“Yes.” I nod. “Last I knew, anyway. I saw her at my mom’s funeral a year ago. We didn’t speak much during the service. She seemed as upset as I was. She came to town for it, but I don’t know from where. My mom never told me where she lived.”
The king’s eyes start to well with tears, but he’s able to hold them back. I look to Luke and he doesn’t appear to be holding it together much better. He believed his mother was dead, only to find out that she’s alive. I can’t imagine what that must feel like: shock, relief, anger at his father.
He stands abruptly, forcing the chair to fall back onto the floor. He points to his father, “You lied to me! You lied to all of us! We believed our mother was dead. Why? Why would you do that? We’re your children!”
The king scrubs a hand over his face. “I didn’t have a choice.” In this moment he isn’t a king; he’s a heartbroken man who lost his wife. No, she might not be dead, but she hasn’t been with him in many years. “King Pine and I were at war. Eliza was pregnant and scared. Rya didn’t like the war that was going on. When Eliza said she was leaving, Rya went with her. I tried to stop her, but your mother was very headstrong. King or not, she never listened to me. The key you have, Alison, it could bring me to my wife who I haven’t seen in almost twenty-four years.”
“Wait,” Luke interrupts. “I don’t understand why she would leave her four children here.” He leans down with his hands braced on the table.
“The war wasn’t her only reason for leaving. She was pregnant. Your mother was carrying twins.” Luke feels around for his chair, only to discover it’s still lying on the floor. He rights it and takes a seat.
“Twins?”
The King nods. “She started bleeding and our healer didn’t know what was happening. Our medicine isn’t as advanced as it is in Alison’s world. Eliza stressed that the doctors in Colorado could help her. She even drew a map for me of where her home was and where the hospital was in relation to it. That’s why I asked Alison about the Rocky Mountains. They were near where Eliza lived. But you see, I didn’t have the skeleton key, so I couldn’t go there. I also couldn’t leave you and your siblings here without both parents. You were all so young. The war ended and life went on without her. I didn’t want to give all of you hope she’d come back, when after some time she didn’t. So I told you she passed away.
My mom was born in the U.S. I know that for a fact having seen her birth certificate. She must have gotten the key at some point, crossed into this realm, and stayed here for years. She got married and became queen. Had Reid and gotten pregnant with me. There’s so much about her life I’ll never know.
“I’ve waited every day for her to return. Wished, hoped, and visited the cottage often. Why do you think that old building still stands on the outskirts of the woods? I’m waiting for her to come back. It’s the only way she can come here. What I never understood is why she hasn’t. Now I know Eliza kept the key, but I’m sure she would have given it to Rya to return. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Luke turns to me. “Do you recall my mother having children?”
I shake my head. “My mom never offered much information about Rya. What I was told was minimal, at best. Like there was a great secret I couldn’t be told and now I know why. She never told me about this realm until she was gone.”
“We don’t know if the twins survived,” Luke mutters.
“Could my father have killed Leo, because Rya and my mom left? As revenge in some messed up way?”
Luke’s face drops, but then changes into anger. “I don’t care his reasoning. The fact remains that he did it knowing full well what he meant to me.” I can’t help but think that’s part of the reason he did it. I could be way off base and he’s just that ruthless. I don’t know if I’ll ever know for sure.
I can’t believe all that’s being said. My mom was best friends with Luke’s mom. They were both pregnant and they fled together.
“This is the most messed up fairy tale ever,” I observe.
The king scoffs. “Princess, a fairy tale would imply there is a happily ever after. I have yet to see that for anyone.”
“But there’s still time,” I stress. “You can go through the portal and find her. You can use the key to get her back.”
“That’s what I’d like to do. If she’d even want to come back to me after all of these years. There must be a reason she never returned. I hope she still loves me.”
“Maybe the key wouldn’t stay with her. My mom said it would disappear and reappear. For all we know Rya did try to take it, but it wouldn’t stay with her long enough to use.” I know it’s only a theory. It’s better than nothing, though.
I stand and reach for my backpack, which is resting on the chair beside me. I unzip it and notice all of my belongings in disarray. Turning to the king, I accuse, “You went through my things again!”
“No, I didn’t. One of my men did.”
“Same thing!”
I go back to my bag to find the key. In all reality, I should have known he’d look through my things. If I were in his position, and was left alone in a room with something I had been in need of for years to find the love of my life, I probably would have ripped it to shreds.
I find the heavy key in its hidden compartment and hold it tight in my hand. My choice is made. This is bigger than me. There is an entire family who has missed their mother and wife. I can’t be the one to keep her from them.
King Azure has waited too many years; I can’t make him wait any longer. Sure I could go back and find her, but she barely knows me. What if once I’m through, the key disappears? Then he’s still stuck without his wife. There is no guarantee. He has a better chance at convincing his wife to return. For all I know, she could have thought he would move on without her. Who knows what she’s thinking? He needs to find her, however. That is, if the key wants him to use it.
I walk to the king. He rises and looks into my eyes. What I see is a man who has been lost for so long without the other half of his soul. My chest aches for him. I hold out my hand, palm up, exposing the key. He inhales a ragged breath. When he reaches for it I close my hand fast. I have to remember the conditions.
“You need to agree to my conditions before I hand this key to you.” He nods. “First, you must agree not to bring any weapons with you. Second, no one will go through with you. You must go on this mission alone. Third, you cannot tell anyone in my land about where you’re from or how you got there. You can say you’re a friend of the family or something if you’re asked. And you mustn’t tell anyone here where you’ve been if you do come back. You’ll have to make up a story about your wife and where she’s been. My world must remain hidden, as must yours, from the people on the other side.”
“I agree,” he states.
“I will help you find something suitable to wear, so that you’ll fit in. I’ll tell you where I have cash and credit cards kept in my home. I’ll tell you everything that I can to help you. In fact, in my phone on my nightstand is Rya’s number. You’ll have to use it to contact her. In return, I want what you promised me. I want immunity. You will not force me to go to my father or Oliver. I will become a citizen of the Azure Kingdom. You will also provide me with all of the same benefits that your children have. Money, a home, everything.”
“Of course. Luke will see to it all, won’t you, Son?”
“What?” he asks, obviously not paying attention. “I’m sorry. I’m still trying to process everything.”
“Alison. She will be your responsibility to protect and ensure she has everything she needs. She will be one of us and treated as royalty amongst our people.”
He tenses and rises to meet us. “Of course. I wouldn’t have let you trade her, even if that were her choice.”
The king smiles warmly. “I already knew that.”
“You did?” Luke questions.
“Of course. I saw the way you looked at her when you first brought her in. I knew she was special to you.”
; “You still played her.”
“Yes, and I’m not sorry for it either. I need to find my Rya. I would have done whatever it took to get that key.”
I interrupt. “Oddly, I’m not even angry about that.” I reach for the king’s hand and place the key in it. Surprisingly, it remains solid in his palm. I didn’t know what it would do. “Protect this with your life.”
“On my honor,” he pledges, with the key pressed to his heart, then he turns to Luke. “We have a lot to discuss. I need to fill your brothers and sister in. We need Ryland to take over the throne once I’m gone. We’ll have to devise a plan as to what to tell our people.” Luke nods.
“No one outside of your immediate family can know the truth,” I stress. Hopefully the guards outside can’t hear our conversation.
“I agree,” the king replies. “The less who know, the better.”
Family
We leave the king’s chambers after I pick out some simple clothing for him that should allow him to blend in. Luckily, his hair is done nicely, making him look refined.
Luke and I walk back to his home. We’re to return at sunset for dinner when he will tell Luke’s brothers and sister the plan. While apart, I will be writing down everything I can think of for the king. Instructions on where to go, how to use my phone, and a host of other things. I’m hoping that once he gets ahold of Rya, she will come to him. He won’t know how to use a car and there are no cabs in my small town. I won’t be there to assist him, but I can give him the most information possible. He will have to remain in my home and wait for her.
Once inside, Luke hands me paper and a pencil. I sit at the table and begin to quickly write. He strides to the couch and throws himself onto it. His arm bends to rest over his eyes. The sight of him makes my chest pinch. He’s been through so much this morning. I try to write faster, so I can spend some time with him before we have to go back for our meeting with his family.
When I finally think I have everything covered and my hand is completely cramped up, I fold the paper and leave it on the dining table. Standing, I walk to the couch where Luke hasn’t moved since he laid down. I sit on the edge facing him, and place my hand on the arm he has lying by his side. The one covering his face lifts and he peers up at me. In his eyes I see sorrow, hurt, and hope. Most of his life he thought his mother was dead, and not only is she alive, but he could have more siblings. There is also the possibility that she won’t come back, or his dad for that matter. My heart breaks for him.
He reaches up, gently grips my arms, and pulls me down until I’m resting my head in the crook of his neck. I nuzzle it with my nose and relax in his arms. He’s holding me tightly and I let him. He’s not the only one who could use comfort at the moment. At least we have each other.
His heart is beating a steady rhythm beneath my palm. His voice is rough with emotion when he says, “Thank you.”
I lift my head to look into his eyes. They are full of unshed tears. “For what?”
“For sacrificing the ability to go back to your home, so my father can go in search of my mother. I know what you’re giving up for us.”
I gently caress the rough stubble on his cheek. “If he can find her and bring her back, my sacrifice will be worth it. Really, I don’t have anything to go back to.”
He cocks his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
I shrug one shoulder. “My mom was the only family I had there, and once she passed away I was alone. I had no real friends. I was living each day with no excitement, no real purpose other than fulfilling her wishes. At least here I have a father, albeit one that I don’t know, nor am I sure if I want to. But if I’m here, then the opportunity is there for me to seek him out.”
He brushes a stray piece of hair away from my face. “And here I thought that maybe you were staying here for me.”
“You may have been a factor.”
“May?”
I roll eyes. “Okay, so you were a factor.”
“I knew it,” he gloats.
“No one likes a bragger.”
He laughs, takes my face in his hands, and lifts his lips to mine. It’s not the heated kiss of this morning. This one is more languid. Our tongues meet and sweep over one another. It’s sweet.
I pull away before it can become more. “So,” I say with my face tucked back into his neck, while my finger makes small circles on his chest. “Is there an unoccupied home nearby that I can move into? Seems I’m currently without one.”
“You’re joking.”
“No, not at all. I need somewhere to live.”
“You honestly believe that I’m going to let you sleep somewhere other than in my arms after I’ve spent the night with you, and know what pure bliss it is? That was the best sleep I’ve had in years. No, my princess, you’ll be staying with me.”
“Luke, we can’t live together. That’s really rushing it.”
“Are we going to discuss this again?”
“Apparently so. I don’t know what it’s like here, but where I’m from you don’t move in with someone after only knowing them a day. Okay, maybe a few people do, but it took me a year before I moved in with my ex-husband.”
He sits up quickly, taking me with him. “You’re married?”
I look at him and straddle his hips to get comfortable on his lap. “No, I’m not married. I said ex-husband. Emphasis on the ex part.”
“Did he die?”
“No, but I could have killed him for cheating on me.”
“What?” he shouts. “How could he have done that? How could anyone do that to you?”
“I asked myself that very question when I caught him in bed with another woman, but in the end it was for the best.”
“We don’t part once we’re married here. When we say our vows, it’s for life,” he states firmly.
“We do, too, but sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned.”
His hands grip my hips and he pulls me flush against him. “Our worlds are different, but it matters not. I have you here with me. I’m never letting go. You can argue about how quick it is, and fight me along the way, but in the end I’ll have you to myself. I always get what I want. Now, is there anything else I should know about you, Princess Pine?”
“You call me that again and I’ll remove a very sensitive part of your body. That I can guarantee you.”
He chuckles as he kisses along my neck. My head tips to the side on instinct to grant him better access. The soft groan he makes causes a shiver to rush through me. His hands skim over my back, then to my sides, and up to the bottom of my breasts, where his thumbs gently caress the underside. I arch my back and start to grind against him. I can feel him harden beneath me. I’m not usually so brazen. There’s something about him. I let go of everything and simply enjoy this time. He nips along my shoulder, but eventually shifts back.
“Why did you stop?” I ask breathily.
“Because when I take you, and I will take you, it will be in my bed with no rush. I’ll take my time discovering every curve of your body. I’ll find out how you taste everywhere. I’ll make you scream my name in pleasure, and then you’ll be mine. You’ll confess you have feelings for me, eventually.”
I bite my lower lip and look away from him. Truth be told, I do feel something for him. Something so deep it scares me. It’s not normal to feel so much, so fast. I know this, but I can’t deny the way my body reacts to his nearness, or how being in his arms seems right. I’ve never felt anything close to this with my ex and that’s not lost on me.
We spend the rest of the day inside Luke’s home. He doesn’t want to go outside until his brothers and sister get the chance to meet me and find out everything from his father. Even though there are people in the kingdom who’ve seen me, and us hold hands, he said he’d rather not add fuel to gossip that’s already spreading.
A guard comes to Luke’s home to collect us for dinner. This time I know I don’t need to bring my backpack with me. I won’t be leaving. Not by force and not to
go back home. I’m torn about how I feel, but know I made the right decision. I grab the instructions I’ve written, and hand-in-hand, Luke and I walk to see the king. There are a few prying eyes who look at us speculatively, but no one says anything to us.
When we enter the dining room, there’s a feast spread out before us. My eyes dance over all of the delicious looking food, while my stomach rumbles in anticipation. The king is standing in the corner with two men and a woman in front of him. When he takes notice of our entrance, the other three heads swivel in our direction.
My eyes are first drawn to a man who is the same height as the king, and only a few inches taller than Luke. That’s where the differences end between the three of them. This man has dark blond hair and a clean shaven face. His facial structure isn’t as angular as Luke’s. He takes after Rya. I can see it clear as day, down to his hazel eyes.
We approach them; all of their eyes are drawn to our joined hands.
“It must be true then, brother,” the blond man states.
“What are you speaking of, Ry?” Luke replies.
“You’ve finally found a woman.”
His lips quirk up. “It would appear so.”
King Azure interjects, “This is Princess Alison Pine.” I hear sharp intakes of breath. “Alison, I would like you to meet my other children, Ryland, Elliott, and Addison.” He gestures to each person as he speaks their name. The blond is Ryland. I remember that he’ll be the one who will take over the throne.
“Pine?” Ryland asks shocked.
“Yes, Pine,” Luke confirms with hardness in his voice and a steel grip on my hand.
“Well, if this isn’t an interesting turn of events,” Addison comments and starts a slow parade around Luke and me. Her long chestnut hair hangs in soft curls to her mid back. She’s wearing black cotton pants like the men, but her shirt is a deep maroon v-neck that accentuates her breasts. “Of all of my brothers I never thought it would be you,” she directs to Luke, “who would stray with the enemy. My ruthless, cut men down at their knees, brother, and he’s currently holding hands with Pine’s daughter. Whom, mind you, none of us ever knew existed.”
The Azure Kingdom (Skeleton Key) Page 8
