Borrowed Time. pt.2

Winter's POV

Derrick shook his head, though the smile lingering on his face hadn't quite disappeared.

"I've survived worse than paperwork."

"I'm not entirely convinced."

"You wound me."

"I've seen that stack."

"It has certainly tried."

Another laugh escaped me, softer this time, and I found myself returning to the reports in my hands. Most were sealed with different insignias—the border patrol, treasury, western settlements, and several from allied territories requesting audiences.

Without really thinking about it, I began arranging them into separate piles.

Military.

Political.

Economic.

Internal affairs.

Derrick looked up after signing the first page.

"...You've done this before."

I glanced at him.

"My mother always sorted Father's correspondence before meetings. She said if people insisted on overwhelming him, the least she could do was make sure he drowned in an organized fashion."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"I think I would have liked your mother."

"You would."

"And I think she'd pity me."

I smiled.

"Probably."

By the time I finished sorting the last stack, the once chaotic table had transformed into neat piles. It still looked intimidating, but at least now there was some order to it.

Derrick stared at the arrangement before looking back at me.

"...That actually helps."

"I'm glad."

He tapped the arm of his chair thoughtfully.

"Come here."

I frowned.

"I am here."

"You know what I mean."

"I don't."

His eyes narrowed with playful suspicion.

"I think you do."

"I truly don't."

A corner of his mouth lifted.

Then, without another word, he lightly patted his thigh.

My entire body froze.

"...Oh."

"Exactly."

Heat immediately rushed to my face.

"Derrick..."

"What?"

"There are chairs."

"There are."

"You are sitting on one."

"I am."

"So... why?"

He leaned back with all the patience in the world.

"Because if you're over there and I'm over here, you'll keep standing every thirty seconds to hand me another document."

"I don't mind."

"I do."

I blinked.

"You've been on your feet long enough today."

There wasn't a trace of teasing in his voice anymore.

Only quiet certainty.

"You should sit."

"I can sit in the other chair."

"You could."

He nodded.

"But then I'd still have to keep reaching across the table."

"...You're impossible."

"So I've been told."

I looked between him and the empty chair.

Then back again.

This was ridiculous.

Entirely ridiculous.

And yet...

He waited without rushing me, already returning to the report in front of him as though he hadn't just suggested something that had turned my thoughts into complete chaos.

With a sigh that was mostly directed at myself, I walked around the desk.

"This is only because your paperwork is apparently determined to defeat you."

"Naturally."

"And because I don't want to keep walking back and forth."

"A very practical decision."

"It is."

I carefully lowered myself onto the edge of his lap, trying very hard not to think about how close we suddenly were.

Derrick didn't make a comment.

Didn't smirk.

Didn't tease.

Instead, he simply adjusted the stack of papers so both of us could reach them more easily.

"There," he said, dipping his pen into the ink once more.

"Much more efficient."

I stared at him.

"...That's it?"

He looked up.

"Were you expecting something else?"

My heart jumps. "I-I don't know."

"Neither do I."

Then he simply went back to work.

For some reason...

That made my face even warmer.

Minutes passed in comfortable silence.

The only sounds filling the room were the scratch of his pen across parchment, the occasional rustle of paper, and the crackling fire dancing lazily in the hearth.

Every now and then he would pause.

"Border report."

I handed it to him.

"Thank you."

A few moments later—

"Trade agreements."

I passed another document into his waiting hand.

"You're becoming alarmingly good at this."

"I had an excellent teacher."

"Your mother?"

I nodded.

"She always said organization solved half of life's problems."

"And the other half?"

"Tea."

He laughed quietly.

"I think she and Rowan would get along."

"I don't know Rowan well enough to answer that."

"He drinks tea like it's a sacred ritual."

"I've noticed." On my random walks I've caught him in several locations with the same teacup steaming in the sun.

"I once caught him lecturing someone for boiling the water incorrectly."

"Is that even possible?"

"Apparently."

I covered my mouth, trying to suppress another laugh.

Derrick looked absurdly pleased with himself.

"I told you that story specifically because I knew it would make you laugh."

"You manipulated me."

"I influenced the outcome."

"Those are the same thing."

"They're really not."

I rolled my eyes.

"They absolutely are."

"Agree to disagree."

I shook my head, smiling despite myself.

It felt...

Easy.

Wonderfully easy.

For the first time in what felt like forever, neither of us was discussing treaties, expectations, attacks, politics, or impossible choices.

We were simply...

Here.

Together.

The realization settled over me slowly.

This was one of the things I had missed.

Not grand gestures.

Not declarations.

Just this.

Existing beside him while the afternoon slipped quietly toward evening.

After another report, Derrick stopped writing altogether.

He flexed his fingers with a tired sigh.

"My hand has officially declared independence."

"I'm afraid you'll have to negotiate with it."

"I've been negotiating all week."

"And?"

"It refuses diplomacy."

I smiled.

"Then perhaps you should rest."

"I have twenty-three more reports."

"You counted them?"

"I always count them."

"...Why?"

"So I know exactly how miserable I should feel."

I laughed again.

He looked at me for a long moment, the corners of his eyes softening.

"I missed that."

"What?"

"Making you laugh."

The words caught me off guard.

Before I could respond, he gently reached forward and tucked another loose strand of hair behind my ear.

His fingertips lingered only briefly.

Then, almost absentmindedly, he pressed a light kiss against my temple.

It wasn't passionate.

It wasn't demanding.

It was so natural that it almost felt like breathing.

He pulled away just as easily and reached for another report.

"Now," he murmured, uncorking the ink once more, "Where were we?"

Derrick reached for another report, breaking the seal with practiced ease before glancing over the first few lines.

His shoulders sagged ever so slightly.

I watched him for a moment before speaking.

"Does all of that really have to be finished tonight?"

"It should."

He signed the bottom of the page before placing it neatly into the completed pile.

"The sooner it's done, the sooner tomorrow belongs to tomorrow instead of today."

I smile faintly.

"You're speaking in riddles."

"I'm speaking as someone who has spent the better part of the month chasing politicians."

My eyebrows lifted.

"And vampires."

"And vampires."

A curious smile springs up. So far I've only gotten bits and pieces of exactly what happened. At first I thought it was a lie conjured by Keon to get Derrick out of the palace. But it's clear now that that's farther from the truth.

"You never really told me what happened."

he looked up from the report at me. I smile sheepishly.

"I thought I'd spare you the political details."

"I don't mind them."

"No?"

She shook her head.

"I asked."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Fair enough."

He leaned back in the chair, absently rolling the stiffness from one shoulder before continuing.

"A settlement along the eastern valleys has decided they no longer recognize the authority of the Vampire Council."

"They're rebelling?"

"In their own way."

He shrugged lightly.

"They believe the old Council only protects the ancient noble families. Ordinary vampires carry the burden of wars, taxes and rebuilding while those at the top remain untouched."

Winter frowned thoughtfully.

"Do they have a point?"

Derrick was quiet for several seconds.

"They do."

The answer surprised her.

"But having a point," he continued, "doesn't excuse violence."

"What happened?"

"They requested negotiations. After killing some of the lower tier elders of course. Me and Sabrina and some of the others went over there to try and negotiate with them."

"And?"

"They never intended to negotiate."

His expression grew more distant as the memory resurfaced.

"It was an ambush."

I instinctively straightened.

"They hid explosives beneath one of the abandoned buildings where the meeting was supposed to take place."

A knot formed in my stomach.

"They wanted leverage."

"They wanted bodies."

Silence settled between us.

"My guards reacted quickly enough."

He looked down at the report in his hand, though I doubted he was reading it anymore.

"But not quickly enough."

My heart skipped.

"Derrick..."

"It nearly cost me Sabrina."

Everything inside me stilled.

"What?"

He rubbed absentmindedly at the back of his neck.

"A younger soldier froze when the explosion started."

His voice remained calm, but she noticed the slight tightening of his jaw.

"Sabrina pushed him clear."

"And she..."

"The blast caught her instead."

My breath catches. Sabrina....

"Is she alright?"

He immediately nodded.

"She'll recover."

The tension in her shoulders loosened slightly.

"Broken ribs. A dislocated shoulder. Enough bruises to make even Rowan sigh. Our quick regeneration made sure she wasn't injured for long though, but I saw her massaging her shoulder when she thought I wasn't looking, so I had her see Jet."

I exhale the breath I hadn't realized I been holding.

"Oh, thank goodness."

Derrick smiled faintly.

"She's already arguing with the healer. On my way back here she cursed the vampires for putting her in this situation."

A laugh escaped me despite everything.

"That sounds exactly like Sabrina."

"It does."

"They've probably ordered her to rest."

"They have."

"And she's ignoring them."

"Completely."

I shake her head with a fond smile. That's just Sabrina for you.

"I should visit her." I saw more to myself than him.

"I think she'd like that."

She looked down at the neatly sorted stacks between them.

"I never properly thanked her."

"For disciplining those wolves?"

Winter nodded.

"I saw two of them earlier." I know he knows what I'm talking about. It's Derrick, of course he would know.

"And?"

"They... apologized."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Derrick's face.

"I was hoping they would."

"I didn't think punishment could actually change someone's behavior."

"It usually doesn't."

She looked up.

"Then why did it work?"

He thought about the question before answering.

"Because Sabrina wasn't protecting her authority."

He met Winter's eyes.

"She was protecting yours."

Winter blinked.

"You deserved respect the moment you stepped into this palace."

His voice was quiet.

"Not because of your magic."

"Not because of your title."

"Not because of who you're meant to marry."

He offered her a gentle smile.

"But because you're you."

Something tightened painfully in her chest.

Back home...

Respect had always been earned.

Measured.

Conditional.

One mistake could strip it away.

Here...

People defended my dignity before I'd even learned to defend it herself.

Derrick noticed the distant look settling into her eyes.

He reached over, gently brushing another loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're thinking too much again."

I smile.

"I probably am."

"You definitely are."

Without another word, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against her temple before picking up the next report.

"Now..."

He uncorked the ink once more.

"Where were we?"