In the Shadows~zayn au~Completed ✅EDITING

~Chapter 48: Clean~

Hellacious-long update this time to make up for how long it took me. Sorry about that, folks! There's a bit of everything in this chapter, so hope you like it! ;)

Kalysta didn't speak initially. She wasn't even sure what to say. Even after Louis had bared his soul, she felt foolish having to acknowledge that there was something between her and Zayn.

"Do you remember what I said when we first met?" Louis asked, breaking the silence for her.

"Yes." Her reply was pained because she knew exactly what he was talking about. There could be no question on her maiden status in order for Niall to legally marry her.

"Then you know why I'm so against this!" It was his turn to castigate. "No matter what happens with the resistance, you're going to at least have to go through the motions of making the marriage treaty, at least until we get organized. You can't do this if no one thinks you're a maiden!" His tone was rising. "We already risk too much with this trip, but now you want to risk more!? And for what?"

"For that freedom!" she replied fervently. "That freedom you spoke of so highly! You got yours through Valerie, and he.... he's mine." She looked over at Zayn, finally able to lift her gaze from the floor.

"And look how that ended up for me!" Louis cried. "You're not too young to know how this works!"

"We haven't... no. We haven't done that." And again, she wasn't able to look at either of them. Where earlier she hadn't felt a bit of embarrassment with Zayn, she turned crimson just talking circumspectly about it.

"At least there's something," was Louis's sarcastic comment.

"And what do you have to say for yourself?" he asked, turning to Zayn.

"It is as she said," Zayn replied evenly, "but I would add this: I've traveled with you for some time. Whenever you meet a new woman or get us chased from an inn for gambling them broke, you always say 'We take our joy where we can find it'. That's all we've done." He walked back to where she was and slipped an arm around her waist.

She looked up at him, pleased that he'd so readily defended this. His answering smile was enough to make her chest hurt a bit.

"That was an entirely different matter!"

"I don't see how," Zayn said. His grip tightened on her waist and he turned to press a kiss to her temple.

"Oh come off it already!" Louis protested, looking at Zayn's arm like it was a vile serpent. "You two are making me sick with that!"

"Yes and your behavior with Beatrice was entirely appropriate," Kalysta scoffed.

Louis quickly grinned at the thought and then shrugged. "She's a good visit whenever we're in Cheshire," he allowed.

"I'm sure." Kalysta made a face of disgust. "Regardless of how different you think it is, we've already made the decision and we'll be careful. This won't get out because of any indiscretion on our part. The question is whether or not you can be trusted with this."

"Oh yes, because I don't have enough invested in this mission already?" Again, Louis retorted with sarcasm and it was more than annoying.

A moment of awkward silence passed.

"Well, I'm off to see Elise and scold Everett," he announced. "That boy is worse than I ever was." He turned toward the door, then stopped, turned back, and glared at them with narrow eyes. "Do I need to bring Zayn with me? I know how these things work and no one ever intends for it to move as far as it does."

"Are you trying to be my father now?" was Kalysta's response. "Go. Look after your children and I promise there won't be any new ones when you return."