Tippy’s Note: I wrote this at like 3 or 4 AM while I was doing a final playthrough of Chapter 13. The book kind of skips some days from Liam and Mara keeping Anton from shooting the MC to being back at the palace, discussing next steps. My mind was very interested in what Liam was thinking and feeling. His father just died, his fiance had her life threatened twice, his friend took a bullet…just saying a lot has happened recently. There is also Liam’s past traumas to consider as well, particularly that of losing his mother. I imagine that it takes a toll on him and he is fearful of losing Halle. So this is that fic.
Liam and Halle were on their way back to the palace after what happened at Olivia’s estate in Lythikos. The sky was still dark as the motorcade made its way through the winding roads.
Halle’s head was on Liam’s chest as she went back to sleep. He didn’t need to wonder how she was sleeping. Despite all of her assurances that she was fine, Halle’s true state was evident. Her brows were furrowed, she would wake frightened but then return to sleep. It pained Liam to see her like this.
His fingers played with her curls as he thought about all of the grizzly alternatives that could have played out instead. Compared to that, Halle being alive and in his arms is nothing short of a miraculous gift.
While he could acknowledge his great fortune in terms of luck and timing, he couldn’t let go of what was happening around him. Another person Liam loved nearly died. He had already experienced so much loss. So many almost fatal near misses. His father recently passed to save him. His best friend is still recovering from the gunshot wound he received to save Halle’s life. Then there was the first and the most tragic of all of them, his mother.
Liam looked out into the sky again as the darkness that swallowed his world lightened. As the night slowly begun to transition into the day. While the sun would soon rise again, Justin’s betrayal or rather Anton’s reveal draped a pall over his mood. The sun may be rising but his night was far from over.
Liam didn’t know when he drifted off to sleep, but he and Halle were awakened as they arrived back at the palace. They walked in silence back to the Royal Chambers. He noticed her small smile as they entered the room. The staff had already moved the portraits of previous kings. In the whirlwind of the Unity Tour and their upcoming wedding, redecorating their bedroom had taken a backseat.
Remembering that Halle would become his wife and this room would be their matrimonial sanctuary interrupted the worry, grief, and fear that consumed his thoughts.
Later that evening Liam was shaken awake by his fiancée.
“Liam!” Her eyes were wide.
“Halle, is everything alright?”
“I’m fine, I was checking on you.” Her eyes searched his face before adding, “You were moaning in your sleep.”
“I was?” Liam groggily replied. His eyes were blinking rapidly.
Halle nodded.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Liam you don’t need to apologize,” she sighed, raking her fingers through his hair. “The past several days have been a lot. Your father died. We were betrayed by someone we trusted. I trusted.”
Liam’s mind flashed to all of the times Halle asked to just get Justin back as her press secretary because she didn’t trust or even like Madeleine. He couldn’t dwell on that for long.
He brushed away one of Halle’s errant curls. “Most startling of all I nearly lost you.”
As Liam finished his sentence, the fear that came when, for the second time, a gun was pointed at Halle absorbed his thoughts. Reliving the terror of watching the love of his life become paralyzed when confronted with her death. He pulled her into his arms as his heart sank, envisioning her fading away. Liam couldn’t imagine his life without Halle. A guttural sob escaped, as his mind attempted to paint a picture of his life without her. All he could see is blackness. All he felt was loneliness and despair.
The sensation of Halle squeezing him kept Liam from descending further into his nightmares. Her thighs were tight around his waist, arms hooked underneath his, head cradled against his shoulder. Her small frame attempted to envelop his as she made small rocking motions.
“I’m here Liam,” she cooed. “I’m right here.”
She kissed his thick eyebrows, then his forehead. He kissed her neck. Their eyes met in the darkness. Both sets were glossy with tears they have and have yet to cry. Liam caressed Halle’s face, his thumb wiping away an errant tear. Halle kissed away his. Their lips met for an endless desperate moment.
The sex that kiss sparked was not filled with lust, or desire or even want. The subtle undercurrent of need was now dominant as they consumed each other. Every kiss, suck and bite they gave and received affirmed the other’s presence and love, but they still needed to feel the next to be sure.
“I can’t lose you. I need you,” Liam murmured into her breasts before taking a dark nipple into his mouth.
Halle gasped and gripped his dark hair.
“I’m yours,” she breathed.
Their moans echoed as their lovemaking became more fervent and unrestrained. Halle met Liam’s impassioned thrusts with gusto. He felt himself getting closer. He slipped his hand between them.
“Come with me,” he commanded as his fingers coaxed her closer to climax. Her walls tightened around him. It didn’t take long before Halle bit his shoulder as she came. Liam held her tighter as he spilled into her. Both of them panting as they rode out their orgasms.
After their breathing returned to normal, Halle held Liam as they drifted into to a dreamless sleep. They remained in each other’s arms for the rest of the night.