His Divine Queen

The Reuniting

“El, where are we going?!” Arabella laughed, jogging to catch up to Lorcan’s high spirited steps towards the centre of the city.

“It’s a surprise, Ari! You’re just going to have to wait until we get there,” he replied, turning his head slightly to drop his left eye into a wink.

Arabella blushed at the action, a heated spiral entering her chest as the smile she had worn earlier made its reappearance.

They continued for a while, racing through the city in their own little bubble as the darkness of night spread around them. They passed the main square, through the quiet backstreets and deserted plazas until they saw the flash of lights penetrate the sky and heavy music vibrating through the floor.

He stopped suddenly, allowing Arabella to look around them in excitement as she recognised where he had brought her. It was where they had come once so long ago, when they had both been different people, free from all the difficulties and responsibilities that had since been thrust upon them. The party was in full swing already, glowing lights draped across high beams of wood that criss-crossed above their heads. Vines meandered around its frame, sweeping low until they shyly caressed the sandy floor that had been blown in by the brisk winds of the day.

“We’re back?!” Arabella asked breathlessly, returning her gaze to Lorcan to find him already observing her with a soft smile on his face.

“We’re back.” He agreed, bringing his spare hand up to caress the black wig that hid her recognisable blonde curls. “And free to do whatever we want.”

She took one last look around, watching the free teenagers – some of them likely to be close to her age – dance and chatter around them. A feeling of longing grew within her, oh what she would give to be able to experience normality for once. No one seemed to realise them standing there, their own Queen and Prince. It was like they were completely invisible. And, oh, how thrilling that was.

For the first time in her life, she could do anything she wanted, be completely reckless – get as drunk as she possibly could without thinking of the consequences. For once, she could act like a real teenager.

She opened her mouth to thank him, hand flying to his own that remained on her black wig, but the guilt that rose within her stopped the words from leaving her mouth. She had to tell him, to make him understand why she had been ignoring him for these past few days. She had to make him understand it wasn’t his fault, wasn’t anything to do with him, but was rather about her.

“El,” she mumbled brokenly, her eyes watering, “I want to apologise-”

“Shh,” he whispered, eyes crinkling at the sides as their darkness pooled into her brown ones, “tonight is about letting go and having fun. Let’s leave serious things for the Palace, eh?”

She gulped, nodding slowly as she fought to push the guilty thoughts away from her. For now. Taking a deep breath, she allowed a small smile to grace her face as she pulled Lorcan into the crowd of spinning bodies. He had set this all up for her, so she’d be Goddess-damned if she didn’t let herself enjoy it.

- - -

The music was pulsing through her body, freeing her inhibitions just as much as the wine that coursed through her system. Her mind, for once, was blank. Unregretfully blank and empty. She chose to embrace the emptiness of her thoughts because it made such a nice change from their usual bombarding nature. She finally felt a freedom and happiness that she had not experienced in months.

She spun and whirled around, sounds of elation slipping past her lips as her feet moved in time with the beat. The lights blended into a dizzying array of colours as the Queen let her eyes slide shut. With the alcohol pulsing through her bloodstream, this was the best she had felt in months.

Opening her eyes, the Queen caught sight of a young couple, hidden away in the lonely shadows of the party. They were huddled close together, gripping one another tightly as if someone was going to rip them apart at any moment. With lips together, arms would tightly around the other’s body, she could tell just what they meant to each other in that mere second the stray flash of light enveloped their forms, only for the image to fade into nothingness again. They had looked so in love, so happy, their bond unbreakable.

Arabella swung her gaze to her own love. Her other half, the one that had been with her through everything and will continue to stay with her through everything. She knew that now. She knew that she had just been silly, letting her own fears and doubts take over her mind, telling her that he would leave her.

She wouldn’t let them control her anymore. Arabella decided, catching his dark gaze as he stood regally at the edge of the dancing bodies, that she would tell him everything as soon as she could. She would trust him, just as he trusted her every day of their relationship.

With the alcohol in her system boosting her confidence, Arabella sent a flirty grin towards the tall, shadowed man she adored. Manoeuvring her way through the crowd to stand in front of him, she shouted over the loud music, “Come dance with me!”

His free hand taken up by her own, she pulled him behind her, pausing only to let him discard his glass on a side table, and dragged him into the centre of the moving horde. She started to move in time with the music, smiling up at Lorcan’s watchful face as she directed his arms around her. “Be here with me, please stay,” she muttered softly to him, the hidden meaning echoing in the small space between their lips.

His dark eyes twinkled down at her, a lazy smile slipping onto his face as he gently replied, “Always.”

Arabella breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes in exultation at the sound of his voice. He was her forever, she was sure of it.

They continued to sway in each other’s arms, embracing the moment as much as they could before they returned to normal life. Soon, the song ended, and another began. With a more upbeat tempo, the Royal couple had to speed their steps up to stay with it. Arabella’s chest was tight from the exertion it took to stay in time with the music, but her heart felt light and spirited as she was swept away in the moment. Allowing the music to invade their minds, the couple danced as if this were their last night on this damned, scorched Earth. It was only one singular moment, yet it was one that made her feel as if they were the last two people alive, and Arabella knew that it would be embedded in her memory forever.

The moment was so special, in fact, that the couple forget where they were, and who they were. Their dance was so passionate and thrilling in its movement that something slipped from their grasp without their knowledge. One singular object, that would prevent them from continuing their night as planned. The black wig slipped from Arabella’s head, falling to the floor with an unremarkable sound. Arabella stopped suddenly, at first only feeling the lack of the object’s weighted security on her head, but then noticing the shocked looks of the people surrounding them. Their cover was blown; the people recognised her.

A muttering grew over the crowd, gasps and whispers floating in the air as Arabella and Lorcan stared at each other in shock. The wig lay forgotten at their feet, its ebony colour lost on the dark floor.

“The Queen!” Someone finally shouted from the stunned crowd, “It’s the Queen!”

The shout startled Lorcan into action, his hand shooting outwards to take hers in its grasp. “Quick, let’s get out of here!”

Arabella barely had time to nod before she was being dragged out of the party, her blonde hair flying out behind her. Excited voices erupted behind the pair as they ran out of the exit, running through the emptied streets with the sounds of running feet echoing behind them.

The young couple darted through the streets, hearts beating in synchrony as they escaped the mob behind them. Lorcan spotted an alleyway off to the side, and pulled Arabella into its darkness before either of them could think.

The couple paused, pushing themselves further into the dark wall of the alleyway. They held their breath in anticipation as a crowd of teenagers rushed pass the opening, not even stopping to take a glance into the blackness where they were hiding.

Arabella’s heart was beating so fast she was certain it would beat out of her chest. But she wouldn’t have changed anything about this night for the world. It had been the most fun she’d had in a long time, and she was glad that she’d been able to spend it with the man in front of her.

A stray laugh bubbled out of her chest, giddiness overcoming her as she thought about their near-capture. Brown eyes gravitated towards Lorcan, who was slowly straightening up against the wall across from her. Her mind went blank as she watched him, his broad shoulders and toned arms that strained against his black shirt. Coupled with his ruffled black hair and moonlit skin, he looked breath-taking to her. His eyes watched hers with that knowing glint nestled within them, creating a heat within her with just one look.

No words were spoken between them, nothing at all. Only the rustle of fabric echoing in the quiet alleyway as her man slowly stepped up to her, pushing her body deeper into the cold wall. His hand came to rest next to her head, pressing into the brick beside her as his head bowed to her level. A breath caught in her throat, her body growing excited as she felt his other hand caress her side. It moved, caressing her navel, the side of her breast, taking its time as it memorised her body.

She tensed as the hand cupped her chin, drawing her face up to his as his lips slanted over hers. They didn’t touch, not yet, but lingered with an electric passion that excited both Arabella and her wolf. She wanted to feel his lips against hers, finally indulge in the electricity that his touch would bring, but she felt her impatience grow as he teased her with a light brush of his tongue against her bottom lip.

She moaned, stepping onto her toes to bring their faces close together, to which he tutted. He stopped her, wrapping his hand around her throat with a slight squeeze in warning. She stopped, obeying the male, as she lowered herself again and pressed her excited body into the wall behind her.

“My Queen…” Lorcan mumbled against her lips, “I’ve missed this, I’ve missed you.”

She nodded in response, words escaping her eager mind as all she could think about was him, his smell, his lips, his taste. He couldn’t wait much longer, a voice in her head said, because he wanted it just as much as her.

She soon got her wish. And like all those times before, their lips joining felt like a breath of fresh air to her lungs. A moment of passion that was long awaited, demanding in its force as they reconnected as one after all this time. It finally felt like home.