Unfeeling

Nineteen | My Burning Kingdom

Evan

Amberley was cold. No matter how hard I pulled her against my body, no matter how many times I kissed her. She shook and was chilled to the bone.

"Amberley, what did Joshua talk to you about?"

She tensed against me and I tightened my hands around her. We had been laying under the covers for nearly a day, savoring each other's warmth, waiting for news.

"He said that I can defeat the Unfeeling, he said I could make them all feeling something again," she whispers.

"I believe it," I respond.

She sighs and entwines her fingers with mine.

"How long do you think we're going to last down here? If we don't do anything?"

I frowned. "Probably not long. The Iniquitous will search every inch of Adana once they take it, maybe a few months, maybe even weeks if they're lucky."

"That's not long, these people may have powers but they aren't ready for war," she says.

I fully agree with her. Years underground have made the Altrus soft. They needed serious combat training.

"We have a few weeks, we can help them... together," I offer.

"How do you know they will follow me?"

I chuckled and stroke my hand lazily down her side. She shivers under my touch and a blush creeps to her cheeks. I loved the way she reacted it me.

"They'd be stupid not to. We all saw what you did, you are our only hope."

A moment of silence passes and I swear I can hear the gears turning in Amberley's mind.

"I'll go up, and talk to the Iniquitous. Try to strike a deal," she says.

My heart thumps and I am suddenly panicked. That was not an option. My family would kill them in an instant.

I twist Amberley underneath me and I straddle my legs on either sides of hers. She gasped and goes red at our close proximity.

"No way, the Iniquitous don't strike deals. The only thing they strike is the heads of there enemies."

"I could offer myself to them, in exchange for the safety of Clandestine," she says.

"You're going to stay safe and that's all you're going to do! This isn't your war Amberley, your not a Princess anymore."

Her eyes flash and she pulls me underneath her. She straddles me and I immediately feel warmth spread through my body. Her hair tickles my arms. I want her so bad.

"This is my war, Evan. My kingdom is burning. My friends are being slaughtered and raped at this very moment."

I scoff and place my arms above my head nonchalantly, trying to hide the way the position of her body over my lower parts affected me.

"Don't act so sad. Your life was hell up there. Look at the scars, Amberley. Don't you feel a little satisfaction that you're father is dead and everyone else who let him do this to you is going to die? I know I would!"

"My father won't die. He will always be a part of me. But I'm not going to let my petty, personal issues with the court sway me from humanity. They may be cold hearted but they're still innocent."

"Petty, personal issues?" I question. I yank her underneath me and lift her shirt up. She is laying face down and her shrieks are muffled in the pillow.

I stroke each of her scars and lean down to kiss each and every one of them. "Anyone who would let this happen to you, is just as guilty as the the person who did it. They aren't innocent, Amberley."