The Mortal Queen | The Cruel Prince / Wicked King Fanfic

Thirteen

Jude

I awake to the sun shining directly on my face as light streams through my window. The thunderstorm from yesterday seems to have moved on, and left a bright, cheery day in its place. I wish I could will it away as I'm not ready to join the land of the living just yet. So, I roll over to my other side with a groan to escape the wretched beam of light from hell, and attempt to go back to sleep.

It's a useless attempt. My mind is already waking up and memories from yesterday are pounding their way into my consciousness.

I roll onto my back and stare up at the dart sticking out of my ceiling, taunting me. What are you looking at? I sigh. Part of me is shamelessly hoping Cardan will stroll through my bedroom door and hop into bed with me. But that's a useless thought too. I know he's really gone this time. He had whispered into my ear that he was leaving, and placed the softest kiss on my cheek. I thought it was a dream at first, but when his voice finally registered in my sleepy head, I reached out with my hand to find a still-warm empty space next to me.

Still, there's an ache in my chest, and I can't help thinking about everything that happened yesterday. I really should write it all down before the details are lost. There's so much information I could easily fill the entirety of a large notebook with all the scheming we're about to set into motion. Yet, maybe that's not the best idea. The first rule of being a spy is to never write anything important down. At least not so that it can easily be interpreted. It's highly unlikely that anyone would find their way to my notebook, but the last thing we need is our enemies stumbling on our secrets.

And then there's the matter of how everything changed so rapidly between Cardan and me. It's all too easy to let my mind slip into the memory of his piercing gaze, his heartbreaking honesty, his mouth on mine, his hand traveling up my thigh, and the way he'd whispered into my ear.

Wow, get ahold of it, Jude. Maybe a cold shower will help.

As soon as that thought enters my mind, my door opens, and Vivi pops her head in to look at me.

"Oh good, you're awake." She says with a smile, and steps into my room.

"Unfortunately." I groan.

Slowly I sit up, and in doing so, I notice a headache coming on. Real nice. Vivi comes closer and flings her body across the foot of my bed. She looks at me intently, eyebrows raised and a smile taking up the majority of her face.

"What?" I ask when she remains silent. That stupid grin is still on her face.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." She says accusingly.

"Oh?" I ask, swallowing hard. I'm a little apprehensive of her tone.

Her smile grows wider—I didn't think that was possible. "Tell me, Jude."

"Tell you what?" I ask, trying to sound clueless. I hope she's not going where I think she's going.

"Oh, don't play innocent with me. I'm talking about you and Cardan, so spill."

And there it is. I feel my face heat up instantly. Is she seriously trying to do girl-talk first thing in the morning? I do not want to talk about this. However I do know my sister. If I don't give her something to chew on she'll just keep bothering me, and then I'll most likely tell her more than I ever intended to.

"What do you want to know?" I ask slowly.

"Did he kiss you?" She asks with absolutely zero hesitation.

Vivi has never been known for her subtlety. I'm not surprised she went straight to the point, but it's still alarming.

"He might have." I say, looking away and fiddling with a loose string on my blanket. It's suddenly very interesting. I slowly let my eyes meet hers.