Royal Obligations

Chapter 45: Patterns

I feel small kisses trail up my bare back as my eyes flutter open. They tickle so I wiggle a little to escape them.

"You're finally up,"

I hug the pillow under me tighter. Memories from last night all flood back to me and I jerk up from my serene position.

"Whoa there," Forrest chuckles as my eyes adjust to the morning sunlight pouring into his room. Forrest plopped down next to me and held his head up in his hand while he lay sideways. "Good morning, Lila. You're incredibly adorable when you wake up."

"No I'm not." I stifle a yawn and look up at him. "My hair is probably a bird's nest."

"Good morning to you too, Forrest." He tries to imitate me in a high voice. "First of all, no it doesn't. And second of all, I wouldn't care if it did anyway."

"I do not sound like that," I say, but with a small smile. It wasn't fair that he could still look gorgeous with a bed head.

"Sure you do," Forrest smirks as he rolls over so he's hovering over me. He looks down at me for a couple moments without saying anything. Then he frowns.

"What?" I ask, slightly nervous. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go to a meeting this morning to discuss... recent events." He continues to frown. "And I really don't want to leave."

As nice as it was to finally relax and be with him, I remembered why I came to his room in the first place. "A meeting? What kind of meeting."

"With my mother, of course. And my brother and the royal advisors."

"Can I come?"

Forrest's frown deepens. "I don't think I'm allowed to do that."

"Please, Forrest. It's important. I need to speak with your mother." I plead.

Forrest sits up in bed and studies me. "Does this have anything to do with why you came to my room yesterday in the first place?"

I sit up as well and nod. "Yes, and it's very important."

"Can't you tell me now?" He asks.

Daisy's threat to kill Forrest flashes across my mind and I tense. "No. I need to talk to your mother."

"Lila, what the hell is going on? Are we keeping secrets now?"

I lean over toward him and touch his face. This time, I study him. What's the difference if I tell his mother and no one else? Daisy said she would have Mikhail snap Forrest's neck if I told anyone, but Mikhail was locked up. I felt the safest thing right now was to actually tell him. If he knew what was happening he would know what to avoid. Who to avoid.

So I did. I told him everything I knew and everything I found out over the duration of my stay here at the palace. It's safe to say that after that, it didn't take much convincing to get me into that meeting.

Forrest was almost dressed by the time I realized I had nothing to wear.

"I cannot walk in there wearing that." I point to the maid's uniform lying on the floor.

"I already got that covered, love." Forrest smirks as he tosses me a dress. "It's Nadia's dress. She lives two room down from me."

"Did you just call me 'love'?" I raise an eyebrow and Forrest laughs while he straightens his tie.

"How can you be so animate right now?" I ask, completely awed. "After what I just told you?"

"Because if I'm not than I'm going to think about it. If I think about it, well, not the best thing for my mental state." He shrugs as he walks over to his dresser. There was a pitcher of water and a small white pill on a platter. He pops the pill in his mouth and swallows without agitation.