Chapter 16
LIZ
I thought the accumulation of events that happened, as well as being on high heels the whole night, would have been enough to knock me out. I expected to be out like a light the moment my head hit my pillow, especially considering how soft it was and how warm the blankets were. This was definitely an upgrade from our previous room—and that was saying something, considering our previous room was already a huge step up.
But no matter what I did, no matter how many tossing and turning I subjected myself to, nothing worked. I even got a glass of warm milk to make myself sleepy, but all it did was make me feel full. I realized that with how muddled my thoughts were, staying in bed was just going to eventually drive me insane.
So I tossed back the sheets. As quietly as I could, I slid out of bed, careful not to wake Kyle up. He was still sound asleep and hadn’t spoken since then, and that was enough assurance for me as I slid out of the room.
The hall was quiet, and I knew for sure the princesses were already in their rooms, fast asleep. My exit had been hours ago, and I couldn’t believe I spent all that time thinking too much in bed when I should be doing something productive. Often, walking made me productive, and I did that now, removing myself from the vicinity right away so no one would spot me. Then I wandered the emptier halls, keeping in the dark and trying to piece together whatever information I gathered from the ball.
I had talked to all the twelve princesses, and everyone’s story sounded plausible at first glance. Perhaps the only one I would eliminate from my suspect list was Ana because of how kind and open she was—but then again, her obvious interest in Benjamin raised some suspicion in itself, which meant she still wasn’t going to be crossed off.
The Russian princess was high on the alert list, mostly because she was quiet and kept observing me. I still needed to get myself acquainted with her to see why she was here—as far as I knew, Russian princesses were wealthy and liked marrying into bigger royal families, not small ones like this royal family in Osmerol.
I made a list in my mind, deciding to write them down later for further analyzing. I was big on lists and this was something to do, since other than pretending, I wasn’t allowed to do any housekeeping for now.
Rounding the corner towards another hallway, my footsteps halted when I heard another pair—heavier ones, almost like the person didn’t care about being heard. I paused for a bit, almost about to take a step back and turn around. But I took the risk, peeking to see if it was one of the princesses out at night.
The familiar figure had my eyes widening. Lucas was walking unsteadily, a bottle in hand and his eyes partially closed. When he swayed on the spot, I knew I should have just retreated and left him be.
Instead, I found myself walking forward and catching him before he could stumble completely.
I snatched the bottle from his hand and gritted my teeth at his weight, even though only half of it was on me. Lucas blinked, then stared at me blearily.
“Liz?”
“This is really unbecoming of you, Lucas,” I muttered.
“That’s Prince…Lucas…”
“Lucas,” I interrupted. I hoisted his arm on my shoulder and glared up at him, willing him to cooperate. “Now come on. Let’s get you to your room before your mother sees you.”
“Stepmother,” he corrected.
“Stop talking,” I hissed.
“Sassy.”
I almost laughed at that but stifled it and focused on walking with him one step at a time. It was a good thing his room wasn’t that far away because I didn’t think I could carry his weight any longer. Lucas kept mumbling, and I cocked my ears even while I kept hissing at him to be quiet. It didn’t bode well for both of us to be seen like this because it would get us in trouble.
It would definitely get me in trouble.
“You’re really pretty, Liz…”
“I know. Stop talking.”
“And I know you want me…”
“Untrue. Try again.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Jerk.”
The relief was huge when we reached his room, but it was another thing altogether trying to navigate the mess of bottles on the floor. Worry slid in at the thought that he just kept drinking after what happened to us in the meeting room, and that worry was what pushed me to hasten my movements as I brought him to the edge of the bed.
“You need to get in bed, Lucas. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you.”
“I’ll smack you if you fight me.”
“You’re nasty.”
“I am,” I agreed. “Now, on three. One, two—oof!”
My last word came out as a squeak as instead of toppling him over to the bed, I got pulled with him. It happened too fast that I couldn’t have prevented it if I tried—and before I knew it, I was lying on my back and his weight was holding me down.
His very dead weight.
I pushed him off, but only got a nuzzling on my neck as he kept still. My breath caught in my throat at his warm mouth so near, even while I babbled and tried to get him off me.
“Get off me.”
“Only if you…say please…”
I paused, then eyed him balefully. “Please?”
He nuzzled my neck again, and I gasped. “That tickles!”
“Sorry…”
“Work with me, Lucas. Come on now.”
“You want a workout?”
“I didn’t say—oh, my God!” Suddenly his weight was gone, and I was rolled to the top, straddling him. His hands encircled my wrist, and I tried to tug them off. “Lucas, you are so dead—”
“I’ll give you a workout…”
His hold firmed.
Then he pulled my head down and met it halfway for a hard, searing kiss.
Just like earlier, I didn’t struggle—I couldn’t have, not with the power that kiss held over me. I could taste the alcohol on him, could taste the warmth of his breath that I just felt earlier. I could feel his tongue as it slid inside me, as potent as the hand that was sliding under my shirt now.
And I gave. I kissed him back and I gave, drowning in his taste and wanting more.
The kiss eventually turned slow. Intimate. His mouth explored mine, his tongue teasing softly until I was writhing in desperation. His hand closed over my breast, sliding my bra down and rubbing his thumb over my nipple until it became one distended bud of pleasure. I moaned and rubbed my body against his, a sound he swallowed hungrily as he took me to new heights and brought the kiss deeper, seeking something but not knowing what it was.
It turned even slower—then, even more until Lucas stopped moving altogether. Belatedly, realization came rushing at me that he was sound asleep, and the soft snore that followed only cemented that.
Embarrassment slid in, followed by mortification. I pushed off him and rushed to arrange myself, then jumped when something pulsed against my core. His erection was still there, and the thought that I was shamelessly grinding against it had my cheeks heating up. I scrambled off his lap, trying to compose myself.
Then I glared at his sleeping form.
About to leave, I took the first step towards the door. But his mumbling voice stopped me, and the familiarity of the word he uttered had me stopping.
“Monster…monster…”
Kyle’s own mumbling flashed in mind, and I was abruptly turning around again and climbing beside Lucas. I leaned forward to hear better, waiting as silence filled the room for a while.
“Liz…”
“Yes?”
“I’m…”
“Yes?”
“I’m…a monster…”
The words, said so gravely, sent a chill down my spine. Goosebumps covered my skin as he repeated it, as a tortured sound escaped his lips. Something surged inside me, tightening my chest. I had to consciously stabilize my breathing to fight it. Then I was urging Lucas to move again until he was right in the center of his bed.
“It hurts…monster…”
The words were sincere, the pain in them raw. Realizing I couldn’t leave him even if I tried, I got into action, getting a basin and wet towel and placing it on his bedside table. Then I started stripping him off his clothes, stopping at his trousers. His body was hot all over, but I could feel some shaking underneath.
“Liz…I’m a monster…”
“You’re not,” I whispered. “Shhh. Stay still. I’ll take care of you.”
The words settled him down for a bit, and I took that opportunity to wipe his upper half and his face. He was soon deep in sleep, breathing softly and evenly. I didn’t want to disturb him, but I was already here, and I might as well wash up whatever I could.
Pushing with both hands, I managed to get him positioned sideways, with my towel ready to wipe. It dropped on the bed when I finally got a good look at what I was seeing.
His back was filled with scars—brown welts that inter-crossed in no particular direction, injuries that didn’t heal properly and now protruded over his skin. Without thinking, I gingerly touched them with my fingers, but his sleep remained unbothered, even while I pressed.
Tears started to form in my eyes, but I blinked them back and tried to concentrate on the task. Then I urged him to lie on his back again, watching as he breathed one painful breath before sleeping peacefully.
“What happened to you, Lucas?”
My question went unanswered, of course. It only added further questions, muddling my brain a little more until thinking straight was no longer possible.
Knowing I wasn’t going to get any answers tonight, I covered Lucas with blankets and climbed out of bed, even though I was tempted to do the exact opposite. I picked up the bottles and put them all in the trash can.
“Liz…stay…”
His words had me freezing.
I looked up and found his eyes half-open, staring at me. They were unfocused, but his hand reached out, almost a pleading gesture.
“Lucas…”
“Monsters…I’ll protect you…”
His hand went back down, and my heart flipped. Before I could overthink it, I was walking over to him and climbing back in, gingerly lying down on the space he left for me. He pulled me in with strong arms, and the warmth of his chest against my back was perhaps the most comforting thing I felt in the world—and the most sensation-provoking.
My heart quickened, and my belly throbbed with liquid pulls of electricity. But as minutes passed by and he breathed easier, my body relaxed too, and I felt the first stirrings of sleep try to take me.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I did know one thing: my instinct to protect Lucas was all too real, and it was the second scariest feeling in the world.
And the scariest was the thought of how I was falling too deep.