Page 30 of Evil Queen

“Yeah, me too,” I hummed back.

He uncurled from me so that he could sit back on his knees. Then his arms circled around my legs, and he started to slam into me. All sound turned to silence, and then my vision blurred. My lips parted as if I wanted to say something, but no noise came out as my entire body started to shake and shudder. Nathan repeatedly drove home on a spot that made my ears ring and brought sweat to my brow, and just when I thought I was coming down, he continued to push in, sending me clamoring over a second time almost immediately.

“Fuck.” Nathan dragged himself out of me just in time, stroking himself and painting the base of my stomach with his seed. I lost all energy in an instant and went limp on the bed, and Nathan blanketed himself over me, laying his head on my chest. “God, I needed that so bad, Nikki.”

“Yeah, me too.” I stoked along his back with my fingertips, something that typically helped him fall asleep right away. His eyes started to drift shut, but he fought to keep them open. “What are you doing? You need to rest.”

“I…” His consciousness was fading fast. “You’re always gone when I wake up.”

My throat tightened. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Still,” he said, “I’ll stay awake a little longer, just in case.”

I didn’t press the issue. After the tense week we’d had, I didn’t want to leave him any more than he wanted me to leave, but it was better not to say that out loud. Instead, I slowed the stroking of my fingers over his back to help him maintain consciousness if that was what he really wanted.

We laid there in peaceful silence for a while until Nathan finally said, “I’m thinking about making Kyle the king.”

“What?” I asked. “Why?”

“He’s better suited to it. It’s just temporary, not that I really know what that means right now. There are only a few weeks left of school, and then, I don’t know.”

It was clear that Nathan truly believed the only reason anyone hung around him was because of The Royal Court. I couldn’t blame him for the conclusion he’d come to, but I also knew that if that were the case, everyone would have left immediately after what happened between him and Cherri. If they all hated Nathan, none of them would have stuck around. Whether or not they were willing to admit it, they all cared about Nathan. I was the wispy thin thread that held The Royal Court together. If Nathan had nothing to do with it, it wouldn’t exist.

“I think it could be a good idea,” I said finally, “but not because you’re not suited to it. I think you need to start focusing on yourself a little bit more.”

“Kyle said something like that too.”

“You know, I really do think you should consider going to see my therapist.” It was something I’d brought up to Nathan before, but he always shut the idea down. This time, however, he remained quiet. “She’s really good, and she got me through everything after my foster mom stepped down.”

Nathan lifted his head and looked at me. “Okay. I’ll go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I need to work on dealing with myself. I’ll hand the reins over to Kyle for the time being, and I’ll start seeing a therapist.”

My heart soared as the words left his mouth. “I’m really proud of you.”

He smiled up at me. “Thanks, Nikki. For always being by my side long after I deserved it.”

No words felt right to respond to that, so I settled for setting my lips gently against his. When we parted, his head went back down to my chest, and it wasn’t long before I heard him snoring. I rubbed his back in careful circles until the repeating cycle made my eyes heavy as well, and eventually, I faded out.

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