Disclaimer: all characters are owned by Pixelberry and I claim no ownership of them with the exception of the ones I created. Enjoy!
When Drake sleepily reached his arm out next to him he felt cold sheets where he was expecting the warmth of Riley to still be. He rose up in a panic, quickly looking around the room before seeing the closet door cracked open. He walked over and opened it further to see her getting dressed.
“Going to see Hana?” He leaned against the door frame.
“Yeah. I feel bad that I haven’t reached out to her yet. My best friend is laying in a hospital bed and I’m off giving press conferences under the ruse that everything is fine,” she said as she pulled a white t-shirt over her head.
“Well they’re fine for now. You should definitely go see her, though. She’ll be happy to see you.”
“I know,” her arms fell to her sides, “I just don’t know if I’m ready to see her like that. Or Max for that matter.”
“You plugged my bullet hole with your finger. You gettin’ soft on me?”
“No, it’s not that. I just still feel guilty.”
He considered giving her another speech about how it wasn’t her fault, but he knew it would be no use. She was going to have to see Hana and let her figure it out on her own.
“Well just go to the hospital. Maybe you’ll feel better.”
“Maybe.”
She walked into the hospital and spoke to the concierge who pointed her to Hana’s room. Riley knock on the door and Maxwell answered.
“Riley,” he reached out and wrapped her in a hug, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me too, Max. I came to see Hana.”
“She’s sleeping right now, but you can come sit down with me while we wait. It’s nice to have the company.”
“How’s Bertrand?”
“He’s fine. I talked him into coming in to get checked out and he left this morning with pretty much just a bandage. Something about needing to get house Beaumont in order and a visitor.”
“One Miss Savannah Walker?”
“That’d be the one,” Maxwell chuckled.
“So how’s Hana doing?”
Maxwell looked over at Hana in her bed, the monitors faintly beeping as he stared intensely at her.
“She’s been touch and go. They just took her off the ventilator before you got here. She flatlined two more times before they got a blood transfusion in her. She lost a lot of blood. She was shot in the stomach. Barely missed her liver and her spine. They honestly couldn’t believe she was still alive when she got here. I couldn’t either.”
“That was amazing what you did for her, Max. You saved her life.”
“I did what I thought was right. I couldn’t give up on her. Not when I’m finally…” He stopped and looked at Hana again.
“Happy.”
“Yeah. For the first time in my life I truly feel like I have a purpose.”
“Have you told her yet?”
“Told her what?” Maxwell’s brow knitted.
“That you love her.”
“I… no? I don’t…. Do I?”
“I don’t know,” she let out a small laugh, “do you?”
“I’ve never been in love before. I have no idea.”
“Well let me ask you this: how did you feel when they said she was dead?”
“Aside from feeling like I was going to throw up? Devastated. Like my life was over before it even started. And I’ve lived a lot of life, Blossom. I felt like ‘what’s the point? Where do I go from here?’”
“Than I’d say you probably love her, Max.”
“Maybe I do,” his lips curved into a forced smile.
Out of the corner of her eye Riley saw Hana move her head back and forth. She opened her eyes and Riley jumped up and ran to her side.
“Oh, Hana. I’ve never been more happy to see you awake,” Riley smiled and brushed Hana’s hair back from her face.
“What happened,” Hana asked.
“You were shot in the stomach. Assassination attempt,” Maxwell said as he walked over and stood behind Riley.
“Oh,” Hana squinted, “it definitely feels like I got shot in the stomach. Am I okay?”
“Yeah, they think you’ll be alright. They said they missed all your organs. Mostly just muscle damage. It’ll probably be a while before you’ll be able to walk but once you’re healed you should be good as new.” He gave Hana a reassuring smile and held her hand in his.
“Was anyone else hurt?”
“A few nobles. Bertrand was grazed. Rashad and Neville didn’t make it.”
“They died?”
“Yeah. And you did too, for a second.”
“What?” Hana tried to sit up but was quickly pushed back down by the pain in her abdomen.
“You were dead not long after you got shot. Maxwell gave you CPR and got your heart beating again.” Tears began to fill Riley’s eyes as she watched Hana stare bewildered at Maxwell.
“Really?”
“Well, yeah. Couldn’t have my girl dying on me now. I need to prove to Bertrand I don’t break everything I touch.”
Hana let out a small giggle.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Maxwell walked around to the other side of the bed, bent down, and gave her a kiss.
“I’m glad I get to do that while you’re awake. It’s a lot less creepy.”
“Me too.” Hana smiled.
“I just came to see how you were doing. I should probably head back to Valtoria and make sure everything is wrapped up on the investigation.”
“Have you guys heard anything?” Maxwell looked up at Riley.
“It’s a long story, but one of the assassins was Justin.”
“Justin? As in our Justin?”
“Yeah. Apparently he’d been trained by the Nevrakis family to overthrow the crown. We were all collateral damage.”
“Oh my god. This is all my fault.” Max shook his head.
“No, it’s not. He would have found a way in no matter what, even if you hadn’t hired him as my press secretary. Liam is looking into everything now. As far as I know, it’s all being handled. You just focus on Hana and you,” she turned to Hana, “focus on getting better. I need my maid of honor in a few weeks.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Hana smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oops, sorry!” Riley stepped back in time to miss a white marble table nearly colliding into her.
“I’ve never seen the palace this busy,” Drake said as he looked past her and down the dining hall, Savannah standing next to him.
“Well, there’s a royal wedding tomorrow. The king nonetheless.”
“True. It’s a special occasion.”
“Yep,” Riley replied walking down a long hall towards their room, “by the way, sorry I wasn’t here when you came in earlier, Savannah. I went and saw Hana. She looked good all things considered.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Drake did just fine. But I’m glad she’s okay.” They stopped in front of the grand stair case and Savannah looked up the stairs. “Alright, guys, I’m in the other wing. I’ll catch up with y’all later. I’m going to get settled in and go meet up with Bertrand and Maxwell,” she winked at them and walked past.
“Bye,” Riley called out after her, “don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
They resumed the path to their room and Drake looked at Riley out of the corner of his eye.
“Do you ever wonder…” he stopped, mulling over his words.
“Do I ever wonder what?”
“Do you ever wonder if you’ll regret not having all these things be for you?”
Riley stopped mid step, her feet frozen to the floor. Here we go again. Why is he asking me this? She turned and looked at him momentarily before forcibly pushing him against the nearest wall and kissing him so passionately she saw stars.
“Does it look like I regret it,” she asked.
“Question retracted.”
He looked down at her, his hands instinctually placed on her hips.
“I love you. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone or anything. You are the one I want to marry… again,” she chuckled, “and you are the one I want to build a life with. It’s always been you. It will always be you. No matter where we are or what we do. You’ll always be number one. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“I won’t.”
“Are we done with silly questions for the day?”
“We are, Your Grace.”
“Good.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When they got to their room there were two small, white boxes on their bed. Riley walked over and lifted the card that sat atop it.
“Dear Riley,
I know we’ve hardly seen eye to eye for most of our relationship, but your support and acceptance of me, even at my worst, means more than you’ll ever know. I’ve come to value your opinion, your insight, and your friendship. Please accept this wedding gift as a token of my appreciation.
– O”
“My Dearest Drake,
We’ve come a long way in the last two decades. From prince and commoner to king and duke. I can say without hesitation that I would not be the man today if not for your advice, your bold spirit, and your brotherhood. As we set on our journey’s into our places in the court, I want to thank you for always being there when I needed you. Your sacrifices to Cordonia and to me do not go unnoticed nor unappreciated. I owe you more than I could ever say. Thank you for everything.”
– Liam”
Drake’s hands slightly trembled as he read the note. Riley looked over at him and grinned.
“Are… are you crying?”
“No,” he sniffled, “allergies.”
“Mhmm,” she hummed.
“It’s just that I’ve known Liam since we were kids. I never thought he’d be king. I never thought I would be a duke. Things have changed so much. He’s such a good guy and a great friend, crown aside. I’m just really proud of him.”
“I am too, babe.” She rubbed small circles on his shoulder.
“Alright. Let’s see what we’ve got,” he said as he sat his card down on the bed and picked up the box. He opened it and pulled out a silver medal.
“What’s it say?”
He stood there, jaw slightly slack. He was speechless for the first time in a long time.
“Heh. It’s a, uh, medal of honor,” he finally got out.
“For when you got shot.”
“I guess so, yeah,” he cleared his throat.
“Congratulations, my hero,” she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.
“Well,” he cleared his throat again, “open up yours.”
She lifted the lid off the box to reveal a silver necklace. The Cordonian crest hung from it and shined brightly. The ruby in the center was beautifully cut and prominent against the smooth metal. Another note sat politely underneath it.
“This crest has been in my family for generations. True Nevrakis’ have worn it from battle to childbirth. It is a symbol of what it means to stand the test of time. You’ve shown me family isn’t always blood and family doesn’t mean loyalty. I trust you will forge a new, more honest path wearing it.”
Drake leaned over her shoulder and read with her. A small grin lifted his lips.
“You seem to have made an impression.”
“I’d say so,” she smiled, too.
She handed it to Drake and gingerly he lifted it over her head and clasped it in the back. She ran her fingers across it and grasped it in her hand. He walked around and faced her, grabbing her hands and studying the necklace.
“It looks beautiful on you.”
“Thank you,” she closed her eyes and smiled.
“Then again everything does, Μεγαλειοτάτη,” he pulled her close and gently kissed her lips, moving down her jawbone and to her ear, “but you in nothing is still my favorite.”
A tingle radiated through her, his breath still warm on her neck. He bunched up the bottom of her lavender button-up, freeing it from the top of her trousers. She unbuttoned it slowly, savoring the feeling of his lips once again on hers. His hands roamed her lower half, settling on her backside just as she freed the top button. He grabbed her and lifted her effortlessly as she swung her legs around his hips. He pressed her up against the wall, his tall frame working in his favor and giving him the perfect view of the curves of her breasts. His lips moved from her collar bone down to her chest, nibbling on her heaving skin. He hadn’t touched her like this since Texas. He hadn’t had the chance. He missed the way his hands glided over her smooth curves. His kissed her again with desperation. The thoughts of what he wanted to do to her made him hard as he sucked on her bottom lip.
“Take me. I’m all yours Αγάπη μο.”
Hearing her speak in his native tongue made him smirk.
“Studying up, yeah?”
“Anything for you.”
He carried her over to their bed and fell with her onto the luxurious comforter. He made quick work of her pants and threw them to the floor before taking off his own shirt. He leaned back and looked down at her, her shirt laid open. He always loved taking in the sight of her half clothed: leaving enough to the imagination but showing just enough to turn him on. She smiled up at him.
“Well. What are you waiting for?”
He grinned and shook his head before climbing back on top of her.
“Nothing. Now come here.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A knock on the door woke Drake up from their post sex nap. He was admittedly exhausted, yet the idea of them having time to rest was one that took him by surprise. Surely he was needed somewhere. A cold feeling of uselessness washed over him and he shook his head of i9it. He lifted his wrist to his face: 5pm. He looked over at Riley to see her curled up in the comforters. He quietly got up and put on his shirt and pants before opening the door.
“Dinner is being served shortly, Sir Drake,” a blonde woman in a palace uniform informed him.
“Thanks, Cynthia. We’ll be down in a minute,” he started to close the door when her hand stopped it.
“If I may, your, um,” she motioned towards her neck with her finger.
“Oh,” his hand flew up to cover the bruise Riley has lovingly placed on him, “thanks,” he gave her a half smile.
She nodded, blushing, and walked away.
The sound of the door closing was enough to rouse Riley from her slumber.
“Hey. Who was that?”
“Cynthia. Dinner will be out soon,” his hand was still on his neck.
“What’s wrong,” she asked, furrowing her brows as she sat up. The comforter fell around her waist, her still naked torso distracting Drake temporarily from the embarrassment he’d been feeling.
“This,” he dropped his hand.
“Oops.”.
“Far be it from me to be a beauty guru, but you got anything in that makeup bag of yours that can hide this?”
“Sure,” she got up, her naked body strutting across the room to her bag where she pulled out her makeup kit.
They sat down on their bed and she got to work covering it up.
“You’re going it have to do this tomorrow, too, by the way. There’s going to be professional photographers there that’ll be able to spot a spider on a wall from a hundred feet.”
“Oh, relax. We’ll take care of it,” she dabbed a concealer on his skin, erasing the love bruise entirely.
“Good.”
A few minutes and products later she sat back and admired her work.
“Good as new.”
“Thanks,” he gave her a quick kiss, “now get dressed. I’m starving, and possibly dehydrated. You sure know how to make a guy sweat.”
She winked at him and hopped up to retrieve her scattered clothes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They walked into the dining room where all their friends were already seated. Savannah sat next to Bertrand, who beamed widely at her. She waved over her brother and Riley, gesturing at the two empty seats next to her. Drake nodded at Liam from across the room as they walked over to the table.
“Saved you two a spot!”
“Thanks, Sav.” He pulled out Riley’s seat.
“Oh, when did you turn into such a gentleman?” Savannah quipped.
“I’ve always been a gentleman, thank you.” He took his seat next to Riley.
“Hah. Okay.”
“It’s true! You’ve just never seen me with a girl.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah? Who?” Drake leaned forward and gave his sister a confused look.
“Nellie.”
“Jesus, I forgot about her.”
“Who’s Nellie?” Riley asked.
“Girl I dated in my brief stint in college, right before I joined the king’s guard.”
“Why’d you guys break up?”
“Because I joined the king’s guard,” he raised his eyebrows, “some people can’t handle their significant other being in danger constantly. I understood. Plus we only dated a few months. It wasn’t anything serious. Aside from Liam and the people I was working with and protecting, no one else knew.”
“Including us.” Savannah cocked her head to the side.
“Including you,” he agreed., “but I didn’t want to seem like a dick just up and leaving.” He shrugged.
“Let’s just say Drake has a type.” Savannah looked knowingly at Riley.
“Taller than average plucky brunettes?” Riley laughed.
“Yeah. You’re a lot prettier though.” Savannah winked at her.
“Thanks, Sav.” Riley winked back..
“Well that was a fun trip down memory lane. Where’s dinner?” Drake asked.
They made small talk over dinner, discussing the nuptials taking place the next day. The conversation started dying down when Riley turned to Bertrand.
“So how’s your arm feeling?”
“It’s alright,” he rotated his shoulder, “hurts like a son of a bitch but nothing compared to what Lady Hana has endured. I heard you went and saw her.”
“I did. She was in a bit of pain but resting well. Max was taking good care of her.”
“Yes, well, for all my brothers faults he’s always been the more nurturing of the two of us.”
“He was pretty serious when I was there. Jokes were at a bare minimum.”
“Lady Hana seems to be doing him some good.”
“I would have to agree with you there. Not that there’s anything wrong with Max. It’s just nice to have a normal conversation with him. I guess love and a near death experience does crazy things to people.”
“Certainly,” Bertrand replied, focusing in on Savannah.