“How?” I ask. “Talking is not accomplishing anything.”
We pause at my bedroom door, and she speaks quietly. “I know you’re not supposed to, but maybe . . . maybe find a way to be intimate with him without being fully intimate.”
“Like . . . dry-hump?”
She chuckles. “I don’t care what you do, but I think you need to break him out of the vicious mental cycle. Help him just forget for a moment. You have tonight, and then tomorrow it’s the night before the wedding. You’ll be spending that with Katla and your aunt and cousins, so if you’re going to try to help him, now’s the time.”
I bite on the corner of my lip. “He’ll push me away.”
“Not if you make it impossible. This is Keller we’re talking about. He’s infatuated with you.”
“I feel like he was. Now . . . not so sure.”
“Stop that,” she says. “He loves you, Lilly. Just remind him how good you are together, okay? That your physical connection, although not the main connection, is vital, and not having that has created its own challenges.” I nod, and she squeezes my arm. “Good luck.”
She walks away, but I say, “Hey.” When she turns around, I whisper, “Do you think we’ll be okay?”
A soft smile spreads across Lara’s lips. “If I know one thing, it’s that Keller has never, ever loved someone the way he loves you. He’s loyal to his core, so when he says he’s going to marry you, he will.”
ChapterThirteen
“Is everything in place?” I ask as Pickering sets a tray of tea in front of me.
He nods. “Yes. I received a call from Magnus’s group. They’re in position, ready. Undetected.”
A smile on my face, I pour myself a spot of tea. “Excellent.” With teacup in hand, I lean back in my chair and stare out my window. “Have they been able to trace anything back to us?”
Pickering shakes his head. “Not that I’m aware of. We have our top R-19 soldier gathering intelligence. It doesn’t seem like they’ve been able to find any leads.”
“Good.” My smile grows. “Keller thinks he’s so smart when it comes to protecting his country, his palace, and his king, but the man truly has no clue. Loyalty will only get you so far.” I stir my tea. “How he thought he could climb into position and save the country from its demise is comical. Torskethorpe is a dead country with no hope.”
“From what I’ve heard, Princess Lilija is very dependent on Keller. I believe your plan will work in our favor.”
“I know it will,” I answer. “And then Arkham will finally be in control, like it should have been all along.”
ChapterFourteen
KELLER
“Are you comfortable with that?” Ottar asks me as we look over the parade route one more time.
“Yes,” I answer, counting the marksmen we have on every building. Thanks to Queen Pala and King Clinton of Marsdale, we have more troops to help with security and crowd control. Knowing we have that extra protection has been a huge weight off my shoulders. “And there will be officers walking the side of the carriage as well?”
“Yes,” Ottar says. “And we’ve switched to the bulletproof glass carriage. The team has worked night and day to prepare it and ensure it’s ready for the day. The crowd will be able to see you, but you’ll be protected the whole time.”
“Great.” I let out a deep breath while dragging my hand over my face. “Fuck, I’m exhausted. I didn’t get any sleep last night.”
“Me neither,” Ottar says. “And I just want to tell you, I’m sorry again about the lack of focus from the guards in front of Lilly’s room.”
I shake my head. “Don’t apologize. I don’t think any of us were prepared for Lilly to slip out of the palace. She promised me she won’t be as frivolous anymore.” I clasp my hands together. “I told her about the threats. I didn’t mean to, it slipped when we were arguing, but you were right. I think it was for the better. She seemed to take everything more seriously after that.”
“It didn’t freak her out?”
I shake my head. “Not like I thought it would. But then again, we were arguing when I told her, so I’m not sure it registered.” I push away from the table. “I should probably get to bed.”
“Are you sleeping in Lilly’s room again?”
“Yes,” I answer.
