AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Exactly. He can do whatever he wants to me.”
“Good.” Valen was doing a very good impression of Grumpy Cat.
I nodded. “Good.” So was I.
We stood there in awkward silence. I knew I needed to go back to bed, but I couldn’t bring myself to walk away. I noticed he didn’t either. Neither had he moved away from me. Our clothes brushed against each other in the semi-dark.
“You never came back to dinner,” I finally said.
He shrugged. “No. I had...shit to do in Bieityn.”
I couldn’t help the jealousy sneaking into my voice when I asked, “Shit?”
For a split second he hardened. Then he softened. Then he settled on neutral. “My brother needed...backup.”
“Kane,” leaked out of my mouth and I’d never heard myself sound so pathetic or scared.
Valen looked me over. His hand rose like he wanted to comfort me, then fisted and he pushed it into his pocket. “Neo,” he answered, but there was so much in that one word.
There was an understanding that Kane terrified me, an acknowledgement that that fear was justified, and a promise that he’d never let Kane hurt me. I didn’t know how he’d conveyed so much in just one word.
It still wouldn’t set my heart steadying anytime soon. Kane Kincaid was a man who set my response to heavy fight or flight mode. And my ability to fight was entirely non-existent.
Valen seemed to be able to sense my panic.
I felt his fingers almost imperceptibly rub mine where they hung by my leg, and my eyes flew to his face. It was almost unreadable, and it wasn’t the light – or lack thereof – to blame.
“You’re safe, love,” he whispered as his fingers barely touched mine again, like he had to stop himself touching more of me.
I nodded. “No. I know. I...” I searched his eyes. “I know, Valen...”
He looked into my eyes for the space of a few more heartbeats, then cleared his throat. “Best get yourself to bed, princess. Don’t want to be caught out and about at this hour.”
He started back up the stairs and I forced myself not to turn and watch him go.
“Night, Valen,” I murmured into the dark, telling myself I didn’t wish it was his bed I was going to.
Chapter Two
Things continued to go from good to better with Apollo.
A large part of me knew that I was throwing myself all in as a way to tell myself I was over Valen, but it wasn’t all one-sided; Apollo met me halfway. He didn’t just meet me halfway, most of the time he came to me.
Months ago, Florence and I had talked about how Gods didn’t go to princesses, and I’d wondered if maybe princes did. Apollo certainly seemed to be doing his best prince charming impression.
He knocked on our dorm door so often that Florence had imposed a ‘text first’ policy on him. Not that he heeded her. Because if my best friend and my future husband could go out of their way to antagonise each other, then they would.
I loved them both.
But having them in the same vicinity for too long was never a good idea.
“You know the maid of honour has to deal with the groom for at least the duration of the wedding,” Apollo said to her the next Tuesday. “That’s like a whole day. Minimum.”
Florence shot me a look and I knew what she was thinking. Apollo hadn’t once brought up the wedding. He’d talked about the future and how Florence would have to put up with him for the rest of her life. But he’d never mentioned the wedding before. Almost as though, before, the wedding was just a formality we all had to get through – because obviously Florence would be my maid of honour. Now, though. Now he talked about it like it was something to be excited about.
“If you say destination wedding, I might kill you,” Florence told him.
He smirked at her, layering on all his arrogant amusement and entitlement. “That, Flo, is a wonderful idea. What do you say to Hawaii, sweetheart?” he asked me.
