Addison

I’m not sure what happened, but I’m left alone out in the middle of the Pine Forest in Oliver’s small dwelling. I put on my bra and shirt, and wait for him to return, but he doesn’t. Maybe he’s not able to get back into the dream. I’m still unsure how all of this works except that if I go to sleep thinking of him, I wake up in our combined dream.

I walk and walk through the forest. My feet are bare, yet don’t hurt in the slightest, even though I’ve been stepping on sticks and pine needles. I get turned around and somehow end up emerging from the tree line in front of the Pine castle. I’m not going in. There won’t be anyone there, however what if this time it’s different? What if there are people in this dream now? I can’t take the chance.

As I turn to walk toward Azure, I hear the sound of boots smacking against the stone courtyard. With each step, the sound gets louder and louder. I’m not sure what to do. If I run, can whoever it is catch me? Then again, what if it’s Oliver? I decide to move behind one of the large pine trees, keeping myself disguised in the dark shadows.

A man emerges from the castle; a man I would recognize anywhere. I step out from my hiding spot. He pauses when he sees me, then continues until I’m wrapped in his arms.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to get back into the dream,” Oliver says in between shallow pants.

“I’m glad you did.” I rest my head against his strong chest and breathe him in. He always smells of pine trees and rain. “What happened? Did something wake you up?”

“You can say that,” he mumbles.

I pull back to look him in the eyes. “Tell me.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Oliver,” I warn.

He drops his arms from me so he can pace. It seems we have that in common. I watch as he starts to wear a path in the dirt, yet I don’t speak. I wait for him to gather his thoughts.

“Remember how you told me we couldn’t be together?” he asks.

I grimace. “Yes. All too well.”

“Well, I was hurt and angry. I woke and went for a walk through the forest. I stumbled upon one of the women who resides there. We…had an intimate experience.”

My mouth drops open. “You slept with her?”

“No! But we did…some things; things I’m not proud of.” He rushes to continue, “Afterward, I told her it could never happen again, and that it was a huge mistake. She didn’t take the hint. She’s been after me for some time. Earlier tonight, I ran into her. She must have followed me to know where I was going. When our dream broke apart, I awoke to her mouth on me.”

“She was kissing you?”

“In a way.”

My eyes narrow. “In what way, exactly?” His response is to look down to the crotch of his pants. “Really?” I ask and throw my arms up in the air. “Please tell me you shoved her off of you.”

“I did. Then I raced home and jumped in the shower to get her smell off of me.” He steps to me and grips my shoulders. “I hated having another woman’s scent on me. I only want yours. No one else’s.”

I turn my head. I despise knowing he spent time with another woman. Even more, I hate that I drove him to her, and now she won’t leave him alone. There’s not a lot I can do about it right now. I can’t exactly fly over to the Pine Kingdom and stake my claim to Oliver when I wake. Well, I could, but I want to talk to my parents first, and my brothers. Let them know what’s going on. Elliott is not going to be happy when he hears about the new man in my life.

Oliver’s hand cups my cheek to bring my eyes back to his. “Addi, I want you. I’m not interested in anyone else.”

“She better never put her hands on you again.”

He smiles. “I told her not to, but since no one has called me theirs, she thinks I’m still available.”

“I plan to remedy that.”

“Oh, you do, do you?”

“Yes. When I wake, I’m going to sit my parents and brothers down to tell them about you.”

He laughs. “That should go over well.”

“Don’t be so happy. Have you told Reid yet?”

“No, but I will today. I already know he won’t mind, though. He’s a peacemaker after all.” If Rafe were still around, then we wouldn’t have a chance at a future unless we fled from both kingdoms. Reid’s rule has changed everything for the better.

“Lucky.”

He chuckles again. “I think you’re making this a bigger deal than it needs to be, love.”

I let out a long breath and lean into the hand still cupping my cheek. His thumb moves back and forth over my skin, sparking a trail with each pass. “I like it when you call me that. You referred to me as Princess that day the boy was lost.”

“I was angry and hurt. My feelings for you never changed, though.”

I close my eyes. “What feelings are those?” I need reassurance that I’m making the right decision. If I go through with this, and tell my family about Oliver, there’s no going back.

“Addi, look at me.” I open my eyes. “When I’m with you, I can feel you deep down into my very being. With each touch, each time your eyes meet mine, I know we’re meant to be. When I wake and you’re not there, an ache forms in my chest at your absence. For weeks, I’ve been searching for you while asleep. I wake up exhausted. It’s been sheer misery without you. I need you. I want you. I can’t stand being apart from you. You’re mine, Addison Azure.”

It’s then my mother’s words float to me. The words she spoke when I said I had enough of the mushy stuff between Luke and Ali. “When an Azure falls, they fall hard.” Have I fully fallen? I’m not so sure, but what I do know is I’m tired of being apart from Oliver. I want to be with him like other normal people are together, but then again, I’m not normal.

“I like being yours,” I reply. Still in a wistful tone, I add, “And if that woman touches you again, I’m going to remove whatever part of her body she used to do it. No mercy, Oliver. I won’t have another woman touching my knight.”

He smiles. “Your knight doesn’t want any other woman touching him.”

“Good. Now that we’ve got that settled, I need to think about what I’m going to say to my family.”

I can do this. I have to do this. I can’t do this. The door is closed, but all I’d have to do is turn the knob, and I could be free from the room and Elliott’s hard gaze. Looking at the table in front of me, I see him sitting beside Ry. My mom is next to me, with her hand holding mine. My dad is busy eating, without a care about what’s going on. I’m not sure if my mom told him, but she assured me everything was going to be all right.

My father wipes his mouth then addresses me. “So, Addison, care to tell us why we’re all gathered together besides to eat dinner?”

Mom squeezes my hand in a gentle reassurance. It’s now or never. I clear my throat and look to my dad. If I focus on Elliott it will only make me falter.

“As you know, I ended my relationship with Wesley a couple of weeks ago. There were a few reasons for that. One was I didn’t feel the same for him as he did for me. I thought in time my feelings would grow, but I couldn’t continue leading him on when the chance was slim. Two,” I take a deep breath. “I found someone else. He’s everything I didn’t know I wanted until he was standing before me. I feel for him what I hoped I would for Wes.”

I pause to let my eyes go from my dad, to Ry, to Elliott. My dad looks pleased and sits back in his seat with a smile on his face. Ry looks indifferent, which is standard for him. Elliott’s eyes are narrowed at me, like he knows what’s coming, but in reality he doesn’t know the truth. Only myself, my mom, and Oliver know.

“Who is this gentleman who’s caught your attention?” my dad asks.

I look to my mother who nods. Straightening my spine, I say, “Oliver Sage.”

“I knew it!” Elliott shouts, as he stands up so abruptly his chair falls back onto the floor.

“You knew nothing. Sit down,” I respond in as calm a tone as I can muster.

He leans across the table, pointing at me over the roasted beef we are eating. “The moment you jumped to his defense, I knew. Then he put himself in front of you and you let him! You never let anyone defend you, Addison, unless we are at war. Any other time, you want to train with us, learn how to fight, so you can protect yourself. Yet, you allowed him to place himself in front of you. I saw everything.”

Standing, I mimic his posture, pointing at him as well. “If you truly saw everything, as you claim you did, then you would have noticed something happening between Oliver and me at Luke’s wedding. But your keen eyes must have missed that. Like I said, sit down, Elliott.”

He turns to our dad. “Are you going to sit there and allow her to have a relationship with Oliver Sage?” he spits out his name like it’s poison on his tongue.

“Elliott, my dear boy, you should know by now that no one allows Addison to do anything. She does what she wants, when she wants. We’re all merely spectators in her life. Would I have picked one of our own? Yes, but I also know that she would never let me choose for her, and Oliver is a strong, dedicated knight, who I have no doubt will take care of Addison.”

“Unbelievable! You are allowing her to be with the enemy.”

Dad’s face begins to redden. “He isn’t our enemy anymore. You’d do well to remember that. If you’d open your eyes enough to see how far our kingdoms have come since Alison’s arrival, then you’d know Pine is our ally. Her brother rules them now. Times have changed.”

“Mom?” he asks, obviously hoping to get her on his side.

“Sit down, Elliott. Your father has already told you that we are no longer at war with them. You need to trust him, me, and your sister.”

“I do trust all of you, but I will not stand for her being with him.”

“You can be mad all you want,” I say. “But I’ve made my decision. It’s Oliver I want to be with. You can either accept it or have no part in my life.”

His face crumples. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

“I’m your brother, Addison. We’ve always been there for each other.”

“And as my brother you should respect my decision.”

“Addison,” Dad cuts in. “Before you take this further, I want Oliver to come here and have a meal with us. I need to have a few words with him.” The protective side of him has come out. I knew it would.

“Of course.” I take my seat again.

“I’ll have a messenger sent out as soon as we finish dinner.” He turns to Elliott. “Would you sit down? Enough of this. You can disapprove of your sister’s choice in a man all you want, but it’s her life to lead, not yours. What if this was the other way around, and it was you who fell in love with someone from Pine?”

He picks his chair from the floor and drops into it mumbling under his breath, so no one can hear him, except maybe Ry, who tries to hide a smile.

Dad continues, ignoring Elliott’s behavior. “You boys are welcome to come to dinner tomorrow night with Oliver, but so help me, if you so much as step one toe out of line, I will personally remove you from the room.”

“What if I want to ask him a question?” Elliott asks, and I can see the wheels turning in his mind.

“You can as long as you don’t insult him or his kingdom. One toe. I mean it.”

“Yes, sir.”