Page 34 of The Broken Queen

My hands curled into fists, “Not like what?”

“I’m not an obligation, Slade. You don’t want to marry me because you want to; you’re only doing this because you feel like you have to. You don’t want me like I want you, and that would be a fate crueler than death. I’d rather be married to a complete stranger, than suffer through that.”

I stood from the bed and took a step towards her, my eyes never left hers. “I want you.”

She shook her head, denial spreading through her body. “No, you don’t.”

There’s always been something between us, but I never acted on it because she was a princess and I was a servant’s son. In her father’s eyes, I wasn’t worthy of her love. He would never let us be together, but hearing how she felt about me,sealed the deal. I wanted her, and I’d do whatever it took to prove that to her.

Before I could think, my feet moved of their own accord. The next moment, I was standing in front of her. Her violet eyes were wild with various emotions, and they widened when I took her face in my hands. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of red as I leaned in. I closed my eyes and my lips touched hers.

RAVEN

Oh my God...He was kissing me. I’d never in my life dreamt of something so magical. My body tingled when his hands gently cupped my face. His lips on mine was a feeling I couldn’t explain. I never wanted this moment to end. Slade was everything...and even though I was technically the Princess, sometimes I felt that he was more royal than I was.

He pressed against me and I didn’t fight him. My hands bunched in his shirt, bringing him closer. He licked the seam of my lips and they parted, giving him entrance to kiss me deeper. Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids, and a new feeling washed over me.

Lust.

I would’ve gladly given him my virginity if that meant he wouldn’t stop kissing me. One of his hands roamed into my hair while the other went to my hip, teetering the line between my tank and shorts. A small amount of skin was exposed, and that was enough for shockwaves to race through my body.

We were completely captivated by the moment that I didn’t register a knock on my bedroom door. He broke away from me, his silver eyes darker and more heated than before. I wanted to give in to him. To forget the horrible world around me and just live in the moment.

That would never be a reality, though. Living as a royal meant that my privacy would be invaded at any given point, especially if Father was involved. A sigh escaped my lips, and the loss of his arms brought reality crashing around me. My feet moved across the floor to the door. After a breath, I opened the door to see Lewis standing outside.

“Miss, your father requests your presence in the ballroom.”

Too tired to fight, I nodded. “I’ll be down in a minute, thank you.”

A warm smile graced his lips, and he left shortly after. I placed my head on the door briefly to gather my emotions and to calm my nerves. Being left alone with Slade brought on so many feelings I didn’t know how to react.

He was my person, even if he didn’t know that for the longest time. And now that he wanted to reciprocate my feelings? How the hell was I supposed to feel?

Could it really be so simple? To marry him and all our hopes and dreams would come true?

No. Not in this family. Not with the man ruling the country. Father would do something to split us apart. He liked Slade as a friend for sure, but when he declared his desires to marry me, Father would flip his shit.

“What’s wrong?”

A shudder passed through my body. I wanted to tell him everything. How my emotions were a wrecking ball. How I wasn’t confident in my abilities to become Queen of our country. I was weak and Father showed me that years ago.

I turned around and met his gaze. He was searching my eyes, looking for holes in my armor. He wouldn’t find it. I refused to be weak in front of him. He couldn’t see me break.

I squared my shoulders and released a breath. “We can’t do this right now.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. “Yes, we can. Stop pushing me away. Hell, I’ll go make our plans known.”

My eyes almost popped out of my head as he walked towards me. I placed my hand on his chest. “No!”

His jaw ticked, and I knew he was doing everything he could to rein in his temper, but I was pushing him to that limit. When Slade wanted something, there was no standing in his way. I just hoped for both of our sakes, that he would eventually listen.

Chapter Eighteen

Slade

I shook out of the memory and brought myself back to the present. Sitting at Raven’s desk, holding her journal in my hands. I was still contemplating on whether or not I should read it.

The sky had gone from light to dark as nightfall descended. Apart from the small fan near her bed, the room was quiet and serene. It was no wonder why this room was her safe place. Raven never liked loud noises or being around a bunch of people. It made her nervous, which was probably a form of PTSD.

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