Page 5 of Obsessively Yours (Fae Kings of Eden #2)
5
ELEVEN MONTHS LATER
Roman sat tucked away between the dark bookshelves in the palace library, studying the massive book on Eden’s wars throughout the years. It was interesting, but not interesting enough to hold his attention for longer than half an hour.
His father expected excellence, and Roman spent most of his free time studying or fighting. Weekly dinners with the Maekins became his favorite pastime, and he often found himself counting down the days until he could disappear into their cozy cottage for a few hours.
When tucked away in the privacy of the Maekins’ cottage, there was no one to observe him, waiting for him to screw up. Violet had become one of his best friends, and knowing she’d be in his life, despite the reason, made him happier than he’d like to admit. He smiled to himself.
Muttering laced with frustration caught his attention, and he looked around for the source. Something familiar nibbled at his mind. Curious, he stood and followed the grumblings around the impossibly tall bookshelf behind him. The very object of his thoughts sulked on the other side with a book and an array of papers scattered around her.
He grinned as she righted an overturned inkwell, spewing more curses that would scandalize his mother. “You’re supposed to keep the ink inside the jar.”
Violet’s head snapped up with slitted eyes. “Hilarious.” She stared helplessly at the mess in front of her and used extra papers to sop up the ever-spreading goo. Giving up, she dropped her head into her hands. “I’m never going to finish this in time.”
Roman moved closer to the disaster and tried to make sense of the chaos smeared across the pages. “Finish what?”
Violet dropped her hands and said something, but he heard nothing when he took in her appearance. The laugh that exploded out of him couldn’t be helped, and much as he tried, it couldn’t be ebbed either.
“It’s not funny,” she snapped. “I don’t understand the arithmetic.” She pointed at the ink-soaked paper, “and now I can’t read my notes.”
Roman moved around the table, biting back his laughter the best he could. “You have ink all over your face.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
Roman picked up her arm. “Your hands.”
She looked at the ink covering her hands. “Could today get any worse?” she wailed, eyeing the ink stains on her dress. “I just made this.”
“Here.” Roman stripped out of his shirt and tilted her chin to look at him. He ran the white cloth over her forehead and cheeks. The black liquid smeared, but after switching to clean areas of the shirt a dozen times, most of it came off, leaving only a dark tint on her tan skin. “That’s as good as I can do without water.”
Her chin still in his hand, Violet’s eyes pierced his, and a quiet moment passed between them. Roman’s breathing picked up, and he didn’t understand the feeling in his chest, having only experienced one other time: the night of his thirteenth birthday, when he saw her on the balcony in her flower crown and purple dress.
Her gaze moved to his bare chest and a pink flush crept up her slender neck. Roman stepped away and donned his ruined shirt. “I can help you.”
Her obvious hope sparked a pull he couldn’t explain. If she isn’t my mate, why do I feel this way?
Bonded mates typically had eyes for no one else, the mere thought of them considering another unfathomable. From the stories Roman’s parents told him, they’d been that way from the day they met.
So how did the bond allow him to feel this way about Violet and have borderline disdain for Vivian? Everything he’d read about mates described the tug he felt now, and not for the first time, he wondered if the gods made a mistake.
He shook himself from his confusing thoughts and gestured to the scattered papers. “I’m good at arithmetic, and I’ve finished the assignments already.”
She looked to be contemplating whether to rip her book in half or not. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand. We started learning arithmetic when we were nine, Rome, and I’m almost fifteen. Eight years, and I still don’t understand it.” She leaned back in her chair, and Roman decided not to correct her.
Instead, he clucked his tongue and dragged one of the other chairs over to sit beside her. “Where do you want to start?”
* * *
A few hours later, Violet hurried across the palace grounds toward the warrior compound with her heart in her throat. What happened in the library with Roman? She’d thought the crush she’d formed when they were twelve disappeared not long after the gods bonded him to Vivian. She’d forced it away, refusing to betray her sister.
Not to mention, signing herself up for guaranteed heartbreak would be foolish.
You’re being stupid, Violet scolded herself. In no part of their world would Roman feel that way about her, especially while bonded to someone else. The nervous energy buzzing through her had her hands shaking and her breaths ragged.
The moment in the library was a one off; a fleeting feeling. That’s all.
Violet rushed up the porch steps and through the front door, kicked off her slippers, scooped the shoes into one hand, and rushed to her room.
Removing her ruined dress, she wrapped a robe around her body and carried her soiled clothes to the laundering room to treat the stains. Harsh whispers on the other side of the laundering room door brought her to an abrupt halt.
Violet shamelessly planted an ear against the door and strained to hear.
“Why do we have to hide our relationship?” a boy’s voice demanded. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“No,” Vivian’s familiar voice insisted . Violet covered her mouth. “But no one can know about us.”
Vivian has a secret boyfriend?
“Why not?” The boy sounded frustrated. “I love you, Viv.”
Violet pulled back and gaped at the closed door.
A shuffling sound broke the silence, and Vivian’s voice came out softer, with more emotion than Violet had known her sister possessed. “I love you too, but please, trust me. You know why we can’t say anything. I don’t know what would happen to you if anyone found out.”
More silence. “I trust you, but I can’t hide us forever. You swore when we explored our feelings that you would choose me.”
“I know, but I need time to figure things out.”
“I’ll give you time for now,” the boy murmured, followed by a faint smacking that sounded an awful lot like kissing. Violet’s face screwed up. Why did it sound so slobbery?
“Go,” Vivian said breathlessly. “My sister will be home soon. Check before going through the window.”
Violet turned and ran on tip-toes back to her room, then closed the door loudly to alert them of her arrival with her heart beating erratically at what she’d overheard.
Vivian is cheating on Roman. Maybe not cheating because according to Viv they weren’t dating yet, but they were mated. If Violet were mated to Roman, she couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else.
She pressed her hand to her chest in a futile attempt to stop the anxious ache taking root. Should she betray her sister and tell Roman, or keep quiet and let them work it out on their own?
If she told no one and Vivian ran away with her boyfriend, would Roman choose a new mate? A wretched part of Violet wanted that more than anything, but it felt like a betrayal to her sister.
Sitting on her bed, Violet stared out the window. But is it a betrayal if Vivian loves someone else? She decided not to tell anyone, telling herself it was to protect Vivian, but deep down, Violet knew her motives contained a tinge of selfishness.
She wished she hadn’t heard a thing.