Child of a King

Chapter twenty-nine - A thin thread + Characters

Picking out one of the marbles from the jar, I let it twirl around in the palm of my hand for a few seconds, letting it tickle against my skin. Dropping it in the other jaw, I bent down to compare how many were in each of them.

This was my counting system to keep track of how many days there is until Luca gets home. Sighing, I blamed the time for going too slowly as there still were a lot of marbles in the first jaw. At least now I could visibly see how many days there were left.

I missed Luca every day, but today I missed her a little extra. I had a lot of bad dreams last night. Not anyone that was brutal like they could be, but still they weren't nice. Thankfully I didn't wake up screaming or crying like I sometimes did. I would feel guilty if that was the case as it was very late at night before I felt Nate climb into bed beside me. I would feel bad if I had woken him up.

It was mornings after nights like that that I needed Luca right next to me all day. She would know exactly why I was clingier or why I was more distracted than usual. I wouldn't have to explain it to anyone.

After some time, I came up with an idea of how to keep myself distracted. Skipping down the stairs, I peeked into the different rooms of the house as I tried to find dad. Searching for a little while, I came up empty handed. Could he be better than me at hide and seek? Catching a glimpse of a suit cladded back in the kitchen, I turned in that direction.

"Hey Embry", I said, coming up behind him to hug his leg.

"Hey princess". He grinned down at me as his big hand combed through my hair. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Just looking for daddy". I watched as he poured black coffee into two separate mugs.

"He's in his office down the hallway". He mumbled a thank you when I handed him a spoon from the drawer, knowing he needed it to mix the milk and coffee together. I had heard dad calling it a crime against coffee to add anything into it. He said there was a reason why coffee was only made from boiling water and coffee beans, and it is because that's how it's supposed to be enjoyed. Not with all the added 'rubbish'. Though I couldn't get how anyone could enjoy coffee at all. It had a weird smell.

"Can I go see him?" I asked, recalling that I wasn't allowed there unless I had gotten permission.

"Sure, just remember to be quiet and knock on his door if it's closed".

"I'll be quiet as a mouse", I whispered, making it my personal mission to be as silent as possible. Like a spy.

"Good", Embry mimicked my low voice, winking at me.

"Is the other coffee for him?" Gazing at the black liquid, I wondered how anyone could possibly drink that.

"It is", he replied, dropping the used spoon into the sink.

"Can I give it to him?" I peered up at him with hopeful eyes, wanting to do something nice for dad.

"Yes, but you must walk slowly and be careful not to spill. It's still very hot and can easily burn you". Handing me the steaming mug of black coffee, I cradled the porcelain in my hands with the utmost gentleness.

With one small step at the time, I managed to get through the hallway without any trouble. When I got to the door of dad's office it was closed. Not wanting to risk dropping the mug or making a mess everywhere, I used my butt to knock on the door two times.

"Come in", a muffled voice sounded.

Glancing at the mug I was cradling for dear life; I rolled my lip between my teeth as I contemplated how I was supposed to open the door. Thinking quickly, I used my elbow to maneuver it open. Dad didn't see me as he was entirely engrossed reading a piece of paper, his scrutinizing gaze running from side to side.