TrueBloods

Chapter 3: Answers?

I spent the rest of the night wide awake, fighting the urge to answer his summons. He had showed up in the middle of the night, right in the middle of that gods forsaken dream. I had been screaming in my dream when I heard "Princess, open the door. It's me." I snapped awake and threw on my nearest dressing gown, covering myself to be at least somewhat modest. I slowly opened the door, sure I was dreaming, but he was really standing there, all sexy and stuff. He had every appearance of having jumped out of bed and rushed over, in nothing but his pants and his chest deliciously bare. The thing the dreams never showed was how muscular he was. He looked like he could lift me and one of the full grown wolves without ever breaking a sweat. His hair was a complete mess, parted across his left eye, leaving the right eye free to pierce into my soul. I had to clutch my gown tighter around me and pray that he hadn't noticed when I pressed my legs tighter together. He spoke and his husky deep voice sent tingles and warmth straight to my core. He nudged my mind and it made things even more tingly. I allowed my eyes linger on him as he walked away before finally closing the door. I firmly shut my mind off from him and spend a good portion of the night fantasizing about the relief he might be able to give me. At some point, I reached for his mind and felt him thinking along the same lines as me. I wasn't able to sleep for the rest of the night. Every time I closed my eyes, he popped up.

I couldn't wait for breakfast to be over. I was antsy. I needed to run, to be free, to clear my head. I felt a tap on my mental walls and I glanced ovrt at him. I pushed one thought at him before looking away, you're going to get us killed, Jackson. If you're going to use your powers, stop doing it right in front of my family.

I felt him grin. He continued to watch me throughout breakfast until I couldn't stand it anymore and excused myself. Finally outside, I paused to look at the castle. It was beautiful. Built out of a kind of stone that sparkles in the sunlight, our castle was the fanciest there was in any of the neighboring kingdoms. Our gardens were meticulously landscaped to absolute perfection, with the exception of the woods that back up our land. Those were left to nature at my request. I padded along the soft, green grass towards the hedge maze, the wolves padding along next to me.

Once I got into the clearing in the center of the maze, I didn't have to wait long for Jackson to arrive. I was sitting there with Luna's head in my lap when he arrived. I glanced up when I heard him coming. I still couldn't believe he was real and not just some dream.

He huskily purred, "There you are, Princess. Can we talk now?"

I smiled softly. "Yes, Prince Jackson, this is probably the only place in the entire castle ground that we can talk."

he growled. "When are you going to stop being so formal with me?"

"When it is deemed appropriate to be less formal with you. This isn't even supposed to be happening right now. us meeting alone. What was it you needed to say?"

He took a couple steps closer and sat next to me, saying, "You and I are the same. I've seen it."

"So?"

He took a deep breath and seemed to change tactics. "Yesterday, in the hallway. When I kissed you, I know you felt the same thing I felt."

"Which was?"

He leaned closer so I could feel his breath and said, "The bond."

All that talk of kissing had me looking over at his lips more than once. I was in a daze. What was happening? "What bond?"

He glanced down to my lips, licking his own slightly to moisten them. "The mating bond"

I felt it then. I really did, as if him speaking it, brought it into existence. I carefully followed that bond all the way over to him and was taken aback. He knew he needed to ask me more questions, but all he could think about was how pretty I was and how much he wanted to kiss me even though it would be breaking the law. It was dizzying, that rush of adoration and arousal that was clouding his brain. I leaned close enough that we almost touched and breathed, "Do it."

He didn't hesitate or question me. I felt him inside my mind. I knew he understand what I meant. He closed that tiniest space between us and kissed me sweetly, gently. Like I was fragile and going to break at any moment. He pulled away just slightly and murmured my name. I kissed him again, list in the feeling of desire that was coursing through us.

We spent quite awhile like that, just sharing our minds and kissing. We were so wrapped up in each other's presence that we didn't notice as someone else approached. Lillyana was babbling away before she ever entered the clearing but the second she saw us she shrieked, "Lilah! What is going on here?"

I glared at her. She was such a goody two shoes. We were twins but she had silver blonde hair and blue eyes. Everything else was the same. except that she felt the need to obey every single rule and tattle about everything.

"Nothing."

She hissed, "Does Mother know this has been going on?" I shook my head. "How long have you two been seeing each other like this?"

He spoke up for the first time and said, "Princess Lillyana, this is the first time Princess Lilah and I have met in any sort of indecent manner. I had not realized until now that meetings like this are looked down upon. It's much different in my kingdom. When you are courting a lady, you go on many private excursions. Please, forgive me for my ignorance."

She shook her head. "What do you mean courting? I thought you and your brother, the crown prince, were here for a marriage proposal with me, not my sister."

He winced slightly. "That's partially true. But, uh, Robin isn't the crown prince. And we were here for both of you."

We started at him and he blushed. It was at that moment that I noticed he was actually pretty insecure. They hadn't said who the crown prince was because he wanted me to like him for who he was not as the crown prince. He wanted me to like him as my mate, not a stepping stone for power. Everyone always thought Robin was the crown prince. That's why Jackson spent so much time getting stronger and smarter. He was... scared.

Lillyana said, "You mean to tell me that you are the crown prince of the Elfin Kingdom?"

He nodded, ashamed. "Yes, Princesses. Please allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Jackson Keyro, Crown Prince of the Elfin Kingdom and I'm here to find my Queen."

Lillyana froze and then curtsied deeply. "My apologies sir. Please, continue what you were doing."

She turned around and left quite quickly. I whirled around and stared at Jackson. "Jackson Keyro," I murmured softly. "What are you really here for?"

He hesitated, listening for Lillyana, before whispering, "The library."

I paused. "Which library?" He gave me a weird look. "Oh. that library."

He could tell I was disappointed. He leaned forward and tilted my chin up with one finger before saying, "Starlight, you are my first priority here. The only reason I agreed to search for a wife was to find you. However, I have been looking for an excuse to get over here so I could look for that library for years. There's so much history lost in there. My kingdom has the most of our kind after they were outlawed here. And all of them have lost their culture and history. I just want to bring a little bit of it back to them. If you would prefer I left it alone, I will. Like I said, you're my first priority."

My chest was tight. "No. You're right. How do you propose to take this knowledge back?"

"I was hoping you would help me. I don't know where to begin looking. I figured you would know where the library is at least. My sister and I have communication devices that we can send live images using. That's why she was left at home."

I purred. "Does your people know what you are?" He nodded slightly. "How do they know and you're still allowed in Aginiel?"

He leaned back and picked some flowers, sighing. "It's not that hard. We all kind of look alike, but... the queen is not my mother. My father forced himself upon the queen's sister. She got pregnant from it and died in childbirth. The only legitimate child of my father's is Sophia. So all the public knows is that one of the royal male children is a TrueBlood. They don't know which."

As he was talking, he was weaving flowers together. As he finished his story, he wove the final few flowers into place and looked at me helplessly. I said, "So how is it that you are the heir to the throne?"

He shrugged. "Father liked my mother the best, even though she didn't like him in turn. Plus I was his eldest child. I also think he thought I could win the public over due to the high population of TrueBloods." He nudged me through the bond and I turned to him. "You, Starlight. You are the one who can change my kingdom."

My breath hitched at the name he gave me. "How can I do that?"

He smiled and placed the crown of flowers on top of my head. "By being yourself when you come to the Elfin Kingdom as it's Princess Consort and future Queen."

I paused. "Jackson...I don't think I'll be able to leave Aginiel."

"Why not?"

I rolled my eyes. "My sister. She's made it very clear that she only wants to marry someone with equal power as her. I worry that if she finds out that she'll throw a fit about me being married to you and stop it from happening."

He smiled. "Starlight, I'm prepared to start a war for you. The only thing that will stop me from having you as my queen is if you don't want to be mine. I won't force you, but I won't let anyone else stop me from bringing you home with me. You're my Queen, Starlight, as long as you want to be."

He leaned forward and kissed me tenderly. I breathed, "Jackson, I don't want you to want me just because some stupid dream is telling us that we're together."

He shook his head. "No, Starlight. I don't want that either."

"I'll help you get the knowledge from the library. and I'll be your queen, but only after you've proven your desires." I smiled and blushed. "I felt you last night. Thinking about me."

He purred and whispered in my ear, "You mean the same way you were thinking about me when you opened the door? The same way you were thinking about me when you felt me? The same thoughts you are having now that's making you blush so prettily? I felt you too, Starlight. All night long. Over and over and over."

I was blushing crimson by the time he finished what he was saying. I spluttered, "Well...yes, but... that's not what I meant!"

He grinned and kissed me hard. "You kept me up all night. There are so many indecent things I want to do right now. If you knew half of what I had going on in my mind about you, you would change your mind about everything. However, we're not married. You're so pure and beautiful, the exact contrast of everything I've been raised to be. Everything about you gives the illusion of light. I wish to keep you that way, if I can."

He helped me stand and bowed as is customary in his kingdom. "Jackson, let's go find that library."

He smiled sadly and kissed my hand. "Princess, I first have to go meet our mothers. I'll meet you out in west wing."