Stealing His Princess (Kings of Conquest #2) - Adelaide Forrest Page 0,40

heart? In truth? Why are alliances so rooted in our marriages and not simply based on our policy? It should not matter what man shares my bed, but what my goals are for my country and for the world."

"Only you would manage to throw a shoe to make a point, but you know I agree," I teased. "But what has brought this change? Last I knew, you'd largely come to terms with the fact that you couldn’t change tradition. Even if your parents backed you and your father named you his heir, you would face so many challenges from the other rulers, forming and keeping alliances would be difficult."

She shifted in her seat, looking suddenly uncomfortable with the turn in conversation. The knowledge that she was keeping something from me only increased my desire to poke her for more information, but the reality that I had a secret of my own kept me from prodding too hard.

She couldn't know about Aric. It wasn't that I didn't trust her to keep the secret, only that I had no desire to share my shame. To tell her of how he'd rejected me when I'd been ready to announce my undying...

Love.

I'd been ready to tell him I loved him.

"I would have Reece to help me smooth the way," she said, fidgeting some more. "His backing would go a long way."

"Yes, it would. But there's someone you want, isn't there?" I asked, leaning in to whisper.

"Shh," she hushed me, leaning further in. "There is, but he's so far beyond the realms of possibility that it isn't funny. They'd hang me out to dry if they discovered our relationship."

"Your relationship?!" I hissed. "You've already been with him?"

"Yes," she giggled. "He's infuriating. But I can't seem to help myself with him. He makes me feel. He makes me live, Bristol. How am I to turn away from that?"

I paused, mulling over my response. "I don't know," I told her, standing from the sofa. "I don’t know why we’re supposed to do things we don’t want to do. Don't. Don't turn away from that. It is worth being alive."

"Where are you going?" she asked, as I stepped away from the sofa and made my way back toward the doors.

"To live!" I called out before the doors could close behind me.

My heels clicked across the marble as I searched. Aric hadn't been in the room where we would gather to wait for dinner, and he was conspicuously absent from the group of people still lingering in the garden: the stragglers from the tea party. Wandering through the halls only slightly diminished the excitement I'd felt when I reached my decision.

I wouldn't move through my life without being honest with Aric about my feelings. I knew damn well he could still reject me, even knowing how serious they were and that he wasn't only a temporary fling for me. But at least I wouldn't go into my marriage to Holden with regrets.

I would know that even if it was brief, I'd lived openly and taken a chance on love. That was all I could do.

It didn't matter that I hadn't known him for long. I felt the connection between us down to the depths of my soul. Stamped on my heart in permanent ink, Aric was someone who would never leave me.

In all the world, he was my person. That one man meant for me. It was just unfortunate fate had other plans for us.

Finally, I spotted him hurrying through the Southwest Corridor, glancing this way and that. He looked my way finally, his stare catching on mine as his steps faltered. Hesitated, because he didn’t want to be near me. He drew in a deep breath, continuing toward me and chewing his bottom lip. "Have you seen my sister?" he asked.

I remembered that he hadn’t been looking for me when Mallory had seen him come into the library, and I fought back the flinch the words brought. Not excitement to see me or anything close to it. Only a deep-rooted concern for his sister that I couldn't really fault him for. "No," I admitted. "I didn’t see her among those waiting for dinner and she wasn’t at the gardens either."

"It's as if she's disappeared," he said, tapping his foot impatiently. "I've run out of places to look." I pursed my lips, biting the bottom one as uneasiness settled over me. "What?" he asked.

"Have you considered that maybe she's with Reece?" I asked, my voice a quiet squeak. I