"I appreciate where you're coming from, Lex. I do. But you can't make those types of decisions for me. Just like I can't make them for you. We've both tried for different reasons. But it can't be like that between us. I want...I want to trust you again."
"I want that too."
"Well, you have to be honest with me," she said, sitting up. They hadn't had a conversation like this in a while.
"I know. I will."
"Don't keep anything from me. I won't care about the reasons. They don't matter. Regardless of if you think I can handle it, or anything like that."
"Okay," he said, sitting up too.
"I mean it, Lex. If you...if you lie to me again, I won't forgive you."
"I promise," he said, interlacing his fingers through hers. "I won't keep anything from you."
"Swear on it," she said. She wasn't sure if they did that sort of thing. But it was the best thing she could think of. "Swear on your life. No, Grace's life."
He sighed. "I swear on every life in this goddamn palace that I won't keep anything from you. There, satisfied?" he asked, sounding a little frustrated.
She nodded after scowling at him.
Satisfied, she turned her back to him and tried to relax. She was more anxious now than ever. For some reason, she felt like this was all connected. Ben stealing the weapons. The guards not returning.
She heard him sigh once more before she felt him scooting closer to her and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.
"Oh....um, sorry. Shit. I just- I just thought.." he stuttered, pulling his arm back.
She couldn't stop herself from laughing. It was the reaction she'd been hoping for.
"You are such an asshole," he said, putting his arm around her again.
"Hey! That's my line," she said in between bursts of laughter.
"Ha-ha. Very funny."
She settled down after a few minutes and tried to relax again. It was easier than before, now that he was close and she felt safe.
"Why now," he whispered from behind her.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why'd you forgive me now? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you did. But why?"
"Oh," she said, "I missed you."
Be honest. Be honest.
"And I was tired of being mad at you. And when you said that you were leaving...I thought about what happened the last time I didn't forgive someone. I didn’t want to risk you leaving without knowing how I really felt.”
He didn't say anything. But he must have understood because he pulled her a little closer.
And I love you, she thought. And she almost said it. Almost.
Chapter 37
She was half asleep, lulled by the sound of his breathing and the warmth of his body so close to hers, when someone stormed into their room. She jolted at the sound of the door hitting the wall.
"Your Grace! The palace is under attack," the guard yelled.
"What?" Lex asked, confused. But he didn't wait a second before crawling out of bed. Aria followed.
"They've-they've taken the palace! They're in the throne room," the guard yelled.
Lex didn't take anything with him; he didn't even put any armor or gear on. He rushed past the guard, going out the door.
Aria ran to keep up.
"My sister?" Lex asked, looking at the guard.
"I don't know where she is, your Grace," the guard said.
Aria had never, ever seen Lex look so scared.
"Find her. Keep her safe," he said. The guard nodded and took a right turn, while Lex took a left, heading to the throne room.
Suddenly, Aria heard gunshots ring throughout the palace. It sounded like they were coming from the throne room.
"What was that?" Lex asked.
"Gunfire," she told him.
The look on his face mirrored hers.
They didn't have guns here.
Only one group of people had access to those kinds of weapons.
Her people.
Aria was sure that this was a terrible idea. They had no weapons, no guards with them. But the look on Lex's face told her that he wouldn't wait. That he was determined to get to the bottom of this, especially now that Grace's whereabouts were a mystery to him.
The doors to the throne room were open. Aria could hear voices coming from the room. Some angry, some scared.
She heard a scream.
She felt like she was being held captive again.
This is wrong, she thought. This was their safe haven. Nothing bad was supposed to happen here. All the evil, all the darkness couldn't reach them. Not here.
They stopped at the front doors, taking the scene in.
There was a group of about fifty people in the throne room. Just looking at them, Aria could tell that they were from her home.
In front of the group, what she judged to be about twenty bodies laying on the ground.
Bloody. Dead.
They took a few steps forward.
Most of them were Lex's guards, but she could see a few of the palace's servants among them.
And then a loud, familiar voice shut out all the others.
"This place is ours now!"
She looked to the front of the room. Warren, the teacher she had once been an assistant to, stood on the table that she shared with Lex and Grace.
"On your knees!" a woman coming towards them said. Aria vaguely recognized her.
The gun in her hands made Aria put her own hands up.
"What the hell are you doing?" Lex asked, glaring at the woman.
"On your knees! I won't ask again!"
"You don't understand," Aria yelled. There was no way this could be happening.
"ON YOUR FUCKING KNEES!" the woman yelled.
Before Aria could do or say anything else, Lex moved to stand in front of her, shielding her body from the woman. Aria tried to reach past him, desperate to make the woman understand that this was wrong.
"Get away from her," he said, not even caring that she had the gun aimed at his head now. "Why are you doing this?"
"What's it to you?"
"I'm the fucking king. This is my palace.
