One Day More - a Sartorias-deles fanfic

Chapter 24

Iris had come to him in a panic, eyes wide and chest heaving from lack of breath. As soon as her heart calmed, she explained in great detail what she heard. Disgruntled individuals were nothing new, but an assassination attempt definitely was. She had been frantic, so it had been challenging to piece together her story. Once Raec had her full account, though, he went directly to his father, who told Alaraec he would take care of it. Iris remained in a nearby parlor, as she did not want to talk to Vidanric herself. Raec wanted to introduce her to his parents, but she always had a reason as to why it was not the appropriate time. He did not push her. Raec wanted her to be at peace and at her best when she met the king and queen, not worried or anxious.

He entered the parlor. Iris stood at the window, biting a fingernail, dressed in a navy grown that accentuated her body and set off her eyes. Raec approached slowly, purposely stomping his feet more than he would normally to ensure she heard him. Iris, however, gave no indication until Alaraec put both of his hands on her shoulders. She startled and twirled around to face him.

"What did he say?"

"He's going to investigate."

Her body visibly relaxed.

"You did well, Iris," Raec said. He rubbed his thumbs along the tops of her shoulders before he dropped his hands.

"Why would anyone want to kill your parents?" Iris spun back to the window. "I don't understand."

"You can't please everyone. There are always those who are dissatisfied with the rulings of my parents."

"They're good and kind and understanding." Iris shook her head. Her eyes stared through the window, unblinking. "Everything seems wrong."

"You stopped it, though," Raec said. He wanted to see her face, to see what was going through her mind. Her eyes misted, as though she were looking without seeing.

"Implying it was real. What if I accused innocent men? What if I misinterpreted? Why would anyone discuss assassination plans in the middle of a busy market, where someone could overhear?" Iris's hands came up to squeeze her arms. "It doesn't make any sense."

Raec reached to touch her but stopped himself. Someone could enter the room at any moment. The "limited contact" rule had been one hard for him to follow since he first met Iris. Something about her made him want to touch her and care for her. He was not certain what it was, precisely. To him, he thought she needed it. His intuition told him that—almost like he somehow knew she had lacked the loving contact in her life. He did not know how he knew, but he did. He wanted to offer it to her. Dash it all, he would offer it to her; she could accept or reject it as she so desired.

When he was king, he would eliminate the "no public contact" rule of etiquette. Not as an edict, but by demonstrating that touching others was no societal crime. He would love to do it with Iris by his side. Holding her hand, guiding her with a gentle touch on her back, and kissing her. What would it be like to kiss her?

Iris leaned back into him. His hands went to her waist to support her of their own accord. When she did not tense at the contact, Raec allowed his hands to slide to her front and tug her closer. Her head tipped back against his shoulder, and she closed her eyes. The temptation to kiss her almost overcame him, but he held himself back. She was vulnerable, and she had not given him permission...but plagues¸ that did not mean he did not want to. He clenched his jaw and willed his mind to focus on anything but Iris—her warmth, her unique scent, her smooth skin, and the comforting pressure of her body against his.

Stop it, Raec, he chastised himself.

Her head rolled forward. "This isn't anything like I thought this would be like."