Comfort. Caring.
Chapter 19
Alex helped me into bed, patched up the worst of my cuts, and then reluctantly called Mattie to stay with me because they had their charity game against Oxford tonight.
“I can skip it,” he protested when I waved him toward the door.
“No way,” I said softly. “I’ll be fine for a few hours; Mattie will be with me.”
I was only going to pass out in a painkiller-induced sleep anyway.
When he finally left, Mattie sank down next to me, keeping her distance. “I’m so sorry, girl,” she said, looking teary. “I should have known. I should have gone with you.”
I felt even worse about my harsh words before when I’d thought she might have been in on it. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. “I’m grateful for you. Thank you for being a truly genuine friend.”
Her tears spilled over, trickling down her cheeks.
“And none of this is your fault,” I assured her, trying to sound less like a drugged-out idiot and more like a rational person. “This is all on Claudette and Brandon, and I’m going to make them both pay. Don’t you worry.”
With that, she climbed in closer, snuggling gently into my side, and I fell asleep feeling loved and comforted.
By the time I woke, Alex was back with the news that they’d had their asses kicked. Apparently he’d had a terrible game and so had Rafe. I felt somewhat responsible for that, having been a pretty huge distraction, but at least it wasn’t part of their regular season. So it wouldn’t count toward the cup at the end of the year. Silver lining.
Mattie put up a bit of a fight when Alex tried to kick her out, but finally gave in after I yelled at them both for giving me a headache. Not a lie, my head was pounding.
Alex hid his bad mood well, staying with me all night and keeping up with my painkillers. When morning dawned, I realized I’d had a dude in my bed all night, no sex, and I didn’t feel weird about it.
“How are you today?” he asked, staring down, his brow furrowed as he ran those sky-blue eyes over me.
Shifting sent a wash of pain over me, dulled slightly by the pills, but still probably an eight out of ten. “Not gonna lie … I feel like a bucket of shit.”
His lips twitched. “Good to see your snark hasn’t gone anywhere.”
Another groan as I rolled over. “I’d have to be dead for that.”
Whatever smile that had been forming faded, his eyes going flat. “Don’t even joke about that. I still don’t understand why you won’t let me gut Brandon and hang him out for the vultures.”
I shook my head, knowing that Alex would never get it. He’d never been weak he didn’t understand the power exchange and how, right now, Brandon had it all. I needed to be the one to take it back.
“It’ll be okay,” I assured him, patting his arm. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, needing to pee. “I’m stronger than I look.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to explain my training and the reason I’d taken the beating last night, but something held me back. Rafe knowing was already one too many royals, but at least I knew he was guarding his own secrets.
Alex stayed with me for the rest of the weekend, our time together broken only by Mattie and Nolan’s frequent visits. Jordan even stopped by once, and he was vibrating the same dark fury Rafe had been. It was easy to see why they were best friends; there were a lot of similarities between them.
For the most part, though, it was just Alex and me. And truthfully, I loved my time hanging out with him. We bonded. We talked about our lives. He told me that he was the oldest of five—three sisters and one brother who was two. His father had remarried when Alex’s mother died of cancer, hence the huge age gap between him and the newest member of their family.
“What’s your stepmom like?” I asked, lying in the dark room with him as he stroked my hair.
His snort was low and unamused. “She’s the typical wife of a king. Prim, proper, stick-up-her-ass, no wrinkles on her face or personality in her body. I’ve never really had much to do with her, and my father isn’t the easiest man to be around either. I have my own estate in New Sydney, down the road from the official palace grounds. That’s as close as I can get without losing my mind.”
There was so much unsaid in those semi-joking words. I sensed that dark demons existed between Alex and his father, but he did seem to love his siblings.
Late Sunday afternoon, when I was mourning the return of school—but at least I was feeling somewhat better—my door burst open. “Oh my god,” Mattie said. “You will never believe what happened.”
A snort of laughter left me. “What? Since you were here thirty minutes ago.”
“And two hours before that,” Alex grumbled. He hadn’t appreciated the constant interruptions. “I’m going to head to my room,” he added. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I nodded, and my stomach swirled as Alex leaned over and kissed me, extending it for many moments, even with Mattie groaning from where she stood.
When he left, I shook my head, feeling somewhat bereft that he was gone. I’d grown used to him being there outside of the few times he’d gone to his room for a shower and to change.
It felt … lonelier in here without him.
Mattie threw herself down next to me, and I winced as she jostled my injuries. “Shit, sorry,” she said in a rush. “You hide your pain so well I keep forgetting.” Reaching out, she awkwardly patted me on the shoulder, and I waited for the “there, there” to come from her. Mattie wasn’t the best at comforting people, and it made me laugh when she tried.
“All good, so what’s your news?” I said as I pressed back into my pillows, getting comfortable.
“Claudette is gone.”
I paused. “What do you mean gone?” Where I grew up, that could mean anything from missing to dead.
“Rafe booted her ass from Arbon and the Switzerlands, and right now there is talk of discord between her family and his. It’s turning into a huge political mess.”
Holy fuck.
“What?” I breathed. “He … but don’t they have an arranged marriage?”
Mattie nodded, breathing fast, her eyes wide and dilated. “It’s all over. Finished. Done. Broken off.” She shook her head. “Totally insane. The biggest scandal of the century. I can’t even believe he did that, and he did it for you.”
“No,” I objected. “No. He doesn’t even like me, and to do something so huge that … It makes no sense.”
Mattie’s face shifted so quickly from shock to anger. “She was instrumental in almost getting you killed. In my opinion, Rafe went easy on her. I’ve got a call in to my family to see if we can cut any ties to the United Kingdom, too.”
Something hot and unfamiliar churned in my stomach, rising to my chest and burning my eyes. Tears threatened to fall, but I held them back. My reactions, they were … real emotions. These royals cared about me, and I felt the same way. I had only been at Arbon for a short time, but it was enough for me to develop real feelings for them all.
Even Rafe. The asshole. Okay, most of the time I felt like punching him, but every now and then…