I didn’t realize when I’d fallen asleep or how long I had been out. But when I woke up, I expected to find my head against the cold surface of the window. However, I was surprised to notice that my cheek was pressed against something warm and soft, and my nose was instantly greeted with an all too familiar scent.
It didn’t take me long to realize that I was resting my head on Marcus’ shoulder.
“Kiara?” His voice greeted my ears, completely waking me out of my sleep. I slightly pulled away, and when I was sure that I heard right, I sat back up straight. When I turned to look at Marcus, he was staring back at me as though he were the one who did the inappropriate thing.
“Sorry.” I said, edging away from him.&nbs
Marcus’ POVI awoke in the middle of the night to find my head tangled in her head. Given the size of the bed, we had no choice but to snuggle up against each other. Although we had done this several times in the past, it felt to me that it was the very first time I was holding her so close. It was perhaps because I’d been deprived of this feeling for so long that it was beginning to feel foreign for me. All these days I couldn’t understand what I was feeling for her. I couldn’t explain the sudden disinterest in her, the sudden lack of emotional dependency. Suddenly, I wanted something else, something so bizarre that even my heart couldn’t accept it. In my head, I knew the strategic reasons of why I accepted to marry Audrey, but I couldn’t understand the true reason for it all myself. If it weren’t for that day in the hospital when Kiara saved my life, I perhaps wouldn’t have realized that I still had feelings for her, that I still valued her more than what I let myself believe. Th
Marcus’ POV I watched as Kiara threw her head back and laughed at another one of Jack’s silly jokes. The young lad was charming and kind with a sense of humor that could ease anyone into a conversation, even reserved women like Kiara. It had been long since I saw her like that, making me even more grateful for his presence on this trip. We were currently stopped at an eatery to have breakfast, where I’d stepped away to make a phone call. Every time my heart swelled with emotions towards her, an equally powerful force dragged me away. I had never thought such a thing would be possible where my mind wanted something but I couldn’t get it. But that was how black magic worked. It would drive people to do things that they would never even dream of doing, and they will have no power over it. I understood that part very well when my heart began to see the reality, but there was still very little I could do to prevent anything. Every time I thought about Kiara, my mind would take me ba
Kiara’s POV Marcus has been acting weird. First he asked to share a bed with me in the cottage last night, and now he was willing to sign us up in the same room. When I’d asked him why we couldn’t stay in separate rooms now that we were at the verge of separation, he gave me a glare. “No couple stays in different rooms.” “But we’re not a couple.” I shrugged, “And I doubt the people around will notice anything.” “I don’t want to risk it.” He said, “Like it or not, as long as we’re here, we need to act like the perfect couple.” I scoffed at him. “Like it or not?” I repeated, “As if I were the one that had a problem with anything.” “We’re going to stay in the same room. End of discussion.” “Geez, fine.” I said, playfully slapping his arm. Mere seconds ago, he was the perfect gentleman who would open the door for me and help me carry my bags, but within seconds he went back to being a rude idiot. Sometimes I really think he was hormonal. Nothing else could explain this bipolar na
I was blind to its beauty before, but the region of Madria was easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It was like Windshire in many ways, like the chill in the air, the beautiful landscape and the warmth of its people. However, it was also vastly different from the somewhat modern way of living of people of Windshire as opposed to the more old school way this region was built. Minutes into the ride, I was greeted with tall buildings that I’d only ever seen in history books before. It felt like people lived in the past here, and the chariot that I was riding no longer seemed odd to my eye. Infact, I saw many versions of it throughout the city. Few had its passengers revealed to the world while the one that we were riding in gave us privacy as we rode through the streets. I suppose ours was more of a carriage. I could sense Marcus’ eyes on me occasionally as I stared out of the window in wonder. He drastically increased my expectations for our destination. He surel
As I stared at my own reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t help but be pleased with my appearance.The bottle green ball gown Bella picked out for me was proving to be a great choice now, contrary to what I believed before. When we’d initially bought it, I wasn’t sure if it would make me look the way I wanted to tonight. I didn’t mean to stand out but I surely wanted to look different. I wanted to appear fierce and bold, somebody who belonged. Somebody who suited the man she was accompanying, somebody who would be respected as the Luna.At the same time, I wanted to look beautiful. If there was a part of him that initially fell purely for my external beauty, then tonight I wanted to revoke that part of him. I wanted him to court me into the ballroom with pride, reinstating to everyone that I indeed
As we turned to our side, I found a young man, perhaps of Marcus’ age or little older, grinning at us.I watched as Marcus’ face split into a grin as his eyes landed on him. “Roger.” He said, “What a surprise. I heard you weren’t in attendance tonight.”“Well, change of plans and here I am.” He said and opened his arms.I stood awkwardly as both the men exchanged pleasantries but not for long. Soon, his eyes fell on me and a knit formed over the bridge of his nose.“And who is this lovely lady by your side?”I wore my best grin once again as Marcus wrapped his arm around my
Roger instantly let go of my hand and placed it in Marcus’ awaiting palm. “She’s all yours, Mark.” He then looked at me, “See you later, Kiara.”Once Marcus snaked his hand around my waist, he pulled me against his chest and stared down at me. He had an unreadable expression on his face as he said, “So..” He started, “If you wanted to dance, you could’ve just asked me.”“I was going to, but you had other business to take care of.”He frowned to himself for a heartbeat before he realized what I was saying. An apologetic look crossed his face, “Right. My bad.” He said, “I wasn’t aware you liked to dance.”
With a heavy heart, I walked back into the ballroom. After Marcus left me in the corner, I remained there for a few minutes to compose myself. I hadn’t anticipated hearing what he said, and his words have sent my heart into a ruckus.My suspicion had been true.Marcus wasn’t entirely unaware of our situation. He knew everything. He knew about the potion and what it was doing to him. Only difference was that, despite knowing everything, he wasn’t doing anything to fix it. From his words, it seemed to me that he was trying to fight it with everything he could, but he was failing.Why would that happen?If he knew that he was driven by a magic potion, why would he