Page 63 of The Broken Dawn

"I'm a prince. I order the cows to wait." Harald nuzzled into Jakob's hair, his breath warm.

"I'm sure that they'll be very convinced." Jakob smiled despite himself.

"They should be. Why would you want to go out? It's freezing out there." Harald pulled the blanket higher around them both. "Here it's warm. Safe."

The word caught in Jakob's chest. That was what he felt here, in the warm of Hal's arms. He felt safe. Even knowing that there was no safety here for either of them. But this feeling; this warmth and understanding, feeling treasured and known. He felt safe.

"Five more minutes," Harald murmured.

Jakob closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink into the moment. The warmth and solidity of Harald's body, holding his. The steady rise and fall of Harald's chest against his back. The soft brush of his lips on Jakob's shoulder. The way their legs tangled together beneath the blankets.

But the sky outside grew lighter. With a sigh, Jakob sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The floorboards were cold when he stepped away from the bed, searching for where they'd strewn his trousers when they'd finally removed them, between their second and their slow, sweet third round of pleasure.

"You're impossible," Harald grumbled, propping himself up on an elbow to watch Jakob dress.

"Someone has to be practical." Jakob pulled on his trousers and reached for his shirt. "Go back to sleep, my sweet Prince. I'll see you when classes start."

The corridor outside Harald's room felt arctic after the warmth of his bed. Jakob's boots echoed against the stone floors as he crept through the silent halls.

Jakob pressed himself against the wall, listening for the telltale boot steps of the night patrol. The academy's strict curfew meant guards checked the senior cadets' corridor twice each night. He'd never taken a risk this great before—staying the entire night was different than hiding in the hayloft after the ball or brief stolen kisses during the school day.

He knew which stairs creaked, which doors were left unlocked for early-rising staff, which windows in the east wing could be eased open without triggering the groundskeeper's attention. One wrong move could mean demerit points at minimum, expulsion at worst if they found him leaving the prince's quarters.

But the memory of Hal's sleep-warm body curled against his, the quiet vulnerability of his prince with mussed hair and pillow creases on his cheek—that was worth every risk. Worth memorizing patrol schedules and mapping escape routes. Worth the cold journey back to the farm in the pre-dawn darkness. To see Harald that way, unguarded and completely his, Jakob would risk far more than his place at the academy.

The first ray of sun broke over the horizon, shattering the frost into diamonds, breaking the spell of possibility. But for just a moment longer, Jakob held onto that dream, carried it with him like warmth against the pre-dawn cold.

Chapter 11

October 23, 1939

Hours later, the sound of a fist pounding on wood jerked Hal from dreams of Jakob's hands. His heart raced as voices echoed through the senior dormitory's hallway, bouncing off the high stone walls.

"Cadet Lieutenant Vasa, open this door immediately." The Commandant's stern voice carried the weight of authority that made even Hal's spine straighten. He slipped from his bed, the cold floor shocking his bare feet as he moved to his own door. The metal handle felt like ice against his palm as he eased it open just enough to peer through.

Christian stood in the hallway in his sleeping clothes, his usually neat hair disheveled. The Commandant's presence filled the narrow space, his ceremonial sword glinting in the early morning light. "I came to discuss the ribbons for tomorrow's ceremony, but I heard... noises." The older man's mouth twisted in distaste. "Open your door, Cadet Lieutenant."

Hal's breath caught as Christian's door creaked open. Rachel Eliasberg stood wrapped in nothing but Christian's bedsheet, her dark curls wild around her face. Her eyes met Hal's through the crack in his door, wide with terror. The sheet twisted in her white-knuckled grip as she tried to make herself smaller against the doorframe.

The Commandant's face flushed red, starting at his collar and creeping up to his receding hairline. Christian maintained his usual air of superiority, but Hal caught the slight tremor in his cousin's hands. Jakob's sister. Christian had Jakob's sister in his bed. Hal's mind raced with horrifying possibilities—had Christian forced her? Manipulated her? The girl was barely seventeen. His stomach churned as bile rose in his throat, the memory of Jakob's warm weight in his arms just hours before making the violation feel even more personal. Whatever game Christian was playing with the Eliasbergs, he'd just dragged them all into it.

Hal's fingers tightened on the door handle as Rachel's chin lifted, her dark eyes flashing with the same defiance he'd seen in Jakob during tactical debates. "It's not what you think, sir! Christian and I are in love. We've been seeing each other for weeks now."

The Commandant's already ruddy face darkened further. "Love? A cadet lieutenant and a..." He caught himself, jaw working. "Miss Eliasberg, I don't think you realize the severity of this situation."

Christian's laugh cut through the tension, harsh and dismissive. "Sir, this is ridiculous. The girl's developed some romantic fantasy." His posture remained unchanged, but Hal noticed the slight tremor in his cousin's hands. "She's been following me around campus, leaving notes. I should have reported it earlier, but I didn't want to cause trouble for the laundry staff."

Rachel's face crumpled, the sheet slipping from her shoulder before she caught it. "Christian, what are you saying? You told me you loved me. You said⁠—"

"I've never said anything of the sort." Christian's voice carried that familiar edge of cruel amusement that always made Hal's skin crawl. "She must have broken in while I was sleeping. I woke to find her here."

The Commandant's hand tightened on his sword hilt. "That's quite enough, Cadet Lieutenant. Do you take me for a fool?" His voice dropped dangerously low. "I've served at this academy for twenty-seven years. I know the difference between a break-in and an invitation."

Christian's carefully constructed mask slipped for just a moment, revealing something ugly beneath. "Sir, surely you don't believe⁠—"

"What I believe, Cadet Lieutenant, is that you have violated every principle of honor this academy stands for." The Commandant's words cracked like rifle shots in the narrow hallway. "Taking advantage of a young woman's virtue, then attempting to destroy her reputation to save yourself? The Board of Governors will hear about this today."

Hal watched his cousin's face drain of color. "Sir, please. My uncle—the King⁠—"