Page 103 of 2 Books in One Bundle
‘Youhaven’t failed at anything,’ she said. ‘Not yet, at least. You didn’t run this kingdom before.’
‘I could have done something sooner. I rebelled selfishly. Don’t excuse my actions.’
He was angry at himself. So angry for not having bothered to look further than his own suffering.
‘I’m not. But you saw something that was wrong today, and instead of making excuses you listened to them. You offered them help.’
But he needed to do more. And he still needed to know why it meant so much to Helia.
‘As did you.’
‘It’s different for me,’ she admitted.
‘Why? Why is the orphanage so important to you? Why choose that for our first outing today? Andreas was right in that you could have picked something easier—not better, but certainly easier. I need to understand. Is this why you agreed to marry me?’
Helia pulled her hand from his face and glanced away, making Vasili worry that he had pushed too soon. But he needed to know. He felt Helia’s chest expand as she took a deep breath, and without looking at him she started speaking in a low voice that failed to hide her pain.
‘I grew up there.’
Which explained why she’d been received so warmly. She was one of them.
‘I was barely a teenager when my father died, and with my mother having passed away long before, my Uncle Giannis became my guardian. They were close, Giannis and my father. They were business partners. My father was the creative one. He was warm and kind and people loved his flower arrangements. Giannis was the opposite. Coldly logical. He was great at business and finance, so their partnership worked well. My father had made him executor of his estate.’
Vasili had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.
‘My father had left the business to Giannis. It employed enough florists that it would still make money without him, but he’d also left a monetary inheritance for me. A substantial amount. It would have taken care of me. Helped me study. Get a start in life.’
The light flowing through the large windows sparkled on a tear as it fell, kissing her cheek before disappearing. Vasili brushed the wetness away and wrapped his arms around her.
‘I went to stay with Giannis. He had always been nice to me when my father was alive, but he changed. He became cruel. He would tell me that I was a burden. That he hadn’t wanted a family and what made me enough reason to change that about his life? I tried so hard to be good. To make sure he didn’t notice me more than he needed to. I would do chores, and try to cook, but nothing I did was good enough. I missed my father and my uncle was awful. Maybe he had always been that way and everything else was an act. I don’t know. Anyway, he dealt with the lawyers and the banks and everything else. I was at the will-reading, so I knew I was getting an inheritance. What I didn’t know was that Giannis had opened a bank account for me and he had full signing rights on it because I was a minor. My inheritance was paid into it, and once the estate was settled he moved every penny into his own account. He said it was what he was owed and then he packed me a suitcase—just one—and dropped me off at the orphanage.’
Vasili tightened his arms around her, trying very hard to rein in his temper. He wanted to find Giannis Demetriou and make him pay for his sins. For making Helia question her worth.
‘Maria was the director back then too. She tried to get me to make friends with the others, but I couldn’t. I withdrew from everyone.’
Vasili didn’t blame her. She had been abandoned—why would she want to trust anyone? He could understand that.
It dawned on him that she was trusting him enough to tell him her story. Vasili had never been protective of anything, but now, as he listened to Helia’s story, the need to protect flared blindingly bright in him. He wanted to shield her. Keep her safe from everyone and everything. Nothing would touch her again. He vowed it in that moment.
‘I had to change schools. A forgotten little school with a terribly small library. But it was something. The librarian there let me help out, and slowly things got better. I knew then that a librarian was what I wanted to be—but you saw what it’s like at the orphanage. It’s only the fortunate ones who go on to achieve their dreams. I swore that one day I would find a way to help them...which is why I volunteer there when I can. But have always wanted to do more.’
Vasili hadn’t thought he could get any angrier, but here he was, trying to hide his trembling from Helia. The crown hadn’t done enough. Not for people like Helia. Not for those having to live away from the bright lights of Seidon. His family had failed for generations.
He kissed her temple, cradling her to his body. He could have told her that he was sorry she’d had to go through that—because he was. He could have told her he wanted vengeance in her name—because he did. But he didn’t say any of that because he couldn’t change the past.
Instead, he said, ‘Helia, I am King of Thalonia and you are my queen and together we will fix this. We will fix what’s broken in this kingdom so that no one else will have to endure what you did. No one will be forgotten while we rule.’
‘Vasili...’ she breathed, in a way that stopped his heart.
With eyes full of tears she kissed him. Tugging on his hair as she pulled him closer. He lifted her and placed her over him to straddle his lap, letting her control this frantic kiss until he wanted more.
He threaded his fingers in her hair, angling his head so he could kiss her more deeply, and then he pulled away for just a breath. ‘I escaped into books too.’
Helia laughed against his lips. The single most joyous sound after her tears had cut through him. His lips were back on hers instantly. Something molten was stirring within him. Scorching him with every pass of their lips. And then his hands trailed down her body, digging into her soft flesh as the overwhelming need to be buried inside her gripped him in an iron hold. He dragged Helia’s hips forward. Her core brushed against his hardness, making him moan. Low. Deep. He flexed against her, driving them both mad.
Crazed. That was how he felt. All he could think of was more.
‘Helia...’ he groaned, biting her chin, her throat.
