Royal Affliction (The Anti-Princess Saga) (29 page)

I nodded.

“Well then, I shall not tell father, but I urge you to do so.”  He walked over to the door and opened it.  He paused for a moment.  “You were wrong about one thing though, Quartessa, I
am
mad at you for leaving.”  And then he left before I had a chance to swallow his words.

Silent tears welled up in my eyes as I stood there, staring at the place where my brother had just stood.  Clifton placed his arm around me.

Gader had never told me how he’d felt about me leaving.  Every time that I had seen him afterwards, he had been pleasant to me well, most of the time.  He had shown no signs of anger or resentment towards me.  But he was mad that I’d left.  I guess that he didn’t understand my reasons like I thought he did.  Or maybe he did, but he just didn’t care.

“Maybe I should just go home.”

“I wouldn’t mind moving to Kortis when this is all over with.”  He pulled my face to him, so that he could look into my eyes.  “But do not just move back because everyone else wants you to.  Do it only if it is what you really want.  I would be happy living under a bridge in a cardboard box, just as long as it was with you.”  My tears slowed at his kind words.  I stared into those warm and trusting green eyes of his.  “Now, do you really want to move home?”  I shook my head just slightly and he sighed.  “Why do you care so much what he thinks anyway?”

“He is my brother.”

“Well, the Tessa that I know doesn’t try to live up to the expectations of others.  That is one of the reasons that I love you so much.  You do what you do because you know that it is right for you, regardless of what others think or say.   Don’t let your brother guilt trip you.  Do what you know in your heart is right.”

“You’re very smart, Clifton.  You’re right.  I can’t let my brother get me down.  He can either accept my decisions or…”

“Kiss your ass?”

“Yes, he can either accept my decisions, or he can kiss my ass!”

“Feeling better then?”

“Much!”

“Good.  I’m gonna grab a shower before I fix dinner.”

“I can cook.”

“Good, you can help me then.  Don’t start until I come out though.”  He started to walk away but then called out, “I mean it, not until I get out!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.  I was going to start as soon as he was out of sight, and he knew it.

There was a knock at the front door and I opened it to find Kafkus standing there.  He was dressed very nice in the clothes that I had picked out for him.  His hair was straight and loose, falling just past his shoulders.

“Since when do you knock?”

“Since when do you answer the door when I might have been an enemy?”

“Fine.”  I closed the door in his face.

There was a light tap on the door.

“Yes?  I would answer the door, but I am not allowed to.”

“I promise that I am not a scary monster.”

“Well, that is just what a scary monster would say if he wanted me to open the door so that he could eat me, isn’t it?”  I was enjoying his playful demeanor.  He was always so ridged and strict.  It was nice to be able to joke around with him.

“Fine, you got me.  I am a big scary monster,” he said in a fake monster voice that made me laugh.  “Will you please open the door now?  I want to show you something.”

I opened it and leaned leisurely against the doorframe.  “What can I do for you?”  He pulled his arm out from behind his back.  In it was a single white rose which he held out to me with a grin.  I smiled, took the flower from him, and smelt it.  “Thank you Kafkus.  That was very sweet.”

“Come with me.”

“Who is at the door?” Clifton asked while walking into the room wearing just a towel wrapped around his waist.

I marveled for a moment at his glorious body.  He was so toned, so strong.  Beads of water trickled down his flawless chest.  I had to pry my eyes off of him.

“Just some grown man trying to sell me Girl Scout cookies.”

Clifton came close enough to see Kafkus.  “Well, don’t you look nice?”

“I wish to borrow our Princess for a while.  Is that alright with you?”

He shrugged.  “We had our fun earlier.  You should get yours too.”

My men were doing a fair job of sharing me.  I liked it.  It made me feel very confident in my decision of choosing both of them for me.

I took the hand that Kafkus had held out to me and I cast one final look at Clifton’s sexy body before I stepped outside with Kafkus.

It was a beautiful night.  The sun had just begun to set, giving us just enough light to see where we were going.  We walked a short ways along the path that went around the complex.  “So, where are we going?”

Kafkus said nothing but abruptly turned off the paved path and began walking through the grass and into the deep brush.

I had to fight my way through, but I was eager with anticipation of what Kafkus had planned for us, and I gasped when I saw what was waiting for me on the other side.

A large blanket was spread out on the grass.  On it were rose petals of many colors.  Lit, multicolored candles bordered the blanket’s edges, creating an inviting atmosphere, a picnic basket sat off to the side.

“Do you like it?”

“Oh, Kafkus, I love it.”

He led me over to the blanket and we sat down together.  He pulled out a nice chilled bottle of white wine and poured a glass for each of us.

“How did you plan all of this?  I mean, this has some human touches to it.”

“I had some help from a very nice gentleman that worked at the store and a bit from Kyle as well.”

“I really appreciate the sentiment Kafkus, and all of the time and effort that you put into this.  Thank you.”

“You deserve it, Quartessa.  You deserve to be treated like the princess you are.”  I flashed him an annoyed look and he sighed.  “I know that you wish that you were not royalty, but I will never see you as anything less than my Princess.  The woman that I have loved since before I even knew what love was, my stubborn, headstrong, impulsive, beautiful woman like no other.”

My annoyances vanished at his thoughtful words.  I was lucky to have these two men that cared so much about me.  I felt loved, needed.

Kafkus had taken a stab at cooking.  He had made a delicious halibut casserole.  We ate in silence and then lay down next to each other to look up at the sky.

“There are not as many stars here as there are back home.”

“No, there are too many lights from the city blocking most of them out.”

He rolled onto his side to face me, and I mirrored him.  “Do I make you happy, Quartessa?”

I brushed my hand against his cheek.  For someone who could read my mind, he should have known what I was about to say.  “You make me very happy, Kafkus.  If only I had even tried to know you back in Kortis, maybe then we would have had many happy years together.”

“There is still time.”

That’s if I live past tomorrow
, I thought before I could help it.

“Quartessa, I would see myself dead before I would let anyone kill you.”

“And how guilty would I feel if you sacrificed yourself for me?  No Kafkus, this is my fight, and I will see to it that I win.”

“That is my girl.”

We lied on that blanket for hours, talking about everything and sipping wine.  I felt like I could really open up to him in a way that I had never been able to do before.  It was refreshing to be able to speak about anything that popped into my head.  It was useless to hide anything from someone who could read your mind.  Kafkus was right, it did make us closer.  We shared a bond that I would never have with anyone else, even Clifton, and I cherished it.

Chapter Twelve

I awoke the next morning feeling great.  I was rested and ready for the big battle that was to take place that evening.  Though I had thought of Violet’s warning over the past few days, there was no way around it.  If I wanted to live then I would have to face and vanquish my enemy.  I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that we wouldn’t all make it out alive, but I felt that we stood a good chance of winning.  Today was the tenth day that I had worn this ring.  So, one way or another, it would all be over tonight.  Whether I lived or died, it would at least the end of this whole ordeal and there was peace in that.

Kafkus insisted on more weapons training for the day, so we spent a great part of it outside.  Clifton was getting much better and Kyle joined the training session using Loach’s knifes as he had the previous day.  He’d told me that he wanted to fight with us tonight.  I had protested at first, but agreed in the end.  It was one more on our side, and I couldn’t say no.  He wasn’t too bad either.  I didn’t know if he was just a quick learner or if he had just practiced in the past, but he was good.  He was about equal in using his weapons as Clifton was now, though he had no powers to fall back on if the weapons failed as the rest of us did.  Well, everyone besides me.

I sat in the grass under a large willow tree to watch them.  I had decided, and Kafkus had agreed, that I should save my remaining strength and energy for that night.  I was feeling much weaker than I had the previous day.  My death loomed around me like a dark cloud, hiding the strength I knew I possessed.

I headed back to my apartment before the rest of them to prepare dinner.  My men needed to refuel before we headed out.  I prepared a traditional Zolera meal, with a few human touches: seared salmon stuffed with seaweed along with corn and mashed potatoes.

We ate in silence.  I knew that everyone was as nervous as I was.   Tension crowded the room.  I had to do or say something to lighten the mood, but nothing came to me.  There was nothing that I could say to reassure them.  Five of us would be leaving but I doubted that all of us would return.

I glanced out the window.  The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky.  It was time to go, time to finish this task once and for all.  It seemed like so long ago that we had left Kortis.  I wished that I could see my mother and father just one last time.  I didn’t know if I would ever see them again.

I finally stood up, and everyone else did too.  I looked at Kafkus and he nodded, indicating that it was indeed time to go.  I took one last glimpse around the place that I had called home for the last month, wondering if I would ever see it again.  Though my apartment wasn’t much, it had been my second home.

Kafkus came to stand in front of me.  He held his arms out to me and I clung to him.  He held me in his strong arms, giving me the comfort that I so desperately needed.  He whispered softly in my ear, “You will, Quartessa.  I promise you that.”  I let him hold me.  I breathed him in deep, taking in his musky aroma.  He smelled so good, familiar.

“Come, Princess, it is time to go,” Quino said from beside me.

I couldn’t seem to let go of Kafkus, I felt as if I would never hold him again.  I felt tears well up in my eyes, unable to hold them back.  I felt a presence behind me and knew instantly that it was Clifton.  He placed his arms around me from behind and pressed his body against my back.  Quino joined the hug from the side, wrapping his arms around me as well.

Though I felt comforted, something was missing.  “Kyle?” I called out.

“Yes?”  He sounded like he wished to join but didn’t want to intrude on a private moment.

“Get your ass over here!”

I felt him join in on my other side.  He pressed his face against my cheek.

I relished in the comfort of my four guys.  We all stood there.  My men cast their loyalty and my body seemed to absorb it, filling me with something that the ring could not take.  I suddenly felt stronger than I had in days, like I could accomplish anything.

I opened my eyes and looked around at them all in turn.  Kafkus, Quino and Clifton were glowing with a brilliant blue light.  I saw myself glowing brightest of us all. 
Was this magic?

“No, this is love,” Kafkus said thoughtfully.  “We all give ourselves to you, will possibly die for you, our bodies know this.  Take the strength that we have given you Princess, and use it well.”

“I will.”  I took a moment to bask in the renewed power that my men had given me.  I could feel it coursing through my veins, like a piece of each of them was inside of me, forcing me to be strong.  “Alright, let’s go kick some Boru ass!”

********************

We parked a few buildings away from the warehouse so that we could have at least some element of surprise.  They knew we were coming after all.

I spotted a still lump on the side of the road and stopped in my tracks.  “What is that?”

Kafkus went first to check it out.  He had his sword drawn, just in case.  He returned with a distressing expression on his face.  He walked up to Kyle and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.  “I am sorry Kyle, but your father has passed on from this life.”

Kyle looked surprised and uncertain of Kafkus’ words.  He walked hesitantly over to his father’s corpse and stood there for a moment, just staring at his dead body, before he threw himself on top of it, overcome by grief.