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Chapter Twenty-Two
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“And then he held your hand during the whole flight back here?”
As soon as Jayd sighed out the question to Crista, I had to suppress a giggle. I was the same age as the princess, but in many ways it seemed like years separated us. Had her sheltered upbringing made her that much younger, or had life hardened me into someone older? Maybe a combination.
Maybe I just didn’t want to know.
I was getting good at that mental shutoff thing lately—especially when it came to not thinking about the three days that had passed since stepping away from Shiraz in the palm grove. This private room in the Palais infirmary wasn’t anywhere close to that setting, but those last moments, buffeted by the wind and speared through by his pain, were as sharp and agonizing as if they’d happened three minutes ago…
The biggest part of the problem wasn’t hard to pinpoint.
I was still here, dammit.
Wasn’t like I hadn’t tried to rectify the situation, even a few hours after the “my princess” bombshell, but the status at Sancti Airport had become the plot of a damn disaster movie. Bad went from worse to shitty to we’re-just-fucked. After the debris had been cleared from the tarmac, they’d prepped King Evrest’s private Cessna to run through a trial take-off, as a re-test for the communications equipment. The plane never hit the air—after its wheels sank into the runway deep enough to flip the plane over. Though the three crew members were unhurt, nobody was happy to learn about the swath of asphalt that’d been compromised by the storm’s torrential rains. Now, a couple of helicopters had to be pulled off rescue duties for simply transporting the necessary repair materials from Athens.
In short, my departure from Arcadia had been moved waaaayy down on the priority list.
I’d been too tired to go the snarky bitch route in reaction. Would it have altered anyone’s stress factor one skitch? Besides, this glass-half-full approach was kind of cool, long as it didn’t brim into totally cheesy. For starters, I was able to add some cheer to Crista’s healing process. Even met her whole family too. Holy crap, I’d been to Dodgers games with less of a crowd—though Forryst and Fawna, who looked like Mini Me’s of their big sister, stole the show with a little song about their “medicane adventure”.
Second, the weather had turned epic—this time in all the good ways. Days of golden sun gave way to nights filled with fragrant breezes, moon-dappled seas, and skies full of stars. I began to understand why so many movie production companies wanted to film here, and I’d only seen the ten-mile radius surrounding Sancti.
Third—and best of all—Shiraz made it a definite point to keep his distance.
Significantly.
Thoroughly.
Damn near creepily.
But it was still a good thing. No. The best thing.
I just had to keep telling myself that.
Despite everything—everything—that wanted to keep pounding me with the opposite.
The daily delivery of sunny flowers to Crista’s room from him. The hint of Creed cologne I’d catch on the air, even in empty Palais hallways. That sparkling, sizzling feeling I’d get out of nowhere, pulse racing and neck hairs tingling, for no damn reason…followed by that feeling, somehow, of being watched…
And dammit, how I’d always tried to watch back.
Only to peer into empty shadows, empty corners…
The emptiness of my heart, without him near.
No.
Don’t go there again.
I let the mandate kick my consciousness back to the present—and listening in real happiness to the black-haired fairy in the bed. Crista had been thrilled about this surprise visit from Jayd, and seeing her happy did the same for me, no matter how torturous it was not to steer Jayd toward even a fly-by mention of her brother. Just so I knew he was doing all right…
No.
Because even knowing that would re-catapult my thoughts into a mach five flight full of lust—and he was still too close to resist.
Because maybe I didn’t want to know the scarier answer. That he was doing just fine by now, thank you very much…
“Shai insisted on being in the helicopter crew that lifted me out of the ravine,” Crista explained to her wide-eyed princess. “They did not know if they could even fit the rescue basket into the space I was wedged in, so he came down on a rope and got me.”
