“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “If you’ll let me.”
Viggo cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, we really must leave.”
The title seemed to jolt Mallory as much as the situation itself.
Jakob looked at her one last time and wished desperately for thirty more minutes, ten more, anything that meant he didn’t have to leave her side.
“I meant everything I said,” he told her.
Then, unable to stop himself, he pulled her close and kissed her, hard and fast and full of promises he didn’t have time to explain.
When he stepped back, she looked stunned.
“Wait for me,” he said. He pointed at her. “And do not leave this castle. Stay as close to this wing as you can. I mean it, Mallory. I need to know where you are.”
He saw the questions pop up in her eyes, but before she could ask, he turned and followed Viggo down the hallway. He had already shifted back into the man he was born to be by the time they reached the outer door, even as every part of him ached to remain the man he was when he was with her.
CHAPTER 18
Mallory
Mallory stood alone on the snowy balcony long after Jakob disappeared down the hall.
The cold crept through her coat and into her bones, but she barely noticed it. All she could feel was the echo of his kiss and the rush of unanswered questions he’d left behind.
Your Majesty.
The very words Viggo had used that kept circling in her head. Royal family. Bodyguards. Breaches in security.
None of it fit with the man she’d met months ago when he’d saved her life. He had been just a quiet stranger who’d grabbed her off that cliff without a thought and made her feel safer than she had ever felt before. And all without being asked.
That man had felt simple and real. Truly genuine.
But, apparently he wasn’t simple at all.
Mallory wrapped her jacket tighter and stared out over the darkening mountains. Tiny lights flickered to life in the valley below as evening settled in. Somewhere far off, some kind of engine hummed and echoed off the peaks. Mixed with the lowhowl of the winds as they wound through the peaks, it created a symphony of sorts.
Why would someone breach the walls of the castle?
Mallory had never sensed any fighting or deep issues within Onyxheim. Part of her wanted to hurry after Jakob and demand he finish what he’d started telling her. Another part of her wanted to retreat to her room and pretend none of this had ever happened.
She hated that she still cared enough for either option to hurt.
“He’s coming back,” she whispered. At least, he’d said he was.
Mallory turned away from the view and began walking slowly toward her room. Her thoughts were tangled in a chaotic knot as she replayed every word he’d spoken on the balcony.
I made love to you because I gave in to my true feelings.
Her cheeks warmed even now. Hearing him say it so plainly had shaken something loose inside her that she’d been trying very hard to keep locked away.
He cared about her. Really, truly cared. And had for quite some time apparently. And yet he’d let her leave anyway. The familiar ache pressed against her chest.
“Men,” she muttered under her breath.
Halfway down the path, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She almost ignored it, but something about the sudden vibration made her pulse jump.
Probably her mom checking in. Or Brooke asking for an update on the mysterious “talk” she’d mentioned earlier. While Violet remained distant, Brooke had come around quicker.
