Page 45 of The Princess of Nothing
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better.”
He looked me up and down. “You look so tense. Where have you been? I thought you’d have come to see me.” Hurt laced his features.
I wished my thoughts would clam, especially when the nightmare still threatened my conscious mind.“I’m sorry. I wanted to come, but I had a headache.”
He leaned forward, brushing my cheek. “No need to apologize.”
I desperately wanted to bat away his hand, but instead, I moved into his embrace. “I’m so grateful you took a snake bite for me. I was so frightened.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me to lie next to him. I hated the doting fiancée, little-girl act. I was a queen in my own right, yet pretending to fawn over a prince, give up my magic, and go against everything I stood for.
Torture hadn’t been my lowest point; agreeing to this wedding was.
I decided not to tell him I had met with his father. Instead, I tugged his hand and sat upright. “Will you come for a walk with me? I haven’t been allowed out while you’ve been in here.”
“I thought you had a headache?”
“Yes.” I flinched. “Fresh air is the best cure, not that I could have been out there for long.”
He arched an eyebrow. “If you didn’t want to see me, that’s fine. You don’t have to pretend.”
“Really.” I sandwiched his hand between mine. “I did. Honestly, seeing you in pain was too much. You saved me.” Tears pooled in my eyes. It wasn’t a hard feat. I was always on the verge of crying anyway. “It would have caused more guilt than I could have contained.” I splayed my fingers over his chest and gazed into his shocking blue stare. “I’ve missed you.”
His lips loosened into a small smile. “I’ve missed you too.”
His breath tickled my nose. I’d been avoiding it, but I couldn’t any longer. For my kingdom, for everything, even if I doubted Cedric coming—and my anxiety made me question it almost every day—I had to have faith and at the least prepare like I’d promised him.
Kiros leaned into the kiss. He gripped my hips and pulled me closer into his body. I gasped as he stole my last breath, reaching his tongue inside my mouth. I squirmed for a moment but relaxed. His muscles ribbed against my body. He was stronger than Cedric or Blaise but far gentler. He pulled away, his eyes brighter than I’d ever seen them. His cheeks were pink, his breaths quickened. He took my shuffle as a sign I wanted more, and he kissed me again, this time more rugged.
When he finally pulled away, I inhaled sharply. I leaned my head against his chest, finding comfort in a dark place where I could close my eyes.
All it did was remind me of Cedric. My heart hurt from missing him. I choked on a sob I desperately wanted to keep inside.
He tilted my head upward to look at him, then wiped my tears with his other hand. “Sweet Winter.”
I let him believe in our love story, in us, in my tears as a gesture. I needed that. But my heart ballooned. My brain faltered. My eyes glazed, then closed. Blaise unwantedly penetrated my thoughts. Our first kiss. I could feel he wanted me, but he wouldn’t admit any true feelings between us. I saw myself in him. He flamed spontaneity and excitement in my bones, but we could never have been. He was convinced he was the boy who couldn’t love, and I was the princess who could unravel a king. Together, worlds would have burned. I didn’t admit it at the time, but even when he did threaten my crown and war with my people, I still longed for him. Now, I had Cedric, who felt like the home I’d searched for since I was old enough to understand the concept. He was all I needed, and thoughts of Blaise couldn’t taint it. What Cedric and I had was special.
Kiros tightened his grip on me. I let him hold me because I needed to be held. By anyone. “I’ve never felt this way before,” he whispered, his breath dancing on my ear, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand erect. “I...”
Don’t say it.He didn’t know what he felt. He was reacting to something that wasn’t real.
“I love you, Winter.”
The words left his lips before they’d ever left Cedric’s or Blaise’s. They were empty, hollow, and would forever pit our nations against one another if I got out. It had gotten personal. I’d gained his trust. I’d made him want me as Cedric had suggested, but I’d unwantedly pulled him to fall for me. All that was left was to shatter his heart into a million pieces.
With a lump in my throat, I averted my eyes and swallowed thickly. “I love you too.” The words felt unfamiliar on my tongue.
He knocked the air out of me as he squeezed me tighter, his desire growing. “I’m going to make you happy, every day, like you have done me.” A wide, toothy smile stretched across his mouth.
Before he could kiss me again, I moved away. “I’m so happy.” I sniffed and wiped my tears. “Can we go for that walk? It feels so passionless in here.” I chuckled, gesturing at the white walls, plain floor, and metal, hard beds.
“Yes, it does.” He brushed back his hair and let out a long breath. “I feel amazing. Perfect, Winter. You are everything, everything to me.”
I watched as he fell deeper into the pool of lust, mistaking it for love. I allowed him to believe in it. I returned his words with as much sincerity as I could muster.
He twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. “Fate has smiled on me, and I am the luckiest man alive.”
