The Princess and the Guard (Book 1)

Forty-Seven

Noah checked his alert feed several times as he and Juliette walked inside, making sure the queen hadn't issued an order for Juliette to be brought back to the party. So far no demands had been sent, thank the skies, and he couldn't imagine Odette missing her, so Juliette seemed to be in the clear.

"I thought you were working the party?" Mason asked as Noah walked into the kitchen. His eyes immediately darted to Juliette and understanding dawned on his face.

Noah didn't bother answering. He reached into the cooler for a few pre-made meals and started heating them up.

"Your Highness," Mason murmured. "I'll uh, talk to you tomorrow?" he asked, glancing back at Noah.

Noah nodded.

Mason took the rest of his dinner and vanished out of the kitchen.

"He doesn't have to leave," Juliette said when he'd gone.

"He might be going to bed. He's got a weird sleep schedule."

"Oh."

Noah glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked tired. He nodded to one of the empty chairs at the table. "Come on, sit down, I'll make us something to eat."

Juliette nodded, taking one of the empty chairs and drawing a leg up. She was still wearing her dress from the party.

Noah pressed his lips together. "So what'd you think of the ceremony?"

Juliette shrugged. "I thought it was cool, but Odette seemed so disinterested; I don't know why she bothered with it."

Noah laughed. He handed a plate to her, then cocked his head to the side. "Want to eat while we work?"

Juliette nodded, and they made their way down to the garage. Noah had made decent progress with the engine, and he wanted to start it and see how it paired with the computer system once Juliette had it finished and installed.

"Did you clean in here?" he asked as he stepped into the living area.

"I did." Juliette grinned. "It smelled musty, and I couldn't take all the dirt."

"Looks good." Noah stooped for one of the toolboxes he had spread around, digging through it. He flipped a switch on the control panel, relieved that lights flickered on.

Juliette pulled herself up into the cockpit, sitting in the doorway. Her legs dangled over the side.

She finished her mid-day snack, then scrambled inside the ship and did some more tweaking on the computer. She said it worked beautifully on her tablet, but the first time she plugged it in, the ship didn't respond.

"How's it going up there?" Noah asked after they had been working in silence for almost an hour. He moved to the door of the cockpit, resting his arms on the threshold.

"Good. I think I've got it, now I just need to plug everything in and see." Juliette sank back on her heels, reaching behind her for a wire and twisting it into place. The status bar on her tablet was green, so she unplugged her tablet and connected the computer to the ship.

Noah leaned forward.

"So far so good."

Noah grinned. He nodded to the control panel. "Should I turn the engine on?"

Juliette dusted her hands together. "Give me one second," she said, checking something on the screen. "Okay, go ahead."

Noah pulled himself into the cockpit, taking a seat at the pilot's chair. He flipped a series of switches, starting the ship's engine, half expecting it to putter and die. It revved to life and held a steady rumble.

Juliette was grinning so broadly it looked painful. "Okay, okay, okay, let me run a diagnostics check," she said, tapping around on the screen. "Looks good. The oil level is low, and the engine pressure is high," she added, looking up at him.

Noah nodded, standing up and reaching for a lever above his head. "I can fix the engine pressure, but we'll have to take care of the oil another time." He jumped to the ground and made a few adjustments on the outside of the ship.

Juliette gave him a thumbs up. "Better! The solar panels are activated, and I can read them on the computer. Obviously we have no solar charge, but at least they're working," she added, leaning out of the doorway.

"Great. What else?"

"Besides the oil, nothing. The fuel levels are registering as full, which is good. I was afraid the gauge was broken, but it's not." She looked up, grinning. "We're good."

Noah sagged against the ship, relief making him weak. He almost laughed. They did it. Freedom was just around the corner.

Juliette jumped to the ground, grinning from ear to ear. She threw her arms around him and Noah easily caught her, lifting her off the ground and holding her in the tightest embrace he could. He felt her hands in his hair, her breath on his neck. He set her down, pulling away just enough for him to look at her.

He dipped his head toward her, but instead of kissing her, he rested his forehead against hers, setting her back to the ground.

She swallowed, and he could feel her heartbeat in her neck. "Noah—"

"I can't, butterfly," he whispered, shaking his head. His throat tightened and he swallowed, every fiber of his body alive with electricity.

She moved one of her hands to rest on the back of his wrist, her blue eyes sparkling. She barely nodded. "It's okay."

Noah drank her in. Her beautiful face, the radiance of her eyes, the flush of her lips, the faintest dusting of freckles across her nose. He shook his head. "No, it's not. If I kiss you... I don't think I'll be able to stop."

Juliette pulled away just enough so she could touch her fingers to his lips. Her eyes flickered up to his. "Then don't stop."

He studied her face for two and a half seconds before his resolve crumbled. He slid his hands to cradle her jaw, closing the space between them and sealing his lips against hers.

Juliette groaned, gripping his waist.

A galaxy of stars and suns exploded around them. Her lips were soft and sweet, her hair a waterfall of velvet. He reminded himself to pay attention to her body language, coaxing her to keep going, but ever mindful not to take it too far. His hands ran through her hair, cradling her head. Their noses brushed against one another. A tear trickled down her face, turning their kiss salty.

He took a step forward, pinning her against the side of the ship. He held her tighter, kissed her longer. One of her hands moved back into his hair, making a gentle fist. Her other arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"Juliette," he whispered against her lips. He kissed her again, then her jaw, her cheek, her nose, her closed eyelid. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

She choked on a laugh, drawing in a shaky inhale, unable to keep a smile from her face. His thumb grazed the side of her cheek, trailing over her flushed and slightly swollen lips as he turned his head and kissed the soft spot behind her ear.

Noah captured her lips again, feeling the smoothness of her cheeks, the warmth of her skin against his. She arched into him. One of her hands gripped his waist. The hem of his shirt must have shifted, because he could feel her hand on his bare back.

"Butterfly, let's fly away," he whispered. Noah wrapped his arms around her again, holding her against him. His entire body was shaking. He didn't know how long they stood there, together, in the cold garage. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours.

"I should probably go back to my room and get at least some rest before tomorrow," she murmured against him.

Noah let her go, glancing at his watch. It was almost one. "Yeah. That's... that's a good idea." He slid his hand down to hers, lacing their fingers together. He kissed her again, quickly, before walking with her back up the stairs, into the main area of the palace.