Chapter 23
LUCAS
Waking up with a hangover was something I was used to, and usually, alcohol helped fix that. But I found no alcohol bottle anywhere near when I finally got to looking around, and I realized that the headache throbbing in my forehead wasn’t because of any hangover.
It was because of pain all over my body.
Another quick assessment determined what I hadn’t noticed before—that I was bandaged from head to foot and had too many injuries to count. My mind was still blank, and it irritated me that there was no one around for me to ask what the hell was going on.
Then, like a flash of lighting, my memories came back and bombarded me with image after image of exactly what happened—from my time with Liz in the stables, to my panicked run into the garden to my fight with Benjamin.
It was too much to take in just a few seconds, and I rubbed my head. Then I winced when even the process of lifting my hand sent my muscles into protest. But Liz came to mind again, and I couldn’t very well lie here without knowing her exact condition.
Did Benjamin wake up and get to her?
Worse…did I?
I sat up, ignoring every burst of pain that came with the movement. Then I gingerly tried standing up, gritting my teeth as every nerve cell screamed at me to sit back down. I didn’t care, because my goal was locked in already, and I wasn’t going back in that bed until I found out she was unharmed.
I didn’t think I could forgive myself if I ever hurt her.
It was a slow, tedious process, taking one step after another until I reached the door. My knees almost buckled, but I managed to turn the knob and pull it open. Then I managed to slip my body out from the opening and—
“Lucas! Oh, my God.”
Liz’s voice startled me into a frozen state. Then her scent was here in front of me and so was she in the flesh, and the relief that followed was so stark that I almost stumbled. Instead, I stared at her, taking her in and the way she fluttered around me. She looked healthy and glowing, with no hint of a scar and only a tiny bandage around her ankles. She wasn’t even limping.
Then I noticed her dress—an ensemble in the royal colors, and I realized it resembled that of the old secretary, who resigned last year and we never got to replace.
“What…?”
“I got promoted,” she said, her voice taking on a cheerful tone. “Isn’t that grand?”
“Your princess…?”
“Done pretending. Ben has chosen a bride, and the engagement announcement is today.”
The words sunk in and got me confused all over again, but Liz kept on chatting as if nothing was wrong—as if what happened in the stable didn’t happen. As if what she witnessed in the forest didn’t happen. I wondered if I was dreaming, then realized nothing in my body would be this painful if I was.
I managed to get the gist of Benjamin finally choosing Princess Ana as his bride and the wedding to be held in three weeks’ time. Surprisingly, Liz was going to play her maid of honor as requested by the princess. More and more information piled up until I thought I was going to get a headache from it too, and now the thought that perhaps I was hallucinating entered my mind.
There was only one way to find out.
In the middle of her talking and navigating me back inside the room, I pulled Liz towards me, ignoring her yelp of protest and the way the tray almost spilled when she jarred the bedside table. Then I kissed her as fast as I could, feeling those soft lips part for me in a way only Liz readily could.
It was a glorious kiss, and it was familiar and new at the same time. I felt my body re-energize despite the pain, and I felt the hunger come and clamp at my heart—a tight squeeze that I readily accepted, just to kiss her some more. Her hands settled on my shoulders, a light touch, and her tongue lightly tapped my lower lip and slid in. I could feel the same hunger reverberating inside her, and it made me want to take her to bed and do many, many things to her all day long.
But she broke the kiss before it could escalate, and the soft, needy sigh she gave out had my cock pulsing. She stared at me balefully.
Then she shook her head.
“You need to recover first, okay?” she said softly. “Eat your breakfast. I’ll be right back.”
Just before she could leave, I took her wrist. “How long was I asleep?”
“Two days.”
“You know everything?”
“Yes. The queen told me.”
“Then…”
“It doesn’t matter because we’re getting rid of the curse. I’ll get Ben married even if it’s the last thing I do.” I let her hand go. Liz smiled at me—a shy, beautiful smile that I wanted her to have often. “Besides, he’s going to enjoy it.”
I didn’t know what that meant, but then, there were so many things I wasn’t updated on, anyway. I could feel drowsiness taking over and felt hands push at my shoulders, urging me to lie down.
“Get some rest. We need your help, too.”
I nodded. Then, knowing she was safe and sound, I closed my eyes and let myself rest for a little bit more.
* * *
The wedding preparations took up most of our time, which was just as well. It gave me the motivation to heal faster, and it got me so busy that thinking was not much of an option as I dove into whatever project I could help with—like dealing with the political side of things, for one, and helping Benjamin out with charming Ana’s parents into agreeing to this hurried wedding.
Said parents were shocked that the two wanted to get married right away. But they couldn’t very well accuse our family of anything, considering the queen herself endorsed the date and wanted everything to be perfect.
Being busy also helped me with one goal: to avoid Liz as much as I could without making it too obvious.
“Are you worrying about something you shouldn’t be worrying about?”
Benjamin’s tone was light, and I could see Ana eyeing the two of us with interest. The three of us were having breakfast in the gardens while the queen and Ana’s parents discussed the future alliance. One particular person was also invited to this garden breakfast, but that person had declined with the reason that Kyle was sick and had to be taken to the doctor.
“Do you mean Kyle?” I asked without hesitation. “Of course I worry about that kid. He’s almost never sick.”
Benjamin shot me a look but didn’t delve into the topic. Instead, he turned to Ana, and they got into what appeared to be a very odd discussion about what was the best movie to watch for their first appearance together at a cultural arts center, where they would be the guests of honor and would choose the movie. The discussion turned into a teasing argument, and I realized at that moment why Liz had said she would help out with the wedding as much as she could. Ana seemed like a sweet woman, who looked like she might just be a little bit smitten with my brother.
Which was just as well, because Ana had been my top choice, anyway.
I couldn’t exactly say it was reciprocated, but I noticed my brother had refrained from sleeping with the maids since then—a positive sign, despite it resulting in longer nights in the forest. It didn’t matter, because Ana knew, and she was supportive and kept cheering him on.
It made me wonder how Liz managed to convince Laverna to even make this possible, and so much more to let Liz and Ana get away scott-free after their accidental discovery. That led me to thinking about Liz, wondering how she was doing. There was nothing I wanted more than to go to her, but I knew she deserved better than to be saddled with someone like me.
Before we knew it, the wedding day was here—an event that got full coverage from the media, with the most prestigious guests from all over the world. It was a day full of activities, starting with the line-up of guests arriving in church, down to the start of the march. My heart tightened at the sight of Liz in a peach gown that showed off her curves and made her glow. Then Ana was walking in, looking so radiant in her white gown that everyone’s eyes fixed on her.
It was a short wedding ceremony, with everyone heading towards one of the palace’s grand halls for the reception. Toasts were made, with me finishing it up before I left the area and walked down the hallways, feeling like I needed a break more than anything.
It was a new month, and the hunger was still building. But I combated it as much as I could with alcohol, longer hours in the forest and generally resting up whenever I could. This would be all over soon, though I felt very sorry for Benjamin’s future kid—unless it was a girl.
I damn well hoped it was a girl.
Footsteps sounded, and I half-expected one of the guests to be exploring the palace and wondered how I’d be polite—because I sure didn’t feel like being polite. Instead, I found Liz walking over to me, her gown fluttering around her as she tried to quicken her strides.
She didn’t look happy.
“Liz?”
“You’ve been avoiding me,” she clipped out, her voice short.
“Liz—”
“Don’t deny it. I’m not stupid. Why?”
“I never said you were stupid.”
“Why?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“The truth.” She stopped inches away from me, and the sight of her up close was hard to take in. Her scent filled the air, and my stomach clenched in response. “Do you still want me?”
Yes.
“Liz, let’s just go back…”
Her hand came up to my chest, a firm touch. There was steel in her eyes, and they weren’t going to take any lies or excuses for an answer. Irritation surged up in me—mostly at myself.
“Do you, Lucas?”
“I can’t…”
Her eyes widened as she got my meaning right away. I fisted my hand and forced myself to keep talking. “Liz, it’s for the best…”
But my words trailed off when she stepped even closer and kissed the side of my mouth—a feather-light touch that I felt in every bone in my body. Her mouth trailed up to my ear, and she whispered, “Have you had your alcohol?”
“No.”
“Then I guess we have to resort to the other way to ease that hunger…”
It clicked, and I almost backed off as I realized what she meant—Benjamin’s way of easing the hunger. But her hands were on my body, and her mouth was on my mouth, and I realized another thing—no matter how strong I was, I would always be weak and helpless when it came to her.
I responded to her kisses with no restraint, pulling her away from the hallway and into the nearest room—a powder room, as it turned out. Liz gasped, but it got swallowed by more kisses as we attacked each other. Hands and tongues flew, feeling each other up, but I made sure my hand didn’t rip anything. Instead, I slid the strap of her beautiful dress down, then slid it up from below, exposing her underwear. I slid that down, too, trailing my kisses wherever I could reach before I plunged my fingers inside her center and had her crying out my name.
I lifted her up and sat her on the sink. Then I let her unzip my trousers and take my cock out, where she stroked it playfully before we both decided that we wanted it inside her. My eyes met hers when I slowly slid myself in, and I didn’t miss the way her breath sharpened and her eyes glazed.
She was so goddamned beautiful, and I wanted this moment to last forever.
Once I was fully inside, I moved right away, bringing her closer until our bodies were molded together. The need rose, and so did the pleasure as we steadily sought out that release. I was so hot for her as I felt her tight muscles clenching me, heard her moans in my ear as she urged me to go faster. When I changed thrusting to pounding and gave it my all, I felt her body go rigid before I felt it vibrate, and she clamped so tightly around me that I groaned and pinched her nipples.
I kissed her hard and pumped one last time, emptying myself inside her sweet body and feeling like the luckiest man in the world.