Chapter 25
1237 Words
Sanaya’s P.O.V
I’ll be right here beside you…till the very end.
Lance’s words stayed with me for the entire night as did Lance. He sat beside my bed with my hand held in his as I slept peacefully. No nightmares haunted me, no flashbacks played through my mind. I felt relieved…like sharing the most painful incident of my past with Lance had liberated my mind of all the hurt.
Yes, I still miss my child dearly, so much so that I sometimes blame myself for not being capable enough to have given birth to my son. But as Acelin had pointed out several times before, it had never been my fault. Only now did I truly understand the implications of his words and how heartfelt they had been. He had never blamed Dilayla for not being able to give birth to his child and from the way he loved me, I could tell that he could’ve been…no, he was an amazing father. He had been a father figure for me ever since I joined BlueStar and found out that he wasn’t a thirty something years old man but a seven hundred and twenty one year old Incubus.
To think that I was having romantic feelings for Acelin’s younger brother…was a bit awkward, but immortals didn’t really consider age in the same way that we humans did. Six hundred could be around twenty years old in immortal terms…but that meant Lancelin could be a teenager!
I pressed my fingers to my temples to still the headache. Thinking about immortals always did that for me. Their lives were too complicated. Or maybe, their lives were actually quite simple and I was the one complicating everything.
I was currently sitting on the hospital bed with fresh a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie on that Martin and Tanya had gotten me this morning. It was almost afternoon and after several rounds of blood tests and physical examinations, the doctors had finally deemed me fit to go back home and Lancelin had pulled the ‘I’m the boss’ crap on me and was currently taking care of my discharge papers and billing.
I might sound a bit selfish, but I was actually glad he was paying the bill for me. Medical costs would be a b***h to cover and I’m pretty sure vasovagal attacks weren’t covered by my insurance. I was so close to getting my house back that even an extra dollar’s expenditure made me cringe. Unless, of course, they were red lipsticks…because red lipsticks were my weakness.
“Ready?” Lance’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m ready to take another nap.” I sighed. “My thoughts are all over the place and I think I might have another headache. I really need to get some more shut eye, but I’m worried about scaring my mom. Wait! You didn’t tell her that I’m at a hospital, did you?”
The thought that my mom would have to see me in a hospital, after what happened to my dad. It was something I couldn’t even imagine.
“It’s okay, I didn’t tell her.” Lancelin assured me. “I decided it wasn’t my place to tell her in the first place.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“I’ve got your discharge form and your test results. You’re clear to go.” He held out his hand for me. “Come on.”
“Can you drop me off at BlueStar Gold resort in Queens?” I asked, placing my hand in his warm ones. “I don’t want to scare my mom and it’ll be better if I get some rest. Acelin has a room booked under my name there, so I can get in without reservation.”
“There’s no need, you’ll be staying with me.” He pulled me to my feet just as he made his declaration and thanks to me being so distracted by it, I tripped on my feet and ran straight into his hard, muscular chest, face first.
Cardamom, earthy and a hint of citrus. The earthy scent was deep and masculine, a scent I’d come to associate with Lancelin alone. The citrus from his cologne. And even though he had spent the last thirteen hours in the hospital, he still managed to look pristine condition while I looked like I’d been hit by an eighteen wheeler.
I pressed my hands to the taunt muscles of his abdomen to steady myself and looked up into his gorgeous face. His eyes were deep ambers as they bore into mine and I could feel the warmth of his hands through my hoodie as they wound around my waist.
His warm breath fanned my cheeks as he tightened his hold on me. The tips of his fingers brushed the bare skin on my waist, making me close my eyes on a shiver. My hoodie must have risen up when I tripped and the touch of his warm hands on my cool skin felt amazing.
Maybe it was because I had been starved of skin contact and intimacy for the last five years but it was always like this with Lancelin. I felt giddy and out of breath when he looked at me. He made me feel things that I hadn’t felt in the last five years; things I never thought I would feel again. I always get butterflies in my stomach whenever I see him smile. It feels like my first teenage crush but the connection is much deeper, stronger than I’d felt even with Keith.
“Sire, I’ve got t-Oh!”
I sprang away from Lancelin’s arms as soon as I heard Martin’s voice, nearly falling face first on the floor. Thankfully, Lancelin caught me by the waist just in time and set me down on the bed.
“Thank you, Martin.” Lance said with an amused smile and I peeked around him to find Martin with his back to us. “We’ll be right there.”
“Yes, Sire!” Martin hurried out the door before I could say anything.
As soon as Martin was out of sight, Lance bent down so that we were eye level with each other and tilted my head up with a finger under my chin. “You really need to decide what you want Sanaya, and soon. Or I’ll make the decision for you.”
His words lingered with me all the way as we exited the hospital and sat inside the car. Was I really sure what I wanted? Was I really falling for Lancelin? But how could we ever make it work when he was leagues above me? Not only was he immortal, but he was also the future King! He was royalty whereas I was just a human commoner.
Yes, there were sparks whenever I looked into his eyes. Yes, I felt like I could depend on him with my life. But were those enough for a relationship? Or was I just overthinking a simple matter?
I pressed my fingers to my temples when they began to throb and Lance immediately pulled me to his side and laid his head on my shoulder. And that was the last thing I remembered before my entire world faded to comfortable darkness.
“Everything will be alright. I’m right here.”
- Writer
