Page 73 of The Broken Queen
“What are we doing?” he whispered.
I watched Presley walk down in a black lace dress that revealed her plump cleavage but wrapped around her shoulders and wound up her neck. She looked like a gothic princess, a pure stroke of midnight that had my breath catching in my chest.
“We’re grieving,” I replied, while holding my hand out for Presley. I handed her a bouquet of red roses, which she held tightly to her chest.
She joined us as we walked outside and past the barn. The sun had set, casting shadows over the field, which was perfect for what I had set up. We rounded the barn and approached the space where Adrian’s body had burned. Presley jolted to a stop as soon as she registered where we were.
“What did you do?” she inhaled.
Her eyes tilted up, taking in the structure I had built over the grave, and then she searched all the flickering flames inside.
I pulled her hand so she followed me inside. “I built a greenhouse.”
She inspected the glass windows and the various wood shelves I had built for the hanging plants that covered every surface. In between the plants were candles lit for the memorial.
“But…” She looked down and saw that the subfloor was built around a patch of dirt that would eventually have grass, and the three-foot-tall headstone sticking out from the freshly leveled earth. “You…” She dropped to her knees; the dark soil would stain her clothes, but with them being black, no one would even notice.
Tears glistened in her eyes as she looked up at me.
I decided to kneel down next to her, careful not to touch Adrian’s grave. “You needed life, and I realize now that you needed that from me. Gio will always be your stars, your dreamer, but I’m your reality,and you need that reality filled with life. So this greenhouse is my apology to you, and my promise that I’m staying here with you. I’m not leaving you again.”
She viciously swiped at her eyes while releasing a small sob. Gio was next to her, pulling her into his chest for support.
“And the grave?” she asked.
“Adrian’s end was ripped from you in the worst way. It forced you to feel stuck in the past. I made a space where Adrian would always be a part of your future and surrounded by life.”
She couldn’t say anything as more sobs crept up her throat and broke free.
I grabbed a candle and held it over Adrian’s grave. “This is his memorial service,mi reina.”
Using the small book I had found used for leading funerals, I began to read through a few verses, all while Presley began to break all over again. She cried and cried, even lying down over his grave at one point. Once I was finished, Gio curled up behind her and held her, and then she reached for me, and I got to the ground and faced her. I began to tell her in Spanish how proud I was of her.
Me sienta muy honrada de que seas mía.
I’m so honored that you’re mine.
Te amo.
I love you.
We stayed like that for what felt like hours, but by the time we finally got up, Presley had fallen asleep on top of Adrian’s grave. I carried her back to my bed, full of soil and death, and held her through the night.
Chapter 26
Presley
Iwoke up feeling extremely warm.
Shifting out from under the sweltering heat, I looked around. I was naked, under a heated blanket, while in Gio’s bed.
“Good morning, Elvis.” He pressed a kiss to my mouth.
I tried to remember the previous night and sucked in a sharp breath. “Where is my dress?”
How did I get into his bed, and did I fall asleep last night?
“It’s being cleaned. King took you to his bed last night and let you sleep for as long as you could, but when you started waking, he had you brought here. I stripped you, cleaned you as much as I could, and then you were shivering, so I put this blanket over you.”
