When I sit up, I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him with all the love in my heart. He pulls me into his lap and kisses me deeply.
“Shower, and then I need to feed you.”
“Sounds good to me,” I agree. “Have you heard anything from my sister?” I ask as he leads me toward the bathroom.
“I know she’s here.”
“Really?” I smile up at him as he pulls me into the hot shower with him.
He takes care of me again like he did on the plane, but this time I take care of him too. Seeing the look of satisfaction on his face warms my insides, and I think of all the ways I can make him feel loved.
Once we’re clean, he leads me to another door, and I stand there with my jaw nearly on the floor.
“This closet is ridiculous,” I laugh, walking through and trying to find something to wear. I watch as he presses numbers into a keypad on the side of the giant island and then I step back as a drawer pops open.
“Is that a crown?” I peek inside.
“You are a princess,” he reminds me. It’s crazy to think about where I came from and now I’m actually royalty. “You were born to be my queen.” He places the crown on my head and then tugs at my towel. “Fucking sexy.” He smirks as I stand naked in front of him only wearing the crown and my ring. He makes me feel special with the desire I always see in his eyes.
I step closer to him and press my chest into his, up on my tiptoes for a kiss. “I think the crown might be a little much for breakfast,” I say teasingly.
“The code is your birthday. Get dressed. I'll make sure they're preparing breakfast for us.” I take the crown off and put it back into the case for safekeeping.
“There are too many choices!” I shout after him as he leaves the closet, chuckling.
I sigh as I go over to a row of shelves and grab a pair of yoga pants. Then I walk over to his side of the closet and steal one of his shirts. I have to tie it up so it doesn't fall all the way to my knees, but I love the scent of him wrapped around me. When I’m finished, I slip on some shoes and walk out into the bedroom.
“There you are!” Amber comes running toward me. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She grabs my wrist and starts to pull me. From the look of her hair and swollen lips, I can tell she was definitely in Henrik’s bed last night.
“What are you doing?” I try and pull back.
“What am I doing? We’re getting the hell out of here.”
I don’t miss the giant ring on her finger, and my brows rise in surprise. “You married him?” I say softly, grabbing her hand to get a better look at it.
“So?” She shrugs. “You got married too.” She huffs and then rolls her eyes. “Now they trust us and we can make our escape.”
“They’ll just find us again. You know we can’t run forever.” But even as I say the words, I know I don’t want to run. I love Magnus, and I want everything he’s offered me, but more than anything, I just want him. He makes me feel whole and fills up spaces inside of me that I didn't know were empty.
“No, we’ll be smarter this time.” She smirks and I wonder if she enjoyed Henrik chasing her. I get it, because I enjoyed it too, but they have proven to us they want forever.
“You don’t like it here?” I ask. “We’d get to stay together.” She stares at me for a moment and then shakes her head.
“No,” she says, but there’s no power behind her answer. “They just want to knock us up and get their heirs. Put us in some box like toys until we’ve served our purpose.” She drops her hand from mine.
“Magnus loves me,” I snip back, feeling defensive.
“Are you choosing him over me?” She puts her hands on her hips. This feels like an attack. “We stick together. Always,” she reminds me, and a lump lodges in my throat.
I have no idea what to do, because no matter who I choose, it will hurt someone I love.
And it will break my heart.
Part II
Chapter 1
Henrik
“I want a piece of cake before we leave,” I tell my brother as he clenches his fists.
“You and your stomach will cost me my woman,” Magnus says as we stay close to the shadows.
We arrived not long ago, but all of our plans have been in place. The twins are here at the reception, and we let them enjoy a little time with their family before we make our move.