Chapter Twenty-Two

"A-Are you sure you've checked everywhere? Every floor, every room...even the dungeons? Surely he couldn't have disappeared that quickly without even one soul noticing," I wondered, rubbing my arms as fear clawed away from me.

William gave me a sympathetic look and nodded his head as the older man took a swig of whiskey, his nose pinching for a moment before his face relaxed. "We have. But rest assured, Mel, that dreadful man will not make it off of these grounds without being noticed." He nibbled at his bottom lip for a moment, his eyes growing sad as those sage depths turned towards me. "Mel, I know I've said it already...but I am so sorry. If only I had stayed there a moment longer, Arthur wouldn't have gotten to you."

I shook my head and pulled his hand in between mine, threading our fingers together before I looked up at him. "You didn't know that was going to happen, William. So please stop blaming yourself for that."

William gave me a soft smile, tucking my hair behind my ear before his attention was stolen away by Anthony. "Check in with Captain Rosethorn. See if there has been any sightings of my dreadful cousin, or if he still avoids the gazes of our people. And tell him that I will join in his search after I consult Father about what punishment will best befall Arthur."

Anthony nodded and stood up, those teal eyes darting to me before the taller man left, leaving me with my husband. We were silent for a moment, then, after a few more seconds in silence, William gently squeezed my hand and turned to me. "I really am sorry. And I know it wasn't my fault, but I cannot help the guilt spreading through me. I could have been there, yet my duties as a prince had me elsewhere while Arthur was attacking you." He sighed and shook his head, lowering his gaze. "Sometimes I wish I was born but a simple commoner. Life would be so much simpler, then." He bit his bottom lip and tilted his head. "But alas, God has chosen a different path for me. So I must endure." He nibbled some more at his bottom lip before raising that gorgeous sage colored gaze back up towards me. "So...um...to change the subject, mostly for the sake of our sanity...did you enjoy your time with Anthony?"

My cheeks burned scarlet at the question and I immediately averted my gaze, my heart racing as images from earlier popped into the forefront of my mind. Every lewd thing Anthony and I did. Goodness, I couldn't even look at William without my chest tightening in embarrassment. "Y-yes," I answered honestly, my cheeks darkening when I risked a glance towards William, seeing the smile on those plush, soft lips of his.

"He is quite good with his mouth, is he not? Just know, it gets quite a bit better when he uses other parts of him to bring you to your peak." William tilted his head, sage eyes boring into me as my face burned. "Was that your first time finding any sort of relief?"

"Y-yes. I-I now know why some kill for such pleasure. The feelings that come from s-such actions are indescribable."

William nodded in understanding, his gaze dropping to the empty glass in his hand as he tilted it and placed it down. "Trust me, it gets indefinitely better when you're with someone you care for and trust." He turned his body towards me and held my hands with his. "After this whole ordeal with Arthur is solved, if you want to, Anthony and I can show you the true intensity of pleasure. And if you want, you can watch Anthony and I, and learn some of the intimacies love-making entails."

I was surprised that my face was able to redden even further than it already had been. Did William just seriously offer me to...to watch him and Anthony in such an intimate way? And I couldn't help the dirty images that found their way into my head, of both men being together in a heated dance of intimacy. My face flushed and I hid my face behind my hands, listening as William chuckled.

"Mel, there is no need to be so shy. This kind of thing is natural and beautiful." I felt him tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, which enticed me to remove a hand and glance at him. "You will learn that in due time, I assure you." He then sighed and stood up, pulling his honeyed locks back with a leather tie. "I hate to leave you, however, I want my bastard cousin found. And I will not rest until I know you are safe." I blushed when he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against mine. When he pulled away, he nibbled his bottom lip, his eyes telling me that he really didn't want to leave. Finally, he sighed again and pulled away from me, before fastening his long sword to his belt. "Lock the door behind me when I leave. Only open it if it is Anthony, your brother, or I." He placed his hands on his hips. "It may not be your style, but I do have a couple of books in my nightstand. It's not much, but perhaps it will help you to pass the time quicker."

He stared at me for a moment longer before he left the room, allowing me to get up and lock the door behind him. And honestly...I was terrified. Arthur was missing and was avoiding the best military personnel England had to offer. He couldn't have simply vanished, and so I believed there was someone on the inside helping him out. Coin did have a way of convincing even the most upstanding citizen, after all.

So what was he doing now? What was he planning? Was he going to come after me again? I jumped when there was a sudden downpour outside, cascading the room in a greyed darkness that had me panicking and rushing over to light a candle. Once the wick was lit and there was a warm glow around me, I let out a sigh of relief and tucked my hair behind my ear, nibbling at my bottom lip as I looked out of the window, my brows raising at the sheer intensity of this sudden rainstorm.

Of course there would be a random, creepy rainstorm while all of this was happening. It was as if God had plucked such a cliché from a storybook, and plopped it into the real world.

I sighed and wrapped my free arm around myself. Well...I guess I should start reading the books William said he had. Hopefully then, the time will pass me by. Pursing my lips, I made my way over to William's side of the bed, opening the drawer to his nightstand before I pulled out a book, surprised to find that it was about astrology. So, William enjoyed stories about space then? That was...actually really adorable to think about. I never really thought something like that would be in his interests, since he's never mentioned anything of that sort. Then again, while I did know some things about the blond, there were a few pieces of him I have yet to learn, his interests in astrology being one of them.

I smiled to myself as I placed the candle on the nightstand, a warm feeling blossoming in my chest as I climbed onto our bed and sat down, before opening the book to read.

I don't even remember falling asleep, however, sometime in the middle of the night, I was awakened by a small knock against the bedroom door. At first, I was sure that I had imagined it, though, when it sounded again, this time a little bit louder, I gulped and climbed out of the bed before I made my way over there, my heart pounding in my chest.

"W-Who is it?" I wondered out loud, hating the way my voice shook.

"It's William, Mel."

Sighing in relief at the familiar voice, I unlocked the door and watched as an exhausted looking William walked in, the man running his fingers through his loosened hair.

"Any luck in finding him?" I asked, nibbling at my bottom lip as those sage colored eyes darted towards me.

He then sighed and shook his head, before he pulled me into his arms, my head resting against his broad chest. "Not yet, Mel. He may be a sick, demented bastard, but he's a smart one. I've no doubt he's either paying someone to keep quiet, or those equally dreadful siblings of his are keeping him hidden." He pulled back and frowned. "Anthony and Marvin still have units out searching for him. I would have remained with them, but I was worried for you and decided to let our military handle this." He snorted, his tanned cheeks turning pink. "That, and Anthony may have yelled at me to get some rest. He knows I wouldn't have even thought to get sleep until Arthur was found. Which, he's right. I probably would have passed out from exhaustion eventually, and by then, who would be there to protect you if Arthur finally decides to show himself? I couldn't risk it."

I gave him a small smile, my chest filling with warmth as I gently squeezed his biceps. "In any case, I'm glad you're here. Oh, and I rather enjoyed your book about astrology. Has such a thing always fascinated you?"

I loved it when his cheeks turned darker, the poor man looking embarrassed as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and nodded. "Ever since I was little, the world beyond our own has always peaked my interests. I often wondered what kind of worlds there were out there, or if there was any kind of life outside of Earth. I-It's admittedly a strange thing to think about, I'm sure. But then again, I've always been a bit different."

I giggled and placed my hand against his cheek, giving him a warm smile when the man looked at me. "I enjoy your differences, William. Makes you unique."

William's face warmed, a smile falling onto his lips as he placed his hand over mine, looking like I just made his day. "I...I thank you for not thinking of me as weird. I mean, what sane person will believe that there is much more than mere humans out there?"

He stared at me, sage eyes seemingly staring right into my soul. And feeling a burst of confidence in me, I stood on my toes and pressed a kiss against his lips, pulling back after a second. "Well, when this dreadful weather stops...would you like to stargaze with me? You can teach me what you've learned about them."

William smiled, looking rather happy as he nodded and rubbed my arms. "I would love that very much, Mel."