I long to be up there right now, exploring the vastness of space, a place filled with endless possibilities. With seven kingdoms and seventy-two planets in our system, I could go anywhere. But something up there calls to me, beyond our borders, beyond the veil.
If I had a transport, I could journey to Mori and get lost in the endless sand dunes under a murky red sky perpetually choked with dust, or I could find myself in Kadora, hiking toward one of the many glaciers that dot their planets.
I might venture to the Oris Kingdom and walk for miles through rich mineral mountains shrouded in thick trees and dotted with caves, never encountering another person. However, above all the kingdoms, including my own, I would love to take a transport to the Okenen Kingdom and lose myself among the water planets. I wouldn’t even need to enter their atmosphere to hear the calming roar of their oceans or smell the salt and brine in the air.
I know those sounds and smells by heart, just as well as I know the sounds of rain and wildlife from my own kingdom, along with the thick clouds of mist and the scents of pine and blossoms.
The sound of shuffling feet pulls me from the depths of my thoughts and back to reality. I glance over my shoulder to see Anders sauntering toward me.
He looks so at ease, so confident with his hands tucked into his pockets. It’s a stark contrast to the hurricane of emotions and confusion within me. Never have I wanted to plunge into the water and vanish more than now.
“I want to be alone,” I snap, turning my gaze back to the water, where the quiet flow reflects the shimmering silver of the moonlight. I realize he can most likely sense my unease in the deliberate slowness of his approach. This year, school has left me feeling more confined than ever. I was so excited to be an Executive, but this Bond…it’s so consuming.
Anders chuckles lightly, breaking the silence. “Come on,” hedrawls. “You know I can’t just leave you here alone by the river in the dark.” He settles himself beside me on the cool rock, positioning himself with a casualness that both comforts and irritates me. “Besides,” he continues, the teasing note in his voice sharper, “I made a promise to ensure you’re not alone until we know if any other students feel like making a move to see you punished for your father’s actions.” His words make me cringe. He must notice my reaction because he shifts a fraction closer, closing the distance between us.
“Can’t you pick your own rock?” I retort, a groan escaping my lips before I can rein it in. My petulant attitude is beginning to annoy even me. It’s not like I own this rock, but I just need to escape the feelings he stirs within me.
“I prefer this one.” He makes a show of getting comfortable. I roll my eyes in response, but there’s no denying the warmth his playfulness radiates, easing some of the tension in my chest. Despite my best efforts to maintain my distance, I can’t help but feel a slight reprieve from the weight of everything when he’s near.
“Are you trying to annoy me so we can return to the dorms?” I’m about to pull away when I notice the blood splattered on his forearm beneath his rolled-up sleeve. “What happened?” I gasp, reaching for his arm before thinking better of it.
Anders looks down and shrugs. “Not mine.”
“Then whose?” I can’t seem to look away from the dark speckles, noticing he doesn’t have a single injury, at least none I can see. Not even bruises on his knuckles.
He waits a moment before responding, “Rhoan let me do some questioning before he dealt with them. Guess I missed a spot.”
My stomach turns, and I force my gaze to the tree across the river.
Why would he have questioned them?My heart races in rhythm with my thoughts.
“It had to be done.” He crosses his arms. “I needed to make sure they were operating alone.”
I swallow the bile working its way up my throat. “Are they alive?” I ask, barely a whisper above the sound of the water.
“They are, but not if I had my way. Rhoan thought it best to notstart a war.” He huffs as if the restraint annoys him. “They crossed a line, Raea. You could have died.” When I glance back at him, his jaw ticks with barely contained rage. An exhilarating current courses through me. “Does it bother you?”
I look down at my fumbling hands and search for words. Does it bother me? I don’t know. It’s not how I would handle it, but I do understand the need for a king to be strong, to be feared. And Anders will be king…soon. I shake my head, letting my eyes find his once more. “No. I don’t—” I swallow.
“I promised to protect you, and I failed.”
“It’s not your job,” I say quickly, too quickly. His guilt hits me square in the chest, and suddenly I hate myself for not seeing it sooner. “It wasn’t fair—saddling you with me, making you my escort. You were never supposed to be my guard.”
The truth burns. I’ve been awful to him, snapping and snarling while he’s done nothing but give me what I want. He didn’t choose this. He never asked to trail after me, to shadow every step I take. And still…he does. Without complaint. Without hesitation.
He runs a hand through his hair. “Well, I’m promising you now. Nobody touches you. Whether some dumbass attempts to Bond with you or tries to kill you… I’ll make sure they don’t get close enough to even breathe the same air.” His words settle over me like a comforting blanket, and I believe him. Whatever resolve I see in those sapphire depths communicates the truth of it.
“Thank you,” I sigh.
We’re both quiet for long minutes. A mixture of emotions dances within me, a part of me yearning to reach out and take his hand, while another part screams to pull away. If I had known what was waiting for me this year, I might have chosen a private tutor and stayed home to avoid all of this, but then again, I can’t run from everything. Sooner or later, I’m going to need to step up. I don’t want to be a princess locked away in a tower.
“I met your father today,” he says as if reading where my thoughts have drifted. His words land like a crack of lightning. I had forgotten about that, too concerned with the men trying to kidnap me. “Heapproached me directly as I entered the palace with Trysten and Ashton.” He brushes his hand through his hair nervously. “He wrapped me in a hug as if we were old friends and then told me about our childhood.”
I am momentarily stunned.
First of all, why was he at my palace? And second, my father isn’t the hugging type by any stretch of the imagination. He shows affection to my mother and me, but that’s the extent of it. Kellan and Ciara, who practically live at the palace, have never even received an ounce of physical affection from him.
“What?” I exclaim, quickly turning my head. His features soften in the gentle light of the moons. When I manage to set aside the constant impulse to find reasons to dislike him, it becomes increasingly difficult to overlook just how beautiful he is—the kind of beauty that demands a careful study of every detail, every curve and line defining him. It hardly seems fair how effortlessly attractive he appears, which undoubtedly explains why women are constantly swooning over him.
