AllFreeNovel
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“Where are we going tonight?” I ask.
“To the city,” he replies.
I furrow my brows as more confusion sets in. “The city…but that’s so far away.”
“Have you ever ridden in a helicopter?” he asks.
“We’re taking a helicopter?”
He nods. “Yes. The helipad just got cleared. It’s the only way I travel,” he explains.
“Theonlyway?” I inquire, hoping he’ll elaborate since I’m guessing this stems from the accident that killed his parents.
He grins. “Aside from my horse.”
I giggle. “No cars, then?”
He shakes his head slightly. “No cars.”
He doesn’t elaborate and I decide to not press him on it.
The song finishes and he pulls back but doesn’t release my hand. “I want to show you something before we leave.”
“OK,” I say with a look of skepticism.
He leads me to his room. He points to the staircase. I slowly walk up the stairs and into a room. It’s dark and I can’t tell what it is.
“What is this?” I ask as I step inside.
I feel the heat of his body behind mine. He flicks on the lights, and I gasp at the mural surrounding us. The room is painted like a forest with dozens of cardinals. It literally looks like a panorama, three hundred and sixty degrees of nature surrounds me. It’s gorgeous.
“It’s beautiful,” I say softly as I step forward to look at the artwork.
“My father had this level of the tower finished for me. I asked my mother to paint something here.” He pauses and steps forward to stand next to me where I’m examining a part of the mural that features a nest. “And so, she painted me this.”
My jaw drops open. “Your mother painted all of this?” I ask, my voice rising with surprise.
“Yes. She didn’t advertise it, but she was a very accomplished painter. All the paintings out in the library are hers,” he states as he leans forward to look at one of the birds.
I study his profile in the soft lighting of the room. He’s…handsome, very handsome. I’m not sure why I hadn’t considered that before. It’s not just his piercing blue eyes or well-sculpted body, it’s all of him. I turn to look back at the wall, my eyes following a path painted in the mural. I spin wanting to see where it leads. It grows narrower, leading away from the place we stand. In the woods behind the trees, there’s a castle and it looks so familiar.
I step toward it and hold out a finger tracing it while not touching it. “Is this…” I trail off as I study it closer, leaning in until my nose is mere millimeters away.
“It’s our home,” he says from behind me.
I turn around to face him. He’s watching me or is he seeing me? The way he looks at me is like he’s staring into my soul. It’s unnerving.
“Thank you for sharing this with me,” I whisper and then clear my throat, realizing I don’t need to lower my voice.
He smiles. “I’ve never shared it with anyone before.”
I feel my heart start to pound in my chest.
“Why me?” I ask, my curiosity getting the best of me.
He reaches out and brushes a stray hair off my face, tucking it behind my ear. I don’t step away. I don’t want to admit that I like this touch, but I do.
“Because you’re real. And I know you’d appreciate it, truly appreciate it.”
