Cry Me a River |✔️

Chapter 67- Home Sweet Cell

"We all hold the keys to our own jail cells."

Chapter 67

Home Sweet Cell

River's POV

Alastair's head leaned forward, brows merging.

"What?" He whispered in disbelief, "what for?"

"I shifted Alastair," his lips pulled to a thin line as I spoke, "right before him."

"Him?"

"Your father."

"Shit," Alastair clicked his tongue as his fingers raked anxiously through his hair, "Goddess," he breathed out.

Alastair's eyes roamed the walls, searching. Yet not for anything tangible. Perhaps he was concocting an escape plan but there was no use. There was no way to get out of this. Perhaps if it were a maid that caught me we could blame it on her own insanity but it was His Highness. The prior king. He had more control over the council than Alastair. He'd been king for over thirty years. Alastair hadn't even been king for a full year yet. How was he planning on getting me out of this?

Silently, Alastair lifted me from the ground. My legs wrapped around his waist as I tucked my head into the crook of his neck. He fell lightly onto the cold, rock bed, pressing his back against the wall as his arms wrapped around my waist. His nose nuzzled against my neck as I breathed in his musky, masculine scent.

After a few minutes of silently soaking in one another, I spoke.

"What are you going to do?" I whispered, lifting my head to meet his eyes.

His gaze held mine, yet not a word escaped. He let out a shaky breath as his hand lightly swept against the stubble on the chin.

"To start, I'm going to call for a council meeting. I'm only hoping my father hasn't spoken to them yet," his eyes once again roamed the cell walls.

"He can call for a meeting even though he's no longer king?"

"For an emergency, he can," his eyes pulled to my face as his fingers dragged lightly across my collarbone

Heat coursed through my skin, burning beneath everyone soft pad of his fingertips. I sucked in a shaky breath as I bent my head and kissed him lightly on the cheek. His nails dug lightly into my scalp as he pulled me closer and laid a soft peck on my lips.

"I love you, River," his eyes glazed to a soft glow as his lips pulled into a small, strained smile. "No matter what happens starting now, I will protect you," his hands cupped my face, thumbs brushing lightly against my wettening cheeks.

I could only hope it was a promise he could keep.

♚

The bars clanked together as the cell door closed behind Alastair. With his back facing me, my eyes dropped to the floor. It had been the fourth time today that he had come to visit, each time with more presents to spoil me with. My fingers ran lightly against fur lining around my waist as I watched him round the cell and out the jailhouse.

He had been in and out of meetings all week, stretching out the court date as long as he could and fighting councilmen until he was red in the face and short of breath.

My eyes wandered around my cell. How different it had become through each of Alastair's visitations. According to law, I was not allowed to leave my cell but since there was nothing against visiting, Alastair took the initiative to come every moment he could. Though he never came empty handed, he took it upon himself to redecorate my cell after coming in the first time, horrified by my living conditions. He took to lining the rock bed in layers of pillows, claiming I was going to bruise myself against such a hard surface. Not to mention the amount of fur that lined both the floor of my cell and my bed.