Chapter 11: Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Innocently Alluring

Lukas

Lily closed her eyes. “Lukas?”

He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her cheek. “You didn’t think I’d miss your birthday, did you, sweetheart?”

She turned around and hugged him. His heart pounded under her cheek as he hugged her back. She buried her face in his chest, “I thought you weren’t coming,” she admitted, softly.

your favorite thing? Being

“I’ll always show up for you, Lily. I was just running a little late and wanted to make it special. What could be better than yo scared and eating nachos?”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “This. Right here.”

“What’s that?”

“Our sparks.”

Their sparks. His touch caused sparks for her. He loved hearing it. It made him want to touch her more so that she would never want another’s touch. She reached up to touch his face and he almost lost it. His arm tightened around her waist and he started to lift her. Jo cleared her throat and he put her back down.

“So, umm, Lily.. sharks…”

“Oh, yes! It’s called Shark Teeth. I hear there’s a scene where the shack gets on a boat…

His attention focused on her lips while she spoke excitedly, before dropping lower to her dress. He was really going to have to hire someone to watch over her if she kept looking like this. He much preferred her baggy clothes to this full on womanly look. He only wanted her to look like this when the was with him. When he knew she was safe.

“Coninute eye fucking her, Luke, and I swear I will stab you in your sleep.

He bared his teeth at her. “Shut up! I was o

was only thinking that she looked extra beautiful today and that I was going to have to hire a bodyguard.”

She rolled her eyes. ‘Of course you were. Is it safe to leave her with you or do I need to stick around and chaperone?”

‘Go

away.

“Behave.”

“I know, I know. Or else,‘ he replied.

“Lukas?”

His

eyes went back to hers. “Yeah, Lils?”

She pointed at the snacks on the counter in front of her. “This is a lot. Are you sure this is okay to get?”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. She gulped hard, Fuck. Why did he do that? He let her go.

“Of course, it is. You lead the way. I’ll carry our snacks.”

He quickly pocketed the candy, before lifting her icee and the ice cream bar. He nodded his head towards the numbered theaters.

“After you,

love

His jaw clenched. She blushed and looked away. What the hell was wrong with him? He thought he could do this without letting on who exactly she was to him. She started walking down the hallway while he trailed behind her, watching her hips swinging. He tore his eyes away from her body.

Chapter 12 Innocently Alluring

‘Gideon, stop or we will have to leave.”

‘Whatever. You can blame me all you want, but you’re just as into her as I am.

Suddenly, she face planted and he dropped everything in his hands to try to grab her before she hit the ground. He cursed silently when she landed on the ground. He reached for her.

“STOP! DON’T TOUCH ME! I CAN DO IT,” she screamed, putting her hands on the floor.

She pushed herself up and in seconds, she had disappeared into the bathroom. He stared after her. Gregory had told him that she was so much stronger and had made a lot of progress, but this was more than he had thought. He took the napkins the staff brought him and he began to wipe his shirt off. He walked towards the bathroom.

“Clean this up. We’ll be back.”

He made a note to start looking for a guard for her. He had offered the position to Sommer, but she had declined. It made him happy every time he thought about their meeting.

“I know you are not as young as you say you are. I don’t know why you two are lying and quite frankly I don’t care. Nobody seems to think negatively about you, which is the only reason I am not punishing you, I want to keep her safe, but I can’t be around her, so I need you to keep an eye on Lily and make sure no one messes with her. I will pay you,‘ he had told her.

She had looked at him in absolute disgust. “I don’t need or want your money to look out for Lily. She is my family. So with all due respect, fuck off, King Lukas.”

Her mother had yelled at her and apologized profusely to him. Sommer had paused at the door to look at him.

“Why is she so important to you anyways?,” she had asked.

‘She’s my mate.‘

Makes sense. Only a true queen can go through what she has and be okay!

Her comment had confused him. “What do you mean?”

princesses go through hell and are

are saved by a

by a man. Don’t hurt her, alright? She’s a good girl.

“I guess you don’t read fairy tales. All

II the prin

Her words had resonated with him and kept him even closer to the line of giving her space while she was growing up. He didn’t want Lily to have a fairy tale. All of those stories sucked. He wanted Lily to know that she was free to choose and free to be herself. He wanted her to want him and not because she was told to want him. He stopped just inside the bathroom door. She had locked herself in the furthermost stall and was crying. He walked over to it and used a shifted talon to open it. She was on the floor with her face buried in her knees. He sat next to her.

-You

know, Lily, everyone trips.”

“It’s this stupid leg,” she sobbed and punched herself in it.

He took her hand to keep her from doing it again. “Wanna know something, Lily? Something that nobody knows?”

She turned her head to look at him, nodding. He rolled his pants leg up to show her a three inch scar along his calf.

e keep

moving.

“When I was 11, I fell on a run. The woman who raised me left me behind. She didn’t care that my leg was broken. She made everyone She told me only the weak died from a fall. I never fell again.” His breath caught in his chest as her fingers moved over his scar. “How many times have you fallen, Lils?”

“Like a million.”

He tilted her chin up. “So, by my mother’s logic, you are one of the strongest people alive. Don’t even worry about it. If it helps, I think my shirt is injured than you are.”

She giggled, moving her fingers over the blue stain on his brand new

wwhite buttoned shirt.

more

“You’re turning into a smurt.”

Chapter 12 Innocently Alluring

“I’ll be a smurf if it makes you smile.”

She sighed. “I just wanted to look pretty for you tonight. I even got these stupid shoes. I’ve never been in heels before,” she confided. “I should have never listened to Sommer.”

He pulled her into his lap. “You look stunning, sweetheart. I have never seen anybody look as beautiful as you do everyday of your life and if it’s the heels that are bothering you…” He took her feet in his hands and easily snapped the heels off of her shoes. “Then we will just take them off.”

She stared up at him. “You broke my shoes.”

He chuckled. “I did.”

“Now, I don’t look perfect.”

Her words shattered his heart, hitting him almost physically. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the box he was saving for later. He wrapped an arm around her as he handed it to her. She opened it with trembling hands. Her mouth dropped open when she saw his scale hanging off of gold chain. The diamond barrier between the scale and the gold glittered in the artificial light. Her fingers ran over it and suddenly she clenched it in her hand.

“Is this one of your scales, Lukas?”

He gently took it from her hand and clasped the chain around her neck. It fell slightly below her collar bone. He lifted her hand and set the scale back in it. The darkness of it made her skin even paler and he felt the shivers moving through her. He knew she would feel the sparks whenever she touched

iL

“Whenever you feel imperfect or insecure, I want you to look at this. I want you to know that you are the definition of perfection. I want you to never go another day thinking that you are nothing.” He cupped her face. “Because you are everything to a lot of people.”

To me. To Gideon. To your future kingdom. He wanted to tell her this. He wanted to shout it from the rooftop. He wanted to make her understand. But he couldn’t. At least not yet. When he did, she would never doubt his love. He would make sure of it. She nuzzled into his chest.

“Do you really think I’m perfect?”

o watch our movie?”

Hell fucking yes, she was. “I do, Lily. Now, since I’m covered in an Icee, instead of having eaten one, are you ready to go

She nodded. He sent up a small prayer that she had agreed. He already wanted to keep her here on this nasty bathroom floor if it meant not letting her go. He needed space to get himself under control. He helped her up and left her at the sink.

“When you’re ready, come on out I’m going to get our snacks.”

He went back to the concession stand and placed an order, this time ordering himself some snacks. He told them to bring it to him. If Lily stumbled again, he wanted to be able to catch her. Gideon laughed at him,

*You hope she falls again so you can have a reason to hold her.

Lukas rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t act like you would complain if she was in our arms.”

Gideon pushed forward to watch her approach them. She smiled up at him and his heart sped up.

‘I can’t wait ‘til she is grown up and we don’t have to let her go.”

He held out his hand and she took it.

“Ready?”

“So, Lily, did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?”

“No. Everything, but two things.”

He followed her to the middle of the theater. “What didn’t you get?”

apter 12 Innocently Alluring

e licked her lips, nervously, “Ummm…. I just recently realized I wanted them.”

settled back in a chair. “What are they?”

e jumped when the staff brought their food and drinks. They quickly put it down and left, leaving them alone.

Ms7

an I sit on your lap while we watch the movie?”

ick. He watched her play with the hem of her dress. It lifted up higher on her thighs and his eyes followed the movement. He cleared his throat, illing his eyes away from where the dress was still being tugged higher. He patted his lap.

Well, come on, but I’m not sharing my pretzel.”

Chapter Comments

Nahla

well from the rooftop triggers some memory

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