Page 102 of Shameless Royalty

Fuck.

I brace one hand against the tile wall, bowing my head under the spray, water sluicing down my face and shoulders. The steam curls around me, thick and heavy, and I close my eyes, breathing in deeply. The heat helps; it grounds me and brings me back to myself.

I open my eyes slowly, blinking water from my lashes, the guilt sinking deeper with every second that passes. I finish washing, then step out of the shower and grab a towel before roughly rubbing myself dry. The mirror has cleared enough that I can see my reflection, gaze hard, mouth set in a tense line.

My eyes look haunted, shadows lingering in the hollows beneath, stress and exhaustion written clearly across my features. I barely recognize the man staring back at me.

Because it’s not the violence or revenge that’s changed me. Not the countless lives I’ve taken or the scars that mark my skin.It’s Malachi. He shifted something inside me, took apart all the carefully constructed walls I’d built over the years, and refused to let me hide behind them anymore.

Wrapping the towel around my waist, I step back into my bedroom, raking my fingers through my damp hair. The quiet feels suffocating now, and I glance around the room restlessly, my heart hammering against my ribs.

I need to see Malachi, to know he’s alright, to remind myself he’s still mine. That he’s safe and asleep. The clock on my nightstand reads 3:07 a.m., but I don’t give a fuck because I can’t stay away.

I don’t want to stay away.

I slip on a pair of boxers and sweats while not bothering to grab a shirt, my body is running too fucking hot for one, anyway. My bare feet are silent against the cold hardwood as I slip out of my room and into the hallway.

I know I shouldn’t be here. I know I should turn back, crawl into my own bed, and leave him be. But I also know that’s not fucking happening.

I don’t knock as I push the door open, slipping inside as quietly as I can. The room is warm, a stark contrast to the rest of the house, and I spot Malachi curled up beneath the blankets, his back to me, his breathing slow and steady.

Something in my chest eases at the sight of him, my muscles unclenching, the tension in my spine releasing just slightly. He’s asleep. He’s safe.

I should leave him be.

Instead, I strip down to my boxers, kicking my sweatpants to the side before slipping under the blankets behind him. The second I do, my body fucking melts, the warmth of him pressing into me as I wrap an arm around his waist, pulling him back against my chest.

Malachi mumbles something in his sleep, shifting slightly, and I go still, waiting to see if he’ll wake up.

He doesn’t. Instead, he lets out a slow breath, his body relaxing into mine like he belongs here.

Like we both fucking do.

I rest my forehead against the back of his neck, closing my eyes, inhaling the familiar scent of him—something clean, something warm, something that fucks me up in a way I don’t understand.

Then, just as I’m about to drift off, Malachi moves again, his voice soft, barely more than a whisper.

“Connor…”

My breath catches. He’s still asleep, I can hear it in his voice, feel it in the steady rhythm of his breathing. But then he murmurs something else, something so fucking soft I almost miss it.

“Don’t leave me.”

I rest my forehead against the back of his neck, exhaling slowly and squeezing my eyes shut, my fingers tightening against his side.

Fuck.

I don’t know if he’s dreaming or if he knows I’m here, but either way, it fucking guts me. I press my lips against his shoulder, my breath shaky, my mind a fucking mess.

And then Mihai’s words slam into me like a fist to the ribs.

“Malachi has been trapped his whole fucking life. First under his father, now under yours. You think he even knows what freedom feels like?”

My jaw clenches.

Malachi has never had a choice. Not in who he is, not in who he loves, not inanything. He went from being under his father’s control to being under my father’s control, and the fucked-up part is, Iknowhe doesn’t see it that way. He looks at me likeI’m his safe place, and the only good thing in this mess, but am I really?

Or am I just another cage?

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