Oliver
This life never ceases to amaze me. I went from being depressed over losing someone, who I never really had, to being engaged to the most perfect woman. I’ve never been happier. After handing Sel back his quiver of arrows and thanking him for what he had done, we go to find Reid. Even though Addi was the one to save her own life, Sel’s intention was obvious. He wanted to protect her, even if it meant killing his own blood. It’s not every day you can find that kind of dedication.
Richlan meets us outside the tower house. “I’ve locked Anese in the dungeon, but haven’t spoken to anyone as to why she’s there. I did get some strange looks as I walked her through the courtyard, though.”
“I’m sure you did,” I reply. “Let them look. Soon enough, they will know what she has done and how she’s going to be punished. May she be an example to all others who have thoughts of trying to harm any members of other kingdoms.”
He nods then directs his attention to Addison. “Princess Azure, I’m truly sorry for what you’ve been going through while in our care. Please know this is an isolated incident and will be taken care of justly. If I even catch word of someone acting out toward you, or any member of your family, I will deal with them personally.”
“I appreciate that, but I think you might have to fight Oliver for who gets to deal with them first,” she says, with a hint of a smile.
“You got that right,” I reply.
We say goodbye and go in to see Reid. He’s sitting at the dining table, enjoying lunch.
Reid stands. “Good to see you again, Addison. Have you two come to join me? There’s plenty of food.”
As if on cue, Addi’s stomach growls. “It appears we have,” I say, chuckling. “I also have business to discuss with you.”
“Should we go elsewhere to talk?”
“No, here is fine. Addison is aware of everything.”
“Okay, then let’s eat and talk.”
We spend the entire meal talking about what happened out in the forest. I even tell Reid of our engagement. Of course, he’s very excited for us. To say he was furious when he heard of Anese is an understatement. He agrees that she is to be banished. There is a floating island in our realm which houses criminals. All serious offenders are sent there. They spend the rest of their days high in the sky, unable to escape.
Reid wants to make a public statement about Anese, and let the entire kingdom know that this type of threat will not be tolerated. Being banished is the worst fear of our people. It’s what keeps them on the straight and narrow.
After lunch, we meet with Richlan, so he can start the process of having Anese removed from our kingdom. I take full advantage of him handling everything and bring Addi back to my home. Once inside, I close and lock the door. I strip her of all her clothes, and mine as well, before carrying her upstairs to my bed. I want nothing between us.
In the comfort of my room, with my fiancé in my bed, I close the damask around us, creating a safe space. One where no one will be threatening her life. Where no one else exists, but us.
Leaning down, I press a kiss to her lips. “I could have lost you today.” Everything fully hits me now that we’re alone. How close I came to losing her. How I misjudged Sel and completely underestimated Anese.
“But you didn’t.”
“What if you didn’t feel threatened?” I push a stray lock of hair away from her face. “You were only able to freeze everything because you thought you were in danger. Just a fraction of a moment more, and you would have been dead. The thought of losing you, Addison, it makes every part of me ache. I would be lost if you weren’t here.” I rest my forehead against hers. “I should have protected you better. If I had, none of this would have happened. I brought you here. Being with me put your life at risk. This is all my fault.” I squeeze my eyes shut, while the guilt consumes me, making me question my moves in the forest. I was protecting her from the wrong person. Her being behind me with her back exposed left her vulnerable. I should have placed her between myself and a tree.
Her hands hold either side of my face. “You have done everything you can to protect me since I’ve been here. You put me first…always. Please don’t beat yourself up over this. Besides,” she says and lightly runs her fingers over my facial hair. “If it didn’t happen, I wouldn’t be wearing this gorgeous ring on my finger and wouldn’t be engaged to marry you right now.”
“I would have found a better time to ask you. What a poor excuse for a proposal it was. I wanted to do it in a way you deserve and make it perfect, not after you were nearly killed.”
“The when doesn’t matter. It’s the fact that you did propose, which means everything. Think of it this way, neither of us will ever forget how we got engaged.”
A smile begins to form on my lips. “No, we won’t.”
“So, can you let this go? Thinking about what you could have done differently won’t get us anywhere. We can’t rewrite the past and I don’t want to. What if she missed and got away? She could have run and not been found. I’m sure she knows those trees better than most. The next time I could have been in the air and been hit. There is no way to know. Let’s be thankful she’s going away and we’re both safe. Please?”
I sigh and know I need to listen to her. What’s done is done. That doesn’t mean I won’t feel guilty for a long time to come. “As you wish, love.”
“Kiss me.”
Without hesitation, I bring my lips to hers. We kiss tenderly for a moment. It’s sheer love with a tiny bit of passion, but then the passion builds. I find my hands roaming her curves on their own accord. She moans into my mouth as I take her breast in my hand, rolling her nipple between my thumb and forefinger. Her teeth nip along my lower lip. This woman drives me wild with the simplest of touches. My dick is hard and pressing up against her thigh.
“Do you feel what you do to me?” I ask, while kissing a trail from her mouth to her collarbone, then down her neck to her breast. My tongue swirls around the peak as my hand moves to the juncture of her thighs.
“Yes,” she says breathily.
I dip two fingers inside and find her completely ready for me. Using my knee, I spread her legs and settle myself between them. She pushes her pelvis up in an effort to take me inside. I grip my length in my hand, pump it a few times, and then guide it slowly into her.
The current of our connection, present with every touch, intensifies even more. It flares to an inferno. Our bodies meld into one. Our minds open, letting all of our thoughts flow freely to one another.
She now knows of my guilt, my love, and absolute devotion to her. In return I get her own fear of dying, leaving me before we would have even started our life together, and complete relief to be in my arms.
This time isn’t only about lust. It’s about letting each other deep into our souls to know how truly in love we are. The bond we share is full of life, and with each moment that passes by, it only grows stronger.
Our bodies continue to move; each thrust of my hips driving us closer to the cliff we will both inevitably fall off of.
“Please, Oliver.” I love to hear her beg me in my mind.
“Please what?”
“I’m so close. I need more.”
Reaching between us, I find her most sensitive spot and use my fingers to work her into a frenzy. Her thoughts are a jumbled mess of wanting me to go faster and needing me to back off so it lasts longer. I keep my strokes steady, but my hips move into her at a rapid pace.
Then she peaks and begins to tremble beneath me. “Oliver!” she calls out as her legs squeeze my waist tightly, bringing me as close as possible to her.
“You and me, love. Forever.”
With a final thrust, I climax. Chills race up my spine and my body shakes ever so slightly.
Bracing my forearms on either side of her head, I keep most of my weight off her as we both come down from our highs. I kiss her cheeks and feel wetness there. Pulling back, I try to see if she’s crying, but with the damask closed, I can’t see much more than her outline.
“Addison, what’s wrong?”
Her arms wrap around my neck and she pulls me completely down on top of her. “I never want to be parted from you again. Ever. To think of us separating, whether in death or life, scares me.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Please believe me.”
She sniffles. “I do, but…”
“What?”
“I try not to let anyone know of my insecurities, and up until now, I’ve done a good job of hiding them from you, but as confident as I am, I worry about a lot of things. My mom, she left my dad for many years, and I thought she was dead. All those years she was gone, my dad was left wondering what happened to her. I don’t want to be away from you. If you ever decide to travel, or even if it becomes possible to leave this realm again, please promise me we will only go together.”
“I promise. Always together, never apart.”
“Thank you, Oliver. Thank you for everything.”
“You never have to thank me. You’re my life now, Addison.”
We spend the remainder of the afternoon in bed. We talk a lot. She tells me of her fears, and I admit to the demons which still haunt me after all of the battles I’ve fought. Neither are easy subjects for us, but we are committing our lives to one another. We need to be open and honest about everything.
I need her to know I’ve done things I regret, but were necessary at the time. Fortunately, while she might not like it, she understands. She tells me of times her brothers returned from the battlefield covered in others’ blood. How they spoke of nightmares and screaming out in the middle of the night to the point their voices would be hoarse in the morning. It all hits a chord with me. I’ve woken up with tears streaming down my face from reliving the times I’ve killed men, as I fought for our kingdom.
We eventually emerge from my bed and go to the tower house to have dinner with Reid. I feel like we’re even more connected and in tune than before, if that’s even possible. We said a lot, and I’d like to hope there are now no secrets between us. I know I’ve told her everything I could think of.
When we enter the dining room, we both stop in our tracks. I immediately push Addi behind me and take a protective stance in front of her. Reid stands to calm me down, but how can I when sitting around the table are Sam, Sel, and more alarmingly, Wesley?