His father opened the door. “Inside, son. We have a lot to discuss.” His father’s whisper, although soft, promised to be anything but soft during that discussion.
His head hanging low, Xavier walked past Loren to enter the residence, but Loren surprised him with a swift and hard wallop on the butt. He winced and his eyes watered.
Trying not to rub his butt to ease the stinging pain, he glanced up at the general and muttered, “I’m sorry.”
With a bitter huff, Loren turned and resumed his guard. The king nudged Xavier into the residence and closed the door firmly behind them.
“Sit down, son,” Jeremiah ordered, gesturing toward the receiving room.
Sighing, he shuffled into the room and flopped onto the sofa, still looking at the ground in front of him. His father settled into the armchair to his left and sighed. For several long seconds he said nothing, and Xavier couldn’t help but take a quick peek at his father, who was sitting back in the chair with both hands covering his face.
“Jeremy? Is he okay?” Lana asked as she flowed into the room wearing her nightgown and robe.
His father sat up. “Yes, sweetheart. Luckily, he only had a broken arm that could be healed quickly.”
“Oh, thank God! Xavier Wells, if I weren’t so relieved that you’re okay, I’d skin you alive, boy!” Lana exclaimed grabbing him and pulling him into a tight hug.
Xavier relished in the warmth she provided, but his father’s next words sent a chill through his body.
“Courtney didn’t fare as well. He had multiple compound fractures in his leg. It will take some time to heal, and the healers will have to heal it in stages. He’ll be in the hospital for a couple of days. By the looks of the car, they’re all lucky to be alive. If they hadn’t teleported out of the car when they did, they’d all be dead. No one could have survived that kind of impact.”
Lana’s arms tightened around Xavier. “Oh my God! Xavier Wells!” she gasped pushing him to arm’s length. “Look at me, young man!”
Slowly he raised his eyes to meet Lana’s wide, worrisome eyes.
“What on earth were you thinking? Why did you take your father’s car? Why were you speeding all over the moor?”
“Sire, there’s a phone call for you,” Mrs. Sommers announced.
“Take a message, Emma.”
“I think you should take this. It’s the Razorbill Cove Police Department. They believe your car was stolen, and there was an incident involving the car.”
Xavier’s eyes widened. Shit! It just gets better and better.
His father’s eyes hardened on him. “I’ll take it in the library, Emma.”
“Yes, sire.” Emma nodded and walked toward the kitchen.
“Do you want to tell me what I should expect from this call before I take it, son?”
Xavier gulped. “Ah, well, we got scared cuz a police officer was sniffing around the car. I… uh… I tricked the officer to follow me while the others got in the car. Then… I… I teleported into the car and w… we took off… Only…”
“Only?”
“Uh… well, we might have accidentally fishtailed right into the police car.”
“Bloody hell, Xavier!” the king exploded, jumping to his feet. “Stay put! Don’t move a single muscle until I come back!”
Xavier watched with blurred vision as his father stomped into the library. “I really screwed up, Lana. I… I don’t… I don’t know how to make this right.”
Lana hugged him again. “Sweetheart, sometimes making something right takes time and patience. You’ve broken your father’s trust. All you can do now is own up to your mistakes, apologize, make amends, and learn from your mistakes.”
Xavier nodded as he steeled his courage to face this. He had to man-up and make it right, no matter how long it took, no matter what he would need to do. Lana kissed his forehead gently.
“Do you need me to stay to keep your father calm?”
“No. I deserve his anger. I was thoughtless, reckless, and endangered my friends,” he answered, his thoughts wandering to Robbie. “I could have killed them,” he finished with a whisper.
“Yes. That is true, but you didn’t.” She kissed his forehead again. “Good luck, sweetie. I’m going on up to bed. Tell your dad for me, okay?”
“Yeah. Good night, Lana,” he answered as she stood and walked toward the staircase.
Five minutes later, the king exited the library, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well that was fun,” he commented sarcastically. “You and I will go into Razorbill Cove tomorrow and pay for the damages for the patrol car. They agreed not to press charges.”
Xavier expelled a relieved sigh.
The king’s hardened eyes nailed him to the sofa. “Oh, so you’re relieved by that? You could have killed yourself, but you’re relieved that you will not face criminal charges from the Commoners?”
“No, sir. I just… It’s just one less thing to worry about. I’m sorry, Dad. I am! I was stupid and I… I lied to you.”
“Oh, yes, you don’t need to remind me that you lied to me. Picnic in the woods? In the course of three short hours, you’ve all but pulverized my trust in you! Damn it, Xavier! I don’t even know what to say to you!”
“I know, Dad, I messed up. I… I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to get away from prying eyes and whispers. I wanted to be away from…” he gestured widely, “all of this and just be a teenager, an ordinary teenager who has nothing more to worry about than if his hands were sweating when he holds his girlfriend’s hand! If I could go back in time and change it, I would, but I can’t. I’m not Abraham! I’m not a time bender! God, I wish I were!” Xavier continued to rant and pour out every pent-up thought that festered in his mind. “Actually, I wish I could just be normal, but it’s stupid to wish for something that’s impossible. God, Dad! I just want to go out with Robbie and not have my every move monitored and watched. I wanted to be alone with her to …”
“Alone? Why did you take Erica and Court with you?”
“I didn’t think Robbie would come if I didn’t include Erica to talk her into doing it.”
“I see, but I don’t think your excuse warrants the theft of a car…”
“Dad, it was your car! Why does everyone keep saying I stole it?”
“Because you did!” his father shouted the last word. “It was not your car, son. Therefore you stole my car!”
“All right! Geesh, you don’t have to yell!” Oops, he shouldn’t have said that! He watched as the king swelled with fury.
“How dare you tell me I don’t have to yell? Do you really think I have no cause to be upset, son?” Xavier guessed his father’s questions were rhetorical because he never paused for a response between them as he continued, “Do you realize you could have died today? You could have killed Robbie, Court, or Erica? And do you realize that you teleported in front of a commoner, who’s now asking all kinds of questions?”
Xavier’s jaw dropped at the last question. Double crap! He had forgotten about teleporting in front of the officer.
“I… God! Dad, I… I… just tell me what to do! I don’t know what to do to make this right! I’m sorry. I really am! I … what do I do?”
The king’s anger seemed to abate. With a noisy sigh, he rubbed his face vigorously.
“First, we go to bed. I’m too tired to make a decision about your punishment tonight,” the king announced.
Xavier couldn’t believe he had heard correctly. “What? Go to bed? How am I going to sleep with all of this unsettled?”
His father looked down at him knowingly. “I guess you won’t.” With that, the king left the room.
Chapter 19
Xavier tossed and turned that night. He kept seeing his father’s disappointed, angry eyes glaring at him. He almost wished his dad had spanked him, caned him even, if it meant he didn’t have to look at him like the enemy again. His eyes filled, and he abruptly swiped the tears away. It did no good to feel sorry for himself; it didn’t change any
thing.
Sighing, he flopped onto his stomach, closed his eyes, and tried to get comfortable. However, it seemed that no matter how he flopped or what position he lay in, some part of his body always felt pinched, twisted, or numb. Groaning loudly, Xavier sat up in bed and climbed to his feet, only to topple to the floor with a loud thud. His covers were twisted around his legs like a great python.
“Argh!” he muttered, exasperated. As he struggled to free his legs, he felt like crying again. Expelling a shuddering breath, he stood, walked to the bathroom, and splashed warm water on his face. He felt horrible. He had really, really messed up this time. God! He wished he could talk to Robbie. She had a knack for always making him feel better.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he whispered, “You must be a total idiot for even considering sneaking out to Robbie’s.” He flicked the bathroom light off as he walked toward his dresser muttering, “But I’m still going to do it. Seriously, how much worse can this possibly get?”
The words, “much worse,” popped into his head as he stripped off his pajamas and pulled on jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers. He crept out of his room and tiptoed down the hall to his father’s room. His hand hesitated on the doorknob as he suddenly realized it wasn’t just his father’s room. Lana slept beyond this door now. The king was a heavy sleeper most the time, but was Lana? What would he say to her if she woke up and caught him? A string of likely and unlikely excuses raced through his mind.
With a deep breath, he slowly opened the door and stepped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. He froze and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Suddenly, the room was no longer pitch black as a greenish hue faintly illuminated the room. His thoughts went directly to the comment Beck made at the wedding reception. Oh God! He didn’t need to see that! Panicked and slightly appalled that he might see his father in an intimate moment with Lana, he snapped his eyes closed, anxiously reaching for the doorknob to escape. But when he peeked out of one eye to find the doorknob, the room was pitch black again. He frowned and listened. His father’s even, rhythmic breathing indicated that he was asleep and not engaged with Lana in any way. Then he heard Lana’s softer, quieter breathing, and knew they were both asleep.
Then what was the greenish hue that he saw? He nearly yelped when it suddenly returned. Then it occurred to him that he could make out the layout of the room and could see every object in the room. His father and Lana slept side by side; his father’s arm draped protectively over Lana’s waist. It wasn’t his father glowing! Xavier had night vision! It was just like on TV when they showed the view of someone wearing military night googles. He could see in the dark! How cool was that? He grinned widely as he slowly made his way through the dark room to the patio door. Once outside, the intensity of the greenish hue lessened with a full moon night. He really didn’t need help seeing things.
He didn’t need to meditate to teleport to Robbie. His need for her was so strong that he simply disappeared from the patio and reappeared in the middle of her room without doing more than thinking about her.
Her room was dark, but with his night vision, he could see her burrowed deep under her covers so that only her closed eyes could be seen. Smiling, he tiptoed toward her, knelt by her bed, and softly stroked her hair from her face. She moaned sleepily and snuggled deep into her covers. Xavier leaned over her and kissed her forehead lightly. No response. He kissed both eyes. She rolled onto her back but continued to sleep.
Xavier crawled onto the bed, straddled her body with his, and looked down at her with a large grin. Slowly, gently, he nibbled on her bottom lip before kissing her awake.
Suddenly, Robbie jerked, drawing up both legs, and kneeing him in the privates. A breath left his lungs in a yelp, and he quickly rolled away from her. He tried to breathe and ended up coughing so hard he was sure his testicles might come out of his mouth. The light flipped on, and Robbie looked down at him on the floor. He cradled himself, tears streaming from his eyes as he coughed so much he was dangerously close to throwing up.
“Xavier?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice down.
“Y… y… yeah?” he managed, his voice tight with pain.
“Are you okay? Oh God! I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you!” she exclaimed quietly, rushing to his side. “I didn’t mean to… to… hit you… there.”
“I… I h… hope not!” he coughed out.
“Are you okay?”
“No. God, I think I’m permanently damaged.”
“Well, you shouldn’t sneak up on me in the middle of the night doing… What were you doing?”
Still cradling himself, he slowly straightened his legs, wincing. He took several deep breaths and was relieved to find the coughing had subsided. Man, did he hurt though. “I was just trying to kiss you awake.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. Do you need me to do something…?”
Xavier couldn’t have kept the ornery grin from his face if he tried.
“Don’t you dare say kiss it to make it feel better!” she scolded, trying not to laugh.
Shrugging, he slowly sat up. “Naw. I’ll be okay… in a few… years,” he answered with a wink and a grin. Xavier leaned against Robbie’s bed, still trying to regain his breath. Robbie copied his actions, sitting beside him.
“Why did you come?”
Xavier’s grin dropped. “I… I just… I needed to see you. Are you sure you’re okay? You didn’t get hurt at all in the accident?”
“I’m fine, Xavier, aside from a couple of scratches. You and Court got the worst of it.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Court will be the hospital for a couple of days. His leg was broken so badly that they need to heal it in stages.”
“Yeah, I heard.”
Xavier exhaled heavily. “I don’t know what to do to make this right with my dad. He’s so mad, so disappointed. I screwed up. I screwed up big. I worry he’ll never look at me the same again.”
“Xavier, your dad’s mad and maybe a little scared because of what could have happened to you, to all of us, but he’ll get over it. It’ll be okay. You’ve messed up before and he’s forgiven you.”
Xavier eyed her disgruntledly. “Thanks,” he hissed sarcastically, and Robbie giggled.
“I’m sorry, but you know I’m right. You’re very creative at finding trouble. I find it attractive, but I can understand why it drives him up the wall.”
Xavier nodded. “Yeah. I’m just worried. He refused to punish me tonight. He said he needed a clearer head and we’d discuss it in the morning. I think he did that on purpose to mess with me. I can’t sleep. All I can do is wait and worry.”
“Aw, my poor abused boyfriend,” she commented as she patted his leg and kissed his cheek. “You know, it might help if you suggested a punishment to your dad. The bigger the punishment, the more respect he’ll have for you.”
Xavier paused in thought before answering, “That’s a great idea, Robbie! No wonder I love you so much! You’re brilliant!”
Robbie’s huge grin took his breath away.
“I know what you can do for me,” Xavier whispered, his smile dropping into a somber expression.
Robbie looked up at him, her eyes widening. “What?”
Xavier leaned toward her, tilted her chin up with his index finger, and covered her mouth with his. When she responded by kissing him back, he couldn’t think straight, and he kissed deeper. Soon, Robbie was wrapping her arms around him and snuggling closer. Xavier’s breath quickened. This was heaven, absolute bliss. His hands ran up and down her back. He just needed to touch her!
Robbie pulled away suddenly and pressed her head against his chest, out of breath and flushed. “We better stop. You better go home, Xavier.”
Xavier was confused. What had he done wrong? “Robbie?”
She looked up at him. “Xavier, you’re glowing so brightly I could turn out my light and we’d still be able to see each other clearly. You are a very good kisser, which is why we need to stop before…”
> Xavier blushed as he realized what she meant. Wow! Um… what could he say to that? Thank you? No, that didn’t seem appropriate. “It’s your fault,” he stated with a grin. “You’re so hot that I can’t keep my hands… uh… lips off you. But you’re right. I should go. Can I have one more kiss for the road?”
Robbie snickered. “Road? It will take you literally a fraction of a millisecond to get home!”
He grinned mischievously. “Come on. Just one more?”
Giggling, Robbie leaned toward him until she was inches from him and whispered, “Just one more.” Then she gave him a heart-thumping, inferno-igniting kiss. Xavier whimpered, actually whimpered!
Suddenly he jerked to his feet, ending the kiss. He stood, awkwardly, looking down at her, and muttered in a rush, “I better go,” before disappearing from her room. He stood for nearly ten minutes out on the patio, trying to calm his pulse and cool the blood pumping through his veins. He knew if anyone could see him now, they would be astounded at how brightly he glowed. He couldn’t go into the palace glowing. It could wake his father, or worse Lana. How would he explain glowing pink as he crept through their room? Closing his eyes, he focused on his grandmother, her shrieking voice, her hateful eyes, and her cruel words. When he opened his eyes, the pink glow was gone, and he breathed out gratefully. Then he crept back to his room.
To Xavier, it felt as if he no sooner closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep when his father was shaking him awake. Xavier looked at his bedside clock. He had gotten back into his room around four, and it was now seven. Three hours! Three freaking hours of sleep! He looked grumpily up at his father.
“Why are you waking me up at this hour? I don’t have school! I want to sleep in!”
The king straightened, his face turning from impassive to hard. “I don’t really have much regard for what you want, son. Doing what you want is why I’m waking you at this hour. Get dressed! We have a meeting with the Razorbill Cove Police Department at eight-thirty.” Without another word, his father turned and treaded heavily out of the room.
The Prince of Warwood and The War of Kings Page 18
