Deciding Skies (Fate's Intent Book 2) (25 page)

Ruby and I looked at each other again and I could see that she wanted to take the offer. I did too. I remember saying I would do anything to have Troy but there was still something that was stopping me from taking this. Ruby knew it too.

“Your kindness is unexpected, your majesty. Seni is lucky to have such a King as you but—” Ruby glanced over at me and we took each other’s hand with our decision. “We can’t accept.”

“Why ever not?”

“We know you called us in here without Adele because you’re not going to offer her the same thing.” I said.

Izin paused for a moment and let out a long breath. “I cannot. The circumstances are different. It’s not because of who her father is. It’s because of who Zayden is.”

“We understand but even if you were going to let her stay, Adele never would and we go where she goes. Her Fate is our own.”

“Very well but understand the danger you’re about to put them in.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked. I already knew and waited for him to say it.

“I’m not blind. Whether I wished against it or not, I know they would follow you and surely you know that too. I’m sad that this couldn’t work out. I would have liked to see it.”

“We are sorry.” I said, truly meaning it. “But Adele’s family no matter how much we want this.”

“So be it. You are free to settle for the night and please, send her in. It’s time I speak with her.” We nodded and rose to our feet to get Adele.

The others remained waiting out in the main hall and came right over when the door opened.

“Are you all right?” Troy asked, taking me in his arms.

“Of course. We just talked.”

“About what?” Adele asked, narrowing her eyes at us.

“Ah—”

“About you!” Ruby cut in with a big smile so I wouldn’t give anything away. “And now it’s your turn.”

“Great.” Adele sighed. “Take this.” She reached to the crown on her head and handed it to Zayden.

“Please try not to make it worse. He doesn’t tolerate attitude very well.”

“Says someone from experience?” Adele smiled.

Zayden sighed. “Yes and from that experience, just tell him what he wants to know and that’s it.”

“Okay.” Adele took a deep breath and walked passed us to the conference room.

I feared for her. I knew Izin was probably going to tell her that he wants her gone and that she can’t have Zayden, mentioning something about his prior engagement. That would surely put her in one of the worst moods but I was having a hard time in hiding mine.

Troy kept looking at me like he wanted to ask but waited until I said something first. I never did. I didn’t want to actually. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t want him because I rejected the King’s proposal and so I said nothing, just waiting until we would see Adele again.

Chapter 34

Adele

My nerves were constricting around my heart like a snake. I dreaded anything he had to say to me but I had to face it. I closed the door behind me and approached the King at the table.

It was quiet. I remained on my feet with my eyes on him and it was like we were waiting for the other to speak first.

“Sit.” Izin said. His voice was mellow but with a sense of anger and I did what he said. “So, Adele, where do you think we should go from here?”

“Wherever you wish.”

“Not so. Zayden would be very—disgruntled had I do with you what I should.”

“And that is a reason to not?”

He laughed. “Don’t play me as a fool, Adele. Neither of us are. He cares about you. We both know it. We’ve both seen it but only one of us is going to do something about it.”

I swallowed the knot in my throat and knew exactly what he was telling me. “And I’m just going to guess that someone is going to be me.”

“Exactly.”

“I can’t! I mean—he won’t listen. I’ve tried. He just makes up some reason why I’m wrong.”

He smiled proudly with a nod. “That sounds like my son all right.”

“What do you want me to do? I—I can’t hurt him.”

“He’ll get over it.”

No. I stood up from the table and turned away to hide my coming tears. My arms were held around my body and I began to shake.

“You need to hide whatever it is you’re feeling.” Izin said, following by getting up to his feet behind me. “Face facts, you’re not good enough for my son. I want you out. I’m not going to end it the way I should. You’re going to walk out of here freely.”

I turned around. “I am?”

“This is my offer to you. I leave in the morning. I have some business to attend to in Ledia. You leave before I come back, in precisely four days and I’ll forget that any of this ever happened. If you’re still here, well, just hope you’re not.”

“I—I understand, your majesty.”

“And be sure to tell the others of this plan when you get the stuff you polluted my son’s room with out and put into your own.”

I sighed, already picturing that not going well. “Can’t you tell him that?”

“Another failure upon us?”

“Most likely.”

“All right then but you are not to intervene. Don’t even look at him when he objects. Eyes on the floor. You’ll have to be placed somewhere where I can keep an eye on you till I leave.”

I lowered my head and a tear fell to the floor. “As you wish.”

“Come.” Izin walked passed me and I followed him nervously to the door.

The main hall seemed empty. No one was insight but light chatter was coming over by the throne. Izin put his hand on my lower back and had to guide me in that direction. I wasn’t ready for this.

“Zayden.” Izin turned into view from behind the throne and Zayden was slouching in it with one foot resting on one of the arms.

He sat right up straight to the distinction of his father’s voice. “Yes?” He looked at me but I did what I was told and put my eyes down on the floor.

“Everything is settled.” Izin said.

“Is it?”

“Yes, I will explain what will happen as I just did for Adele. I leave in the morning.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Not because of this. I’ve been called to Ledia for something.”

“Oh.”

“And I’m going to be giving our guests the time I am gone to leave themselves. You understand what could happen if I come back and they’re still here?”

There was a pause but I didn’t look up. It was hard not to and I stayed exactly how I was.

“Yes, father. We understand completely.”

“Excellent.” Izin turned towards me and yelled loudly. “Kathryn!” She came swiftly to the King’s side like she had been there the whole time. “Do take this young one and gather her things from the Prince’s room.” Izin took my wrist and guided me to Kathryn. It was like I was frozen and went with it with no emotion.

“Father.” I heard Zayden rise and began to close the gap as if he tried coming to me.

“She will no longer be staying there.”

Kathryn bowed her head and took me under her arm. My eyes lifted and I found Zayden’s look of dismay. Why did I do it? My eyes instantly swelled with more tears, not knowing if this was the last time I would ever see him. I didn’t want it to be. His face reminded me of the past. He wasn’t happy and that’s not how I wanted to remember it. My shoulders were turned by Kathryn and my eyes had no choice but to follow.

I lost it. I couldn’t hold in my sobbing cries and they were definitely heard as I was being walked away.

“What did you do?!” Zayden’s voice was loud enough for even me to hear and the voice that came after it was just as disapproved.

“She is no longer your concern and you are to stay away from her.”

“Father, you can’t—”

“I can and I will! You’ve disobeyed me for the last time! The girl stays with me! Any attempts to see her and you’ll only be hurting her more!”

I didn’t hear anything after that. I was led too far away to hear anyone speak in a normal voice. I was gone from him now, being guided away to a room somewhere downstairs.

“Come sit.” Kathryn’s gentle voice led me to a sofa and she even had to lower me down on it. “It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”

I wanted to believe her but somehow that seemed very hard to do and I just sat there lost in my own tears.

I heard the door open and heavy feet shuffle passed me. “Now. Now. No need for that. It’s what had to be done.”

“Izin, please.” Kathryn begged. “Don’t—”

“Silence! There is no changing this! Draw her a bath and get her out of those clothes.”

Kathryn got up and walked away from me.

“Adele.” I didn’t answer. I remained hugging my knees and crying. “Here. This will help.”

I looked up and Izin had sat next to me and was holding a glass in his hand. I was desperate for anything to actually help and I took the glass a little shaky and tried taking a drink through my crying.

“It will be better for everyone if you stop. This is something I had to do.”

“You don’t even know what this is doing to me. Like you care but I never even wanted to be here!”

“Well, you are and that was no fault of mine. Don’t worry, you’ll be out soon.”

“I didn’t want it to end this way.”

I looked up at Izin but he didn’t look back. He kept his eyes forward. “Whether you wanted it to end any way or not, this had to be it. Zayden is going to be moving on when his bride arrives. You’ll be gone by then and I advise that you do the same. Forget about him.”

My eyes were lost in his last words. I was staring straight but it was like my eyes were closed. I wasn’t looking at anything while my heart began breaking.

Forget about Zayden? Impossible, especially for me; especially now. Zayden’s always been there in my mind whether I really wanted to believe it or not. Who he was didn’t seem to matter. I was able to look passed it just in time to have to forget? It made things harder now and how Zayden was handling this only made me think about him more.

“It’s ready.” Kathryn came back but I didn’t look up. I was still lost in my mind over Izin’s words and was paralyzed to respond though I could hear their voices still.

“Thank you. You may have to take her.”

Kathryn brought me to my feet. It was like I didn’t even notice but my feet moved forward and Kathryn brought me inside a bathhouse. She began removing my dress for me and tried to get me into the tub. “Come on, Adele. This may help.”

My feet lifted to step in but I still didn’t reply or take my eyes off the nothingness in front of me. Kathryn even had to lower me down and make sure I wouldn’t sink under.

“That will do, Kathryn. You may go. I need to teach this one some manners.”

“She’s just a child.”

“All the more reason for her to learn early.”

“Please. She’s vulnerable right now. You don’t know what time with her could do.”

“Thank you for your concern. You may go.”

Silence was in the room again, this room that looked so much like Zayden’s. It made me feel like I was back and started to believe it. The bath did help and I couldn’t wait until I would see him again.

“Adele—Love.”

I blinked and turned my head. I finally felt a smile come on my face when I saw Zayden next to me and I immediately went to him but something went wrong.

He grabbed my wrists and held me back with words I didn’t understand. “I’m not Zayden.”

What kind of game was this? I was confused and tried getting him to see what I saw. “What are you saying? Of course you are and I need you.”

“You’re not thinking clearly. Come out of it.”

I was even more worried that Zayden could have possibly refused a second time and I freed my hands. I pushed him back to the floor as I came out of the tub and straddled my wet body over him, holding him down. “You will not push me away.”

“Ade—”

I quickly leaned down and pressed my lips into his. He could never resist this and I took it a step further when he tried refusing again and I brought his left hand to my right breast and his right hand down to my left hip.

He kept his hands there and finally kissed me back while he started to get us up. “All right. If this is what it’s going to take for you to learn.”

Yes! Please! I let him take me out into the room soaking wet, my body still partially covered in bubbles and he set me down on the bed. I was eager. I wanted him badly and reached for his clothes, desperate to get them off.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” He stood me up and turned me around on the bed.

I cried out when he penetrated my body but welcomed it, glad we were together again. I leaned forward on the bed with my arms supporting me up and my back arched. I was completely drowning in the feeling that it was hard to focus my mind on anything but the pounding sensation tracing through my body.