The Mortal Queen | The Cruel Prince / Wicked King Fanfic

Fourteen

Cardan

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Silence.

Tap. Tap.

I lie there on my stomach, not moving, hoping the insufferable tapping will stop. If it doesn't—

Tap. Tap.

"No." I growl into my pillow, my arm reaching out to swat at the air.

Tap tap tap—whack!

I stir some more and my mind clears a bit as I realize what's happening. I peer out the corner of my eye to find Roach hovering near me. He's waving my letter opener at me, his brows arched. He must have been using it to smack against my boots.

Well, last night I did ask him to wake me this morning with any means necessary. I thought there would be a grander display, more than merely trying to annoy me into consciousness. But perhaps that was his intention all along. Well played.

As I look at him, he sighs. "Get your ass out of bed." Roach says flatly, bored even.

The words instantly make me want to start throwing things. And then I remembered I had told him to say that. Any means necessary included certain phrases that stirred up instant rage. It worked, and I'm already feeling the fuzziness of sleep leaving me.

I manage to work a smile onto my face. "Yes, sir." I croak out. "Now get the hell out so I can get dressed."

He dips his head with a smile on his face. "Yes, sir." He says back to me, then leaves me to the quiet of my chambers.  

I groan and roll over onto my back. At the same time, I remember what I had tucked away in my pocket. I move quickly to retrieve the folded photo, and look it over for any damage. I take a deep breath and unfold it, relieved to see Jude's face staring back at me. The other half of the photograph is of Oak, but I would much rather see Jude's face, so I fold his half of the picture behind Jude so hers is the only face I see. With great effort I get out of bed and wander across the room to tuck the photo into the top-left corner of my full-length mirror, where it will remain until I'm able to bring Jude home.

I tear my eyes away from the photo, and seeing my reflection in the mirror startles me, as I'm still dressed in my mortal clothes. I begin shedding the ridiculous attire, then glance to Jude's picture and can't help but grin while everything from my day in the mortal world floods back to me.

I had left Jude warm in her bed, at nearly three in the morning. I had fallen asleep for a good hour before reluctantly peeling myself away from her. The memory of her warm skin still lingers on my fingertips, and it's a sensation I don't want to disappear.

When it was time to actually leave I didn't wake her, but still whispered to her as if she were as awake as I was, and kissed her before leaving the house in the middle of the night. Would she miss me? I wasn't sure where we stood after the massive exchange of information. We didn't even have a chance to talk that out at the end of it all. Flirting is one thing, but I did still wonder what Jude's wants and ambitions were when it came to us. Us—it feels both strange and exhilarating when I think about it. Get a grip, asshole. The road to forgiveness is still very long.

I still left with that all hanging in the air between us, and Roach and I made the trek back here shortly after. Upon arrival, we had a short debrief, and I finally collapsed onto my bed around six. It's now ten-thirty and I already know I'm going to need some sort of tonic to keep my eyelids from sealing shut. Coffee. Was that the word they used in the mortal world for the energy-infused drink? I need some of that.