Chapter 45: In the rain.
Chapter 45: In the rain.
Lilac
Queen Jada left the dining room saying she needed to rest after Kael went outside with the king. The rest of us stayed behind except Carla who also left for something important according to her.
I keep glancing at the doorstep wondering what King Alvarez would say to Kael. It is one thing for me to act like I don't care about him, keeping my distance because I didn't know how to act around him when he seemed so different from the man I had come to know for the past four months . But it is another thing knowing that there is no love lost between Kael and his Father and he does not remember that and now they are alone.
My fingers are trembling beneath the table and I try to avoid everyone's gaze even Issy's. "Are you okay sunshine?"
"What?"I blink at Issy's question.
"Are you okay? You don't look so good." She repeats.
Talon scoffs. "The girl is still frightened after four months... Too bad your husband can't even remember you."
"Talon, do not start." Lola grits at him.
"What? She has to know the truth."
"Talon!" This time Issy is the one who speaks, eyes wide with frustration. "Please."
He scoffs again and that irks me more and without thinking I raise my head and meet his gaze, glaring at him. "You are too old to be a bully Talon Aspen." I spit out, venom licking at my every word.
He pauses, taken aback at my sudden outburst. I am too, but I have been in this city of predators for a while now and it would do me no good to stay quiet while they try to prey on me.
"You—"
"Yes, I said that. You know, it's insecurity that makes bullies who they are." I say, leaning closer on the table even though I can feel the dark threatening look in his eyes. "Insecure people tend to pick on others just to make themself feel big, I guess you are one of them." Never mind that my heart is beating so fast as I call out Talon's bullshit, but yet it feels good to say it out.
I have lived with bullies all my life, manipulators, courtesy of Nina and her daughter, and if I am here in Lycania and still facing the same goddamn trouble, how stupid am I?
"You fucking bitc—"
"I won't finish that if I were you... Brother." The breath I did not know I was holding is released in a short gasp. He is here—my husband.
"What what would you do if I did?" Kael stalks closer to his brother, the look in his eyes is the same one he has always had and it feels like he never actually lost his memories.
"You will not call my wife names Talon Aspen or I won't promise you I will act nicely." Kael grabs my hand gently but swiftly and leads me out of the palace. When we are outside the gates, he stops. It is then I notice the difference in his stance and the rapid trembling of his fingers as he runs them through his hair. Something happened while he was out with his father. Panic grips me hard.
"Kael? Are you okay?" He says nothing. He sticks his hands to his slacks and then after what seems like an agonizing eternity which infact was not up to a minute, he faces me.
"I need. . .I badly need a hug right now princess and I know you might not like–" I stand on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck before he finishes his statement.
Kael's scent envelopes around me as he hugs me back, his arms snaking around my waist to pull me closer to himself. I feel him sniff at my neck and the sensation causes ripples of delight to stir through me. He needs the hug for comfort, but I am the one enjoying it. My lids droop close and I breathe him in — all of him. His scent that I have committed to my memory. His hot breath fans my neck as he slowly moves his nose up and down my neck.
My legs would give away any moment from now and this is when Kael releases me but yet still holds on to my hands. I glance up at him. Gone is the hunted look in his eyes that he had on before, now there is something more, something I can't quite explain. He leans in closer again, my heart is beating twice as fast and I am letting out rounds of erratic breaths.
Silence, and then suddenly droplets of rain starts to drizzle from above, tiny splatters hitting the ground slowly yet we do not move. "It is raining." I mumble, blinking rapidly at the swirls of emotion seeming to rush over me at once.
"I want to Kiss you, Princess." Kael says instead. My lids are drooping close again and when Kael finally leans in completely, I welcome the unfamiliar yet ecstatic feeling of his lips on mine. It took us four months to get here so I let myself revel in the feeling.
Kael kisses me slowly at first, his lips barely grazing mine. His fingers digging to my waist as he deepens the kiss. My hands move to the nape of his neck, drawing circles. I need to touch him; I crave to run my hands over his hair, down his arms, anywhere. His tongue darts into my mouth and his grip tightens. My knees almost buckle.
He pulls back a little, and I follow his movement. His eyes are black pools; I drown in them, I don't need air, my only concern is getting lost in them. They search my face for something that I cannot put my finger on but I know it is something, some kind of answer that he seeks.
And then suddenly it happens again. Another kiss, deeper this time, his mouth seeking mine eagerly. His teeth nip at my bottom lip before sliding along to claim my neck, his lips moving to nibble on my earlobe. His body heats up against mine and I lean into him, pressing myself flush against him. The rain is pouring heavily now, drenching our clothes and causing our hair to stick together. And it's only getting harder to find our rhythm, his tongue teasing my taste buds as he pulls me flush against him.
The soft patter of the water on the leaves makes the kiss more intense as his tongue dances against mine. When his hands roams underneath my dress, my breathing becomes ragged and he knows it, his grip is tight.
When he pulls back from the kiss my heart aches at the loss. My fingers curl into fists at my sides and my knuckles turn white from squeezing the fabric of his vest. "I should stop." Kael's voice sounds hoarse as he whispers against my ear, his breath coming in short gasps. He is just as affected as I am, and the thought alone has a smile creeping up to my lips.
"It's raining." I repeat what I had said earlier, he nods.
"Carla is gone, and I don't think we can order an uber during the rain." He is still holding me, running small circles on my waist.
"Do you think we can go back in?"
Kael's grip tightens on my waist and this time it seems more of anger than of affection. I raise my eyes, trying to search of his face for answers. "I'm not going back in there." He says.
"What happened?" He is silent. I am about asking again when Carla's car suddenly pulls up in front of us.
"Get in." She says.
Live your life to the fullest while you can, no one knows tomorrow. Perhaps I have spent most of the days of my life living for others which is why I never really had the time to know me for myself, never really had the time to understand myself and actually know what I want and whatnot. But right now, staring at Kael Aspen as he grips my hand without looking at me, I realize one thing... Perhaps living for someone else is not really a bad idea, as long as I do not forget myself in the process.
Kael's grip is tight on my hand, as if the pressure he is exerting on my hand is enough to make him forget whatever it is he is thinking about.
The drive back to Carla's home is really quiet, no words are said and the only sound heard is the continuous dripping of water from Kael's and my clothes. It is funny that she is not saying anything when we have literally just messed up her car.
"What did he say to you?" There is no need to ask what Carla means because it is obvious already as she stares at Kael through the rearview mirror.
"Why didn't you tell me that I do not like my Father?" His tone is accusing as he returns Carla's stare with a glare of his own still holding my hands though, only now it is in a more softer grip.
"Well now you know. Loosing your memory is going to make you trust people you should not trust, a firsthand experience of these people instead of just telling you is better to help you keep your sanity. You are moon Lycan which means your sanity is more vulnerable, than that of a regular Lycan, you can run moon-mad based on the smallest things. We would not want that, would we?"
"He can run moon-mad?" Out of everything that she said, that was the only one I picked.
"Every good thing has its pros Lilac."She answers me.
"That's fucking bullshit. He never asked to be different!"
"Don't cuss out at me, I didn't do this to him."
"And he did not do this to himself either."
"That's why we have to help him. That's why you have to help him."
"I might as well run moon-mad if you both keep talking about me like I am not here." Kael grumbles from beside me.
Did I mention that a grown man grumbling is actually really cute, especially when that grown man is Kael Aspen. Well it is... Really cute and outrightly sexy.
Reminder: I kissed my husband for the first time since we got married.
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