Page 18 of The Time Of Queens

The question had plagued me for days, as it seemed I was unable to stop my eyes from searching her out. And why? Why would I care when I had my Electus to find? The woman I was certain was meant to be mine. Was this simply the Gods way of testing me? To throw the first tempting human in my path to see if I would fail or not?

Whatever it was, I could be certain of one thing…it was maddening.I had never felt so unhinged. So unsure. So obsessed by a single being. The memory of having her in my arms, of that kiss, was at war with all others that included that damn lady’s maid!

Keira.

It was a beautiful name, and one that strangely resonated with me. Just like that of her stunning blue-grey eyes that reminded me of a storm at sea. And just like the impending storm, they were dangerous and alluring enough that I couldn’t look away. I knew her hair was fair, the few pieces I had seen framing her face like spun gold. A sight that only made me wishto rid her of those hairpins and release it from its confines, so as I may see it flowing freely around her pretty face.

Of course, her appearance in my household may have rattled my once imperturbable countenance but I hadn’t stopped in my search for the girl. The one with a kiss powerful enough to bring me to my knees and lay my kingdom at her feet. A kiss I could not stop thinking about… that unfortunately equalled to the amount of time I spent thinking about a certain delicious looking maid.

If I could only understand it. Make sense of this fascination I had with her… then I could then spend my time ridding myself of such an affliction. I found myself creating excuses just to get close enough…her scent intoxicating.

In fact, had I not already discovered my Electus, I would have questioned if this maid could have indeed been my Chosen One. But now that I knew the distinct difference, I knew that she was not. I was almost sorry to know it hadn’t been her.

I was furious at myself for even being affected by her beauty when first seeing her emerge from that carriage. The way I had nearly hurried to her aid as she slipped when missing the last step. It had to be said, she was certainly a clumsy little thing. Yet instead of finding the lack of grace an annoyance or off-putting, I found myself feeling the opposite. I found it endearing.

Perhaps it was because it gave me an excuse to put my hands on her, so as to steady her. Every time we touched, I felt a jolt of something so powerful, I would have believed her to have bewitched me. But then hadn’t I had that same thought when thinking to my tasty little intruder?

Like I said,it was maddening.

After searching her out when she had spilled tea on herself, I told myself swiftly that I would stay away from her from that point on. Why, then, did I find myself standing outside her door well past the midnight chime and once all others had retiredfor the night? Why, then, did I find my hand placed upon the wood, only feeling calm and reassured when hearing her heart beating its gentle rhythm within? When hearing the softly way she breathed in her sleep, wishing to have heard it whilst lying next to her.

My hand curled in frustration, making a fist as I lowered it to my side, before forcing myself to move away from her door. Because I knew if I remained for any longer, I was in danger of stepping inside and doing something I would regret. Like scooping her up into my arms and carrying her back to my own room before laying her out on my bed.

Instead, I walked back alone, not needing any candle to guide my way. As for the girl I just walked away from, I felt as if I could guide her anywhere, if she would only let me. Just like when gripping her waist after she bumped straight into me earlier today.

I had actually been on my way down to the service wing to check on her. The sight of the red skin I hoped not to find blistered. But then I also questioned the marred skin I had spotted the edge of her sleeve before she had snatched her hand from mine. In fact, I had been foolish in mind to demand she let me see her hand, but then she had collided with me.

After that, everything but the feel of her overtook all else. But then she had started to choke, and my thoughts centred solely on her wellbeing. I hit her back so as to force the obtrusion up from where it was caught, seconds away from using supernatural means. But despite taking care enough not to apply too much pressure and hurt her, she brought it up.

The most adorable look of horror swept across her face as she stared down at the piece of fruit she had been choking on. But then she started coughing and my concern was back, giving me the excuse to touch her again. I didn’t know why, but my need to care for her seemed natural, whereas the feeling should havefelt far more foreign. Even more so, the temptation to tease her, anything to entice that delightful blush to grace her pale skin. A tone far paler than my own, for I questioned if she had ever even seen the sun. It was like she had been bathed in milk.

I resisted the urge to lick my lips at the thought of tasting her. And as for teasing her, well how could I not when I saw where she thought it best to hide the evidence of her choking?

Gods, she was fucking adorable.

Gods, she was fucking dangerous!

I stormed inside my chamber and growled, my frustration mounting enough for me to swipe some glass figurine from my mantle, smashing it on the floor. Then I dragged my jacket from my shoulders and made for the secret passageway that I now cursed the Gods for ever existing. Walking up its steps, I asked myself how the girl had known of its existence.

Once I was on the rooftop, I released my wings and took to the sky. For I just needed to feel free from all that remained. The walls were like a tome I needed to escape from, for it held nothing but bitter memories. The girl who slipped through my fingers and now the girl I was not free to claim. A labyrinth for me to get lost in, as my mind churned with new emotions I could barely make sense of. Each choice for me to make was nothing but a new wall for me to find myself up against.

I was a fucking king!

A king in shackles.

I landed with a resounding thud in the dirt, now faced with where Vincent had told me he had found her curled up sleeping. The thought twisted in my gut, for I couldn’t stand to think of her out in the cold. What if she got sick, what if she wasn’t eating…what if she got attacked?All of it plagued me on a constant loop, and the only thing powerful enough to disturb it was another face that replaced that of one I hadn’t yet seen.

Keira.

Where would she get such a name?

Irish in its origins I had discovered, and ironically meant ‘dark’ which was amusing considering how much her soul was like finding a light in the storm. Although its edges seemed to hold a trace of something I couldn’t explain. As if its intensity were being contained and what I was getting was a muted version. A filter held over the sun so as not to blind me.

Question was now…who was holding her back?

The next day,I found my temptation had only grown. The sleepless night did nothing to aid my foul mood as my frustration was most certainly mounting. More of my men had returned with nothing to show for their travels. Not a single sight, mention, or lead that would aid in discovering where my Electus may be.

In fact, it had only been the sight of the little maid that had calmed me enough. For I had just slammed shut the door to my office on the way to speak with my brother when I hear her little gasp. Our eyes met and, like always, I found myself under her spell. One she had no idea she cast, for she seemed to be under the same influence. Although this time, her eyes were wide and a little unnerved… no doubt by my abrupt behaviour.

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