“Aveena,” Lavier addressed.
Aveena shot her attention to her uncle, causing Michael’s stomach to twist even more. Avon just snorted and shook his head.
“Michael here was looking for you. He is still new to the Palace, so please be somewhere that he can actually find you.”
Aveena nodded. Her tough exterior diminished in seconds.
“So, are you two done discussing whatever it is that you were talking about?” Lavier asked.
“Yes, we are finished uncle,” Avon answered.
“Good, because I have a few questions about the prisoner escaping the Palace the other night.” Lavier let his hand slide off of Michael’s shoulder and his eyes narrowed on Aveena.
“I do too. I believe Michael—” Avon started.
“I did it,” Aveena blurted. She ignored Michael’s and Avon’s surprised expressions. “I-I let the prisoner go.”
King Lavier slowly walked up to Aveena. He glared at her with wide angry eyes, and the thought of slapping her crossed his mind, but with Avon standing near her, he knew that the boy would become more than upset if he witnessed his older sister being harmed.
“And why did you do that?” Lavier asked.
Michael wanted to blurt that she was helping him that night, but that would blow everything. He would no longer be able to take the Palace down from the inside out, and his status as Aveena’s Knight would be stripped.
“I knew…I knew where he was headed. Guilty or not, I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.” Aveena felt slightly confident with Michael around. She could see Lavier’s hand twitching to come across her face and grinned.
Lavier grinded his teeth together, then sighed, “Michael.”
Michael snapped to attention, “Yes, my King?”
“Take Aveena back to her room and lock her in. She isn’t to come out for two days, and she will not be provided any meals. Do you understand?”
Avon’s face was turned away, but his eyebrows pulled together with the look of concern in his eyes. Aveena still didn’t falter even though she felt as if she was hit in the gut.
“Understood, my King,” Michael mumbled.
“Great!” Lavier turned away from Aveena. “Avon, come with me. I’d like to discuss a few things.”
“Yes, Uncle,” Avon’s voice was low with sadness for his sister.
Lavier turned around, feeling good about himself, and walked away. Avon followed behind him, but stopped next to Michael to look him up and down with a flared nose, and then continued after his uncle.
Michael sighed with relief that the two men were finally gone. Aveena also looked relieved. She cocked her head to the side with a look that told Michael that she would be okay, but he knew that she was only trying to make him feel better.
Michael walked up to Aveena and stared into her smoky grey eyes, “You lied for me.”
“Technically, I told the truth. I was there, you know?” Aveena had gotten her wits back.
“Hmm, I guess,” he smiled. “Thank you.”
“Of course. You would do the same for me, right?”
“No,” Michael shrugged. “I’d probably just grab you and run.”
They both laughed, and then it was awkwardly silent again.
“You’re still funny, like how I remember,” Aveena said softly. Her eyes dropped down to Michael’s chest and her face grew hot.
“Well, Duh. I lost my memory of you, not my sense of humor.”
“But you have it all back right?”
“Yes, all of it,” Michael reassured.
Once again, there was another awkward silence.
Aveena looked at Michael with curious eyes. A spark lit inside her like it had once before. Someone else had caused a spark that turned into a blazing fire at one point in her life, but then it died down after he…
Aveena lowered her eyes and walked passed Michael. “I suppose you should take me to my room now.”
Michael was confused. Why did she look so sad all of a sudden? He turned around and followed behind her. “Yes, I’ll do that.” He walked Aveena back to her room and dreaded locking her inside.
Aveena stepped into her room and turned around with the same sad look in her eyes.
“Are you alright?” Michael asked.
The princess gave a slight smile, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. “I’m fine,” she said in a low tone. “Just not so excited about being alone in here for two whole days.”
Michael licked his bottom lip and leaned his head into the room. “You don’t have to worry about being alone. Trust me.” He pulled back to see if anything about her expression had changed. Nothing.
Aveena’s heart fluttered, but then throbbed in pain when she thought about the last time she felt this way for someone. It was only a year ago that she felt excitement like this. She had fallen for a Knight that Lavier had assigned to her, and two years later, after she had grown completely attached to him, he was ripped away from her in a blink of an eye. It was a reminder of what would happen to Avon if she had ever told anyone about how her father really died.
“Don’t bother coming to visit me.” She quickly slammed her door in Michael’s face before he could say anything and stood in front of the closed door for moment. Once she heard the clicking of the bolts on the other side, she let out a deep breath that she had been holding in.
She was going to do her best to not get attached to Michael. Whether Lavier needed him or not, he would find a way to take him away from her, and she would be ready for that day.
Chapter 10
Michael walked back to his cabin while cursing and mumbling to himself. What had just happened? He thought that he was finally getting through to Aveena, but obviously wasn’t. If he were any closer to her door, his nose would’ve broken when it slammed in his face. He didn’t recall Clay having such a hard time with women like this. Hell! He couldn’t even remember a time that Ty’ere was turned down by another man!
Michael stepped into his cabin, kicked off his boots, and plopped down on his bed. He couldn’t get the Princess and her unusual attitude off of his mind, even though he knew that she wasn’t what he was supposed to be thinking about right now. He had a responsibility to Tayen and the organization—to his family—to bring the Palace down from the inside, and he needed to get his mind in order for that to happen. Still, Aveena’s beautiful face was the only thing that kept creeping into his head.
After a while, Michael decided to go to sleep and hopefully stop thinking about her, but that didn’t work since all he did was dream about the girl. She had been invading his dreams ever since he’d run into her by the tunnels two months ago. Since then, all he wanted to do was get to know her, and now that he was able to see her every day, he didn’t even know how to handle her.
Michael woke up when the moon hit the top of the sky. He lay in bed for a moment while peering out of his window, but then he jolted up when he realized that Aveena had gone to bed without eating all day. He slid out of the bed and slipped into his boots, then grabbed the basket of food and his board off of the table before leaving the cabin.
It must have been pretty late, because all of the cabins were filled with darkness, and the quarter was deserted. Michael had no idea how long he had been sleeping, but he hoped that it wasn’t too long for the Princess. She had to be starving by now.
Michael glided his air board up to Aveena’s balcony and then stepped off of it. He was almost to the curtain that blocked her room when he thought about what she’d said this morning. Don’t bother coming to visit me.
He sighed while shrugging his shoulders. He still didn’t want to leave without making sure that she had eaten. Once he knew that she was okay for the night, he would leave her be.
Michael walked through the curtain and noticed that the fireplace was still lit with fire.
“Of course you wouldn’t listen,” Aveena sighed.
Michael turned his head to see Aveena sitting with her legs hanging from the side of her bed. She wore
a long royal blue skirt with a blue cotton top that only covered her breasts and revealed her bare stomach. He didn’t know how long he was going to be able to resist this girl.
“Sorry, I can’t hear very well. What was that?” Michael asked with a mischievous grin.
Aveena didn’t crack any smiles and stood from her bed. She gazed at Michael’s body and admired his beauty. For a man, she could say that he was absolutely beautiful. She quickly shook the thought from her head and walked towards him. “You brought food?”
“Yes, you can have this for the next two days,” Michael placed the basket on the trunk at the end of her bed.
Aveena stopped and looked down at it, “You didn’t have to do that. Avon had already brought me something earlier.”
Michael’s smile slowly faded. He was happy that she’d eaten, but now he felt like he had no reason to be here.
Aveena could clearly see how Michael’s mood changed and offered the kindest smile that she could muster. “I’ll need it for tomorrow, though. It’s a bit much, but thank you.” So much for pushing him away.
Michael’s eyes lit up before he nodded, “Well then, good. I’ll be on my way then.” He turned around and walked back through the curtains.
Aveena waited for a moment and thought to herself. She couldn’t help but want Michael to stay. She had been thinking about him all day, and now that he was finally back, she didn’t want him to leave. She would ask him to stay, but only for a little while, and then he had to go.
“Michael, wait.” She rushed through the curtains, but slowed to a stop when there was no sign of him. She was too late and would have to wait a whole day before she could see him again.
Suddenly, Michael glided back over the balcony with hopeful eyes, “You called my name?”
Aveena looked as if she were having second thoughts, but then she offered a half-hearted smile, “Stay for a little while.”
Michael’s eyes glimmered in the moonlight as he stared back at her. They both watched each other for a moment until he glided over to her and then lowered himself to eye level. “I would love to stay here with you but...haven’t you already been cramped up in there long enough?”
Aveena drew her brows together in confusion, “Yes, but I’m supposed to be, and I can tell you that I am far from cramped.”
“Right. Why don’t we leave for a little while?” Michael asked.
Okay, now he was pushing it. She had invited him to stay for a short while, and instead, he insisted that they leave. He should have been grateful that she even wanted to spend time with him at all. Still, she had been locked away all day and wanted nothing more than to run free for a while.
“But, if we’re seen...”
“We won’t be,” Michael held out his hand to Aveena. Her eyes began to glow bright when she started to become nervous. Michael noticed her hesitation and moved in closer to her. “Trust me.”
Aveena was lost in his dark irises and, like she was stuck in a trance, her hand slipped into his. She looked down at their hands together, holding each other, and her heart began to pound against her chest.
Michael pulled her in close and lowered his board for her to step on. He didn’t know when her attitude towards him had changed, but he was going to take full advantage of it before her next mood swing. He kind of liked her attitude, but only because it felt like she was challenging him, and he never backed down from a challenge. He was going to get her to like him.
Since when did that become the challenge?
Michael chuckled to himself and stepped back to give Aveena more room on the board. She grabbed his shoulders to steady herself on the wobbly contraption, gripping him tightly in fear that she might fall. Michael grabbed Aveena by her waist to help her balance. “I take it you’ve never flown before.”
“Once.” Aveena wouldn’t even look up because she was so focused on steadying her legs.
Michael laughed, “Just relax Princess. I got you. Don’t worry.”
Aveena slowly raised her head, then nodded.
“Now turn around. You’re going to ride in the front,” Michael instructed. He guided her hips to turn around on the board, and then slid his hands up the sides of her body to the midsection of her stomach. “I won’t let you fall.”
Aveena developed goosebumps at the feeling of Michael’s soft fingers sliding up her skin. She enjoyed the feeling, and yet it also made her incredibly nervous. She, technically, had just met Michael again, and now she was closer to him than she had been with anyone for a while. It was nice to feel someone touch her skin again. To not be afraid to be near her, or to get attached to her.
“Let’s go,” Michael maneuvered his feet on the board and guided it up over the ledge of the balcony, then he flew up towards the sky and over the Palace.
Aveena’s back slammed against his chest and she panicked for a moment, but then she felt him squeeze on her sides to let her know that everything would be okay. Once they were leveled again, she took a deep breath and admired the beauty surrounding her.
Aveena quickly felt comfortable in Michael’s hands and pushed away any thoughts of losing him to Lavier. How could she possibly lose someone that made her feel this way? He had to feel the same way about her, right? Even if he didn’t yearn for someone’s love and attention the way that she did, just being around her had to make him feel some kind of way. It was just a little spark that would slowly turn into a flame.
Michael took a deep breath and tried to control his shaking. He didn’t want her to feel his hands trembling against her skin, and he definitely didn’t want her to feel his sweaty palms. That would totally ruin the moment.
They glided over the Palace under the moon and stars in silence. Aveena rested the back of her head on Michael’s chest as she gazed up at the bright twinkling lights.
Michael wanted to ask her what she was thinking, but decided not to ruin the moment. He would just let her enjoy this, her thoughts, and ask her later.
“This is so beautiful,” she said.
Michael looked up as well. She wasn’t lying. He had never flown up into the sky to watch the stars. They were so big that he thought that he could touch them. Aveena read his mind and reached her hand out towards the sky. She wasn’t able to grasp anything, but their imaginations made them believe that she could.
“Thank you,” Aveena said, pulling her hand back to herself.
“Anything for you, Princess.” Of course, Michael felt stupid when she didn’t respond. Where did he even come up with that line anyways?
Aveena took a deep breath in order to control her nervous shaking, and then she looked down at the Palace, “We should head back.”
“Yeah, we should.” Michael headed back to Aveena’s balcony. Once they were there, he helped her off of the board, and then waited for her to turn around. He wanted to see her face one last time before he went to sleep. A whole day had to go by before he got to see her smile again.
Aveena turned around, “Come back tomorrow night.”
Michael nodded, “Good night.” With that, he flew off of the balcony and back to his cabin.
~*~
The next day, Michael decided to do some training. He couldn’t go back to visit Aveena until nightfall, so he wanted to make use of the day and get a workout in. He dressed in a new pair of the Knight’s uniform, and then stuffed his staff ball into his pocket, making note to get a holster for it so that he wouldn’t lose it.
He stepped out of the cabin to see a skinny young boy in his teens, wearing a wool shirt that was way too big for him and ripped up brown pants, walking away. When he looked down, he found a new basket full of food.
Michael frowned and looked back up at the kid, “Hey!”
The black haired boy stopped walking and turned around with a vacant expression on his face. He didn’t know what to expect, but if it was pain, he knew not to show any emotion.
Michael reached down into the basket and grabbed a juicy purple fruit, then tossed it over to the boy, “T
hanks.”
The boy looked down at the fruit in his hand confused. “I can’t eat this,” he said. “They’ll think I stole it.”
Michael looked around to see if anyone was looking. It seemed like the slaves and Knights alike were all busy doing anything but watching them. “Then come over here and eat it. I’ll wait until you finish.”
The boy cut his eyes from left to right and then quickly walked into the shade of Michael’s cabin. They both sat down outside the door in silence as the boy chomped down on the odd looking fruit.
“Grab some bread if you’d like as well,” Michael offered.
The boy nodded and hungrily grabbed a piece of bread from the basket.
Michael snorted in disgust at the fact that there were actually slaves in Raluza. He stayed here because this was a world where color didn’t matter. Instead it was status that could turn him into a slave. Michael didn’t care how long it took him, he would change all of this, and Lavier would pay.
Once the boy finished stuffing his face, he quickly got back on his feet and Michael did the same. He turned to look up at the Knight and still couldn’t believe that he was granted such an act of kindness from this guy.
Michael looked down at the boy and hoped that this was enough for now. “What’s your name?”
“Y-Yandel.”
Michael nodded, “Well, I’m Michael. I’m guessing you have to get back to work now?”
“Yes...sir.”
“Alright, well before you leave, are you the one who comes to switch my clothes and take the trash?”
“Yes, I’ve been assigned to your cabin,” Yandel nodded.
“Okay,” Michael sighed. “Well, every morning when you come by, how about you give me a knock and we can have a morning meal together.”
“But—”
“I won’t take up your time. Just stop by for some water and bread before you complete your chores.”
Yandel looked up at Michael through his black hair with watering eyes. He nodded again. “Thank you sir,” he mumbled.
“No problem, and over here call me Michael. Sir sounds kind of off,” Michael chuckled. He wished that he could do more for Yandel, but he didn’t want to get the boy into any trouble for showing him good treatment. “You should get back to work.”
Aveena: The City of Gold (The Black Knight duology Book 1) Page 13