Protector of the Crown

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

I had never been so physically exposed, lying naked under the stars, which were so bright against the dark sky that they looked like diamonds. Jax's strong arms were wrapped around me, cradling me in a protective embrace. Despite being naked in the open, I felt nothing but secure and safe.

"I was thinking something," Jax muttered.

"What's that?" I said, my eyelids were heavy and I struggled to keep them open. The emotional exposure mixed with the physical pleasure I had shared with Jax had exhausted me, but it was a wonderful feeling.

"We should meet with the resistance tomorrow," he said, looking at me.

I rolled over and braced myself on his chest, looking down at him, "Jax, they want to kill the King. Your father."

"He's not my father," Jax whispered, "I don't know the man personally, but I know my mother loved my true father, whoever he was."

"Are you sure?" I exclaimed, shocked that he was so certain.

"I am. She told me when I was a boy. I was scared I would turn into the King. I saw my brother take after our father so much that I was terrified I'd start too, that's I'd try to hurt her and be cruel to people to get my way. When I told her about my worry she told me I was born out of love, not force like Marcus. She just told me his name was Jon and he was a good, kind, and loving man."

"Wow. I mean...wow. That rumor has gone around for years; I can't believe it's true. You are truly only of the House of Armstrong, not Thorn," I said, in shock, "I mean it makes sense, your heart is far too pure to belong to the House of Thorn."

"So between the two of us, an Armstrong and a Luther, I think we were meant to join the resistance," Jax said, smiling, "We were meant to wipe out tyranny."

"Another thing fate has bound to us," I said, looking at him seriously, "Wherever you go, I go."

Jax brushed a piece of hair behind my ear, "I won't go unless it's something you want."

"I think I do," I said, thinking about my father, "I've been working for the king that killed my family and hated it. My only joy was finding you. I think it's time to join the resistance so I can honor their lives."

"Plus, maybe they have a tent..."

"Ok...I couldn't fit a tent in the bags!" I laughed, slapping his arm.

"I'll forgive you, but only if you let me kiss you until I fall asleep," he whispered.

"That's a price I'm willing to pay," I laughed as I leaned down to kiss him.

When we finally woke up the sun was rising. With some effort I slid out from Jax's arms, one of which was wrapped securely around my waist and the other around my shoulders, and got dressed. I was finally back in my favorite clothes; flexible and athletic black leggings, a black athletic racer back tank, a black flexible zip up jacket, and sneakers. I threw my hair in a ponytail and began digging through my bag to find some food I had taken for us.

"Good morning, my love," Jax muttered, "You are stunning even first thing in the morning."

I smiled and ran over and jumped onto him, pinning him to the ground, "Good morning, lazy prince," I whispered, kissing him.

Jax grabbed at my left hand and smiled, "I just wanted to make sure you were wearing it."

I smiled and looked at my ring, "This baby is never coming off; you've locked me down for life. Now, get up and get dressed, we need to get moving in case any Protectors are looking for us. We should look for the rebellion camp too."

"I thought you said that guy wanted to meet at midnight?"

"He did," I said, tossing Jax some clothes, "But I'm going to track these woods and find his camp. I don't like someone else having the upper hand on me. I'm going to be the one to pick the place we meet."

"Of course, that makes sense," Jax laughed, pulling on some pants, "Why did I think any different? You take commands from no one."

"Well, I do take commands from you," I said, leaning over and kissing Jax as I handed him a shirt, "Well, not commands, but recommendations that I agree with. Mostly when you have me with no clothes on."

"You seem so...unfiltered today,," Jax smiled, finishing getting dressed, "It's stunning."

"You set me free, Jax. We don't have to hide anymore...well we do have to physically hide, but we don't have to hide how we feel anymore...or who we are," I smiled, feeling free for the first time in my life, despite having a hoard of Protectors searching for me.

"And here I was thinking I couldn't love you anymore," Jax said, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, "My wild and untamed fiancé."

"Fiancé," I whispered, wrapping my hands around his neck, "We skipped right over girlfriend, huh?"

"To be honest, neither word feels right. You're my soulmate, whether we're married or not. Girlfriend, finance, or wife...they feel weak in comparison to what I feel for you."

"You say all the right things," I whispered.

Jax smiled and kissed me, but I pulled back quickly when I heard twigs cracking. It was probably just an animal but it was time to move. We'd been in the same spot for too long and I was ready to go on the hunt for the rebellion.

"Let's go," I said, quickly rolling up the blankets and stuffing them in our bags, "We've been here too long."

"Agreed," he said, taking a bag, "Lead the way."