Then we let off steam on the balcony.”

Sirius snaked his arms around my waist. He pushed his body against mine. “I can do that thing you like.”

After taking in a deep breath, I pulled his arms from around my waist and pushed away. Sirius stared at me with furrowed brows. I repeated the words I had been practicing all evening.

“I can’t mess around anymore,” I stated. Turning around, I folded my arms and continued. “We shouldn’t continue doing this if we want our plans to fall through.”

“What do you mean? What does any of that have to do with this?”

I tilted my head. “You have a lot of plans for this country, right? We can’t mess up even a single step. I can’t reel Dean in and sleep with you at the same time. You trust me to do my job, so I expect the same trust when it comes to making decisions.”

He scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze. “Damn, what a pain.”

I waited for a little while longer for him to form a proper response. The owl hooted. Finally, he sighed.

“Fine.” He placed his hands in his pockets. “I trust you. I have three men ready to take the job. They won’t say anything unless they want their lives ruined. How soon can you get him to lead his troops away from the dam?”

“Give me a week,” I replied with no hesitation. “I already have his interest. It shouldn’t be long now.”

At least, I hope so.

________

Once Sirius realized that he truly wouldn’t be engaging in intimacy with me, he left after we had a discussion to make sure that our plans were still solid. I’d showered and changed into a black nightgown that hovered over my knees. However, despite laying in bed for over two hours, sleep eluded me.

Seeing as I wouldn’t be dreaming tonight, I got out of bed. My bare feet made their way across the room until they got to the balcony doors. I shoved them open. Cold air immediately hit me. The owl was nowhere to be found. The only thing providing me with light was the lamp on my bedside table.

I approached the railing, releasing my hair from its single braid. The owl had probably lost interest since I couldn’t hear it anymore. I sighed.

Dad made sure to buy a house close enough to the city that we could have a clear view without being bothered by the noise. The taller buildings blocked my view of the main streets, but the lights that they provided were mesmerizing. If I looked close enough, I could spot a group of men leaving a bar.

This is my kingdom. This is the home that I grew up in. Sirius gave me the opportunity to have a hand in how we shape this kingdom. I shouldn’t take this lightly.

Her phone pinged. I walked over to pick it up from its charging spot on my vanity table then walked back over to the balcony. It’s 2 AM. Who could be texting at this hour? It couldn’t be my Dad, he doesn’t text this late, and we already had a conversation earlier in the day about him coming home.

I read the text.

“I hope you have a good morning.”

Dean

As cold as the night was, I felt warm. I used both hands to grasp the phone. Compared to before when I puked in the toilet, I didn’t feel sick. I felt at peace. Relaxed. Not only that but I was also a little happy. A part of me had already made peace with whatever this was.

I texted back, “Can’t say it’s morning just yet, but thank you.”

He replied back, “Crap, did I wake you? I left that text for you to see in the morning. I didn’t expect that you would be up this late. Actually, why are you awake? Are you okay?”

I didn’t hesitate to reply nor did I lie. “I’m not feeling all that great. I’m here on the balcony trying to get some air.”

“I’m here if you need me. I can’t sleep either. I should because I have a shift tomorrow but I keep thinking about you.”

My smile broadened. “Cheesy, lol. Are you blaming me for your bad sleeping schedule?”

“Never. After all, I’m responsible for my own lack of sleep. But I’m not complaining if the reason is you.”

“Are you flirting with me, young man?”

“Flirting? No. I can do better than this.”

“Is that a fact? Give me your best one-liners.”

Dean and I exchanged texts for over half an hour. He managed to get a few laughs out of me, but based on his reactions, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one laughing.

I was so engaged in the conversation that I forgot all about the cold, my exposed feet, the plans and the rebellion. This, this was enough. At least it will be until we return back to reality at sunrise.

During our talk regarding some issues with his armor, Dean sent me a text that had nothing to do with the topic at hand.

“Look down, beautiful.”