by Hope Hart
Even if it is just temporary.
Chapter Seventeen
Vivian
“Arix, come on. If I don’t get out of this bed soon, I’m going to go crazy.”
“You’re still injured.”
“The healers said I’m okay to start moving around.”
“They said you could go to the bathing room by yourself. They said nothing about roaming the castle.”
Stubborn male. I scowl at him, and he frowns right back before returning his attention to the papers he’s reading.
He hasn’t had me moved back to my rooms. Instead, he’s working from the long sofa in front of the fire, where he can make sure I’m not doing anything crazy like, you know, walking to his sitting room without help.
“Give it a rest, cuz. You know he’s not going to let you out of bed until the healers give you the all-clear.”
I frown at Sarissa, who grins at me, raising one eyebrow.
“To be fair, after what happened, you can’t really blame him. I heard it was all very dramatic. Lots of killing and fainting. Very Romeo and Juliet of you.”
Sarissa has lost weight, her cheekbones sharper than ever. Guilt swims through me at the reminder of what my near death did to my cousin. She’s already lost more than most people. Watching me come so close to checking out must have been hell for her.
Apparently, Varge quickly knew we weren’t going to cooperate. So the traitors’ plans had to change. Step one was to take out Sarissa so she couldn’t talk about what she had seen. Then Bevix would keep me hidden away in his rooms until he was bored with me and have me killed too. They’d tell Rakiz we’d both been killed during the assassination, and he’d never know differently.
Except they obviously don’t know Rakiz or Nevada, because they would have showed up with the largest army they could find. Then they would’ve opened up a can of whoop-ass.
I lift my arm, reaching for a cup of water, and wince. Truthfully, I still feel like shit. The healers hover around me constantly, and they seem as surprised as I am that I’m not dead.
I got lucky when Zion stabbed me. He missed my critical organs, but I still lost a crazy amount of blood. The cava berries helped my body regenerate that blood, but it’s left me weak as a kitten.
“Helloooo,” a voice calls. Arix glances at me and sighs, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I told you to let me go back to my rooms.”
He shakes his head, his gaze running over my body possessively. “You’re right where I want you.”
“Ick,” Sarissa says, and I smirk at her. Something relaxes in my chest when Arix gets all growly and makes it clear he still wants me. He refuses to talk about what happened, saying it can wait until I feel better. Truthfully, I’d rather get that conversation over with. I don’t want him to feel forced to keep me here because I’m still recovering. If he’s going to kick me and my cousin out of his kingdom, I’d rather he do it before I get even more attached.
Sarissa glances down at the notes she’s writing, her brow furrowing. Obviously, we had no chance to find the control chip we need. Now Sarissa is frantically attempting to figure out a solution to our problem before we have to tell Clara and the others there’s no chip.
“You’re still in bed?” Nevada grins at me, Rakiz by her side. Arix nods at him, getting to his feet, and with a final glance at me, he gestures for the tribe king to follow him into the sitting room.
I poke my tongue out at her. “Apparently, I’m a fragile flower.”
“You almost died.” Sarissa’s voice is sharp, and Nevada raises her eyebrow.
“Here,” she says, handing Danica to her. “Take a chill pill.”
Ivy follows Nevada into the room, closing the door behind her. “You can’t just dump your baby on everyone,” she tells Nevada.
“Wait, I can’t?”
Sarissa rolls her eyes, but even she isn’t immune to the cuteness overload that is Danica, and she grins down at her, making cooing sounds. “How is she so big already?”
“I know, right?” Nevada smiles. “She’s growing like a weed.”
“How’d she like her first flight?”
“She loved it. She’ll have Uncle Dragix doing barrel rolls with her as soon as she’s talking. Dani has that dragon wrapped around her little finger.”
She plops down on the bed, while Ivy moves closer to Sarissa, blowing a raspberry at Danica.
“Charlie couldn’t make it today. She’s sick again.”
I frown. “What about that berry tea?”
“She’s used it all,” Ivy says. “Now that supplies of the cava berries are even more limited, she forbade Dragix from asking for more.”
“I’m sure he took that well,” Sarissa says, gently bouncing Danica in her arms.
Nevada rolls her eyes. “You know those Braxians. He’d be fine with someone else losing a leg or two as long as Charlie could keep her breakfast down.”
I laugh. “They are rather single-minded. You guys don’t need to come every day, you know.”
The other women have been taking turns. Beth and Zoey visited yesterday, Zoey leaving behind a salve for my scar. Truthfully, I look forward to each visit, not just because they’re good distractions from the beautiful man watching me from his sofa.
Nevada waves her hand. “You nearly died, dummy. Besides, we use the opportunity to keep an eye out for Dokhalls. Turns out, they’re finding it difficult to recruit Zintas after Arix made it clear anyone caught helping them would be thrown out of his kingdom.”
My heart warms at that, but I scowl in frustration.
“And how’s your Braxian?” Nevada asks. “I notice you’re still in his bed.”
I chew on my lip, ignoring Sarissa’s laugh. “We haven’t talked yet.”
Ivy lets out a low whistle. “Wish I could be a fly on the wall for that conversation. It’s going to be a doozy.”
I glower at her, but I can’t help but smile as she grins at me, her eyes sparkling with fun. “I’m glad I can be entertaining.”
“Someone has to be. We’re all locked up in that camp with nothing to do but gather our armies. Vrex has his spies, but he’s too recognizable to get intel himself. He’s going out of his mind with boredom.”
We chat for a few more minutes, but my eyelids are soon so heavy I can barely keep them open.
“We’ll let you get some rest.” Ivy smiles while Sarissa hands Danica back to Nevada. I’m still too weak to hold her, so Nevada leans down close to the bed so I can press a kiss against the baby’s soft head.
“Thanks for visiting.”
“Anytime.”
With a final wave, they’re gone in a whirlwind of sarcasm and quick grins.
“Those women could run this planet,” Sarissa murmurs, and I laugh as my eyes slide closed.
Vivian
Today’s the day.
I’ve finally been given the all-clear to resume my normal activities.
If those activities include spending most of the day resting.
Whatever. I’m no longer bedbound, and that’s all that matters. Because that means Arix finally has to talk to me.
“You said we could talk when I was better. I’m better.”
“You’re still weak.”
We’re standing in his sitting room, a large tray of what’s supposed to be our lunch sitting on the table between us.
“Do you want me to leave? Is that why you won’t have this conversation with me until I’m completely better?”
Arix scowls. “No.”
I walk back into his bedroom, picking up the long piece of paper I’ve been keeping beneath my pillow. Arix follows me, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
“I have something for you,” I say.
He raises one eyebrow, but his gaze drops to the long scroll in my hand. “What is it?”
“A list of everyone who betrayed you,” I say around the lump in my throat. “I guess my name should be at the top of the list, but you already know about me. Your advise
rs and guards weren’t as careful as they should’ve been around me and Sarissa. We investigated the man who made the deal with us, and we were able to tie him to a few people in this castle. I know Dragix did some digging of his own, but I thought you could cross-check what you already know against this list.”
I hand him the scroll and clasp my empty hands together. “We hadn’t realized all roads led to Bevix, obviously, but these are the people we know for sure were in on the plan to take your crown.”
“And my head.”
I flinch. “And your head.”
My heart thunders as his eyes meet mine, but for the first time in a long time, I can’t determine what he’s thinking.
“Don’t blame yourself,” he finally says. “Your guards were expected to allow you to be approached in that market.”
I’d thought it was Zion who made that happen. I frown. “You set me up? You son of a bitch.”
He laughs. “Need I remind you that you were actively betraying me this entire time?”
“I didn’t think you’d get hurt, you jackass. And I couldn’t go through with it in the end. You knew someone would use me?”
“I figured it was likely. Neither you nor your cousin was subtle about how badly you want to get off this planet.” His mouth twists, and I lift my chin, my nostrils flaring. His words run through my mind, and for a moment, I’m back in that room, his hard body covering mine, protecting me from the explosions.
“People have been betraying me my entire life. Why should the beautiful female who held my heart in her tiny hand be any different?”
I clear my throat. “You thought I’d set you up to be assassinated.”
He shrugs. “It seemed likely, based on what I knew of my enemies. But Varge cracked under torture. He told Korzyn about how the original plan was to assassinate me at the ball. It wasn’t until they realized you and Sarissa couldn’t be trusted to fulfill your part of the deal that they moved their plans up to the banquet.”
“And the dragon scale?”
“Insurance. A good way to see who the traitor was. My only regret is I didn’t anticipate them hurting you. If I’d been thinking clearly, I would’ve made sure you were wearing a scale too.”
“I thought you were dead when he thrust that sword at you.” He shrugs, and I scowl. “What if he aimed for your head?”
“Either way, it would have been over. I refuse to live my life surrounded by people I can’t trust. I’d rather choose death.”
I glance away at that. Of course honor would mean everything to a man who lost his parents to the worst betrayal imaginable.
My head is suddenly spinning, and I sink into the closest chair. Arix is instantly kneeling in front of me, his hands cupping my face.
“Are you okay? Do you need a healer?”
“I’m fine. Just dealing with the fact you knew this whole time. Was anything between us real?”
I expect him to smile and make a lewd joke about the numerous times he took me to bed over the past few weeks. Instead, disappointment flashes in his eyes, quickly covered by indifference as he gets to his feet.
“I have something for you too.”
He reaches into his pocket and then holds up his hand. I frown, getting to my feet, and it’s not until he angles his hand closer to the light that I realize he’s holding something tiny between his finger and his thumb.
I lower my head. It looks like a…chip.
I glance up, meeting his midnight gaze. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ve had my people searching for it ever since I declared war on the Dokhalls. It was surprisingly easy to get them to turn on each other with a little torture. Within days, we knew which group of Dokhalls had the chip. My warriors were instructed to carefully search every Dokhall they killed.”
I stare at him, my heart racing. We can get off this planet. We can get revenge. If we want, we can even get back to Earth—back to our lives. So why do I feel like crying?
Arix is studying my face intently. Whatever he sees has brought a faint smile to his face.
“What are you thinking?” he asks me.
“I-I don’t know,” I stutter. “Th-thank you. You didn’t need to do this.”
“This is what you want. For some reason, I’ve been consumed with giving you what you want from the moment I’ve met you.” He glances away. “To my own detriment.”
Guilt twists my heart. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“Will you forgive me?”
“That depends.”
I blink at him. “On what?”
He gives me an enigmatic look but doesn’t reply, and I scowl at him.
He just shakes his head. “You should give this to your cousin,” he says, placing the chip in my hand and wrapping my fingers securely around it. He kisses my fist and then walks away, ignoring me as I call his name.
Sarissa is in her room, once again scanning her notes. She glances up, her mouth curling.
“Good to see you back on your feet. Are you hungry?”
I can’t even speak, so instead, I hold up the chip. Sarissa’s mouth falls open, and she jumps to her feet, snatching it from my hand, her fingers handling it as if it’s made of glass.
“What. The. Fuck.”
“Arix had his people looking for it this whole time.” My lower lip trembles, and I clamp my teeth down on it.
“Wow. You must be incredible in bed. Good work, cuz.”
She grins at me, but I can’t even bring myself to fake a smile.
“What’s wrong?”
I can’t speak around the lump in my throat, and she tilts her head.
“V,” she says. “This is incredible. This means we can probably get off this planet. We’re going to make the Grivath pay for what they did to us. And the Dokhalls too. No other human women are going to go through what we went through.”
I nod, and she stares at me for a long moment, finally stepping away and throwing up her hands.
“It’s the royal cock, isn’t it?”
I nod, blinking back tears. “Not just the cock but the man himself. I don’t think I can leave him.”
She sighs. “What did I tell you, Viv? Don’t get attached. What happens if we get off this planet and leave you behind and then you guys break up or something?”
My heart sinks at the thought. “I must be an idiot because it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
Sarissa sighs. “You’re not an idiot. You’re in love.”
I stare at her. “Wait. Were you testing me just now?”
She laughs, but her eyes are wet. “You’re willing to give up any future that includes Starbucks. That says it all.”
I turn to pace. I am in love.
I thought I knew what love was. I believed it was like an ember, hidden and protected deep within a person’s soul. In reality, love is a wildfire that burns away everything you thought you knew. It creeps up on you, almost silent, until you’re suddenly overcome, surrounded by flames. And you’d run right through those flames if it meant you could spend the rest of your life with that person.
But life isn’t a fairy tale.
“What if I stay, and then in a few months, we’re tired of each other?”
“After what you guys went through, I’m willing to bet that won’t happen. He loves you, girl. As much as I’d like to tell you otherwise, so you’d come with me, it’s obvious every time you’re in the same room together. Sometimes, he stares at you like it’d physically hurt him to look away. And every now and then, his hands curl, as if he wants to reach for you and he’s barely holding himself back.”
I stop pacing and stare at her, my heart racing. “Are you serious?”
She gives me a look. “Trained observer, remember? I know what I’ve seen. Not to mention, he was an absolute mess when you were unconscious for all those days. Korzyn had to threaten to drug him to get him to eat and bathe.”
I chew on that, turning to look out the window at the gardens below. “Do you thi
nk I’d be making a mistake if I stayed?”
“I don’t want you to stay, but that’s my selfishness. I feel like I just found you, and I don’t want to lose you again. But you have to do what’s best for you. Love like yours…I think you’re lucky if it happens once in a lifetime. You’d be a fool to turn your back on it.”
“So what do I do now?”
“Sounds like you need to go talk to that arrogant king. And I need to figure out how to get this chip back to Alexis.”
I open my mouth to protest, but she points toward the door, her eyes sparkling. “Go.”
I go.
I don’t yet have the energy to run, but I walk as fast as I can down the hall. Urgency fills me, and I curse my puny body as I make my way back toward Arix’s rooms.
My breath leaves me as I slam into a chest, falling backward. Strong arms grab me, barely preventing me from landing on my butt.
Arix.
His face is tormented.
“Running already?”
I open my mouth, and he gives me a slight shake.
“The moment I saw you, I knew you’d ruin me.”
I blink at him, still winded, and he pulls me closer, leaning down until his face is close to mine.
“You’re a liar,” he growls. “You’re wild, and you don’t even know it. You deceive when it suits you, even if you may feel bad about it. You’ll do anything to get your way if you can justify it as saving someone else. Even if it means you’ll never be happy.”
I open my mouth, and he leans even closer with a snarl.
“And I love you unreservedly. It makes me stupid. You’ve managed to bring a king to his knees. So will you leave me here, crawling for you? Or will you admit you love me back?”
His words loosen something tight in my chest, and suddenly I can take a full breath again. I raise my hand, burying it in his hair. His expression turns feral, and I bare my teeth at him, furious, ecstatic, and completely, incredibly alive.
“I love you,” I snarl. “So much that it hurts. Are you happy now?”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Happy?”
