Violet Dreams

Chapter 41

Arabella had already ordered away all the servants and guards, giving them one last job. She'd told them to go to Marie and call the whole surrogacy off. Arabella nervously straightened the table cloth. She looked upon all the food she had cooked, she wasn't sure what Nyx would want so she had cooked everything she knew how to. She hadn't eaten a full meal in a while so looking at the food made her stomach gurgle. Potatoes, cooked meat, a whole deep dish of pasta, garlic bread and her favourite wine. She breathed the heavenly smells deeply.

Nyx winnowed unexpectedly into the dining room. He'd landed directly across from where Arabella stood, his gaze locked onto her in an instant. She gave a tight smile before his eyes scanned the masses of food, he chuckled.

"I would've been happy with a slice of bread".

She laughed too, "I was nervous".

Even now she could feel butterflies in her stomach as he looked at the food. Was there nothing he liked? Had she been overcompensating with the food?

Nyx sat down at the table, "don't be".

Arabella swallowed thickly before sitting across from him. She tried to fill her plate but she couldn't look away from him. He began loading food onto his plate too, a pleasant smile on his face. Arabella could only watch him. When his plate was full, instead of eating, he put down his knife and fork. He leant back in his chair. His gaze scanned over her, taking in every detail, every nervous movement.

"Are you sure?" He asked, "because a few hours ago you were yelling at me, saying you wanted to reject me. I don't want to trap you".

She supposed that was a fair assumption. She had been mad at him though, Arabella didn't want to cause him any sort of emotional pain.

She shook her head, "you're not trapping me, I want to accept this bond".

"You know, my dad tried to stop me from coming", he said sighing, "he said if you really wanted to be my mate it would've happened sooner".

"Yet you came".

"I had to hear you out".

Did that mean he agreed with his father? Arabella was certainly nervous about the mating bond, but she felt that had to be normal, that kind of commitment was a big deal.

Arabella frowned, "do you not want to be my mate?"

He laughed, "I'd still want to be your mate a thousand years from now. It's impossible to get you out of my mind".

"But you seem unsure".

"I just don't want you to do this for me. I want you to want me. I would hate for you to regret this - to regret us".

Arabella considered this. She had certainly been changing her mind a lot in the last few months. She cared for Nyx very deeply, she wanted to see him happy. No matter how many times he said his happiness would be with her, she did not believe him. How could someone fall so passionately and deeply as him? And so quickly too. A part of her, deep down inside her, was just as quick to judge. Maybe this was all another ploy, another trick. Maybe the Night Court wasn't actually the kind people she'd begun to love, maybe all the rumours were true. Maybe Nyx was using her just like him.

"I really like you, Nyx. But you have to understand trust has never been a strong point of mine".

He nodded, "I'd be surprised if it was".

She rolled her eyes playfully, trust him to joke.

"you're the first person in years that has treat me with respect and honesty. You look at me like I'm the most wonderful person in the world. I'm not used to that, and it terrifies me. But, selfishly, I don't want you to stop looking at me like that, I don't want to lose you like I've lost everything else".

"Are you ready to be someone's mate?"

Was she? It was commitment for eternity, and this time she wouldn't have another mate to bail her out. What if she couldn't read him like she though she could. What if -

Her hesitation was enough, he pushed his plate away from him. Nyx went to stand up but Arabella reached across the table, her hand grabbing his arm. She held his gaze, silently pleading him to stay.

Nyx sat back down.

"I'm not ready to be someone's mate, because that requires such a deep level of trust and understanding that I'm not ready for".

He nodded, Arabella grasped his hand in hers.

"But perhaps", she said, "we could come to another arrangement".

Nyx smirked, "Arabella you scoundrel, are you suggesting we become friends with benefits?"

She smiled and shook her head, "I was hoping for a more permanent title, Nyx, would you like to be my boyfriend?"

His smile could of lit up the darkest night.

"I'll always say yes to you", he said and before she could blink he reached across the table and smashed his lips into hers.

They were both smiling through the kiss. While he kissed her passionately, it was also full of love and promises that didn't need voicing. He'd wait for her to be ready, he'd respect her boundaries. Meanwhile, Arabella could get used to a kind of permanency that didn't mean eternity. It was a step in the right direction without making her feel overwhelmed.

"Well", Nyx said softly as he broke the kiss, "we have a week to waste until we need to torture a certain prick".

Arabella chuckled, "I still have a kingdom to rule".

"I'll help", he said confidently.

"You'll be nothing but a distraction", she muttered as he led her towards her room.

"A sexy distraction", he replied smoothly.

And for once, Arabella couldn't disagree.

A/N: hi. Since I first started writing this book I couldn't decide how I wanted it to end (don't worry this isn't the end). I toyed with the idea of leaving Nyx and Arabella separated forever. I know! but in terms of a writing point of view, you usually aim to make the readers feel pain. Violet Dreams was not meant to be a sappy love story, it was meant to hurt.

I decided that there was nothing in the world that would keep Nyx from Arabella. He is his father's son. Arabella however is a far more level-headed and practical person, as she always said her court would come first and I wanted her to stay true to that. Originally I was going to end the story with Arabella staying as Zachery's wife (still with a plan to murder him), but her and Nyx's story mirroring that of the Lady of Autumn Court and Helion.

I think I fell in love with my characters too much. Because I needed them to grow old together. I wanted Nyx to find his mate.

I don't know why I've decided to share this, I just thought boyfriend and girlfriend was a good temporary solution for the moment. I think Arabella has been through so much that the idea of someone loving her with unwavering support scares her.

Anyway, there WILL be smut don't stress, I just don't like writing smut with no plot.

Check out my new story The Blood Rite. It's going to be heart-warming over there 😂