“Put your hand in mine, Danika,” he said, still not looking at her.
The words sounded like an order and a request at the same time. They made her belly flutter. She placed her hand into his strong outstretched hand and watched as his fingers wrapped around her slender white ones. It was the first time he openly requested her touch—her hand in his. She forced herself not to think it special—not to let this gesture feed the feelings she already had for him. But it did. With each step they took together in the evening’s coolness, his hand in hers, Danika felt her heart reach out to him.
“You may ask,” his deep voice came through the haze of his touch.
“Huh?”
“You said you have something to ask. You may ask.”
“My mother. I want to know about my mother,” she whispered. His steps faltered, and he stared at her. She swallowed and rushed out. “She died when I was young. I don’t know much about her.”
King Lucien hesitated, then continued walking. “I don’t know much about her either, but we well knew around the twelve kingdoms that she was a very good queen. Rumors have it she never supported your father in anything he did, but it never stopped Cone. A queen can only do a little when it comes to her king,” he provided softly as they came out of the woods to the riverbank.
They watched Remeta, who was on the other side of the river, quite oblivious of the adults close by. They continued walking. The evening started blending into early night.
“The things Cone could never do, Queen Auroria tried to do. Going into the village regularly, sharing foods for the lowborn. She treated everyone equally.” He paused. “She was a good woman.”
Danika’s heart soared and relaxed as the king continued talking about her mother. She had never really known her mother except for the little her nanny told her, but hearing King Lucien talk about her was like a soothing balm on its own. The same mouth that snarled her father’s name with hatred spoke so gently and amicably about her mother.
They came to a wooden bench beside the riverbank, and Danika was happy when his hands were on her. Then he led them to that chair. She sat beside him, and he talked steadily. She listened attentively, her eyes absorbing this moment as they watched his face and the river before them. Such a beautiful sight. She stored this moment in her heart, knowing deeply that she was the first person to share such an intimate moment with him—the first person he had talked to for such a long time.
Finally, he turned and pinned his blue eyes on hers. “Always, I ask myself who you are. How a monster like Cone could father a woman like you.” He paused. “For the first time in my life, I let myself wonder… what if you take after Queen Auroria and not King Cone?” he confessed, his eyes holding hers intensely.
Danika ceased breathing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Remeta disappear to the other side of the woods. They were alone again. The world around them fell away because she lost herself in the ocean of his eyes. She didn’t know how to answer his question, and she didn’t try to.
She could only glance at him. Her hand in his. Her body surrounded by his.
“You will never betray me, will you, Danika?” he asked suddenly, his eyes searching hers.
She shook her head. “I don’t know how to betray you, my king. I will never,” she whispered.
“I do not like to be betrayed, Danika. I do not give trust easily, and when I give it, I dislike it being thrown away. I am giving you a little. Never throw it away,” he stated firmly.
Danika didn’t know why he was saying these words to her, but she was determined to let him see she could do nothing that would hurt him. This man who had hurt her so much. This man who had been hurt more than any other human she had ever known. She could do nothing that would hurt him. She did not have the heart for it.
Danika pressed closer to the king, so nothing separated their bodies from touching. The scent that was uniquely his enveloped her. She let her feelings for him show blatantly in her eyes—for him to see her sincerity. “I will never betray you, my king,” she vowed because she knew with every fiber of her being that she did not have the heart to hurt him. She did not know the betrayal he was talking about, nor did she know what he meant. But it didn’t matter. She knew she could never do it.
Tears filled Danika’s eyes suddenly, and she looked at him through glassy eyes. This must be her curse, to love a man who would never love her back. A love that was forbidden. An abomination. When the embarrassing tear dropped from her eyes, she tried to avert her gaze, but his hand went to her chin and stopped the movement. He forced her gaze right back into his. How he looked at her, she didn’t know what was going through his mind. And when his gaze lowered to her lips, a frown crossed his features.
She swallowed tightly, wondering what was going through his mind.
Suddenly, his head lowered, and his lips found hers.