Archer

My phone rings from across the room, startling me awake. Waverly and I fell asleep in each other’s arms after valiant attempts to fight off sleep. We talked about what life would be like if our circumstances were different. She’d be a primary school teacher, and I’d be a firefighter. We’d be married and living in a country house with a horse or two and a whole pack of kids. There wouldn’t be kidnapping or threats to her safety; it would just be us and our family. Simple and perfect.

“Hello?” I say into the phone, a little harshly.

“All clear, Archer. The guilty parties have been detained. Coleman picked up Princess Waverly’s kidnappers, and the Duke of Longmire sang like a bloody canary. Five more members of court were in on it. If you hadn’t gone after her when you did, we’d be in a world of hurt. They had traps laid out everywhere.”

My stomach turns to lead at the sound of Clark’s distress. The man doesn’t let anything get to him. “It must’ve taken months of planning on their parts.”

“I’m just thankful it didn’t slip by your notice. You did a true service to the crown, boy. More than I’ve ever done.” He sounds shaken.

“They’re all fine? The king and queen? Princess Alina?”

He clears his throat. “They are. As soon as you alerted us to the threat, we cleared the ballroom and secured the royal family in separate locations.”

Waverly sits up and stretches as I pace the floor. She’s still gloriously nude, and, God help me, the sight makes my cock stir. “I…I’m glad to hear it.”

“We’ll expect the princess to be returned in short order. The King is eager to make sure his sister is unharmed.” A pit forms in my gut. She’s unharmed, but not untouched.

“Yes, sir. We’ll be there within the hour.”

Waverly’s eyes fill with tears, and my heart cracks. But we knew this would be the outcome of our tryst. I might love her for the rest of my life, but I will never truly have her. I hang up and drag my hand through my hair. “It’s time?” she asks.

“It is. I’ve got to grab a shower. As much as I want to be reminded of our time together, I can’t face your brother with the smell of you all over me.”

Her chin wobbles, and, fuck, if I’m not feeling the burn of tears in my own eyes. “I don’t want to leave.”

I cross the room and drop to my knees in front of her. Then, I take her face between my hands and memorize the amazing detail of her irises. “I know, Sparrow. Fuck, I know. But this is who you are. A princess. A leader. I will always protect you, always love you, and I promise, I’ll never leave.”

She takes a long breath, then stands. “Give me one last time with you. If we’re going to be apart, I want you to leave me breathless once more.”

How can I deny her that? Taking her hand, I pull her to stand in front of me. “Come then, we can shower together while I explore every inch of you.”

An hour later, we’re in the car, her hair still damp, my heart pounding with the anxiety of a man walking to the chopping block. But isn’t that what this is? I’m willingly severing part of me by returning her. My shoulder throbs from overuse, but the pain is a welcome distraction from the ache in my chest.

“Sparrow, look at me,” I say through clenched teeth as we pull up in front of the palace.

“No. If I look at you, I’ll lose my nerve.”

“Please?” God, I’m fucking begging her, but I can’t bear the thought of going on without one more shared moment between us.

She trains heartbroken eyes on me, and I take her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I can’t.”

“I love you. Never forget that.”

The palace doors swing open, and she whips her head in their direction. Her brother, the king, and Princess Alina are rushing out to us. Before she can respond the car door is pulled open and King Ryder takes her by the arm, bringing her into his embrace as though I don’t even exist.

I exit my car and stand on the sidelines, but Clark is there, his big body a strong presence next to me. “You did the right thing keeping her safe.”

I nod. Not because I don’t want to say anything, but because my throat is too tight to let words out.

“It won’t go unnoticed after the princess gets settled in.”

I don’t want notice. I just want her. But I nod, and keep my expression neutral. I can’t let him see how upset I am by this. But when Waverly looks back at me as her brother ushers her inside, I nearly lose my hard won control. She’s walking out of my life, and I can do nothing to stop her.

“She looks broken,” Clark says, guilt coloring his tone.

It’s true. She does. She looks like someone took her heart and stabbed it. “She’s not. That woman is the strongest person I know. Fucking amazing.”

He coughs. “Careful, Archer. Your reverence is a little strong.”

Shit.

“You should have seen her fighting him off. He had her chained.” Anger blossoms in my chest at the memory of her kicking and screaming as Lord Waystrom moved in on her. “Our princess…chained like a criminal. I’m pretty sure she broke his knee before I got to her.

“She’s always been brave.”

Brave is an understatement. She’s a fucking warrior. “That she has.”

The door shuts after the royal family enters the palace, and I’m flooded with a mixture of confusing feelings. Pain, relief, longing, joy. She’s home, where she belongs. My sparrow is safe in her gilded cage, and now all I can do is look at her and remember what it felt like when she was free.