Chapter Fifty-Six

Celina

For the first time in weeks, I slept without any nightmares. No smoke. No fire. Just reassuring emptiness. It was nice. It’s so quiet that I almost forgot what silence sounds like. It’s amazing and I never know why people think it’s overrated. For the first time in weeks I can breathe, and I know the moment that anyone knows I’m awake it’s going to be gone. That’s usually what happens. No wonder I rarely ever saw my father during the day. I’ve never wanted to live this life, but I’d be damned if everyone didn’t insist I was designed for this.

Predictably, a knock sounds on my bedroom door; shattering a deeply needed illusion of peace. When I open my eyes, I see Chris and I are still in the same position we fell asleep in.

Chris just squeezes me harder and kisses the top of my head. “Morning Cel.”

I smile, relieved to hear him saying that. “Morning sweetness. How are you feeling today?”

“Sore,” he chuckles, “but totally worth it.”

I glance up at him and smile at the sparkle in his eyes. “I’d say it was. You were not willing to be denied last night.”

A blush creeps up his neck. “You did mark me again and you were in heat.”

“A lethal combination,” I agree before kissing him. “We can chalk last night up to biology.”

“Yes it was all biology,” he agrees sarcastically. “It had nothing to do with the fact that you were missed and I spent three hellish weeks thinking you had left me.”

I roll my eyes at the dramatic note in his tone. “Well, if someone had just woken up, he’d have seen I was there with him.” I kiss him again. “By the way, you’re not allowed to do that to me again.”

“Only if you don’t do it to me,” he tells me before giving me a long-lasting kiss.

The knock comes again, but it’s louder this time. I groan. “Do you think they’ll go away if we don’t answer it?”

“Not likely,” Ruben calls from the other side of the door. “Are you decent or not?”

“Meeting?” I ask him; sitting up after giving Chris one last kiss.

“More like we have a furious councilman. I thought we agreed it was my job to piss them off?”

“Aron?” I ask him while I walk to the closet. “You can come in now,” I tell him while I close the closet door.

“You have two meetings today,” he tells me when I hear the door open. “What the hell did you say to him? He woke me up at six screaming something about his colon and his opinion.”

I pull on a sage green dress with a peasant bodice and floral hand-stitching to soften it. I grab a pair of white flats and step out of the closet. “He had it coming,” I tell Ruben simply while I step into the bathroom.

“How?” Ruben demands while I run a brush through my hair. “What did he say to you that was so bad that you told him to eat his own opinions?

I give a hard sigh and fix my make-up. “I’d rather not talk about it right now,” I hint; thinking of Chris. I just got him back and I’d rather not broach this subject with him in the room. He stays silent while I pull my hair half up. After adjusting the dress I go back out to the bedroom.

“You called him a twat. I think it warrants a conversation.”

I fold my arms and look at Ruben. He’s dressed in a suit and rather seems amused. He’s relaxing on the couch with his feet propped up on it. “I didn’t say opinion. I only told him that if he had any disputes with my choices that he should write it on a piece of paper and then eat it, because when the note passes through his colon that’s the only acknowledgment it’s going to get.”

He raises his eyebrow while Chris laughs, “And why was that?”

I glance at Chris to try to convey I’d rather discuss this later, but he doesn’t get it. “Celina, why would you say that to a member of the council?

How thick can this man be? “He wanted to know what would happen if I were to suddenly find myself without a mate. I told him you get to be king, and I would step down. That didn’t sit well with the prick and he basically told me it’s my job to move on and continue on the royal line.”

Ruben stiffens and Chris gives off an audible growl. “I’m sorry, what was that?” It’s always been weird to me when those two speak at the same time in the same menacing voice.

“His exact words were: ‘it is your duty to preserve our kingdom and do what’s best for it. Even if that means living after the death of a mate. That also includes securing a future line.’ He pissed me off so instead of killing him, I was a little rough with him verbally.”

Ruben gets up off the couch. “I’ll take your breakfast meeting with the council today. I’d like to have a little chat with Aron. Get Chris back to the hospital ward before his nursing staff has a coronary.”

“Give Aron my best,” I call after Ruben after he stalks out of the room. He wasn’t going to give me the option to say no on this one.

“This Aron,” Chris starts when I head back to the closet, “he’s a council member?”

“Yep,” I tell him while I pull out a pair of grey sweats and a white shirt for him.

After grabbing him a pair of slippers and underwear, I continued the conversation. “One of the few of the original that hadn’t sworn themselves to Damian. He’s also a grade ‘A’ pain in my ass.”

I walk out of the closet to hand him a change of clothes. “Get dressed and I can take you back to your room.”

“Does he approach you with questions like that often?” Chris asks, grabbing his underwear.

I think about it. “Kind of. He’s one of those tools who are desperate to get ahead. I think he wanted to take your place as king instead of Ruben.”

“I think he has a crush on you,” Chris tells me, getting to his feet to pull on his sweats.

I scoff, “That little bastard hates me, and I him. I’d rather touch Wolfsbane than be near that jerk off.”I shake my head at that ridiculous thought. “Either way, I can’t wait to see his face when I tell him Emma Bordaga is taking over Randaul’s role.”

“Mia’s mother,” Chris asks when I help him put on his shirt.

I shrug. “It’s the most logical. She’s been acting in his stead since Randaul fled. The day after the attack, both of the Bordaga’s presented themselves to me, bared their necks, and swore absolute fealty to me. Emma has been the most supportive and she’s by far the most knowledgeable regarding the Grand Chancellor role.”

“And it doesn’t bother you that her daughter is my ex-girlfriend?”

I point to my marks. “Should it?”

He laughs and kisses the top of my head. “Not in the slightest.”

“Good,” I tell him before retrieving his cane for him. “Alright old man, it’s time to go see your doctor.”

He glowers at me while I put on my shoes. “You’re going to enjoy this, aren’t you?”

“Just the jokes,” I assure him when I touch his back to get him moving.

“Sounds about right,” he tells me while he shuffles out of the room.

“So turtle speed it is,” I sigh.

He smirks, “I can make jokes too.” He picks up the pace while I roll my eyes. I catch up with him quickly and grab his free hand. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

I think about it. “Well, since Ruben took my breakfast meeting, I just have one with Leroy. It doesn’t start until one, so I have some time to hang out with you.”

“Why are you meeting with Leroy?”

“To go over battle strategy,” I tell him before flashing him a smile. “Well, that’s what I’m changing the meeting to. The original one was to go over guard shifts and training strategies. He is also going to help me practice fighting in my human body since I still can’t shift. I’ve gained enough strength to hurt a lycan, but most of them are still significantly stronger than me. I gave Mia a black eye the other day,” I tell him proudly. “And I knocked Leroy on his butt. I still think he was taking it easy on me though.”

Chris chuckles. “Mia seems like she’s becoming a good friend of yours.”

I shrug. “We hang out and her mate is my friend. We’re friends but not friend friends.”

He flashes me a confused look. “That makes zero sense.”

“In your world it does, but not mine,” I tell him while we turn the corner.

“What battle are you talking about?”

I hesitate before answering. “Damian…reached out to me yesterday.”

“What do you mean he reached out to you?” Chris demands, stopping to look at me.

I grimace. “I don’t really want to talk about it here,” I tell him; motioning around the very active hallway.

“Celina,” Chris says with a growl.

“Tell you what,” I start. “You go to your hospital bed and, after you’re sedated, I’ll tell you.”

“Celina,” he warns.

I sigh and hand my phone over to him. “It’s easier for you to look at it yourself, instead of explaining it to you. You might want to wait until we’re in a room before you do.”

He raises his eyebrow but nods. Once I have him in his hospital room, I close the door and let him watch the video.

“There’s a note,” I tell him when I hear him nearing the end of the video. I steer him away from the door and have him sit on the bed. I go back to lean against the door in case anyone tries to come in.

“A note,” he choked out when Damian reiterated he’ll be seeing me in three weeks. He swipes to it and reads it. I know when he’s finished because he accidentally crushes my phone in his hand.

I groan. “Great, now I need another one.”

“Sorry,” Chris mumbles; staring at the parts of the destroyed phone in his hand.

I wave him off. “You’re good. Ruben and Xander bought a large bulk for a joke after I accidentally dropped my phone into one of the garden ponds two weeks ago.”

I move to sit next to him. “Don’t,” Chris growls at me. “It’s not safe to be near me right now.”

I take a step back and fold my arms. I know better than to test that boundary. He may not fully be able to shift, but he can still grow the sharp things I need to worry about. Chris gets up and starts pacing, and I can feel his anger from across the room.

Mara flinches, “Rajin is trying to shift, and since they can’t he’s going ballistic.”

“Should we leave?” I ask her when Chris kicks at the chair next to the bed.

“It might be the safer option.”

“No,” Chris growls in a mixture of his and Rajin’s voice. “No, you can’t be left alone.”

“I won’t be alone,” I tell him soothingly. “I’ll have one of the boys with me.”

“No,” he says quickly and with a stubborn note in his voice. “I don’t want you out of my sight.”

I raise my eyebrow at him. “That’s a bit possessive.”

He takes an exaggerated deep breath. “Celina, I just woke up from a hell where you weren’t in it. Then I saw that…Please, just for today, humor me.”

I sigh heavily, not wanting to be apart from him either. “If I see any sign of you being in pain, you’re coming right back here.”

He nods quickly to agree. “Deal.”

“Good, because the moment after the doctor examines you today, we’re getting food in you, getting me a new phone, then meeting up with Leroy.”

He smirks and I can feel him begin to calm down. “I can deal with that.”