The Immortal Prince ✔️

29

Word Count: 2077

~Vaela

I stare at the bed, wondering how it's possibly going to get any sleep tonight.

My eyes stay locked on the door as I undress, slipping into some nightclothes I found in the top drawer of the dresser. I don't suspect Sinful will wander in expectantly, but he is Lust.

A knock on the door sends me rushing from the bed I had just clambered into.

Slowly, I open the door, peering out.

I nearly collapse with relief. It's Hale.

Swinging the door open, I examine him. He's dressed in a dark coat, making his silvers eyes more vivid. For a fleeting moment, I'm convinced he's come to my room to seduce me, although that vanishes in a moment as I come to my senses.

"Come on," he summons, nodding toward the hallway.

"Huh?"

"Let's go for a walk," he prompts.

Peering past him, I see nothing but an empty hallway, and silent house. No Sinful, ready to taunt and tease me about my feelings for Hale.

"Where?" I ask thickly.

Hale's eyes are dark and searching. "Outside. The view is stunning from up here."

"I'll be cold."

"You're always cold. Now layer up, and let's go," he encourages.

He waits patiently outside while I dress, finding thick fluffy coats inside the closet for me to shrug on.

For some reason, my limbs tremble in anticipation. We spend so much time together, and yet something feels different about him coming to my room, asking me to join him on a walk.

It feels...intimate. Even more so than last night.

We don't say much as we wander outside, careful not to draw attention to us. Despite it being night, the moon casting its silvery light across the snow makes everything visible.

"You're right, it's beautiful out here," I muse, looking out at the magnificent view of snow topped mountains and glittering village lights. Now that I'm mortal, I can admire these sights with an entirely fresh appreciation.

Hale is looking at me as we wander. "It's strange, you know, how much my perspective has been changing since being around you."

"How so?"

"Moments like these feel special now. I like being around you," he says quietly.

I look down to smother my smile, watching the way my shoes sink into the snow as we walk. It's these moments, where he says such gentle, sweet things that I forget he is a Sin.

"As long as it stays platonic," I murmur.

I can feel him looking at me, but I raise my gaze out toward the view, wishing I were living a carefree immortal life like those in the village. "Tell me more about the man who killed you."

"Is this your not-so-subtle way of finding out his name so you can go and kill him?" I ask. Now that both Hale and I have calmed down since it was initially brought to his attention, I can find it amusing.

Hale laughs breathily, sliding his hands into his pockets. "No. I value your decision not to want him dead. Even if I don't agree with it."

That's a relief...

"His name was Trace. We were together for three years before he killed me," I explain. Three happy years too, until he snapped.

Hale frowns. "Why did he do it?"