Deciding Skies (Fate's Intent Book 2)

by Bowles, April

  I turned my head and looked up. His eyes were beautiful when he was caring and I had to hold back from crying again when I spoke. “I’m sorry, Zayden. I can’t stay.”

  I started to turn back to the door but Zayden held me with him. He wasn’t going to let me leave. “Why not? We’re together aren’t we?”

  “But we can’t be. Things are complicated and I—”

  “I told you not to worry about it.” He turned me completely around so I would have to look at him again. “Things will be fine. Please, I want you to stay. Say you’ll stay.”

  “Zayden, I can’t. Your father—”

  “What about my father?” He straightened up with the word and was suddenly looking for answers rather than making me feel better. “He told you to stay away from me? Is that what he said to you?” I didn’t reply. I didn’t know how to but it seemed Zayden didn’t need me to. He must have known already and stepped passed me towards the door.

  “Zayden, wait!” I grabbed his hand before he went any farther and was the one now trying to stop him. “Please, you have to understand he just wants what’s best for you.”

  “No, he wants what’s best for him! He always has!”

  “But this is for your future, Zayden and I’m not in it! You deserve a lot better than me!”

  He stepped closer to me, touching the side of my face with his hand while his voice lowered to that caring tone. “Nothing is better than you, Love. Don’t let him or anyone else make you think otherwise. I want you to stay.”

  “Zayden—I—”

  “Please. You belong with me. I’ll take care of you.”

  I could only stare and we started to lean into each other. Was this right of me? Probably not but I couldn’t stop myself. Our lips barely met before I caved to him and my desire increased when his tongue grazed mine. I couldn’t refuse again. It would have been too hard on me and his touch seemed to simply wash away all worry. It was something I needed.

  Zayden put his arms around me and I brought my hands up behind my back, starting to undo the laces on the dress. He soon noticed and started to help until enough was undone that the dress fell to the floor. He put his hands on my body as we slowly stepped back to the bed. He sat on it and I climbed on him, pushing him back and began to undo the front of his shirt while he laid there and watched me. “Does this mean you’re staying because I really hope so?”

  I smiled and ripped open his shirt. I was so impelled by his body as I ran my hand down his chest to his stomach, keeping my eyes on every ripple of muscle. “I’ve been thinking about it.”

  Zayden smiled and he quickly reached for my hips. I was completely unprepared and he flipped me over to my back. “Then let me.” He stood up and quickly took his shirt off over his shoulders.

  “I’ve waited all day.” I sat up and moved back onto the bed more, laying my head on the pillows.

  Zayden smiled to mine and followed with me, bringing his lips into mine again. I pulled him close to me and held my hands firm around his back, feeling the defined muscles move under my fingers. My breaths were almost panting and my want for him was intensified the longer and harder our tongues danced.

  I was getting anxious with every second it lasted and had to let him know it. I couldn’t wait any longer. “Don’t tease me. I’ve waited too long for this.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you really want?”

  “If you want me to say it then say so. I want you, Zayden. Now. No more interruptions.”

  He rushed his lips back into mine and positioned himself so one arm was supporting his weight and he removed the lower half of his clothes with the other. I did the same.

  We dropped them both off the side of the bed at the same time in a hurry and Zayden turned back, rubbing his hand down my body while his eyes moved with it. I knew he liked it but when he looked back to me, I saw his worry. I didn’t want him to be worried and I put one hand on the back of his head. “It’s okay. This time I want you to.”

  “But I don’t—”

  “Shh!” I moved my hand to his mouth. “You won’t. I think we can both agree that we need this.”

  Zayden smiled and kissed me softly. “You quote me too much.”

  “Then shut me up.”

  He brought his lips into mine again and didn’t make me wait any longer. I was finally at peace.

  Chapter 13

  Zayden

  All of my prior thoughts of anger had left my mind completely and I really did feel this was something I needed too. The touch of her skin on mine made me weak and the motion of our bodies caused her to pant excessively for more of me with every passing second.

  The air around us was getting hotter, our bodies glistening with sweat. I closed my eyes to the sounds of Adele’s pleasure and it made my experience more gratifying and confidence soar. I’ve waited for this. The chance to be with her was finally happening. I didn’t want it to end but even great things had to. I tried extending the feeling of the pleasure as long as I could, holding Adele tight under me, feeling her breaths heat the skin of my neck. I knew she was enjoying it too and I wanted to make sure she got what she wanted.

  She was starting to breathe more heavily as she got a tighter grip around my body and I knew this was it. She was coming near her final moments. Her noise level started to rise and my movements sped up. She let out one last sign of pleasure before loosening her hold around me and I gradually slowed down and put my forehead on hers.

  Adele was faint. She took really slow and deep breaths while looking back up at me with a soft smile. I was glad I was able to make her happy and I moved my body away from her, rolling to her left.

  My head was thankful to hit the pillow and I was ready for a long peaceful sleep but it would seem I wouldn’t get it just yet. Adele started to get up and wrapped the sheet around her.

  “What are you doing?”

  She hesitated from answering. She didn’t exactly leave but went back towards my private bathhouse instead. “I’ll—ah—just be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  She disappeared and I waited. My eyes started to close and I let them just to rest but they opened when I heard a soft sound. It sounded like crying almost. Was she in there crying? I was worried about why and had to know. I slipped my pants on and went into the bathhouse.

  “Love?” I stepped in slowly and saw her sitting against the wall under the open window with her knees brought in close to her and her face hidden down on them.

  “Please go away.”

  I walked over and closed the window before I kneeled down next to her. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I never would have forgiven myself if I had.

  “No. It’s just—”

  She couldn’t even get it out without crying and I sat down all the way next to her and put my arm around her. “It’s all right, Love. You think it was a mistake, being with me?”

  “No, Zayden. Of course not. You were—I couldn’t have asked for a better night. I needed it but I just keep thinking what it could have done. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “I’m sure the future is safe.”

  Adele huffed and set her chin back on her knees. “But that’s the worse part about it.”

  “What?”

  “I know what I keep saying. We have to be careful because it would be wrong but I’ve seen him and I still sense a small part of me somewhere that wants him.”

  “You do?” I was a bit surprised after all the bad talk she already made of it and I already knew where I stood. “Well, if that’s how you really feel then we could always give you that.”

  “No. I wouldn’t let you do that just for me.”

  “How do you know it’ll only be for you?”

  “You have to understand. If that did happen, I wouldn’t find out until I was long away from here and for the protection of him as well as me, he could never know who you are.”

  “Why not?”

  “You have to ask that? Remember I never saw you at any point.�
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  “Doesn’t mean that I’m not involved somewhere. He’d be of my royal blood. Vendel blood is pretty recognizable. Someone on the other side would notice.”

  “Zayden—”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Why don’t you tell me about the dream instead?”

  “You really want to hear it?”

  “Yeah. You know him already. Now I want to.” I mostly wanted to get her talking about something else but hearing about it could have been good for me.

  “It’s not really—”

  “I don’t care. Just tell me.”

  Adele sighed and gave in. “All right but you have to close your eyes so you can try to imagine it. You see things from my point-of-view.”

  “Okay.” I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes with my arm still around her. “I’m a strong, beautiful woman. And—go.”

  She laughed from my planned sarcastic expression. “Can you not do that?”

  “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be? Seeing it through your eyes?”

  “You don’t have to pretend to be a woman. You’re just seeing it the way I saw it. That’s all.”

  “Okay. I’m me again and ready.”

  “It’s mostly visual so there’s not much sound.”

  “If there’s not much sound, how do you know he’s yours?”

  “I didn’t say there was no sound at all. At one point he calls me mother.”

  “Okay. I’m still ready.”

  “All right. It starts out in a mountainous place. I couldn’t pinpoint where because I’ve never seen it before this. Vegetation around the area is quite limited. Sounds of rushing water is everywhere like waterfalls and I’m sitting at the top of one of the highest cliffs facing the sun. I can’t tell if it’s rising or setting without knowing which direction I’m facing but my eyes direct away from it to my left slightly in front of me. There’s a child. I’m going to guess about the age of nine/ten range. I don’t see in good detail with the sun hitting his face but I can tell his hair is blonde. He’s looking straight in front of him not at me so I never get a good look at the exact color of his eyes from this angle.

  “We’re sitting there talking about something I can’t hear until he looks to his left and stands up. I stand up with him and we can see a large stone structure built right out of the mountains with waterfalls around it but there was nothing else around. That’s when he turns his head fully to me and I see the black eyes very clearly. He smiled and his voice was full of excitement when he says something I can’t hear but the word mother comes out very clear and clearly directed towards me.

  “Just hearing his voice makes my whole reply too muffled to hear but I call him Seth. That’s my grandfather’s name on my mother’s side. Then he starts running down this winding path towards the structure like he was too excited to hear what I said or something and that ends my strongest vision.”

  “Your strongest? Are there more?”

  “That was the main one that I’ve seen a lot. I have seen two more that are more like flashes but I didn’t know if they were real because I only saw them once so far more recently so I never told anyone about those.”

  “Well, tell me. I’m listening.”

  “You’re really getting into this, aren’t you?”

  “If it’s really the future then it’s part of mine. I want to know.”

  “Zayden—”

  “Just tell me.”

  “Okay. Like I said, they’re quick but he’s around the same age, I’m guessing anyway.” She paused and closed her eyes but I kept mine open and watched her. “There’s one where I see him sleeping. If I think back hard enough, it’s in better detail and he does look a lot like you but in a boyish way because he’s so young.”

  “It’s in our blood to have that heavy resemblance. I told you.”

  “Yes, I’ve seen that and the second one, I see him in the exact training ring we have back home but it’s much prettier because of the waterfalls behind it instead of the bricks of the north wall blocking any views.”

  I was intrigued. “Training ring, really? What is he doing?”

  “If I was going to guess, I would say he’s training but he’s not alone. There are two others with him.”

  “Who are they? Kids?”

  “Yeah, about his age but I don’t know who they are. I’m more so focused on seeing him. They’re kind of in a light blur when I had that dream.”

  I could hear my heart beat suddenly in my ears and this strange but wonderful thought came over me. “Can you think back? Try focusing on them. What do they look like?”

  “Why do you want to know so badly?”

  “Just curious.” I lied but only briefly. I wanted her to tell me first to see if I was right then I would tell her.

  “Okay, I can try. It’s kind of from a distance but the one that’s actually in the ring with Seth has brown hair, kind of curly, kind of not. I can’t see his eyes, he’s not facing me well enough.”

  “What about the other one?”

  “He’s standing to the side, leaned up against a stone pillar with his arms crossed, watching. His hair—” Adele paused and I wanted to know what she was seeing. “Whoa, he actually turns his head to me. I’ve never noticed that before.”

  “Is that a sign? Do you know something?”

  She opened her eyes and looked at me with this awed maybe even horrified expression. “I don’t even what to think about that.”

  “What?”

  She seemed hesitant as I watched her swallow. “He looked like—Darius but—”

  “Okay, that’s freaky enough. Darius with a kid but there’s something else you’re not telling me.”

  Adele looked directly in my eyes and her words came out with a slow shock. “He had Ruby’s eyes.”

  I laughed. “What?!”

  “We cannot say a thing to them!” Adele said as she started to get up.

  “Wait, you don’t think they should know?” I got up after her and really thought this was something they should hear.

  “I don’t know if that was real. I mean, I don’t even want to think that it could have been.” Adele was taking quick breaths. She couldn’t seem to hold still and it only seemed to make things worse.

  “All right. Come on.” I led her out of the bathhouse. “I think you’ve had enough drama for one night. It’s time you relaxed.” Adele was breathing more slowly but heavily and just nodded as I brought her out into the room and got her back in bed. “Better?”

  She was just had that look still plastered on her face and turned her head to me. “We have to stop them.”

  “Stop them from having sex? Are you kidding me?! We won’t be able to do that but it does mean that they have to have sex first if your vision is true and that would mean Darius could survive her.”

  “We don’t know that. I didn’t see him either.”

  “Well, who do you think the other kid belongs to, hmm?” Just to get her worry all out at once.

  She immediately gasped. “Zayden, we can’t let that happen! It’d be—it’d be—”

  “Look, Love. Did you ever think that you were in that place away from everything because you were hiding?”

  “Hiding from what?”

  “The world. It’d be a place where we could be together. Away from war.”

  “Zayden, no. I wouldn’t want it to come to that. Hiding from everyone? It just seems—no. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  “But you’re fine with having my son and never letting me see him?”

  “Of course not but I can’t just walk away from my life and neither can you.”

  “Are you going to worry about this the whole time you’re here?”

  “I’d rather not.” She turned over and faced the edge of the bed.

  I smiled while I moved in behind her and put my arm around her. “Then you won’t. I’ll be here to help to make sure of it.”

  “Thanks.” Words were still between us and we were finally getting the r
est we both needed or so I thought. She seemed restless and proved it by saying my name in that worried way. “Zayden?”

  I let out a long breath just wanting to go to sleep but her voice seemed troubled again. “Yes, Love? What is it?”

  “I think maybe I shouldn’t stay in here tonight.”

  I sat up a little and rubbed my eyes, trying to focus them better for the conversation. “Why? I thought you said you would.”

  “I know that but what if—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Love. If my father finds out, I’ll handle it. You’re not going to get in trouble.”

  “Yeah, I seriously doubt that.”

  “This isn’t really about everything else, is it?”

  “No, of course not. I’m trying to forget about that.”

  “All right. Good but aren’t we together?”

  She sighed and turned more so she was facing me. “It’s not going to be for that long.”

  “Aren’t we together?”

  She sighed again. “For now.”

  “Then you’ll stay—for now and I’ll deal with my father if it becomes a problem.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I kept the smile on my face and stroked my fingers down her arm. “I’ll always be sure about this.”

  Adele didn’t get the chance to smile back. There was a knock on the door. She sucked a quick breath in and turned her eyes towards it.

  “Relax. I’ll get it this time. You just stay right there and don’t even think about moving.”

  Adele shrank herself down in the bed so the blankets were covering all views of her face. It probably made her nervous that maybe it was my father checking up on us and she laid completely still, trying not to even breathe too loud.

  I smiled to her worried reaction but walked over to the door and opened it anyway.

  “Good evening, your majesty.”

  I saw the smile of a familiar face and lost mine, stepping out of the room quickly and held the door closed behind me. “Crysta. Hi—ah—this is a little awkward. I must have forgotten to send you the message.”

  “You not of any need of me tonight?”

  “No, actually. I apologize that you had to come all this way to find out like this. I’ve had a pretty busy day from just getting back.”