The Queen's Guard

Chapter 30

Victoria left them alone once more, but not before blurting out how excited the king was to see Maya. As the door closed behind her, Maya's face remained frozen in an expression she couldn't quite control. The realization had hit her with an unexpected force: Carina was still married. It was a practical fact that had eluded her in her desperate journey back. All she had thought about was being with her again, holding her again—but of course, it wasn't that simple.

Carina caught sight of Maya's furrowed brow, the way her lips tightened in that familiar way she always did when jealousy took hold. A small, amused smile tugged at Carina's lips. After all this time, Maya was still the same, still protective, still possessive—and oh, how she had missed that.

"Don't worry," Carina said with a soft laugh, her voice tinged with affection. "You'll like him."

Maya's confusion only deepened. She looked at Carina with a mix of skepticism and disbelief, as if unable to comprehend how she could possibly like the man Carina was married to.

"Trust me," Carina whispered, her tone filled with a gentle assurance as she stepped closer, closing the distance between them. Her eyes locked with Maya's, her expression tender and filled with a warmth that had never faded, not even in the darkest moments of their separation.

The tension in the room shifted, the air growing thick with a longing that had been building for far too long. Carina reached out, her hand cupping Maya's cheek, her thumb brushing lightly over her skin. Maya's breath hitched, her heart pounding in her chest as the reality of this moment sank in.

Without another word, Carina leaned in, her lips capturing Maya's in a kiss that was both soft and urgent, as if they were rediscovering each other all over again. The kiss deepened, and with it came a flood of memories. It was a kiss that spoke of all the months of longing, of the nights spent dreaming of this very moment.

Maya's arms wrapped around Carina, pulling her closer, as if she couldn't bear to let her go again. The warmth of Carina's body against hers, the way their lips moved together with a familiar rhythm, it was everything she had been yearning for. Every brush of Carina's lips, every sigh that escaped between them, felt like a balm to the wounds they had both carried.

Carina's hands moved to Maya's hair, fingers threading through the soft strands as she poured every ounce of love and longing into that kiss. She had missed this, missed the way Maya's presence made her feel whole, the way their bodies seemed to fit together so perfectly.

As they finally pulled away, their foreheads resting against each other's, both of them breathless, they had waited so long for what came next. 

The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the candles casting flickering shadows on the walls as Maya and Carina came closer. The air between them was charged with an intensity that neither had felt before—a mixture of relief, overwhelming love, and the lingering pain of their time apart. For months, Carina had believed Maya was gone, and now that she was back, the reality of it all felt almost surreal.

Carina's eyes roamed over Maya, taking in every detail as if committing it to memory. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached out, tracing the lines of Maya's face, her fingertips brushing against her cheek. There was a rawness in her touch, a desperation to confirm that this moment was real, that Maya was truly standing before her.

Maya's heart ached as she took in Carina's appearance. The toll of the months they had spent apart was evident. Carina was thinner, her once vibrant eyes now carried the weight of grief and loss. Maya could see the exhaustion and it made her want to take away all the pain that had plagued Carina during her absence.