The King's Sweet Tooth

Chapter 10

Draven dropped his head onto his desk harshly. He wished the pounding would stop, that the ache would go away.

"Why don't you go and talk to her instead of hurting yourself?" Orion asked.

It had been a week since he and Lynetta last spoke. She had cashed the check.

"She got what she wanted, Orion," he mumbled. "It always happens."

And on top of that, he was two fucking council members short. He was over all of it. He wanted to drop off the planet and never be heard from again.

"You don't sleep or eat. All you do is work. I am ordering you to leave this office right now."

Draven narrowed his eyes, his harsh glare cracking all of Orion's confidence.

"You cannot order the fucking king," he snapped.

"Fine," Orion said. "Then accept my official resignation, Your Highness. I refuse to watch you sit and waste away in this dingy room."

The King's office was hardly dingy, but it was a well played move on Orion's part.

Draven stood, leaving the office with a dramatic slam just because he felt like it. He was starving.

He made himself a sandwich, before going to sit on some hay in Frost's stall.

The silence was deafening as he sat alone in the cold.

He was trying to think reasonably. She needed the money, she cashed the check.

But a part of him wanted her to refuse it, tell him that he was worth more than the money. He knew that was ridiculous. He wasn't worth more than the money.

Orion was wrong though. She should reach out to him if she had something to say. He was done with it.

He hadn't slept at all. He let himself doze off in the company of his horse. But sleeping didn't make him feel any better, especially not while he was freezing his ass off.

He was destined to be alone. The only people in his life were paid to be there, except Frost of course.

Even if Lynetta somehow magically reappeared, he wasn't sure if he could trust again. Not just her, but anyone. He knew he was jaded before her, and this only added to his issues.

Draven struggled to stand. Orion was right. He was going to waste away if he didn't get his shit together. Sleeping the rest of the day did sound very appealing.

He went to his office to tell Orion, but he wasn't there. Draven wrote him a note instead.

He yawned, gathering some things to take to his room when there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," he called, figuring it was Orion.

It wasn't.

Lynetta looked beyond exhausted when she stepped into his space. She curtsied. Draven couldn't move. He fully expected never to see her again.

"Your Highness," she greeted respectfully, but he hated it. He just wanted to be Draven to her.

He could feel the hurt all over again. It washed over him, like a wound reopening.

"I-I brought you this," she stepped closer to his desk, holding out a thick envelope.

He took it from her, noticing the slightest tremble in his hands. He opened the envelope. It was full of cash.

"It's all of it. I just needed to get paid before I brought it."

"Thank you," Draven said, knowing that this was their last link. He wanted to say something. He wanted her to say something.