Forever His Princess

-forty-

AMARI ROUSSEAU

"Where did you put AJ?" I asked.

After Ellie killed Alexander, we'd agreed everyone had gone through enough for the day so everyone decided to retire to their rooms. It was a lot to take in, especially for Ellie since she found out the child she thought she lost was still alive.

"He's in one of the guest rooms, he's being guarded by a couple of men and we put cameras in there just to be sure."

"I really do think he's trying to help us, Niko."

"I do too but we can't take any chances. All of it is just acting as a precaution." I nodded slowly. "Lex texted me that our brothers filled her in on what happened so she'll stay with Mum for the night." He said while putting on his boxers and lying down in bed.

"Good, she shouldn't be alone right now. It'll be hard for all of you." Niko went silent for a while and my eyebrows furrowed. I looked up at him and ran my hand up and down his chest but he avoided eye contact.

"I don't know what you mean by that."

"Yes, you do. You just lost your dad, Nikolai."

"He was hardly a dad."

"I'm fine."

"You're allowed to be sad, my love."

"He was a shitty father, he doesn't deserve to be mourned, he doesn't deserve my tears."

"Niko-"

"Princess, I am fine. You know in that time we were apart, I had a lot of time to think. Alexander was one of those things I thought about. Like I said, he wasn't a good father, he never really has been. I always told myself he was like that because he was raised to think it was right. He had a choice to do what was right, choose a different path."

Nikolai let out a sigh as he laid down next to me.

"He made the wrong decision over and over again when it came to me. He picked and chose when he wanted me to be his son, he treated me like a trophy or a shiny toy to boast about in front of everyone else.

I was nothing but a possession to him.

Princess, I was fine when it came to him criticising me but I had to draw a line when he did it to you and Manny. He doesn't get to talk to my family like that and continue with me like he did nothing wrong. I care about you two too much to let you be treated like that.

He was the villain in our story from the start, he wasn't meant to be there until the end to ruin us. I wasn't gonna let that happen."

This man makes me fall in love with him more and more as the days go on. "I love you." I mumbled, turning to face him, tracing my fingers along his cheek.

"I love you too." I shuffled closer so our lips were less than an inch away from each other, making our noses brush against one another's. He pulled me in impossibly close and pressed his lips against mine.

The kiss got heated quickly and it felt as if he was holding back. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not touching you the way I want and it's driving me crazy."