Keane shifts on his bed, his features going hard.
“When I heard the blonde Discerni last night… when I came to the realization and understanding of what his words meant…”
I glance up to his furrowed brown eyes watching me.
“Keane,” I cry his name softly, willinghim to understand my next words, “I have never in my life wanted to hurt someone as bad as I do your brother.”
I let out a small laugh in confusion, pushing my body harder into the post as I shake my head. “I’ve wanted to see more people hurt in the past fortnight then I have in all of my life. Troy, for his blatant use of me. His man, for the words that came out of his mouth about humans. Tadeo. TheLeviathan who attacked Daniel. Hirovale.Ancients, Hirovale. I wanted to hurt him on the spot for openly admitting to wanting to use me as his Human Reborn, whatever that means.”
I glance up to Keane, his eyes lit with a deep fire and still watching me quietly.
“So when I tell you right now that I planned on greeting Troy in Bardot when I arrived…”
I shake my head again, holding his gaze hard. “I could not promise to myself where that meeting would take us, nor what I would do and what would come from it. I know only that I still have a very strong urge to see him hurt, and I am prepared to face the consequences if I act upon that urge.”
Keane swiftly lifts himself off the bed and moves his body to my front. His hands pull me away from the bedpost and into his hold, his brown eyes fiercely staring down into mine.
“I will not allow that, Alexis.”
I give him a sad smile, “I understand. He is your brother. But I may very well still try.”
“No,” he shakes his head, “youdon’tunderstand. I will not allow you to throw away your life over him. He’s not worth it.”
Keane lifts a hand to my face, willing me to understand the weight of his words. He’s not letting me attempt anything with Troy out of protection for his brother, but for myself.
“Desmond and I have had many talks about our brother in the past, as well as many just recently,” he continues, “we’ve hoped that he’s made changes in Woodlands, and some reports tell us he has. And while we still haven’t confirmed fully why he took an interest in you, we can only suspect that it has to do with his knowledge of the Kingdoms Council that was called by our father.”
I sigh in agreement. It’s the only reason.
“He is another person at the top of our list to hold a conversation with, Alexis. He will be dealt with by Desmond and I. Do not engage with him.”
“And Hirovale?” I ask quietly.
Keane frowns, though his eyes turn kind at the thought.
“I believe Hirovale has pure intentions, though they are his intentions nonetheless, not yours.Not ours. I will never advocate for you to participate in something that was forced on you, but I do think we should wait him out. I have a feeling that there is more to his story than we know.”
“As do I,” I sigh heavily, “but I don’t care for his insistency that I automatically play along, as if I don’t have a life to live of my own without him meddling in it.”
“And what is that life?” Keane asks softly, “where do you see that life taking you now that you have found what my father has sent you out for?”
“Back to Bardot,” I reply, “then to Woodlands. And sometime shortly after that, Fumagalli again…”
Keane nods, not pressing my answer any further. He drops his hand from my cheek and skims his fingers down my arm, his eyes beckoning as he takes a few steps to the side of the bed. I follow him quietly and watch as he leans down and pulls the sheets back, his gaze finding mine again and waiting for me to enter.
My heart pounds in my chest- Apparently it just never stops. I move to stand next to him and look at the black satin below me, dropping a knee to the softest sheet I’ve ever felt. I crawl under the fabric and then turn back to Keane, smiling at the way he watches me get comfortable under his sheets.
Alwayswatching me.
Keane’s lips pull up in small grin before he leans down in my direction. I hold my breath and shift against the pillows, biting my lip as his eyes dart from my face to my chest, as if hearing how wild my heart is beating right now. He smirks and falls down at my side, wrapping his arms around my waist to surround every inch of me under the sheets.
I sigh when he drops his head into the crook of my neck and plants a small kiss on my shoulder, then nips it for good measure. I flush and wrap my arms around him tight, cozying my body into his before looking up to the dark sky above us with a genuine smile plastered on my lips.
Everything about him,about us, here and now, just feels so right.
He’salways felt right. From the very beginning.
All of his words and his gestures towards me… the pure intimacy of him. All of it tells me that he finds me worthy and that he always has, never once losing faith despite the fact that I did. He is here with me, wanting to be with me,happyto be with me.
