A Royal Heartbreak (21 page)

She forced a smile. “It’s not the realm,” she teased. “It’s just you.”

Jayme smiled back, but he had also noted the stiff set of her shoulders and knew something was wrong. “Care for a walk or would lover boy back there be jealous?”

Her eyes widened. “He’s just a friend.”

He raised a brow. “Really?”

She nodded quickly. With another smile, she said, “Let’s walk?”

They walked towards her house since she also wanted to introduce Jayme to Daryl and Milo.

“Do you think you can tell me what’s wrong now?”

Misty almost burst into tears. She said shakily, “Just like old times, hmm?”

“Misty, tell me,” he said gently.

She shook her head. “I can’t…not just yet.”

He sighed. “All right. I won’t pressure you. But – tell me at least this. Is that man---”

Misty said flatly, “Jayme – whatever you saw, it’s not…he’s
gay.
”

He stared at her for a moment and then he said just as flatly, “He’s
not
.”

“He is.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Daryl said so.”

Jayme said grimly, “I think we should have a talk with your friend. Now.”

They took a quick detour to get to Daryl and Milo’s home. Daryl was the one to open the door. Before she could greet him, Jayme beat her to speaking. “Hello, I’m Jayme Cavalier – Misty’s friend.”

“I know you,” Daryl said immediately, wide-eyed. When he had still been in Lyccan society, he had remembered how girls in his school sighed over him and made him their locker pinup crush.

“That’s nice.” And then without further ado, Jayme asked, “Is Lysander Allard gay?”

Daryl made a face. “It’s just a disguise.”

Misty’s eyes widened. “B-but you said he was!”

Daryl frowned. “I did?”

“Yes! The first day we saw---”

His face cleared up. “Oh, you mean when you were assigned as his Co-Ambassador? I was sarcastic, duh.” Daryl’s smile faded when he saw the horror on Misty’s face. “You believed me?”

“I asked him several times, too,” Misty said dully.

“He was lying,” Jayme said grimly, “and I don’t think he’s lying without any reason.”

She said slowly, “Jayme, is it okay if I leave you here for a moment? I have to…”

“Would you like me to accompany you?” Jayme asked quietly.

She shook her head. “No. This is just between me and him.” Oh, oh God. She had thought he was gay. Somehow, that had made things better…but now that she knew the truth. Oh my God, if Domenico ever found out---

~~~

Lysander’s head snapped up when the door to this work chamber in the Main Hall flew open and a huffing Misty appeared at the doorway. He smiled at her, his chest easing like always every time he saw her. There was something infinitely relaxing about Misty, making him wish he could keep her by his side all the time.

“Misty---” His smile faded when she looked at him brokenly.

She knew.

“Why did you lie to me, Lysander?”

He walked towards her, and he could see that her first instinct was to move away from him. Somehow, that made him angry and he welcomed the rage because it allowed him to forget the guilt weighing on him.

“Come in and we’ll talk.”

She shook her head.

“Misty, I won’t ask again,” he said tightly.

“I just want to---” She let out a little cry when he moved with lightning speed, and the next thing she knew he had roughly pulled her inside while slamming the door shut.

“You’re hurting me!”

He let her go with a curse. Lysander exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry.”

She rubbed her wrist, knowing that there would be a bruise around it the next day. “Why did you lie to me?”

“Why do you think?”

“I don’t know, Lysander. It’s why I’m asking you.”

“How can you not know?” he demanded. She opened her mouth to answer but he shook his head in angry frustration. “How could you be so fucking blind not to realize that I’m in love with you?”

Misty stumbled back against the door, unable to believe what Lysander had just said.

“You’re not going to say anything?” He wanted to laugh as she continued to stare at him silently. For so many years, women had begged him to fall in love with them. For so many years, he had considered love as something only fools indulged in. And now that he had bitten the bullet, the only woman he had ever loved could not say a thing.

She could not say a thing because she was that…
horrified.

Lysander closed the distance between them, and he felt her tremble as his hands landed on each side of her face, effectively imprisoning her in his arms. “I love you, Misty,” he said raggedly. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

She looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

Her eyes widened.

He kissed her. She started to struggle, but now that he had nothing to hide Lysander did not hesitate to use his strength to keep her in his arms.  His lips forced hers to open, and as he started to kiss her more deeply the salty taste of her tears seeped in.

Lysander jerked away.

Misty covered her mouth, her eyes wide with horror as she stared back at him.

“GO!” Suddenly he was ashamed of himself. He had almost fucking forced himself on Misty! He had professed to love her and yet he hadn’t even cared to listen to her and honor her.

She shook her head.

“What the fuck do you want, Misty? I get it. You don’t love me. I’m sorry I forced myself on you, so now GO!”

She did want to go. She didn’t like the fact that he had used force on her but even so she didn’t hate him. Despite his lies, Lysander had been her friend and Misty didn’t want to throw it away without even attempting to fix things between them.

“Lysander.”

He flinched at hearing her call his name.

She whispered, “If you were made to choose between staying here in this realm and me, what would you choose?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Misty smiled, pointing out tremulously, “Domenico did that for me, you know. He threw everything away just to be with me.”

“I didn’t fucking say no yet, did I?” he snarled.

“But Lysander, you didn’t say yes either.” She waited for her words to sink in and when Lysander lowered his head, she continued gently, “You’re not in love with me, Lysander. I think…your heart had reached a point that it was ready to love and I was just at the right place and time.”

“You’re wrong,” he said finally when she continued looking at him.

“I’m right and you’ll soon know it for yourself. I promise you that.” She walked back to his side, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek. When she pulled away, a twisted smile had touched his lips.

“Goodbye kiss?”

She shook her head. “Second chance kiss.” As she opened the door without looking, Misty missed seeing Ivory turn around the corner, nearly running in her haste to ensure that she was not caught eavesdropping.

This was what she had been waiting for, Ivory thought. Finally, the Master’s plans would be fulfilled.

~~~

Domenico was waiting at her front door and she hurried to him. She had this crazy urge to spill everything out, to cry on his shoulders and just let him fix everything that was wrong in her life.

He cupped her chin, his eyes hard as they scanned her face. “You’ve been crying,” he accused.

Misty laughed. “And you’re going to punish me if I was?”

“What happened?” he demanded.

She shook her head.

“Were you with Cavalier?”

She grasped the excuse desperately. “Yes.”

Misty did not fool him one bit. Worse, he could smell Lysander’s scent all over her, and it meant that she was lying to him. The knowledge nearly sent him to his knees. Was he really too fucking late? And was this all a fucking trap to avenge herself for the heartache he had caused her?

“Domenico?”

She looked so beautiful, so heartbreakingly innocent when she stared up at him like that.

It was too late.

It was just too fucking late.

Even if all this was a trap, the most elaborate of plots to hurt him, it no longer mattered. Domenico could not live without her. If allowing her to fool him would give him more time to spend with Misty, then he would take it with his eyes wide open, his heart ready to bleed.

She swallowed when Domenico still didn’t answer. She couldn’t help asking, “Domenico…you believe me, don’t you?”

In answer, he pulled her close and kissed her hard. “It’s more than that,” he whispered, uncaring of whoever could hear them. “I don’t just trust you, don’t just love you.” He breathed raggedly. “
You
are my life.”

Misty woke up bleary-eyed for the second consecutive time, but she again managed to eat and shower in a hurry before knocking on Milo and Daryl’s front door. Domenico had stated in no uncertain terms that Jayme Cavalier was not allowed to sleep in her house – “not even if he was taped and gagged on your living room floor” were his exact words.

Jayme was yawning when he opened the front door, but he was already fully dressed. “I would have stayed longer if not for my grandfather calling me back.”

She grinned. “I’m thinking he misses all the fun caused by having a grandson playboy seducing all the women in his company.”

“You have a point,” Jayme said so seriously she burst out laughing.

He smiled. “There. Don’t you feel better now?”

“Unfair! That’s going to make me cry, you know?” She sniffed.

Jayme shook his head quickly. “Don’t. Cry. I’m still hurting from the last time we got into a fight over you.”

She gasped. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” He grimaced. “It’s worse. He got my grandfather to send me on a real business trip and do actual work.”

“Jayme!” But she couldn’t help laughing.

He ruffled her hair. When her laughter died down, he said quietly, “You’ve forgiven him, right?”

She nodded.

“That’s great.” He glanced up at the sky with a frown, wondering if it was the right time to tell Misty that he had the oddest premonition of danger. The sky above him felt wrong…different. He knew how the realm’s shields worked but even so – there was just not something right about today’s sky.

“What is it?”

Jayme shook the thoughts away. “Nothing. Just…take care, okay?” He added seriously, “I mean it, Misty. Be careful.”

She looked at him oddly but nodded. “I will. You take care, too.”

“Say goodbye to Domenico for me.”

She smiled. “Shall I kiss him goodbye for you, too?”

He shuddered. “Never.”

Misty walked him all the way to the edge of the realm. The feeling of danger persisted, making his skin tingle, but Jayme did his best not to show it, not wanting Misty nervous for no concrete reason.

“Come back soon!”

The moment he stepped out of the realm, Jayme wasted no time running. He knew that somewhere behind the foggy regions of the Midways the entire Lyccan army was hiding. Maybe it would be overkill, but that was better than having innocents
killed.