ALL US VILLAINS

Chapter Eighteen

A soft breeze tickles Diana's face when she awakens the next morning. The smell of eggs faintly fills the woman's nostrils, rousing her stomach. She can feel the hunger bubbling in her body, demanding to be noticed.

At the moment, all that the sorceress wants to do is go back to sleep. To be welcomed back into Slumber's warm embrace and not wake up until much later. That way, she can avoid feeling the pain of her aching body.

Just as she starts to sink back into sleep, something gently grazes her back. Her eyes snap open. She almost shrinks back from Prince Liam's proximity, his face mere inches from her own. They are close enough where she can count all forty-two freckles that dust his nose and cheeks. She can count every crease and line that mark his face.

Even asleep, the prince appears as though he is under a lot of stress. His mouth is pinched tightly together and his blonde eyebrows are furrowed. Beneath his eyelids, Liam's eyes dart quickly. On top of her back, Diana can feel his fingers twitch. They flex across her back, then slowly curl. He fists the material of her nightgown.

Diana wonders if he is having a nightmare. She understands the terror of a nightmare, experiencing them often enough herself. For the last four years, nightmares are all that she knows. She's lived one for so long that the ones in her sleep feel almost like dreams.

While she debates waking the prince, his features slowly begin to soften. His hand uncurls and rests gently on her back.

Though she should get out of the bed before he wakes, she cannot help but stare at his face. He is quite handsome— a detail that has never gone unnoticed by her. In his more quiet moments, she finds him tolerable. She may even consider him kind to her on the rarest occasion.

In another life, she is certain that they would have made great friends. They share similar interests and have similar personalities. Diana can clearly see all the moments they would have shared under better circumstances. Their nights under the stars and their mornings walking through the woods.

By pursuing Andrew, Diana ruined any potential friendship that she could have had with Liam. The sorceress had known the exact risk of being in a relationship with a human, yet she had chosen to ignore all of them. She let love blind her and fog her ability to see to reason.

Now, she must live with the consequences of her actions.

Liam's eyes slowly open, meeting Diana's. Grogginess clouds their green hue, making it clear that he is not fully awake.

He is awake enough to realize the current position that they find themselves in.

The pair sit in silence for several heartbeats, refusing to move a single muscle. Then, as if touched by a thorn, they both roll out of the bed. An involuntary hiss of pain leaves Diana's lips from the sudden motion. She plants a hand against the spot on her back while closing her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Liam questions.

The concern in his tone instantly flares up her irritation. He should hate her and find enjoyment from her pain. "I'm fine," she snaps. Diana draws a breath in through her nose and blows it out of her mouth. "I'm fine. I just need to be more careful."

Unconvinced, the prince darts his gaze between Diana, the bed, and the door. He silently wages a war within himself in search for the right answer to the situation. A quiet sigh leaves his lips. Then, he gives her the cold shoulder and faces away from her. "If you are certain."

Liam walks to the door. He does not offer Diana any assistance nor does he spare her another glance. It's as though their moments from last night had never happened.